QUA 



bars, and broad, (harp, iron vvt-dges ; by which means tliefc 

 matters are, from theconllant praftice of the men, fplit and 

 torn into fueli forms as are wanted with great eafe and facihty. 

 See Qlakkv. 



QuAliUYiNG Tools, the diflerent forts of implements which 

 are employed or made ufe of in the different works of this 

 kind, as in the raifing and preparing tlie various forts of ma- 

 terials of this natnre. They are principally fuch as thofe 

 wliich have been noticed already, and different dcfcriptions 

 of picks, mattocks, and jumpers, or boring implements, 

 for the purpofe of blafting the various kinds of flone, and 

 other hard materials. Thefe tools are individually defcribed 

 under their particular heads. See each of them. 



QuARRYiNGS, tlie fmall pieces which are broken or 

 chipped off from the different forts of materials which are 

 found and wrouglit in quarries, while they are undergoing 

 their different preparations for varions ufes. Thefe fub- 

 ftances, where they are of the hard kind, inch as thofe 

 of the blue and lime-flone, as well as fooie other forts, are 

 extremely well calculated for the purpofe of forming and 

 repairing roads, as they are nearly, if not quite, in a Hate fit 

 for immediate application in this way. Materials of thefe 

 kinds ought, therefore, where they can be conveniently had, 

 never to be neglefted by thofe who have the care and ma- 

 nagement of roads, as they will fave much expence and trouble, 

 in a great number of irdtances. See Roads. 



QUART, q. li. fourth, in Muftc. See Quarte. 



Quart is particularly ufed for a diminutive meafure, con- 

 taining one-fourth, or quarter, of fonie other meafure ; which 

 lee. 



The Englifh quart is a fourth of a gallon, or two pints ; 

 the Roman quart, or quartarius, was the fourth part of their 

 congius. 



The committee appointed for examining the flandards of 

 weights and meafures, and afccrtaining thofe that fhall be 

 ufed in this kingdom, delivered it as their opinion, in their 

 report to the houie of commons, A. D. 1 8 14, that the 

 gallon ought to contain 10 pounds of pure water, or 376.48 

 cubical inches ; that the quart, or fourth part of the gallon, 

 ought to contain 40 ounces of water, or 69. 1 2 cubical inches ; 

 and that the pint, or half of the quart, ought to contain 20 

 oimces of water, or 34-56 cubical inches. 



The French, from whom we borrow the word, befides their 

 quart, or pot of two pints, have various other quarts, diftin- 

 guilhed by the whole of which they are quarters ; as quart 

 de mtt'td, and quart de loiffenu. See MuiD, and BlisHEL. 



Quart of Butter, in Rural Economy, a name given to a 

 lump which contains the quantity of three pounds ; and 

 which is a mode of felling it th<.t is peculiar to feme diflridls, 

 it being carried in this flate to the markets. 



Quart de Soupir, in Fr. Mujic, is a refl equal to a femi- 

 qiiaver. By a 4th part of a foupir is meant an equivalent to 

 a double croche, or two quavers in French, and one crotchet 

 in Enghfh. See Time-table, and Value c/" Notes. 



Quart de Ton, Fr., a quarter of a tone, an interval 

 introduced into the enharmonic genus by Ariftoxenus. We 

 have neither ear nor harmonic calculations that can furnifh 

 us with the exaft interval or ratio of a quarter-tone ; and 

 when we confider what nice geometric operations are necef- 

 fary to fettle it on the monochord, we are very apt to fufpcdl 

 that this true quarter-tone never has been nor ever will be 

 produced exatflly in tune either vocally or iiillrumentally. 

 Muficians, however, call the diiTerence between A* and Bjj, 

 a quarter-tone, an interval which, though in nature, is anni. 

 hilated by t mperament. 



This quarter-tone is pretended to be of two kinds ; the 

 enharmonic major, in the ratio of 57610 625, which is the 



QUA 



complement of two minor femitoncs to a tone major ; and 

 the enharmonic minor, in the ratio of 125 to 128, which is 

 the complement of the fame two minor femitoncs to the minor 

 tone. Roufleau. 



QUARTAN, in Medicine, an ague or intermittent fever, 

 the paroxyfms of whicli recur every third day, leaving two 

 intervening days without fever. This is vulgarly called a 

 third-day ague ; but in medical language it \% termed quartan, 

 or fourth-day ague, becaufe if we reckon the day on which 

 the difeafe commences as one, then the fecond paroxyfm is 

 on the fourth day, which again becomes one in relation to 

 the fucceedingparoxyims. See Fever, Quartan, SlwAAcvz. 

 See alfo Tertian. 



QUARTARIUS, a meafure among the ancients, being 

 the fourth part of afcxtary, and nearly equal to a quarter of 

 a pint of our wine-mcalure. 



QUARTARO, in Commerce, a liquid meafure at Venice. 

 Tlie amphora, which is a wine-meafure, contains 4 bigoncio ; 

 a bigoncia 4 quartari, 16 feechie, or 2561b. Pefo groffo ; 

 but a bigoncia of brandy isonly 14 feechie, or 561b. Kelly's 

 Un. Cambift. 



QUARTATION, in Metallurgy, is the feparation of 

 filver from gold by means of aqua fortis or nitric acid ; which 

 is an operation that has fomething fmgular in it. 



If filver and gold are mixed together into a mafs, and the 

 gold is not lefs than one-third part of the mafs in weight, the 

 beff aqua fortis poured upon it is not at all capable. of dif- 

 folving the filver ; but if you add more filver to this mafs, 

 by melting it again in the fire, with fuch a iieceffary addition 

 of that metal alone as fhould bring the gold in the mafs to 

 the proportion of lefs than one-third of the whole, and fuf- 

 for it to cool, then aqua fortis poured on it will corrode the 

 filver from it : this is alfo by fo much the more flrongly 

 performed, as the quantity of gold is lefs than in the pro- 

 portion of one-third of the whole mafs ; but experience has 

 taught us, that aqua fortis diflblvet filver mixed with gold 

 quickly enough when the gold conflitutes but one, and the 

 filver three parts of a mixed mafs of them ; and in this cafe, 

 if the folution is not too impetuoufly performed, the gold 

 ufually remains in fuch a proportion, in the fame figure that 

 the whole mafs had before the feparation of the filver by 

 this menilruum ; fo that, in this cafe, there is no reafon to 

 apprehend tlie gold's being torn into minute particles, and 

 dillipated in fome meafure ; though this can hardly be pre- 

 vented when the filver exceeds the three-quarter proportion, 

 in regard to the gold in the mafs. The artificers, therefore, 

 always make it their fludy to obferve very exaftly this pro- 

 portion of the gold being one-fourth part of the mixture ; 

 and thence it is that the operation itfelf has been called 

 quartation. 



In order to afcertain nearly the proportion of gold and 

 filver in a mafs, the affayers rub this mafs upon a touch- 

 ftoiie, fo as to leave a mark upon it ; and they then make 

 marks upon the flone with iome of thofe needles, called 

 touch-needles, the colour of which they think comes nearefl 

 to that of the mafs : by comparing the marks of thefe 

 needles with the mark of trie mafs, they difcover nearly the 

 proportion of the gold and filver in the mafs. The mafs of 

 gold and filver to be quartered ought previoufly to be granu- 

 lated, by melting it in a crucible, and pouring it into a large 

 veffel full of cold water, while at the fame time a rapid cir- 

 cular motion is given to the water by quickly ftirring it 

 round with a flick or broom. The veffels generally ufed for 

 this operation are called parting-glafies. The aqua fortis mull 

 be purified for this purpofe, and fhould be fo fbrong as to be 

 capable of acting fenfibly on filver when cold, but not fo 

 ftrong as to aft violently. If it be very flrong, and the veffels 



well 



