QUA 



economy of nature this mineral gives ftability to the folid 

 fabric of the globe, enabling thofe rocks and mountains in 

 which it abounds to refill the decompofnig effefts of air and 

 moifture, and to brave for ages the impetuous fury of the 

 ocean. For the properties of filex, of which quartz is 

 compofed, fee SiLnx. 



Quartz Roct, in Geology. Entire rocks and even moun- 

 tains are compofed of quartz in various parts of the world, 

 in the vicinity of granitic dillrifts. Tiic (juartz is granular, 

 and fometimes intermixed with a fmall portion of mica. 

 Werner clafles quartz rock as a dillinS order of primary 

 rocks, but it would be perhaps more confonant with a na- 

 tural arrangement, to confider this rock as a conllituent of 

 granite on a large fcale, certain caufes having feparated the 

 quartz, mica, and felfpar into diftinft maffes. Entire moun- 

 tains of thefe three fnbftances are faid to occur in the Ura- 

 lian chain, prefenting the materials of granite on a large 

 fcale. Quartz rocks arc met with in Scotland. In the 

 highlands the fummits of fome of the mountains arc formed 

 of white quartz, and appear as if covered with fnow. The 

 two beautiful conical mountains, called the Sugar-loafs, in the 

 vicinity of Dublin, are compofed of granular quartz, of a 

 fimilar kind to what forms veins in the gneifs and mica ftate 

 of the furrounding mountains nearer Dublin. 



QUARTZOSE, in Mineralogy, a term applied to 

 thole rocks or minerals which are principally compofed of 

 quartz. 



QUASHING, in Laiv, the overthrowing and annulling 

 a thing. Thus, pleas in abatement (which fee), when the 

 fuit is by original, conclude to the writ or declaration ; by 

 praying "judgment of the writ, or declaration, and that 

 the fame may be quafhed," cajfetur, made void or abated; 

 but if the aftion be by bill, the plea rauil pray "judgment 

 of the bill," and not of the declaration ; the bill being licre 

 the original, and the dfclaration only a copy of the bill. 

 See Plea, Dilatory Pleas, and Certiorari. 



QUASI-CONTRACT, in the Civil Law, an aft which 

 has not the ftrift form of a contraft, but yet has the force 

 ©f it. 



In a contraft there mull be the mutual confent of both 

 parties ; whereas, in a quafi-contraft, one party may be 

 bound or obhgated to the other, without having given his 

 confent to the aft by which he is obliged. 



For an example : I have done your bufmefs in your ab- 

 fence, without your procuration ; and it has fucceeded to 

 your advantage ; I have then an aftion againit you for the 

 recovery of what I have dilburfed ; and you an aftion againft 

 me, to make me give an account of my adminiftration ; 

 which amounts to a quafi-contraft. See Contract. 



QUASI-CRIME, or Quasi-delict, the aftion of a 

 perfon who does damage, or evil, involuntarily. 



The reparation of quafi-crimes confifts in making good 

 the damages, with intereft. 



QUASI-MODO Sunday, Loiu Eapr-Sunday, or the 

 next funday after Eafter ; thus called from the initial words 

 of the introit of the mafs for the day, Quafi modo geniti in- 

 fantes. 



In the ancient deeds thefe words are fignified by q. m. g. 



QUASS, the name of a liquor in Ruflia, which ferves.the 

 natives not only for drink, but alfo for fauce to a number of 

 difhes ; and is the bafis of the favourite cold foup of the 

 North, which is made by adding cold meat cut in pieces, 

 with cucumbers faked after a peculiar manner, or with 

 onions, or garlick, to a bowl of this fubacid liquor. The 

 common Ruflian quafs is prepared by putting into a large 

 pot full of cold water as much rye-flower as will make a 

 thin dough ; this is then placed in an oven moderately heated, 

 for three hours, and afterwards taken out and thrown into 



QUA 



a tub of cold water ; the mixture is worked with a machine 

 like a chocolate mill till it froths. To this liquor arc added 

 two bafons of the grounds of old quafs, leaven, or a piece 

 of their four bread ; and the tub is covered with a cloth, and 

 laid by till the liquor has acquired a fourilh taile, which 

 marks its being ready for ufe. 



There is a better fort of cjuafs, which is prepared as 

 follows. Take a chetverik (about 35 pounds Ruli. or 3c 

 pounds Engl.) of barley-malt, two or three handfuls of 

 rye-malt, and a like quantity of unbolted rye-meal ; mix 

 them all together in earthen pots, then pour boiling water 

 upon it, and itir the whole till it acquires the coniiltcnce 

 of a thin pap. The pots mufl be full to within an iiicli of 

 the brim. Upon this mixture mull now be poured about an 

 inch in height of the huf]<s of oats, from whicii groats are 

 made. Set tlie pots in a heated oven, in which fome glow- 

 ing coals are ftill remaining, which mutl be heaped about the 

 pots. This done, clofe the oven, and leave the pots in it 

 four-and-twenty hours. This time being clapfed, take them 

 out ; again pour boiling water in till they are brimfull, and 

 iUr all well together. Now pour it all into a wooden 

 veffel or tub, provided with a fpiggot and foflet, firll cover- ' 

 ing the bottom with a layer ot ilraw, as is ufually done 

 in brewing beer ; then add warm water, more or lefs, ac- 

 cording to the quantity of quafs you want ; let it (land an 

 hour, and afterwards draw it off into velfels. In every 

 vedel a flice of coarfe rye bread muil be put, in order to 

 make it ferment. Set the veffels in a cellar, and after four- 

 and-twenty hours the quafs is fit for drinking. 



In making quafs, barley-malt alone may be ufed. The 

 rye-malt is added only from neceffity, when the former, by 

 itfelf, would be too poor, and not be fufficiently fweet. 

 But the rye-meal is abfolutely neceflary. 



From the quantity of malt and meal above ftated, is ob- 

 tained about fix or feven kilderkins, or two ankers of quafs. 

 The Ruflians in the fummer feafon put the veflels of quafs 

 immediately in the cellar, but in the winter they let them iland 

 a whole night in a warm room, for the quafs to ferment. 



QUASSE, in Geography, a town of Africa, in Benin. 

 N. lat. 6° 20'. E. long. 3° 30'. 



QUASSIA, in Botany, received that name from Lin- 

 nasus. He called it fo in honour of Qualli, a negro at 

 Surinam, who difcovered the virtues of the wood of this 

 tree, in curing the malignant fevers of that country, to 

 which fo many Europeans fell a facrifice, and who commu- 

 nicated this valuable difcovery to his patron governor Dahl- 

 berg. Hence it became known in Europe ; particularly by 

 means of a diflertation printed in the Amoenitates Acade- 

 mics, firft publifhed in 1763. — Linn. Gen. 212. Schreb. 

 288. Willd. Sp. PI. v. 2. 567. Mart. Mill. Dift. v. 4. 

 Ait. Hort. Kew. v. 3. 42. Juff. 282. Lamarck Illuftr. 

 t. 343. Gxrtn. t. 70. — Clafs and order, Decandria Mono- 

 gynia. Nat. Ord. Magnoliis affiiie, JulF. 



Gen. Ch. Cal. Perianth inferior, very (hort, of five ovate, 

 permanent leaves. Cor. Petals five, fcffile, equal, lanceo- 

 late, elongated, oblique, converging. NcCtary of five 

 ovate villous fcales, attached to the infide of the filaments at 

 the bafe. Stam. Filaments ten, thread-ihaped, equal, the 

 length of the corolla ; anthers oblong, incumbent. Pifl. 

 Receptacle flefhy, elevated, orbicular, broader than the 

 germen. Germen ovate, compofed of five fcparate ones ; 

 ityle thread-fhaped, with five furrows, the length of the 

 llamens ; ftigma with five angles. Peric. Drupas five, 

 diftant, horizontal, ovate, obtufe, fplitting into two parts, 

 all (landing on a flefhy pentagonal receptacle. Seeds foli- 

 tary, globofe or oval. 



Obf. Some flowers have abortive germens, others im- 

 perfeft anthers. , 



EfT. Ch. 



