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SPIRES, in Rural Economy, a term provincially ufed to 

 fieiiify timber-ttands, , . , r 



SPIRINCHUS, in Ichthyology, a name by which fome 

 authors have called the fmeh. 



SPIRIT, Si'iuiTUS, in Phyfiology, the moft fubtle and 

 volatile part, or juice of the body ; by means of which its 

 funftions and operations have been fuppofed to be per- 

 formed, r r • • 



The ancients made a fourfold divifion of fpirits ; into 

 vital, animal, natural, and genital ; the firft of which they 

 placed in the heart ; the fecond, in the brain ; the third, in 

 the ftomach and liver ; and the kit, in the tellicles : but as 

 this divifion is founded on a falfe hypothecs, it is now de- 

 fervedly fct aiide. 



The moderns have ufually divided fpirits into vital and 

 animal : the former being only the finell and moft agi- 

 tated parts of the blood, on which its motion and heat 

 depend : and the latter an exceedingly thin, fubtle, move- 

 able fluid, juice, or humollr, feparated from the blood in 

 the cortex of the brain, and thence received into the minute 

 fibres of the medulla, and by them difcharged into the 

 nerves ; by which it is conveyed through every part of the 

 body, to be the inftrument of fenfation, mufcular motion, 

 &c. See Animal Spirits, and Nervous FluiJ, Juice, and 

 Sypm. 



Spirits, Zow, in Medicine. See Melancholy. 

 Spirit, Spiritus, in the Newtonian Phyfics, denotes a moft 

 fubtle penetrative fubftance, which fome have fuppofed to 

 pervade all, even the denfeit bodies, and to lie hid in them ; 

 and by the force and aftion of which, the particles of bo- 

 dies attract each other, at very fmall diltances, and, when 

 contiguous, cohere ; and by which eleftrical bodies aft at 

 greater dillances, both attrafting and repelling the neigh- 

 bouring corpufcles ; and light is emitted, reflefted, and in- 

 flefted, and warms bodies ; and all fenfation is excited, and 

 the members of the animals move at the inftance of the will, 

 tiz. by vibrations of this fpirit, propagated through the 

 folid capillaments of the nerves, from the external organs 

 of fenfe to the brain, and from the brain to the mufcles. 



Spirit, in Antiquated Chemiftry, is one of the hypotheti- 

 cal principles of natural bodies, called alfo mercury. 



The chemical principle fpirit was defined to be a fine, 

 fubtle, volatile, penetrating, pungent liquor, which rifes, 

 ordinarily, before the phlegm, or water, and fometimcs 

 after it. 



The great properties of this liquor were imagined to be, 

 that it penetrates and opens folid bodies ; corrodes, breaks, 

 and even dilTolves certain mixed bodies ; coagulates others ; 

 and produces an infinity of other effefts, many of them even 

 contrary to one another. 



In the general, the early chemifts gave the denomination 

 of fpirits to all the fine, fubtle, not aqueous, particles 

 raifed from bodies by heat, and reduced into liquors by dif- 

 tillation. Such are fpirit of vitriol, of nitre, of fait, &c. 



They alfo applied the name fpirits to thofe aqueous li- 

 quors which are drawn by liquefaftion, when they are im- 

 pregnated with falts or other aftive principles, raifed, toge- 

 ther with them, by the violence of the fire. 



In this fenfe, the chemifts were faid to dravif a fpirit from 

 fulphur, fait, and other bodies, when they extraft the 

 eflence, or the fublileft part of them, by diftillation, or 

 •therwife. Accordingly, fpirits were diftributed into three 

 principal kinds, viz. inflammable fpirits, acid fpirits, and al- 

 kaline fpirits. 



To the firft clafs belong the moft volatile and thinneft part 

 of eftential oils, the principle of fmell, or fpirit us reSor of 



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plants, (fee Aroma,) and ardent Ipirits, or the fpirit oil- 

 tained from wine, beer, and all liquors which have under- 

 gone the fpirituous fermentation. See Alcohol. 



The fecond clafs includes all acids obtained by diftillation 

 of minerals, vegetables, and animals ; fuch arc, i . The 

 acids of fulphur, vitriol, and alum, which are the fame at 

 vitriolic acid, and the acids of nitre and common fait. 

 They are called fpirit of fulphur, fpirit of vitriol, fpirit of 

 nitre, Sec. without fpecifying that they are acids. 2. The 

 acids of vinegar, and of all hquors which have undergone 

 the acetoua fermentation, and the acids obtained ih the diftilla- 

 tion of vegetables, and of certain animals, as flies, ants, &c. 

 Thefe fpirits are commonly called acid fpirits, as the "acid 

 fpirit of guaiacum, the acid fpirit of ants, &c. becaufe the 

 lubftances which furnifh them yield alfo fpirits that are not 

 acid. See Acid. 



To the third clafs are referred liquid volatile alkalies, ob- 

 tained from fal ammoniac, from all vegetable matters which 

 have undergone a complete putrefaftion, and from all animal 

 matters. Thefe are generally called fpirits, without fpecifying 

 their alkaline quality. Thus we fay, volatile fpirit of fal 

 ammoniac, fpirit of hartfhorn, &c. As fome of thefe fub- 

 ftances, particularly fal ammoniac, contain alfo an acid 

 which may be obtained from them, we ought, when we 

 mention this fpirit, to fpecify its acid quality, calling it acid 

 fpirit of fal ammoniac. 



Spirits, Di/lilled, a general name given among diftillen 

 to thofe ardent liquors that are obtained from various mate- 

 rials, and by different proceffes of diftillation. The nature 

 and properties of thefe liquors, and the modes of obtaining 

 them, are detailed under the articles Alcohol, Brandy, 

 Distillation, Fermentation, &c.; but we (hall here 

 fpecify fome particulars that more immediately relate to the 

 common fpirituous liquors that are, we lament to fay it, fo 

 much in ufe in our own country. Thefe are, for the moft 

 part, prepared from fermented corn of one kind or other, 

 with certain additions, at the pleafure of the diftiller, of 

 molaffes, carrots, and other fubfaccharine vegetables. The 

 principal ingredient, except in a feafon of Icarcity, is one 

 kind or other of grain. (See Addition.) The fpirit 

 thus procured is reftified for fale by being rediftilled with 

 juniper-berries, turpentine, and other fubftances, in order 

 to modify and improve its flavour and appearance. The 

 grain, when barley is ufed, is ufually firft malted, and in 

 Scotland it is dried with peat, which gives to the fpirit 

 diftilled from it, called " whiiky," its peculiar flavour. 

 It is then ground into coarfe powder, and the infufion 

 fermented with yeaft in large tuns. This fermented 

 liquor is called " walh," and in this ilate it is fit for dif- 

 tillation. Under the articles already referred to, the ge- 

 neral procefs and the implements ufed in it are defcribed ; 

 but previoufly to the operation fome fubftances are added to 

 the wafli, for the purpofe either of increafing the quantity of 

 fpirit that is aff^orded by it, or of keeping down the eflential 

 oil derived from the malt, which would give the liquor a 

 naufeous flavour, or of regulating the boiling within the 

 ftill, and preventing it from boiling over or " running 

 foul," or of neutralizing the acid generated during the fer- 

 mentation, which would very confiderably lefl'en theproduft 

 of fpirit. For thefe purpofes foap is confidered thebeft ad- 

 dition, and accordingly it is ufed in large quantities. Other 

 diftillers ufe alkalies. At the commencement of the opera- 

 tion, the liquid is oily and turbid, and has- a naufeous flavour, 

 on account of the oil of the malt which accompanies it ; 

 but by degrees it becomes clear, and runs fo to the laft, 

 although its ftrength decreafee, and it becomes more watery, 



10 and 



