S T A 



S T A 



top-maft rigging are to be made of iron in future in the 

 navy. 



Staff, in Rope-Making, is an implement btlongintr to 

 the nipper, being an oak bar feven feet long, and four 

 inches fqiiare, one end of which is tixed in an iron itrap on 

 the upper plate of the nipper, whilll on the other end a 

 weight i? (ufpendud, fnfficient to prefs the tar out of the 

 yarn. The " nipper" is formed of two tteel plates, eight 

 inches fquare, and half an inch thick, with a fcmi oval 

 hole in each, lour inches wide, which, by the upper plate 

 moving, enlarges or contracts, as the tarring of the yarn 

 requires. It is thus fix.'d : a poll, twelve inches fqiiare, is 

 placed between the kettle and capltern, with a inoitife cut 

 eighteen inches long from the kettle's furfaco, and five 

 inches wide. The under plate is turned up on each fide, to 

 form two grooves, -.md is let into the front fide of the poll 

 from the lower part of the mortifc : the upper plate has a 

 dove-tail on the back, that flides up and down in a groove 

 inte the grooves of the lower plate, and by the ilaff, made 

 fail to its front, it is elevated or depreffed, and regulated by 

 a weight lufpended at the other end, fo that the yarn re- 

 ceives no more tar than is required, and what is fqueezed out 

 drops in a trough, and returns into the kettle. 



Staffs for tops are round, from fix to eight feet long, 

 and from two and a half to five inches in diameter, which 

 go through a hole in the top, or are confined under it by a 

 bolt and tails : they run on a truck-wheel, as the rope 

 clofes. See SpiNtiiaG-lVhee/. 



Staff, in Surgery. See Catheter and Lithotomy. 

 Staff, in Surveying, a kind of itand, on which to mount 

 a theodolite, circumferentor, plain table, or the like, for 

 ufe. It confiits of three legs of wood joined together at 

 one end, whereon the inftrument is placed ; and made peeked 

 at the other, to enter the ground. Its upper end is ufually 

 fitted with a ball andfocket. 



Staff, Station, an inilrument confiding of two rulers 

 that Hide to ten feet, divided into feet and inches, with a 

 moveable vane or fight, t vvo of which are uftd with a level ; 

 and on the edges there are the links of Gnnter's chain di- 

 vided. Its chief ufe is for the eafy taking ofF-fets. See 

 Offset Staff. 



Staff, Shepherd's, in Botany. See Teazel. 

 STAFF-7Vff. See Celastrus. 



Staff, in Rural Economy, a meafure of nine feet, or 

 half a cuftomary rod. It alfo fignifies the rod fet up as a 

 mark in levelling, furveying, &c. See Levelling. 



Staff and Band Hedge, a term applied to that kind of 

 dead fence of this fort, which is formed and contlrufted by 

 means of ilakes and bands, or edders and eathers. 



Staff, Churn, a term applied to the round upright ftem, 

 or piece of wood of the ilaff kind, which, in churning in 

 the old common upright churn, forms the butter from tiie 

 cream or milk. 



A very great and ufeful improvmont has lately been made 

 on the llaffs of churns of this kind, by Mr. T. Fifher, an 

 ingenious gunfmith at Ormlkirk, in the county of Lan- 

 caller ; winch conlilU in the head or working part of the 

 llafT being formed with a fort of bevil, and its turning upon 

 a fwivel made of iron. 



The two pieces of wood wliich form the head of the llafF 

 have commonly the following dimenfions. Thicknefs one 

 inch and a half, breadth two inches and a half, length tiiir- 

 teen inches, and from that to any other length, according to 

 the fize of the churn. They are joined together in a crofsr 

 like manner, by halving one into the other in the middle 

 parts. All the cdires on the under fide are rounded, or 

 bevilled off to fome dillance, fo as to elevate or raile the 



middle part a little above the reft of the head. This crofs- 

 formed head is conneAed with the ilaff by means of a 

 fwivel, which is one inch and three quarters in diameter, 

 being turned perfeftly fmooth and round. There is a fort 

 of tongue, which is four inches in length from the (houlder, 

 and of an oblong form, which is paifed up the ilalf, and 

 held in its place by an iron peg ; the lower round end of 

 which, to the length of about half an inch, ferves to ileady 

 the head of the ilaff. And there is a button fixed upon the 

 upper fide of the head, which notches into the ftuiF, and 

 keeps it Heady in the time of collecting the butter, but sthen 

 churnincr, the whole is left perfcdlly loofe. The lower end 

 of the ilaff, in this cafe, fhould be left rather thicker than 

 in the common Ilaff, in order that it may receive the button 

 more perfeftly. 



Staff, Hand, in Agrictdture, the name of that part of 

 the common flail which is held in the workman's hand while 

 he is working with it, and to wliich the louple or other part 

 of the flail is attached. The hand-llaffs of flails were 

 formerly mollly connedted to the other parts of the tools by 

 means of leather caps and thonifs ; but the improved method 

 is now by iron caps, mide in the manner of round halt-cir- 

 cular llaples in the middle parts, which conneft with and 

 work in the fame fort of caps on the fouples. 



Staff, Plough Paddle, a term fometimes applied to the 

 fmall lldtf carried in the body of the plough, which is (hod 

 with iron, and employed for clearing away the adhefive 

 earthy matter that hangs about the mould-board, and other 

 parts of common ploughs. 



Staff, Rack, that fort of Ilaff which is employed iu 

 forming racks for horfcs or neat cattle. 



Staff, Tuck, the name of that fort of (laff which is made 

 ufe of in emptying dung and fome other kinds of carts. 



STAFF A, in Geography, one of the iflands of the 

 Hebrides, Scotland, is noted in natural hillory for its vail 

 bafaltic columns and caves. (See Basalt.) This fmall 

 ifland emerges from the Atlantic ocean, in the midft of a 

 fpacious bay, formed by leveral ifiands, of which thofe of 

 Mull, Icolm-Kill, Col, and Tiree, are the chief. In civil 

 government and jurifdidlion it is included in the dillritt of 

 Mull, and fhire of Argyle, and conllitutes part of the 

 pariih of Kill-Ninian. It is abnut five haijiies W. from the 

 ifle of Mull, and three leagues N.N.E. from Icohn-K'.ll. 

 The form is oblong and irregular, and the wliole extends 

 about one mile in length, and half a mile in breadth, with 

 lleep and craggy coalts ; its fides are entirely bare, and in 

 many places it exhibits fuperb bafaltic columns, with various 

 caverns. It is accrlTible only by a fmall entrance on the 

 well fide, where the furface flopes towards the lea ; but 

 which will only admit a fmall boat, and that in calm weather. 

 The mod elevated part of the ifland is over the cave of 

 Fingall, where it is 214 feet above the fea, at ordinary 

 tides. The greatell length of Staffa is about om- Enirlifll 

 mile, and its breadth half a mile. During the fummcr a 

 few cattle are fed on this ifland, and .ire attended by a' 

 herdfman and his family, who have a fmall hut. More 

 than half the circumterence of the ifland is occupied by 

 grand and regular colonnades of bafaltes, wh'ch are com- 

 pletely expofed to the operations of tlic fea : the red of 

 the iilaiid exhibits the fame bafaltic appearances; but the 

 pillars are bent and twilled in various directions ; fome lyiiiif 

 nearly horizontal, and others forming fegments ot circles. 

 The pillars arecliiifly of five or (\\ fides ; but fome ot three, 

 four, or (even. The diameters vary from one foot to fiiur 

 feet and a half : the liirface of the large pill.ir- is, in general, 

 uneven; tome are jointed, having the upper iurf.ite coi.cave, 

 with a correfpoiident convexity in ihe inferior ; but in many 



the 



