6 T A 



S T A 



Staixing of Marble. See Marble, and Solutions, ^c. 

 ^Stones. 



Stain'isg of Paper and Parchment. See Paper and 

 Parchment. 



Staining of Porcelain. See Porcelain. 



Staining of Stones. See Solution, and Colours of 

 Stones. 



Staining of Wood. See Wood and Dyeing 



STAINKIRCHEN, in Geography, a town of Auftria; 

 4 miles N. of Schwanailadt. 



STAINS, a town nf France, in the department of Pa- 

 ris ; 6 miles N. of Paris. — Alfo, a lake of Pruffia, in Na- 

 tangen ; 48 miles S.E. of Konigfberg. 



STAINTZ, a town of the duchy of Stiria ; 10 miles 

 S.E. of Voitfberg. 



STAINVILLE, a town of France, in the department 

 of the Meuie ; 7 miles S.E. of Bar-le-Duc. 



STAJO, or Staja, in Commerce, a corn meafure of 

 Italy, equal at Florence to 4 quarti, l6metadeli, or 32 mez- 

 zate. The moggio, which contains 8 iacchi, or 24 liaja, is 

 equal to .nbout 16 Englifh bufhels. Salt is meafured by the 

 ftajo, which weighs 72 lbs. Florence weight, or 54 lbs. 

 avoirdupois. The Itajo of Corfica is equal to 6104 cubic 

 inches, and 28.60 ftajo = 10 Englilh quarters. The 

 ftaji of Leghorn = 1501 cubic inches, and 114.60 ftaji = 

 10 Enghfii quarters. The ftaji of Lucca =; 1472 cubic 

 inches, and 116.85 '^^j' — "-' EngliOi quarters. The ftaji 

 of Milan = IOJ5 cubic inches, and 162.96 ftaji = 10 Eng- 

 li(h quarters. That of Modena ;= 4297, and 40 ftaji = 10 

 Englifti quarters. The ftaji of Turin =^ 2388 cubic inches, 

 and 73.56 ftaji = 10 Englilh quarters. The ftaji of Venice 

 := 4943 cubic inches, and 34.78 ftaji ;= Englifh quarters. 



STAJOLUS, among the Romans, a meafure of length, 

 ufed in furveying land ; it was equal to five palms and three- 

 fourths of a palm. 



STAIRCASE, an afcent inclofed between walls, or a 

 baluftrade, confifting of ftairs or fteps, with landing-places 

 and rails ; ferving to make a communication between the 

 fevcral ftories of a houfe. 



The dimcnfions of ftairs are differently alligned by different 

 authors ; in this however they agree, that they muft not be 

 more than fix, nor Icfs than four inches high ; nor more than 

 eighteen, nor lefs than twelve inches broad ; nor more than 

 lixteen, nor lefs than fix feet long each ftair. But thefc 

 meafures have only regard to fine buildings, ordinary houfcs 

 are excepted ; yet even in thefe, the ftairs arc not to exceed 

 eight inches in height, nor be lefs than nine inches in breadth, 

 nor three feet in length. 



To reduce the dimenfions of ftairs to fome natural, or at 

 leaft geometrical ftandard, Vitruvius borrows the propor- 

 tions of the fides of a right-angled triangle, which the an- 

 cient fchool exprelled by the numbers 3, 4, and 5. The 

 firft for the perpendicular height ; the lecond for the hori- 

 zontal breadth ; and the tiiird for the whole flopc or incli- 

 nation, from the edge of one ftair to that of another. 



But this rule is fet afidc, and with good reafon,4)y the 

 modern builders. For, on this principle, the lower the 

 ftairs, the narrower they mull be ; and ftairs, for inftancc, 

 four inches high (fuch as we find mentioned by ancient archi- 

 teds), muft be but five and one-third inches broad. 



One rule to be regarded in the making of ftairs is, that 

 they be laid according to the Italian phrafe, con un tanlino 

 da fcarpa, i. e. fomewhat floping, or a little highell behind, 

 that the foot may, as it were, botli afccnd and dcfcend at 

 once ; which, though obfcrvcd by few, is found a lecret and 

 delicate deception of the pains in mounting. 



The conftruftionof a complete ftaircafc is one of the moft 



curious works in architefture. The common rules to be 

 obfcrved in it are as follow. 



1. That it have a full free light to prevent accidents of 

 flipping, falling, &c. 



2. That the fpace over head be large and airy, which 

 the Italians call un hel sfocato, good ventilation, becaufe a 

 man fpends much breath in mounting. 



3. That the half paces, or landing-places, be conveniently 

 diitributed for repofing in the way. 



4. That to prevent rencounters, &c. the ftaircafe be not 

 too narrow ; but this lafl is to be regulated by the quality 

 of the building. 



5. That care be taken in placing the flaircafe, fo that the 

 ftairs may be diftributed, without prejudice to the reft of the 

 building. 



The kinds of ftaircafes are various : in fome, the ftairs 

 are Jlraight, in others winding, in others both ways, or 

 mixed. 



Again, oiflraight ftairs, called 2\{ofliers, fome fly direftly 

 forwards ; others are fquare ; others triangular ; and others 

 are called French flights. 



Of ivinding Itairs, called alfo fpiral, or cockleflairs, fome 

 are fquare, fome circular, and fome elliptical. And thefe, 

 again, are various ; fome winding round a folid, and others 

 round an open newel. 



Laftly, of mixed Itairs, fome are called dog-legged ; others 

 both wind about a folid newel, and fly about a fquare open 

 newel. 



Stairs, Straight, are fuch as always fly, that is, pro- 

 ceed in a right line, and never wind ; whence their de- 

 nomination. 



Of thefe there are feveral kinds ; as, 



Dired fliers, or plain fliers, which proceed direftly from 

 one floor to another, without turning either to the riglit or 

 left ; thefe are feldom ufed, except for garret or cellar 

 ftairs. 



Square fliers, which fly round the fides of a fquare newel, 

 either folid or open, having at every corner of the newel 

 a fquare half ftep, taking up one-fourth of a circle ; fo that 

 they fly from one half ftep to another, and the length of the 

 ftairs is perpendicular to the fide of the newel. 



Triangular fliers, which fly round by the fides of a tri- 

 angular newel, either folid or open, having at each corner 

 of the newel a trapezial half ftep, taking up two-t!iirds of a 

 circle ; fo that they fly from one half ftep to another ; and 

 their length is perpendicular to the fide of the newel. 



French fliers, which fly firlt diredly forwards, till they 

 come within the length of a ftair of the wall ; and then 

 have a fquare half pace, from which you immediately alcend 

 to another half pace, from which the ftairs fly direiUy back 

 again, parallel to their firft flight. 



Stairs, IVinding, are fuch as always wind, and never fly ; 

 of thefe there is great v.iriety ; as, 



Circular ivinding fairs, of which there are four kinds, viz. 

 fuch as wind about a folid newel, the fore-edge of each 

 being in a right line, pointing to the centre af the newel ; 

 commonly ufed in church-fteeplck, and great old houfes : 

 fuch as wind round an open newel, the fore-fide of each being 

 in a right line, pointing to the centre of the newel ; as thole 

 in the Monument, London : fuch as wind round a folid 

 newel, only the fore-fide of each an arc of a circle, either 

 concave or convex, pointing near to the circumference of 

 the newel : and fuch as refemble the laft in all other rcfpeAs, 

 favc that they have an open newel. Any of thefc windinij 

 Itairs take up lefs room than other kinds. 



In ftairs that wind round a folid newel, architeiEls make 

 the diameter of the newel cither I, or ;, or J, or -J of that of 



the 



