V A R 



faifed, as houfes like fteeples, fliips as on land above the 

 water, the land raifed, and as it were lifted, from the fea, &c. 



4. The fame experiments fhew, that the evaporation in 

 May, June, July, and Auguft, which are nearly equal, are 

 about three times as great as thofe in the months of No- 

 vember, DecembiJr, January, and February. Phil. Tranf. 

 N" 212. or Abr. vol. ii. p. no, &c. 



Dr. Brownrigg, in his " Art of making Common Salt," 

 p. 189, fixes the evaporation of fome parts of England at 

 73.8 inches during the months of May, June, July, and 

 Auguft ; and the evaporation of the whole year at more 

 than 140 inches. The evaporation of the four fummer 

 months at Liverpool, on a medium of four years, was found 

 to be only 18.88 inches. Dr. Hales calculates the greateft 

 annual evaporation from the furface of the earth in England 

 at 6.66 inches ; and therefore the annual evaporation from 

 a furface of water, is to the annual evaporation from the 

 furface of the earth in Liverpool, as 36 to 6, or as 6 to i. 

 Phil. Tranf. vol. Ixvii. ubi fupra. 



Vapours, Fiery, Halitus Ignei, a term ufed by fome to 

 exprefs thofe exhalations from the earth, which either take 

 fire of themfelves on their burfting forth into the air, or are 

 readily inflammable on the bringing of a candle to them. 

 Sec Damp, Gas, Hydrogen, Meteor, and Ventilation. 



Many of the fuppofed burning lakes are owing to thefe 

 fumes burfting up through the water, and not to any 

 quality of the water itfelf. Our famous burning-well at 

 Wigan, in Lancafliire, is of this kind. The common people 

 affirm, that the water of this fpring burns like oil ; but 

 tliere is nothing of truth in this. There burfts up a va- 

 pour through the earth in this place, which keeps the water 

 bubbling, as if boiling over in the fire, though it is not 

 warm ; and the ftre,am of this breath may be felt ift'uing 

 up in thefe places like a rtrong wind. This breath alone is 

 inflammable, and takes fire at the approach of a candle, 

 burning with confiderable violence for fome time. There 

 are coal-pits in the neighbourhood, and the air is cert.iinly 

 of the fame kind with that inflammable vapour often met 

 with in thofe places, and which may alfo be prepared from 

 iron diffolved in a proper menftruum. The v^ater itfelf, 

 taken from the place, does not burn ; and if the bottom 

 be made dry, the vapour which afcends from it will burn 

 as ftrongly as if the water were there. The flame is not 

 difcoloured like that of fulphureous bodies, nor has it any 

 bad fcent ; and the fumes, as they are felt burfting out of 

 the earth, by the hand held over the place, are hot. Phil. 

 Tranf. N°20. 



Vapour-5^//j. See Vaporarium, and Bath. 



Vapours, in Medicine, a difeafe popularly called the 

 hypo, or the hypochondriac difeafe ; and m men particularly 

 the fpleen. See Hypochondriasis. 



Vapours fuppofed to be emitted from the womb, in 

 women, are what we otherwife call hyjleric nffellions, or 

 fuffocations, or fits of the mother. See Hysteria. 



VAPPA, a word ufed by the ancients to exprefs dead 

 wine, or wine deprived of all its fpirituous part. 



The word is alfo metaphorically apphed to a peculiar 

 ftate of the blood, when it is in a low, difpirited condition, 

 as is the cafe even in healthy perfons, when worn out with 

 exceffive labour, and in cachettic and fcorbutic perfons. 



VAR, in Geography, one of the twelve departments of the 

 S.E. region of France, formerly Lower Provence, a maritime 

 territory in N. lat. 43° 30', 'bounded on the N. by the 

 department of the Lower Alps, on the E. by the county of 

 Nice, on the S. and S.E. by the Mediterranean, and on the 

 W. by the department of the Mouths of the Rhone. Its 

 lerritorial extent in kiliometres is 7510, and in fquare 



12 



VAR 



leagues 378 ; and its population confifts of 269,141 in- 

 habitants. It is divided into 4 circles or diftrifts, 32 

 cantons, and 210 communes. The circles are, Brignoles, 

 containing 66,034 inhabitants; Draguignan, 71,383; 

 Grafle, 55,240; and Toulon, 76,485. According to 

 Haflenfratz it is 30 French leagues in length, and 20 in 

 breadth ; its circles are 9, its cantons 80, and its population 

 confifts of 275,472 perfons. Its capital is Draguignan. 

 Its contributions in the eleventh year of the French era 

 amounted to 2,258,028 francs ; and its charges for adminif- 

 tration, judiciary, and for public inftruftion, were 274,032 

 francs 28 centimes. The northern diftrifls, covered with 

 mountains, yield httle grain ; but throughout the depart- 

 ment, grapes, fruits of all forts, medicinal plants, forefts and 

 paftures abound. The plains of Brignoles and Toulon 

 are planted with fruit-trees and vines. Here are mines of 

 diff'erent metals, and quarries of marble. 



Var, a river which rifes in the department of the Lower 

 Alps, about 10 miles S. from Barcelonette, croffes the 

 county of Nice, and, in part, feparates it from France, till 

 it runs into the Mediterranean ; 4 miles W. of Nice. It 

 gives name to the department. 



VARA, in ylncient Geography, an eftuary of Britain, 

 which is the firth of Tayne in Sutherland. 



Vara, in Commerce, a long meafure in Spain and Por- 

 tugal. At Liftion, the vara is 5 palmos (or fpans), and 

 the covado (another long meafure) is 3 : the palnao is 



8 inches of Lifbon, or 8|- Enghfli inches : the covado is 

 300^ French lines, or 26? Enghfli inches. Goods not fold 

 by the piece, are generally fold by the covado, except fome 

 forts of coarfe hnens, which are fold by the vara. The 

 Liftjon foot is half a covado, or 135- Englifh inches ; and 



9 feet of Lifbon are = 10 Enghfli feet. At Oporto, the 

 vara is always 5 palmos de craveira (fee Palmo), or 40 

 Portuguefe inches = 43^ Enghfli inches ; but the covado 

 is 3 palmos de craveira avantejados (or good meafure), and 

 is = 24! inches of Portugal, or 26.73 Englifli inches. 

 The vara (as a brafs or wooden meafiu-e) is fometimes 

 divided on one fide into 43-^ Enghfli inches, and on the 

 other fide it is marked at 26-5- Englifli inches. Each of 

 thefe meafurcs is divided into 3 tercas, 4 quartas, 6 fexas, 

 and 8 oitavas. In Spain, the vara, a meafure for cloth, 

 linen, and filk, is 3 feet, or 4 palmos; and is, therefore, 33 1- 

 Englifii inches ; the palmo meafuring 9 pulgadas, or 12 

 dedos, which equal 8j Englifli inches ; but the palmo de 

 ribeira, ufed for meafuring mafts, &c. is only 3 inches. 

 A braza or toefa is 2 varas, or 6 feet ; i. e. 664 Enghfli 

 inches : a pafo or pace is 5 feet ; an eftadal, 12 feet, or 



4 varas ; and a cuerda, 84 varas. The diftances in Spain, on 

 roads made fince the year 1766, are laid down at the rate of 

 8000 varas to the league, i. e. 7416 Englifli yards ; fo that 



5 fuch leagues are = 21 Englifli miles nearly; but the 

 juridical league is 5000 varas, or 4635 Engliih yards; hence 

 8 of thefe are = 21 Englifli miles. Kelly's Un. Camb. 

 See Tables <?/" Weights and Measures. 



VARADA, in Ancient Geography, a town of Hifpania 

 Citerior, belonging to the Carpetani. Ptolemy. 



VARADEH, in Geography, a town of Egii'pt, on the 

 coaft of the Mediterranean ; 22 miles N.E. of Catieh. 



VARADES, a town of France, in the department of 

 the Lower Loire ; 6 miles N.E. of Ancenis. 



VARAGE, a town of France, in the department of the 

 Var ; 4 miles N.W. of Barjols. 



VARAGGIO, a town of Genoa; 5 miles N.E. of 

 Savona. 



VARAGIANS, Varangians, or Faringians, called 

 alfo Northituinnif the name oi a people who had a confider- 

 able 



