V E N 



:ic fore-mall. Dr. Hales lias calculated the followiag table 

 for the fizes of ventilators, &c. adapted to fhips of war. 



V E N 



The conftruftion of twenty-gun (hips being various, the 

 fizes of ventilators for thefe muft be left to the direction of 

 the officers of the yard. 



When the hold is to be ventilated from one end to the 

 other, the three doors of the gang-way into the gunner's 

 ftore-room muft be opened, and all the gratings on the gun- 

 deck be covered with tarpaulins, leaving all doors open, 

 vhofe rooms want ventilation, on the orlop and the fteward- 

 room hatch. But when it is thought proper to ventilate 

 between decks, then the doors of the gang-way into the 

 gunner's ftore-room muft be fhut, and the fcuttle in the 

 headmoft trunk or pipe upon the gun-deck muft be opened ; 

 and all the gratings of the middle deck, if the fhip be a 

 three-decker, or of the upper deck, if it be a two-deck ftiip, 

 be laid with tarpaulins ; and, if poftible, one of the ftern- 

 pofts opened, or the aftermoft hatch-way, or a fcuttle on 

 purpofe, through the deck, as near the ftern as poffible. 

 rlales's Treat, part ii. p. 97, &c. 



The method of drawing off air from ftiips by means of 

 fire-pipes, which fome have preferred to ventilators, was 

 publifhed by fir Robert Moray in the Phil. Tranf. for 

 1665. Thefe are metalline pipes, about two inches and a 

 half in diameter, one of which reaches from the fire-place to 

 the well of the (hip ; the other three branches go to other 

 parts of the (hip ; the ftoke-hole and a(h-hole being clofed 

 up, the fire is fupplied with air through thefe pipes. The 

 defefts of thefe, compared with ventilators, are particularly 

 CKamined by Dr. Hales, ubi fupra, p. 113. See AiR-Pipe 

 and Ship. 



Mr. Erafmus King propofed to have ventilators worked 

 by the fire-engines in mines ; and Mr. Fitzgerald has fug- 

 gefted an improved method of doing this, which he has alio 

 llluftrated by figures. See Phil. Tranf. vol. 1. p. 727, &c. 

 There are various ways of ventilating the air of rooms : 

 Mr. Tidd contrived to admit fre(h air into a room, by 

 taking out the middle upper fa(h-pane of glafs, and fixing 

 in its place a frame-box, with a round hole in its middle, 

 about fix or feven inches diameter ; in which hole are fixed, 

 behind each other, two or three fmall twirhng windmills, 

 with fails of very thin broad copper-plates, which fpread 

 over and cover the circular hole, fo as to make the air which 

 enters the room to fpread round in thin ftieets fideways ; 

 and thus not to incommode perfons, by blowing direftly 

 upon them, as it would do if it were not hindered by the 

 fails, which turn on the fame axle-tree, each lefs than the 

 other. See ^olus. 



This method of refrefliing rooms is much approved of, 

 and ufed by many, not only in England, but alfo in other 

 countries. For other methods of ventilating (hips, build- 

 ings, rooms, &c. fee AlR-Chamber, BeLLOWS, AlR-Pipe, 

 £entrifugal Wheel, and Wiao-Sail. 

 Vol. XXXVI. 



VENTILLA, in Geography, a town of Peru, in the 

 diocefe of La Paz ; 9 miles S. of La Paz. 



VENTININA, a term ufed by Paracelfus and his fol- 

 lowers, to exprefs the art of divining, or knowing by the 

 winds and their courfes the good or ill effefts of feafons. 



VENTIS PoNTE, in Ancient Geography, a town of Hif- 

 pania, in Betica, in the vicinity of Caracca. 



VENTO, Matteo, in Biography, a Neapolitan, and dif- 

 ciple of Jomelli. That, however, is not difcoverable in his 

 compofitions, which are eafy and graceful, but have none of 

 the folidity or originahty of his mafter. Arriving in 

 England in 1764, at the inaufpicious termination of the 

 reign of the Mingotti and Giardini at the Opera, he had the 

 good fortune to be engaged by Gordon and Vincent, the 

 new imprefarii, to compofe an opera, in which ManzoU was 

 to perform the principal part. The opera which he had to 

 fet was the Demofoonte of Metaftafio, of which the airs are 

 natural, graceful, atid pleafing ; always free from vul- 

 garity, but never very new or learned. They were, how- 

 ever, in great pubhc and private favour a confiderable time. 

 In 1765, on the fecond arrival of Ehfi, he fet Sofonifba, 

 in that eafy and graceful ftyle which pleafed more generally 

 than what profefTors would call better muCc. This drama 

 was repeated more frequently than any other during the 

 feafon, and the fongs, printed by the elder Wilckie, were 

 long after in favour at concerts and public places, as well as 

 among lifping miffes and dilettanti. 



In 1767, on the arrival of Guarducci, Vento fet the 

 opera of " La Conquifta del Meffico," of which the airs, like 

 thofe of his former operas, were elegant and pleafing. 

 After this he feems to have filled up his whole time in teach- 

 ing, till the arrival of Gabrielli, in 1776, when he fet 

 " La Veftale," in his ufual eafy ftyle ; and when we told him 

 that his airs were fomewhat too familiar for great fingers, he 

 faid, " God forbid I (hould ever compofe difficult mufic !" 

 This compofer'8 harpfichord pieces are flimfy, and fo 

 much alike, that the invention, with refpeft to melody and 

 modulation of the eight fets, may be comprelTed into two or 

 three movements. In thefe fonatas, as well as in his fongs, 

 he avoids vulgar paffages, and has a graceful, eafy, and 

 flowing melody ; but his bafes are too like Alberti's, and 

 his trebles too like one another, either to improve the hand 

 or delight the ear. He had a great number of fcholars, 

 which enfured the expence of printing his pieces, though 

 not their general and public favour. One or two fets of 

 fuch eafy compofitions would, indeed, have been very ufeful 

 to fcholars in the firft ftages of their execution ; but eight 

 books, in which there is fo little variety, can never be 

 wanted, or indeed borne, but by thofe who think it right 

 implicitly to receive all their matter's prefcriptions. His 

 duos for voices are alike trivial and uninterefting, and the 

 opera of " Artaferfe," which he compofed for the Harmonic 

 Meeting, that was fet up in 1771 by the friends of 

 Guadagni and Giardini againft the great Opera, under the 

 management of Mr. Hobart, which people of the firft rank 

 were fo impatient to hear in a clandeftine way, as to run the 

 rifle of pains and penalties for it, when pubh(hed, appeared to 

 have lefs merit and novelty than any one of his former works. 

 Vento died in 1777, very rich, as there was every reafon 

 of induftry, parfimony, and avarice, to imagine ; but by 

 fome ftrange difpofition of his property and affairs, none of 

 his effefts could be found at his death ; and his widow and 

 her mother were left wholly deftitute of fupport, but from 

 charity and the loweft menial labour. 



VENTOSA, Spina. See Spina Ventofa. 

 VENTOSITY, in Medicine. See Flatulence and 

 Tympanites. 



5 A VEN. 



