348 
V A K 
PAL 
PAL 
the portraits in mezzotinto from sir Joshua 
Reynolds, by M'Ardell, Fisher, &c. ; the 
successful combination of West with Earlom, 
G reen, Woollett, Hall, &c. in historical 
works, as seen in the prints of Agrippina, Re- 
'gulus, Hannibal, Wolfe, La Hogue, theBoyne, 
Penn, Cromwell, and the Restoration, &c. 
spread the celebrity of English works of art 
through the medium of engraving; and the 
fcireumstance of these prints rising to a higher 
price in every market throughout the couti- 
inent than had ever been known in the an- 
mals of the arts, inspired those commercial 
wiews which afterwards produced the galleries 
of Shakspeare, under Boydell; the poets, 
-under Macklin; historical, under Bowyer, 
/&c. &c. ; giving to this country a new source 
of commerce, highly beneficial to its interests, 
and unexampled in any other.” 
English school. To the list of painters 
mentioned by West, are to be added several 
who unfortunately experienced no royal pa- 
tronage. Among these is Hogarth, ’whose 
unrivalled excellence in works of humour is 
principally known to us by the numerous en- 
gravings from his pictures. 
Of the modem English school, sir Joshua 
Reynolds was the founder, and his works still 
remain its greatest glory. They not only 
give him the most distinguished rank among 
the artists of the present age, but the effects 
produced by them on the rising artists, as 
well as by the elevated principles inculcated 
in his discourses delivered at the Royal Aca- 
demy, will secure his reputation as long as 
England shall pay respect to superior talents. 
The English taste appears to be formed on 
the great masters of the Italian and Flemish 
schools. Reynolds professed an admiration 
and preference of Michael Angelo, but his 
own works are in no point similar to that 
great master of design. 
The names of Gainsborough and Wilson 
stand the highest in landscape painting. 
The painters of this school have been dis- 
tinguished as less rigid with regard to the 
forms and correctness of their drawing, thau 
ambitious of striking and poignant effect. 
“ Beauty,” says the French Encyclopaxlia, 
4t ought to be the characteristic of the Eng- 
lish school, because the artists have it so fre- 
quently displayed before their eyes. If this 
beauty is not precisely similar to the antique, 
it is not inferior to it. 
“ The English school should also he distin- 
guished for the truth of expression, because 
the liberty enjoyed in that country gives to 
every passion its natural and unbiassed ope- 
ration.” 
The best accounts of painting and painters 
are to be found in the works of Lionardo da 
Vinci, Alberti, Lomazzo, and Bellori ; and 
in the Lives of the Painters, by Vasari and 
Du Piles; Felibien’s Entretiens sur les Vies 
des Peintres, and bis other writings ; the 
Discourses delivered by Reynolds in the 
Royal Academy of London ; the various 
Treatises by Mengs ; Richardson on Paint- 
ing ; and De Arte Graphica, by Du Fresnov. 
The later publications of Barry, Shee in 
bis Rhymes on Art, and Howe in his Inquiry 
into the present State of the Arts in Englantf, 
convey the most accurate information con- 
cerning the progress of painting in this coun- 
try. 
FAKFONG, or white copper, a metal 
composed of copper, nickel, and zinc. The 
zinc amounts to nearly one-half of the whole, 
and the proport ions of copper and nickel are 
as 5 to 13. This compound metal is much 
used among the Chinese. 
PALESTRA, in Grecian antiquity, a pub- 
lic building, where the youth exercised them- 
selves in wrestling, running, playing at quoits, 
&c. 
PALAMEDEA, a genus of birds belong- 
ing to the order of gralke. The character of 
this genus is, the bill bends down at the point 
with a horn, or with a tuft of feathers erect 
near the base of it; the nostrils are oval; the 
toes are divided almost to their origin, with a 
, small membrane between the bottoms of 
each. 
There are two species ; the first of which is 
the palamedea cornuta, or horned screamer. 
It is about the size of a turkey; in length 
about three feet four inches. The bill is two 
inches and a quarter long, and black ; the 
upper mandible is a little gibbous at the base ; 
the under shuts beneath it, as in the gallina- 
ceous tribe: the nostrils are oval and pervi- 
ous, and placed near the middle of the bill. 
From the crow, of the head springs a slender 
horn of more than three inches in length, and 
pointed at the end: the irides are the colour 
of gold: the plumage on the head, neck, and 
upper part of the body, is black, margined 
with grey on the first, and downy : at the bend 
of the wing are two sharp horny spurs. The 
female, we are told, is very like the male. 
It is remarked, that they are always met 
with in pairs; and if oiie dies, the other 
mourns to death for the loss. They frequent 
places near the water ; make a large nest of 
mud, in the shape of an oven, upon the 
ground; and lay two eggs, the size of those 
of a goose. The young are brought up in 
the nest (ill able to shift for themselves. They 
have but one nest in the year, which is in 
January or February, except the first eggs 
are taken away, when they make a second in 
April or May. The young birds are fre- 
quently eaten by the natives, though the co- 
lour of the flesh is very dark; that of the old 
ones is tough and ill tasted. By some authors 
this species is said to feed on crabs and birds, 
such as pigeons, poultry, and even to attack 
sheep and goats; but thrt is denied by others, 
who say that its principal food is reptiles. 
The cornuta is a rare species. It is found in 
certain districts in Cayenne, Guiana, Suri- 
nam, and other parts of South America,, 
chiefly in the marshes and wet savannas, and 
for the most part near the sea. 
The second species of palamedea is the 
cri.'tata, or crested screamer. This bird is 
about the size of a heron : the bill is short, 
bent like that of a bird of prey, and of a Yel- 
lowish brown: the irides are gold-coloured: 
on the forehead, just above the bill, is a tuft 
of black feathers variegated with ash-colour: 
the head, neck, and body, are grey, mixed 
with rufous and brown, most inclining to the 
last on the wings and tail; the wings are not 
furnished with spurs; the legs pretty long, of 
a dull yellow; claws brown; the hind toe 
placed high up, so as not to touch the ground 
in walking. This bird inhabits Brazil. 
PALATE. See Anatomy. 
PALATINE COUNTIES, are those of 
Chester, Durham, and Lancaster. See 
Counties Palatine. 
PAL AVIA, a genus of the monadelphla 
polyandria class and order. The calyx is 
half five-cleft; style many-cleft; capsule 
many-seeded ; cells in a ball on the central 
receptacle. There are two species, of nu 
note. 
PALE, in heraldry, one of the honourable 
ordinaries of an escutcheon, being the repre- 
sentation of a pale or stake placed upright, 
and comprehending the whole height of ^the- 
coat from the top of the chief to the point. 
See Heraldry. 
PALISADE, or Palisado, in fortifica- 
tion, an inclosure of stakes or piles driven into 
the ground, each six or seven inches square, 
and eight feet long, three whereof are hid 
under ground,. Palisadoes are general ly used 
to fortify the avenues of open torts, gorges, 
half-moons, the bottoms of ditches, the para- 
pets of covert-ways, and in general all posts 
liable to surprize, and to which the access is- 
easy. Palisadoes are usually planted perpen- 
dicularly, though some make an angle inclin- 
ing towards the ground next the enemy, that 
the ropes cast over to tear them up may 
slip. 
Palisades, Turning,, are an invention of 
M. Coehorn, in order to preserve the pali- 
sades of the parapet of the covert- way front 
the besieger’s shot. He orders them so, that 
as many of them as stand in the length of a. 
rod, or in about ten teet, turn up. and down 
like traps, so as not to be in sight of the ene- 
my till they just bring on their attack, and 
yet are always ready to do the proper ser- 
vice of palisades. 
PALISSE, in heraldry, a bearing like a 
range of palisades before a fortification, re- 
presented on a fesse, rising up a considerable 
height, and pointed at top, with the field ap- 
pearing between them. 
PALLADIUM. In the month of April, 
1803, it was announced by a public notice, 
that a new noble metal called palladium was 
sold at Mr. Forster’s, Gerard-street, Soho, 
London. Some of its properties are men- 
tioned in the paper, but the name of the dis- 
coverer is concealed. Mr. Chenevix, sus- 
pecting imposition from the unusual manner 
in which the discovery was announced, made 
some experiments on it to discover its compo- 
sition, and soon found that its properties-' 
could not be referred to any known metal. 
This induced kirn to purchase all that remain- 
ed in the hands of the vender. It was sold at 
the rate of 25 grains per guinea. 
It had been worked by art, and was offered 
for sale in thin laminae. W hen polished, it 
had exactly the appearance of platinum. 
The laminae were very flexible. The specific 
gravity varied from 10.972 to 11.482. 
I he effects ot galvanic electricity on it 
were the same as on gold and silver. * When, 
exposed to the blowpipe, the side furthest 
removed from the flame became blue. A 
very violent heat is necessary to melt it. The, 
button, by fusion, lost a little of its weight, 
but its specific gravity was increased from. 
10.972 to 11.871. It was harder than iron, 
and appeared chrystallized. The fracture 
was fibrous. 
When strongly heated, Lf it is touched 
with sulphur it melts, and continues melting 
till the compound ceases to be red-hot. The 
sulphuret is brittle, and whiter than palladi- 
um. It was not altered by charcoal. ]t 
