PAR 
PAR 
commission from the crown, or frequently by ' 
1 proclamation ; and by this, both houses are j 
prorogued at the same time, it not being a 1 
prorogation ot the house of lords or com- 
mons, but of the parliament. The session is '• 
never understood to be at an end until a pro- ; 
rogation ; though unless some act is passed, 
or some judgment given in parliament, it is 
in truth no session at all. Id. 
A dissolution is the civil death of the par- 
liament; and this may be effected three ways: 
j 1 . By the king’s will expressed either in per- 
| son or representation ; 2. By the demise of | 
[ the. crown; 3. By the length of time. 
By the king’s will ; for as the king has the | 
I sole right of convening the parliament, so also 
I it is a branch of the royal prerogative, that 
| he may, whenever he pleases, prorogue the 
parliament for a time, or put a final period to 
its existence. 
By the demise of the crown : this dissolu- 
tion formerly happened immediately upon 
| the death of the reigning sovereign; hut the 
| calling a new parliament immediately on the j 
i inauguration of the successor being found in- J 
; convenient, and dangers being apprehended 
from having no parliament in being, in case j 
! of a disputed succession, it was enacted by j 
I statutes 7 and 8 VV. III. c. 15., and 6 Anne, ! 
j c. 7,, that the parliament in being shall con- 
i tinue for six months after the death of any 
j king or queen, unless sooner prorogued or 
dissolved by the successor ; that if the par- 
j liament is at the time of the king’s death se- 
I parated by adjournment or prorogation, it 
1 shall notwithstanding assemble immediately; 
and that if no parliament is then in being, the 
members of the last parliament shall assemble 
and be again a parliament. 
Lastly, a parliament may be dissolved or 
1 expire by length of time. 
The utmost extent of time that the same 
- parliament was allowed to sit by the stat. of 
6 W. c. 3. was three years; after the expira- 
tion of which, reckoning from the return of 
! the first summons, the parliament was to have 
no longer continuance. But by stat. 1 . Geo. 
I. c. 38. in order professedly to prevent the 
i great and continued expences of frequent 
u elections, and the violent heats and animosi- 
ties consequent thereupon, and for the peace 
and security of the government just then re- 
covering from the late rebellion, this term 
was prolonged to seven years. So that as 
our constitution now stands, the parliament 
must expire, or die a natural death, at the 
| end of every seventh year, if not sooner dis- 
| solved by the royal prerogative. See Elec- 
1 TION. 
Parliament, the high court of, is the su- 
preme court of the kingdom, not only for the 
making but also tor the execution of laws, by 
the trial of great and enormous offenders, 
! whether lords or commoners, in the method 
of parliamentary impeachment. An impeach- 
ment before the lords, by the commons of 
Great Britain in parliament, is a prosecution 
of the already known and established law, 
and has been frequently put in practice ; 
being a presentment to the most high and 
supreme court of criminal jurisdiction by the 
most solemn grand inquest of the whole king- 
dom. A commoner cannot, however, be 
impeached before the lords for any capital 
Offence, but only for high misdemeanors; a 
peer may be impeached for any crime. And 
they usually, in case of an impeachment of a 
peer for treason, address the crown to appoint 
a lord high steward, for the greater dignity 
and regularity of their proceedings ; which 
high steward was formerly elected by the 
peers themselves, though he was generally 
commissioned by the king; but it has of late 
years been strenuously maintained, that the 
appointment of a high steward in such cases 
is not indispensably necessary, but the house 
may proceed without one. The articles of 
impeachment are a kind of bills of indict- 
ment, found by the house of commons, and 
afterwards tried by the lords ; who are in 
cases of misdemeanors considered not only 
as their own peers, but as the peers of the 
whole nation. 
PARNAS3IA, grass of Parnassia, a ge- 
nus of the tetragvnia order, in the pentandria 
class of plants. The calyx is quinquepardte; 
there are five petals, and as many nectaria, 
heart-shaped, and ciliated with globular tops; 
the capsule quadrivalved. There is but one 
species, having a stalk about a foot high, an- 
gular, and often a little twisted, bearing a 
single white flower at top. The flowers are 
very beautifully streaked with yellow ; so 
that though it is a common plant, growing 
naturally in moist pastures, it is frequently 
admitted into gardens. 
PAROLE, a term signifying any thing 
done verbally or by word of mouth, in con- 
tradistinction to what is written ; thus an 
agreement may he by parole. Evidence 
also may be divided into parole evidence and 
written evidence. A parole release is good 
to discharge a debt by simple contract.. 2 
Show. 4 17. The holder of a bill of exchange 
may authorize another to indorse his name 
upon it. 
Parole evidence. See Evidence. 
PARONYCHIA, whitlow. See Sur- 
gery. 
PAROTIDES. See Anatomy. 
PAROXYSM. See Medicine. 
PARRA, a genus of birds belonging to (die 
order of grails ; the characters of which are: 
the bill is tapering and a little obtuse; the' 
nostrils are oval, and situated in the middle 
of the bill ; the forehead is covered with 
fleshy caruncles, which are lobated ; the 
wings are small and spinous. There are five- 
species ; of which the most remarkable is 
the chavaria, which is about the size of a do- 
mestic cock. The Indians in the neighbour- 
hood of Carthagena, who breed large flocks 
of poultry that stray in the woods, and train up 
the chavaria to defend them against the nu- 
merous birds of prey, no one of which will 
dare to encounter it. It is never known to 
desert the flock, and it returns every even- 
ing to roost. 
The parra Dominica is about the size of 
the lapwing. The bill is yellow, as are also 
the head and upper parts ; the under are of a 
yellowish-white bordering on rose-colour: the 
iegs are also yellow. This species inhabits 
several of the warmer parts of America and 
St. Domingo. 
The parra Senegalla, is about the same 
size with the former. Its bid is also yellow, 
tipped with black; the forehead is covered 
widi a yellow skin, the chirr and throat are 
black, the head and upper parts of the body 
and lesser wing-coverts are grey-brown. 1 he 
lower part of the belly, and the upper and 
under tail-coverts, are dirty white. At the 
PAR 359 
bend of the wing is a black spur, It inhabits 
Senegal, and thence derives its name. 
The parra jacana, or spur-winged water- 
hen, is about the size of the water-rail. 1 he 
bill is in length about an inch and a quarter, 
of an orange-colour ; and on the forehead is 
a membranous flap, half an inch long, and 
nearly as broad. On each side of the head 
also is another of the same, about a quarter 
of an inch broad; and both together hey 
surround the base of the bill. 1 he head, 
throat, neck, breast, and under-parts, are 
black; and sometimes the belly is mixed 
with white, &c. The birds of this species 
inhabit Brasil, Guiana, and Surinam ; but are 
equally common at St. Domingo, where they 
frequent the marshy places, sides of ponds, 
and streams, and wade quite up to the thighs 
in the water. 'They are also generally seen 
in pairs, and when separated call each other 
continually till they join again. 'They are 
very shy, and most common in the rainy 
seasons in May and November. They are 
at all times very noisy ; their cry sharp and 
shrill, and may be heard a great way oft. 
This, as well as the other species, is called by 
the French chirurgien. The flesh is account- 
ed pretty good. 
The parra variabilis, or spur-winged water- 
hen, is about nine inches long. '1 lie bill is 
about 14 inches in length, and in colour is 
orange-yellow. On the forehead is a flap of 
red skin; the crown of tiie head is brown, 
marked with spots of a darker colour ; the 
hind part of the neck is much the same, but 
of a deeper dye. On the forepart of The 
wing is a yellow spur, &c. The legs are fur- 
nished with long toes, as in all the others, the 
colour of which is blueish ash. This species 
inhabits Brasil, and is said to be pretty com- 
mon about Carthagena, and in South Ame- 
rica. There are live species in all. 
PARRELS, in a ship, are frames made of 
trucks, ribs, and ropes, which having both 
their ends fastened to the yards, are so con- 
trived as'to go round about the masts, that 
the yards, by their means, may go up and 
down upon the masts: these also, with the 
breast-ropes, fasten the Yards to the masts. 
PARROT, and PAR ROQUET. See 
PSITTACUS. 
PARSLEY. SeeApiuM. 
PARSNEP. See Pastinaca. 
PARSON, signifies the incumbent of a 
church. He is in himself a body corporate, 
in order to protect and defend "the rights of 
the church by a perpetual succession. When 
a parson is instituted and inducted into a 
rectory, he is then, and not before, in full and 
complete possession 1 Black. 391. 
PART, in music, the name ot each of the 
melodies of any harmonic composition, and 
which, when performed in union, form its 
harmony. Four is the fewest number of 
parts with which the chordsnecessary to ela- 
borate harmony can be completely filled. 
PARTERRE, in gardening, a level divi- 
sion of ground, which, for the most part, faces 
the south, and best front of a house ; and is 
generally furnished with greens, flowers, &c. 
PARTHENIUM, a genus. of the pentan- 
dria order, in the rnonoecia class of punts, 
and in the natural method ranking under the 
49th order, composite. 1 he male calyx is 
common and pentaphyllous ; the florets ot 
the disk monopetalous. I he female has five 
florets of the radius, each with two male 
