BAR 
BAR 
205 
vacuity made by so swift a current ; so that 
the air must necessarily be attenuated when 
and where the winds continue to blow, and 
that more or less, according to their violence: 
add to which, that the horizontal motion of 
the air being so quick, may in all probability 
take off some part of the perpendicular pres- 
sure; and the great agitation of its particles 
is the reason why the vapours are dissipated, 
and do not condense into drops, so as to form 
rain, otherwise the natural consequence of 
the air’s rarefaction. 
4. The mercury stands highest upon the 
easterly and north-easterly wind ; because, 
in the great Atlantic Ocean, on this side the 
thirty-fifth degree of north latitude, the v, inds 
are almost always westerly or south-westerly; 
so that, whenever here the wind comes up 
at east and north-east, it is sure to be checked 
by a contrary gale as soon as it reaches the 
ocean ; wherefore, according to the second 
remark, the air must needs be heaped over 
this island, and consequently the mercury 
must stand high as often as these winds blow. 
This holds true in this country; but is not a 
general rule for others, where the winds are 
under different circumstances : and we have 
sometimes Had the mercury here so low as 
29 inches, upon an easterly wind, but then 
it blew exceedingly hard ; and thus is ac- 
counted for, what was observed in the third 
remark. 
5. In calm frosty weather, the mercury 
generally stands high, because it seldom 
freezes but when the winds come out of the 
northern and north-eastern quarters, or at 
least, unless those winds blow at no great 
distance off ; for the northern parts of Ger- 
many, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and all 
that tract whence north-eastern winds come, 
are subject to almost continual frost through 
the winter, and thereby the lower air is very 
much condensed, and in that state is brought 
hitherward by those winds ; and, being ac- 
cumulated by the opposition of the westerly 
wind blowing in the ocean, the mercury must 
needs be forced to a more than ordinary 
height; and, as a concurring cause, the 
shrinking of the lower parts of the air into 
lesser room, by cold, must cause a descent 
of the upper parts of the atmosphere, to re- 
duce the cavity made by this contraction to 
an equilibrium. 
6. After great storms, when the mercury 
has been very low, it generally rises again 
very fast. It has been observed to rise one 
inch and a half in less than six hours, after 
a long-continued storm of south-west wind. 
The reason is, that the air being very much 
rarefied by the great evacuation which such 
continued storms make of that fluid, the 
neighbouring air runs in the more swiftly to 
bring it into an equilibrium. 
Lastly. The variations are greater in the 
more northerly places. 
BARON, a degree of nobility next below a 
viscount, and above a baronet. It is proba- 
ble that formerly all those were barons who 
had lordships with courts-baron, and soon 
after the Conquest all such sat in the house of 
peers ; but being very numerous, it grew an 
order and custom, that none should sit but 
such as the king thought lit to call up by 
writ, which ran pro hac vice tantum. I his 
state of nobility being very precarious, they 
at length obtained of the king letters patent, 
and these were called barons by patent, or 
B A R 
creation ; the only way now in use of making 
barons, unless when the son of a lord, in his 
ancestor’s life-time, is summoned by writ. 
Barons of the cinque-ports are members 
of the house of commons, elected by the five 
ports, two for each port. 
Those who have been mayors of Corfe- 
castle in Dorsetshire are also denominated 
barons ; as were formerly the principal citi- 
zens of London. 
Baron and Feme, in our law, a term 
used for the husband and wife ; and they are 
deemed but one person, so that a wife cannot 
be witness for or against her husband, nor he 
for or against his wife, except in cases of high 
treason. 
Baron and Fe-STE, in • heraldry, is when 
the coats of arms of a man and his wife are 
borne per pale in the same escutcheon, tire 
man’s being always on the dexter- side, and 
the woman’s on the sinister. 
BARONET, a modern degree of honour, 
which is hereditary , and has the precedence 
of all knights, except those of the garter, 
bannerets, and privy-counsellors. 
Baronets of Ireland, an hereditary dig- 
nity instituted in 1619. There are also ba- 
ronets of Nova Scotia, an order instituted by 
Charles I. in 1625. 
BARONY, the honour and territory 
which gives title to a baron, whether he is a 
layman or a bishop. 
Barony, in Ireland, the name of the di- 
visions of the counties, answering to English 
hundreds. 
BARRA, in commerce, a long measure 
used in Portugal and some parts of Spain, to 
measure woollen cloths,linen cloths andserges. 
BARRATOR, in law, a common mover 
or maintainer of suits and quarrels, either in 
courts or elsewhere in the country. A man 
cannot be adjudged a barrator for bringing 
any number of suits in his own right, though 
they are vexatious. Barrators are punished 
by fine and imprisonment. 4 Blacks. 134. 
BARRATRY, in a ship-master, is his cheat- 
ing the owners. If goods delivered on ship- 
board are embezzled, all the mariners ought 
j to contribute to the satisfaction of the party 
| that lost Iris goods, by the maritime law ; and 
the cause is to be tried in the admiralty. 
BARREL, a measure of liquids. The 
English barrel, wine-measure, contains the 
eighth part of a tun, the fourth part of a pipe, 
and one-half of an hogshead ; that is to say, 
it contains thirty-one gallons and a half : a 
barrel, beer-measure, contains thirty-six gal- 
lons. The barrel ol beer, vinegar, or liquor 
preparing for vinegar, ought to contain thirty- 
four gallons, according to the standard of the 
ale quart. 
Barrel also denotes a certain weight of 
several merchandizes, which differs accord- 
ing to the several commodities : a barrel of 
Essex butter weighs one hundred and six 
pounds, and of Suffolk butter, two hundred 
and fifty-six pounds. The barrel of herrings 
ought to contain thirty-two gallons wine- 
measure, which amount to about twenty-eight 
gallons old standard, containing about a thou- 
sand herrings. The barrel of salmon must 
contain forty-two gallons. The barrel of 
eels the same. The barrel of soap must 
weigh two hundred and fifty-six pounds. . 
Barrel, in anatomy, a pretty large cavity 
behind the tympanum of the ear, about four 
or five lines deep, and five or six wide. 
Barrels, thundering, in the military art, 
are filled with bombs, grenades, and other 
fire-works, to be -rolled down a breach. 
BARRERIA, in botanv, a genus of the 
syngenexia monogamia class and order. ’1 he 
essential character is, calyx live-toothed, very 
small ; corolla five-parted; style short; stigma 
trifid. There is but one species, a tree of 
Guiana, which rises to the height of 40 or 
50 feet. 
BARRICADE, a warlike defence, con- 
sifting of barrels and similar vessels filled 
with earth, stones, &e. or trees cut down, 
against an enemy’s shot, or assault; but ge- 
nerally pales which are crossed with battoons 
as long as a half-pike, bound about with iron 
at the feet. 
Barricade, in the marine, a strong 
wooden rail supported by pillars, and extend- 
ing as a fence across the foremost part of the 
quarter-deck. In ships of war, the inter- 
vals between the pillars are filled with cork, 
old cable, & c. About a foot above the rail, 
there extends a double rope netting ; and be- 
tween the tw r o parts of the netting are stuffed 
hammocks, seamen’s bedding; &c. to inter- 
. cept small shot fired by swivel guns and 
muskets in time of battle. 
BARRIER, in fortification, a kind of fence 
made at a passage, retrenchment, &c. com- 
posed of great stakes, about four or five feet 
high, placed at the distance of eight or ten 
feet from one another, with transums, or over- 
thwart rafters, to stop either horse or foot 
that would enter or rush in with violence. 
BARRINGTONIA, in botany, a genus 
of the polyandria order, and monadelphia 
class ol plants, the characters of which are : 
female, the calyx diphyllous above, with 
a drupa which it crowns ; and the seed is a 
quadrilocular nut. There is but one species- 
known, viz. 
Barringtonia speciosa, a native of China' 
and Otaheite. 
BARRISTER, in common law, a person- 
qualified and empowered to plead and defend 
(he cause of clients in the courts of justice. 
They are of two sorts : the. outward or outer 
barristers, who,, by their long study in, and 
knowledge of, the law, which must be for a 
term, of five years at least, are called to pub- 
lic practice, and always plead without the 
bar. The inner-barristers are those who, 
because they are either attorney, solicitor, 
serjeant, or counsel to the king, are allowed’ 
out of respect, the privilege of pleading 
within the bar. But at the rolls, and some 
other inferior courts, all barristers are ad- 
mitted within the bar. 
BARROW, in the salt-works, wicker cases 
almost in the shape of a sugar-loaf, in which- 
the salt is put to drain. 
Barrows, a name usually given to those 
hillocks or mounds of earth which wer - e an- 
tiently raised over the bodies of deceased 
heroes, and persons- of distinguished cha- 
racter. These are considered by some an- 
tiquarians as the most antient sepulchral 
monuments in the world. 
BARRULET, in heraldry, the fourth part 
of the bar, or the one-half of the closset : an 
usual bearing in coat-armour. 
BARRUL\ , in heraldry, is when the field 
is divided bar-ways, that is, across from side 
to side, into several parts. 
BARRY, in herald] ~y, is when an escut- 
cheon is divided bar-ways,. that is, across from. 
