284 
CAF 
C M C 
of an inch in length, of a taper form, drawing 
to a po.nt at the bottom toward the plant, 
oat blunt at the top, somewhat like a pear, 
i ne taste is agreeably acid, which in a hot 
country must render them grateful. There 
me 27 species, all natives of the West Indies. 
The two following are the most remarkable, 
x./.. 1 . Cact us cocheniilifer, the species which 
the cochineal animals inhabit. See Coccus. 
2. Cactus grandillora, one of the creeping 
cereuses. 1 he ilower ot this s[)ecies, though 
very short-lived, is as grand and beautiful as 
any in the vegetable system: it begins to 
open in the evening about seven o’clock, is 
in perfection about eleven, and fades about 
four in the morning ; so that the same (lower 
only continues in perfection about six hours. 
J he calyx when expanded is about a foot in 
diameter, or a splendid yellow within, and a 
dark brown without; the petals are mans', 
and ot a pure white ; and the great number of 
recurved stamina, surrounding the style in 
the centre of the flower, make a grand ap- 
pearance, to which may be added the line 
scent which perfumes the air to a consider- 
able distance. It iiowers in July. 
1 he cactus tribe are divided by gardeners 
into, 1. melon thistles or turks caps; 2. torch 
thistles ; 3. creeping cereuses ; 4. Indian figs 
or prickly pears. The cochineal plant is of 
this last description. They are easily distin- 
guished from the euphorbia by the milky 
juice which exudes from the latter onpuncture. 
CADE, a cag, cask, or barrel. A cade of 
herrings is a vessel containing the quantity 
ct 500 red herrings, or of sprats 1000. 
CADENE, one of the sorts of carpets 
which the Europeans import from the Le- 
vant. They are the worst sort of all, and are 
•old by the piece from one to two piasters per 
carpet. 
CADI, or Cadhi, a judge of the civil 
affairs in the Turkish empire. It is generally 
taken for the judge of a town, judges of pro- 
vinces befog distinguished by the appellation 
of mouls. 
In Biledulgerid in Africa, the cadi decides 
in spiritual affairs. 
CADILESCHER, a principal officer of 
justice among the Turks, answering to a chief 
justice among us. 
CAD RITES, Mohammedan friars, who 
once a week spend great part of the night in 
turning round, holding each other’s hands, 
and repeating incessantly (he word hai, which 
signifies living, and is one of the attributes of 
God ; during w hicli one oftiiem plays on a flute. 
C7ECIL1A, the name of a genus of ser- 
pents. The generic character is, that the 
body is without scales, is smooth, and moves 
by means of lateral ruga; or wrinkles; the 
upper lip is prominent, and furnished with 
two tentacula ; it has no tail. There are 
three species, viz. 
1 Caecilia tentaculata. Eel-shaped caeci- 
lia. The length of this species is about a foot, 
and its general appearance that of a small 
cel: its colour a livid brown, the abdomen 
paler or whitish : is a native of South America, 
and is said to be of an innoxious nature. 
2. Caecilia glutinosa. White-sided c a: ci- 
lia. Is about the same length and diameter 
with the former, but has a large tumid head, 
and wider nostrils,, without any appearance 
of tentacula: the colour of both head and 
body is deep brown, and along each side runs 
abroad whitish stripe; the wrinkles are ex- 
tremely close and numerous, and disposed 
in such a manner as to form a slight carina 
along the sides on the white stripe. This is 
a native of Soutli America. 
3. Slender caecilia. Length 13 inches and 
three-quarters; diameter, which is perfectly 
equal throughout, one fifth of an inch: skin 
smooth, but when closely examined appear- 
ing most minutely granulated. It is supposed 
to be a native of South America. 
CvECl M, or C cecum, in anatomy, the 
blind gut, or first of the thick intestines. See 
Anatomy. 
CTERIl ES, or Cveritum tabul.e, in 
Roman antiquity, tables or registers in which 
the names ot the Cterites were registered, 
I he people of Caere were accounted citizens 
of Rome, but had no privilege of voting. 
Hence when a Roman citizen was degraded, 
it a senator, he was expelled the senate; if a 
knight, he lost the public horse ; and if a ple- 
beian, his name was inserted in the register 
ot the Candles; that is, he was subject to all 
taxes, but incapable of voting or enjoying 
any public, office. 
C/ESALPINIA, Brasiletto, or Brasil- 
wood, a genus of the decandria class, and 
monogynia order of plants ; and in the natural 
method ranking under the 33d order, lomen- 
taceae. The calyx is quinquefid, with the 
lowest segment larger in proportion. There 
are live petals, the lowest most beautiful. It 
is a leguminous plant. There are eight spe- 
cies, the most remarkable of which is : 
CiTsalpinia brasiliensis, commonly called 
brasiletto. It grows naturally in the warmest 
parts of America, whence the wood is import- 
ed for the dyers. The demand has been so 
great, that none of the large trees are left in 
any of the British plantations ; so that Mr. 
Catesby owns himself ignorant of the dimen- 
sions to which they grow. The largest re- 
maining are not above two inches in thick- 
ness, and eight or nine feet in height. The 
branches are slender, and full of small prickles; 
the leaves are pinnated; the lobes growing 
opposite to one another, broad at their ends, 
with one notch. The flowers are white, pa- 
pilionaceous, with many stamina and yellow 
apices, growing in a pyramidal spike at the 
end oi a long slender stalk: the pods inclose 
several small round seeds. The colour pro- 
duced from this wood is greatly improved by 
a solution ot tin in aqua regia. There is an- 
other sort, a native of the same countries with 
the first, but of a larger size. It sends out 
many weak irregular branches, armed with 
short, strong, upright thorns. The flowers 
are produced in long spikes like those of the 
former, but are variegated with red. These 
plants may be propagated from seeds, and 
should be constantly kept in the stove. 
CAESARIAN section. See Midwifery. 
C.ESTUS, in antiquity, a large gauntlet 
made of raw hide, which the wrestlers made 
use of when they fought at the public games. 
It was a kind of leathern strap, strengthened 
with lead, or plates of iron, which encom-' 
passed the hand, the wrist, and a part of the 
arm, as well to defend these parts as to en- 
force their blows. 
C/ESI RA, in the antient poetry, is when, 
in the scanning of a verse, a word is divided 
so that one part seems cut off, and goes to a 
different foot from the rest; as, 
Menti ;ri no li, nmi|quam men daciajprosunt : 
where the syllables ri, ii, quam, and men, are 
caesuras. 
CAL 
CAFFA, in commerce, painted cotton- 
cloths manufactured in the Last indies, and 
sold at Bengal, 
CAFFiLA, a company of merchants or 
travellers, who join together in order to go with 
more security through the dominions of the 
great mogul, and through other countries on 
the continent of the East Indies. The caff la 
differs from a caravan, at least in Persia ; for 
the cafiila belongs properly to some sove- 
reign, or to some powerful company, of Eu- 
rope; whereas a caravan is a company of par- 
ticular merchants, each trading upon his own 
account. The English and Dutch have each 
of them their cafiila at Gambron. 
CAG, or Keg, of sturgeon, &c. a cask or 
vessel that contains from four to five gallons. 
CAH \ S, a dr y measure for corn, used in 
some parts of Spain, particularly at Seville 
and at Cadiz. It is nearly a bushel of our mea- 
sure. 
CAIC, or Caique, a skiff, or sloop, be- 
longing to a galley. The same name is given 
to a small kind of bark used in the navigation 
of the Black Sea, and carrying from 40 to 50 
men. i hose used on the sea of Marmora 
are generally manned by two or three rowers, 
and they are incessantly employed in crossing 
the harbour, and proceeding to the several 
neighbouring villages and islands. They 
carry one or more sails, which are set only 
in fair weather, and when the wind is not 
strong. 
C A [MAC AN, or Caimacam, in the 
Turkish affairs, a dignity in the Ottoman em- 
pire, answering to lieutenant, or rather de- 
puty, among us. 
CAIN IANS, or Cainites, in church-his- 
tory, a Christian sect that sprung up about 
the year 130, and took their name from Cain, 
whom they looked upon as their head and 
father. They said that he was formed by a 
celestial and almighty power, and that Abel 
was made but by a weak one. 
CAISSON, in the military art, a wooden 
chest, into which several bombs are put, and 
sometimes only filled with gunpowder. This 
is buried under some work, of which the ene- 
my intend to possess themselves ; and when 
they are masters of it, is fired, in order to blow 
them up. It is also employed for a wooden 
frame, or chest, used in laying the founda- 
tions of the piers of a bridge. 
Caissons were used in the building of 
Westminster-bridge, each of which contain- 
ed 150 loads of fir timber, and was of more 
tonnage than a 40-gun frigate : their size was 
80 feet long, and 30 feet broad, and their 
skies 10 feet in height. The caisson was pro- 
vided with a sluice to admit the water, t he 
method of working . was as follows : .a pit 
being dug, and levelled in the proper situa- 
tion for the pier, ol the same. shape as the 
caisson, only larger, it was brought to its po- 
sition, and a few of the lower courses of the 
pier built in it, and sunk once or twice, fo 
prove the level of the foundation ; then being 
finally lived, the masons worked in the usual 
way of tide-work. About two hours before low 
water, the sluice was shut down, and the wa- 
ter pumped out, for the masons to set and 
cramp the stone-work of the succeeding 
courses. In this manner the work proceeded 
till the pier rose to the surface of the caisson, 
when the sides were floated away to serve the 
same purpose at another pier. 
CALAMANCO, a sort of woollen stuff 
manufactured in England and in Brabant. It 
