D E S 
D E T 
DEV 
titions of the same design, when the whole 
design is drawn, tire drawer, to begin the 
design afresh, has nothing to do but raise the 
little strings, with slip-knots, to the top of the 
simblot, which he had let down to the bottom : 
this lie is to repeat as often as is necessary 
till the whole is manufactured. The ribbon- 
weavers have likewise a design, but far more 
simple than that now described. It is drawn 
on paper, with lines and squares representing 
the threads of the warp and woof. But in- 
stead of lines of which the figures of the former 
consist, these are constituted of points only, or 
dots, placed in certain of the little squares, 
formed by the intersection of the lines. 
These points mark the threads of the warp 
that are to be raised, and the spaces left blank 
denote the threads that are to keep their 
situation: the rest is managed as in the 
former. 
Design is also used, in painting, for the 
first idea of a large work, 'drawn roughly, and 
in little, with an intention to be executed and 
finished in large. The art of painting has 
been by some of the greatest masters divided 
into the design or draught, the propor- 
tion, thq expression, the claro-obscuro, the 
ordonnance, the colouring, and the perspec- 
tive. 
Design, in painting, is the simple contour 
or outlines of the figures intended to be re- 
presented, or the lines that terminate and cir- 
cumscribe them: such design is sometimes 
drawn in crayons, or ink without any shadows 
at. all. Sometimes it is etched; that is, the sha- 
dows are expressed by sensible outlines, usual- 
ly drawn across each other with the pen, cray- 
on, or graver. Sometimes, again, the shadows 
are done with the crayon rubbed so as that 
there do not appear any lines : at other times, 
the grains or strokes of the crayon appear, 
as not being rubbed : sometimes the design is 
washed, that is, the shadows are done with 
a pencil in Indian ink, or some other liquor; 
and sometimes the design is coloured, that is, 
colours are laid on much like those intended 
for the grand work. 
The essential requisites of a design are cor- 
rectness, good taste, elegance, character, di- 
versity, expression, and perspective. Cor- 
rectness depends on the justness of the pro- 
portions, and knowledge of anatomy, d aste 
js a certain manner of correctness peculiar to 
the artist, derived either from nature, mas- 
ters, or studies, or all of them united. Ele- 
gance gives a delicacy that not only strikes 
persons of judgment, but communicates an 
agreeableness that pleases universally. The 
character is what is peculiar to each thing, 
in which there must be diversity, insomuch 
that every thing has its peculiar character to 
distinguish it. The expression is the repre- 
sentation of an object, according to the cir- 
cumstances it is supposed to be in. Perspec- 
tive is the representation of the parts of a 
painting, or a figure, according to the situa- 
tion they are in with regard to the point of 
sight. 
' 'The design or draught, is a part of the 
greatest import and extent in painting. It is 
acquired, chiefly by genius and application, 
rules being of less avail here than in any other 
branches of the art, as colouring, &c. The 
principal rules that regard design are, that 
novices accustom themselves to copy good 
originals at first sight ; not to use squares in 
.drawing, lest they stint and confine then- 
judgment; to design well from life, before 
they practise perspective ; to learn to adjust 
the size of their figures to the visual angle, 
and the distance of the eye from the model 
or object ; to mark out all the parts of their 
design before they begin to shade ; to make 
their contours in great pieces, without taking 
notice of tire Tittle muscles, and other 
breaks ; to make themselves masters of the 
rules of perspective ; to observe the per- 
pendicular, parallel, and distance, of every 
stroke; to compare and oppose the parts that 
meet and traverse the perpendicular, so as to 
form a kind of square in the mind, which is 
the great and almost the only rule of design- 
ing justly; to have regard not only to the 
model, but to the parts already designed, 
there being no such thing as designing with 
strict justness, but by comparing and pro- 
portioning every part to the first. All the 
other rules relate to perspective. See Paint- 
ing, and Perspective. 
DE SON tort demesn, in law, a for- 
mula used in action of trespass, by way of 
reply to the defendant’s plea ; signifying that 
the trespass was his own voluntary and free 
act. 
DETACHED PIECES, in fortification, 
are such outworks as are detached or at a 
distance from the body of the place ; as de- 
milunes, ravelins, bastions, &c. In painting 
the figures are said to be well detached, 
when they stand free and disengaged from 
each other. 
DETACHMENT, in military affairs, a 
certain number of soldiers drawn out from 
several regiments or companies equally, to be 
employed as the general thinks proper ; whe- 
ther on an attack, at a siege, or in parties to 
scour the country. A detachment of two 
or three thousand men, is a command for a 
brigadier; eight hundred, for a colonel; 
four or five hundred, for a lieutenant-colonel. 
A captain never marches on a detachment 
with less than fifty men, a lieutenant, an en- 
sign, and two Serjeants. A lieutenant is al- 
lowed thirty, and aseijeant; and a serjeant 
ten or twelve men. Detachments are some- 
times made of entire squadrons and batta- 
lions. 
DETENTS, in clock-work, are those 
stops, which by being lifted up or let down, 
lock or unlock the clock in striking. See 
Clock-work. 
Detent-wheel, or hoop-zvheel, in a 
clock, that wheel which has a hoop almost 
round it, in which there is a vacancy at which 
the clock locks. 
DETERGENTS, in pharmacy, such me- 
dicines as are not only softening and adhesive, 
but also, by a peculiar activity, conjoined 
with a suitable configuration of parts, are apt 
to abrade, and carry along with them, such 
particles as they lay hold on in their passage. 
See Pharmacy. 
DETERMINATE problem, in geo- 
metrv, that which has but one, or at least, 
a limited number of answers: as the follow- 
ing problem; which has but one only solution, 
viz. To describe an isosceles triangle on a 
given line, whose angles at the base shall be 
double that at the vertex. But the following 
has two solutions, viz. To find an isosceles 
triangle, whose area and perimeter are 
given. 
DETINUE is a writ which lies where any 
man comes to goods or chattels either by dc- 
3 S 2 
50 ? 
livery or by finding, and refuses to re-deliver 
them ; and' it lies for the detaining, when the 
detaining was unlawful. 1 lust. 286. 
In this writ the plaintiff shall recover the 
thing detained ; and therefore it must be 
so certain, as that it may be specifically 
known. Therefore it cannot be brought 
for money, corn, or the like, for that cannot 
be known from other money or corn, unless 
it is in a bag or sack, for then it may be dis- 
tinguishably marked. Ibid. 
But detinue may be brought for a piece of 
gold of the price of 21v. though not for 2 1 .?. 
in money; for there is a demand of a parti- 
cular piece. Buller, N. P. 50. 
In order therefore to ground an action of 
detinue, which is only for the detaining, 
these points are necessary : 1. That the de- 
fendant came lawfully by the goods, as either 
by delivery to him, or finding them, 2. 
That the plaintiff has a property. 3. That 
the goods themselves are of value. And 4. 
that they be ascertained in point of identity. 
Upon this, the jury, if they find for the plain- 
tiff, assess the respective values of the seve- 
ral parcels detained, and also damages for the 
detention; and the judgment is conditional,, 
that the plaintiff recover the said goods, or 
(if they cannot be had) their respective va- 
lues, and also the damages for detaining 
them. Id. 
Detinue of charters. An action of 
detinue lies for charters which make the title 
of lands; and the heir may have detinue of 
charters, although he have not the land. But 
if they concern the freehold, the action 
must be in the common-pleas, and no other 
court. 
DETONATION, in chemistry, the noise 
and explosion which any substance makes 
upon the application of fire to it. It is also 
called Elimination ; such are the explosions 
of gunpowder, of fulminating silver, gold. 
See. 
DETRANCHE', in heraldry a line bend- 
wise, proceeding always from the dexter side 
but not from the very angle, diagonally 
athwart the shield. 
DEVASTAVIT, or devastarunt bona testa- 
toris, in law is a writ which lies against execu- 
tors, for paying debts for simple contract, 
before debts on bonds, and specialities, or the 
like; for in this place the executors are as 
liable to action, as if they had wasted the 
goods of the testator riotously, or converted 
them to their own use; and are compellable 
to pay such debts by speciality out of their own. 
goods, to the value of what they so paid ille- 
gally. Cowel. 
By the 30 C. U. c. 7. if an excecutor de 
son tort waste the goods and die, his execu- 
tors shall be liable in the same manner as 
their testator would have been, if he had been 
living. And it Isas since been adjudged, that 
a rightful executor, who wastes* the goods of 
the testator, is in effect an executor de son. 
tort, for abusing his trust.. 5 Mod. 113. 
And his excecutor or administrator is made 
liable to a devastavit by 4 and 5 W. and M. 
c. 24. 
DEVENERUNT, in law, a writ directed, 
to the escheator, when any tenant of the king 
holding in capite, died: and when his son. 
and heir, within age, and in the king’s custody, 
died; then this writ issued, comxnanc ing that 
escheator, that he, by the oath of good ai&i 
