G O L 
G OX 
G 0 75 
body is soft, slippery, and of a slender form; 
the head rather large; ilie cheeks inflated; 
the teeth small, and disposed in two rows; 
from the head to the first dorsal tin is a small 
furrow ; the lirst dorsal fin consists of six rays, 
the second, according to Limueus, of four- 
teen; the pectoral of sixteen or seventeen, 
closely set together, and the middlemost the 
longest; the others on each side gradually 
shorter; the ventral tins coalesce, and form a 
sort of funnel, by which these fish are said 
to affix themselves immoveably to the rocks, 
for which reason they are called by the name 
of rock-fish; the tail is rounded a't the end; 
the general colour of the fish is dusky or 
blackish ; but this, on close inspection, is ow- 
ing to numerous small dusky or blackish 
specks, accompanied by brown or olive-co- 
loured bars and clouds disposed on a whitish 
ground; the dorsal and anal fins are of a pale 
blue; the rays marked with minute black 
spots. This fish is a native of the Mediter- 
ranean and northern seas, and sometimes 
enters tire mouths of the larger rivers, parti- 
cularly in the beginning of summer, at which 
season it deposits its spawn on stones near 
the shores. It is in the number of edible fish, 
but is iu no particular estimation. 
2. Gobius lanceolatus. Lance-tailed goby. 
This species is distinguished by the peculiar 
form ot its tail, which is large in proportion 
to the animal, and sharp-pointed at the tip ; 
the body is of a lengthened shape, and nearly 
of equal diameter throughout; the head is ob- 
long, and truncated in front; the jaws of 
equal length, and armed with sharp teeth; the 
gill-covers consist of two small laminae, and 
tiie opening of the gills is large ; the vent is 
situated much nearer the head than the tail ; 
the body is covered with scales, of which 
those toward the tail are much larger than 
those on the upper parts. This is a West In- 
dian species: it is found in the rivers of Mar- 
tinique and some other islands. 
3. Gobius cieruleus. Blue goby. Described 
by Cepede from Commerson. A highly 
beautiful, though very small, species; colour 
fine blue, rather paler beneath ; tail red, with 
n black border; length about a decimetre; 
mouth obtuse; teeth in the lower jaw sharp, 
and rather longer than those of the upper; 
eyes rather more distant than in others of the 
genus; body covered with small rough scales; 
first dorsal fin triangular, with the rays termi- 
nating in lengthened filaments; second dorsal 
terminated by a ray of twice the length of the 
rest ; vent placed nearly in the middle of the 
body; tail rounded. Inhabits the seas about 
the eastern coasts of Africa, where it is used 
by the negroes as a bait for other fish. From 
the brilliancy of its colours it appears, when 
swimming in a calm sea, during a bright sun- 
shine, like a small tube of sapphire, tipped 
with carbuncle. 
4. Gobius jozo. Blue-finned goby. This 
species grows to the length of four or six 
inches, and is principally distinguished by the 
blue colour of its fins, and the streaks on 
the first dorsal fin ; the jaws are of equal 
length, and armed with small sharp teeth; the 
lateral line runs in a straight direction along 
the middle of the body. It is a native of the 
Mediterranean and the Baltic, and commonly 
frequents the muddy shores, living on sea- 
insects, & c. It deposits its spawn on the soft 
mud ; and though very prolific, is not ob- 
served to be very numerous, owing to the 
small fry becoming the prey ®f other fishes; 
as a food it is held in little or no esteem. 
GODFATHERS and Godmothers, 
persons who at the baptism of infants lav 
themselves under an indispensable obligation 
to instruct them, and watch over their con- 
duct. This custom is of great antiquity in 
the Christian church, and was probably insti- 
tuted to prevent children being brought up in 
idolatry, in case their parents died betore 
they arrived at years of discretion. The 
number of godfathers and godmothers is re- 
duced to two in the church of Rome, and 
three in the church of England ; but formerly 
they had as many as they pleased. 
GOLD, be Aurum, and Chemistry. 
Gold- wire, a cylindrical ingot of silver, 
superficially gilt, or covered with gold at the 
fire, and afterwards drawn successively 
through a great number of little round holes, 
of a wiredrawing- iron, each less than the 
other, till it is sometimes no bigger than a 
hair of the head. See Wiredrawing. 
It may be observed, that before the wire 
is reduced to this excessive fineness, it is 
drawn through above 140 different holes, and 
that each time they draw it, it is rubbed afresh 
over with new wax, botli to facilitate its pas- 
sage, and to prevent the silver appearing 
through it. 
Gold-wire, flatted, is the former wire 
flatted between turn rollers of polished steel, 
to fit it to be spun on a stick, or to be used 
Hat, as it is without spinning, in certain studs, 
laces, embroideries, foe. 
Gold-thread, or spun-gold , is a flatted 
gold, wrapped or laid over a thread of silk, 
bv twisting it with a wheel and iron bobbins. 
Manner of forming gold-wire and gold- 
thread, both round and flat. First, ail ingot 
of silver, of 24 pounds, is forged into a cy- 
linder, of about an inch in diameter; theu it 
is drawn through eight or ten holes, of a large 
coarse wiredrawing-iron, both to finish the 
roundness, and to reduce it to about three- 
fourths of its former diameter. This done, 
they file it very carefully ail over to take off 
any filth remaining from the forge; they then 
cut it in the middle: and thus make two equal 
ingots thereof, each about 2G inches long, 
which they draw through several new holes, 
to take oti any inequalities the file may have 
left, and to render it as smooth and equable as 
possible. 
The ingot thus far prepared, they heat it in 
a charcoal lire ; then taking some gold-leaves, 
each about four inches square, and weighing 
twelve grains, they join four, eight, twelve, 
or sixteen of these, as the wire is iutended to 
be more or less gilt; and when they are so 
joined as only to form a single leaf, they rub 
the ingots reeking -hot with a burnisher. 
These leaves being thus prepared, they apply 
over the whole surface of the ingot, to the 
number of six, over each other, burnishing or 
rubbing them well down with the blood-stone, 
to dose and smooth them. When gilt, the 
ingots are laid anew in a coal fire ; and when 
raised to a certain degree of heat, they go 
over them a second time with the blood- 
stone, both to solder the gold more perfectly, 
and to finish the polishing. The gilding 
finished, it remains to draw the ingot into 
wire. 
In order to this, they pass it through 20 
holes of a moderate drawing-iron, by which 
it is brought to the thickness of tire tag of a 
SOT 
I ace t from this time the ingol loses its name, 
and- commences gold-wire. Twenty holes 
more of a lesser iron leave it small enough 
for the least iron ; the finest holes of which 
last, scarcely exceeding the hair of the head, 
finish the work. 
r l o dispose the wire to be spun on silk, 
they pass it between two rollers of a little 
mill; these rollers are of nicely polished 
steel, and about three inches in' diameter. 
J hey are set very close to each other, and 
turned by means of a handle fastenod to one 
ot them, which gives motion to the other. 
The gold-wire in passing between the two is 
rendered quite Hat, but without losing uuv 
thing of it gilding, and is rendered so exceed- 
ingly thin and flexible, that it is easily spun 
on silk thread, by means of a hand-wheel, 
and so wound on a spool or bobbin. 
Gold -beating. They first melt a quart]! y 
of pure gold, and form it into an ingot: this 
they reduce, by forging, into a plate a'*out 
the thickness of a sheet of paper; which done, 
they cut the plate into little pieces about an 
inch square, and lay them m the first or 
smallest mould to begin to stretch them ; after 
they have been hammered here a while with 
the smallest hammer, they cut each oi them 
into four, and put them into the second 
mould, to be extended further. 
Upon taking them hence, they cut them 
again into lour, and put them into the third 
mould, out of which they are taken, divided 
into four as before, and’ laid in the last or 
finishing mould, where they are beaten to the 
degree of thinness required. 
T he leaves thus finished, they take them 
out of the mould, and dispose them into little 
paper books, prepared with a little red bole 
tor the gold to stick to : each book ordinarily 
contains 25 gold-leaves. There are two sizes 
ot these books; 23 leaves of the smallest only 
weigh five or six grains, and the same number 
of the largest nine or ten grains. 
It must be observed, that gold is beatevi, 
more or less, according to the kind or qua- 
lity of the work it is intended for ; that for the 
gold wire-drawers to gild their ingots with is 
left much thicker than that for gilding the 
frames of pictures, foe. See Gilding. 
Gold, burnished, that smoothed or po- 
lished with a burnisher. 
Gold, mosaic, that applied in pannels, oa 
proper ground, distributed into squares,, lo- 
zenges, and other compartments, part whereof 
is shadowed to heighten or raise the rest. See 
Mosaic. 
Gold, shell, that used by the illuminers, 
and with which we write gold letters. It i> 
made of the parings of leaf-gold, and even 
of the leaves themselves, reduced into an im- 
palpable powder, by grinding on a marble 
with honey. After leaving it to infuse some 
time in aquafortis, they put it in shells, where 
it sticks. To use it, they dilute it with gum- 
water, or soap*water. 
Gold, pure , that purged by fire of all its 
impurities, and all alloy. The moderns fre- 
quently call it gold of 24 earacts, but in rea« 
lity there is no such thing as gold so very 
pure, and there is always wanting at least a 
quarter of a caract. Gold of 22 carnets has 
one part of silver, and another of copper; that 
of 23 earacts has half a part (that is, half a 
twenty-fourth) of each, bee Caract* 
