STA 
tSistinction from larboard, which denotes 
the left band side of the ship in the same 
circumstances. They say, ‘‘ .Slaiboard the 
helm,” or “ Helm a starboard,” when the 
man at the helm shonld put the helm to the 
right hand side of the ship. 
.Star falling or shooting Star, a luirtinous 
meteor darting rapidly through the air, and 
resembling a star falling. Tlic explication 
of this phenomenon has puzzled all philo- 
sophers, till the modern discoveries in elec- 
tricity have led to the most probalrie ac- 
count of it. Signior Beccaria makes it 
pretty evident that it is an electrical ap- 
pearance, and recites the following fact in 
proof of it. About an honr after sunset, he 
and some friends that were with him ob- 
served a falling star directing its course to- 
wards them, and apparently growing larger 
and larger, but it disappeared not tar from 
them ; when it left their faces, hands, and 
clothes,' with the. earth, and all the neigh- 
bouring objects, suddenly illuminated with 
a diffused and lambent light, not attended 
<witb any noise at all. During their surprise 
at this appearance, a servant informed them 
ti]at he had seen a light shine suddenly in 
the garden, and especially upon the streams 
which he was throwdng to water it. All 
these appearances were evidently electri- 
cal ; and Beccaria was confirmed in his 
conjecture, that electricity was the cause of 
them, by tlie quantity of electric matter 
which he had seen giadually advancing to- 
wards his kite, which had very much the 
appearance of a falling star. Sometimes 
also he saw a kind of glory round the kite, 
which followed it when it changed its place, 
hut left some light, for a small space of 
time, in the place it had quitted. 
Star-chamber was a very ancient court, 
but new modelled afterwards by divers sta- 
tutes. It consisted of several of the lords 
.spiritual and temporal, being privy counsel- 
lors, together with two judges of the courts 
of common law', without the intervention of 
any jury. The legal jurisdiction extended 
over riots, perjury, niisbeltaviour of public 
officers, and other notorious misdemeanors. 
Blit afterwards, they stretched their power 
beyond the utmost bounds of legality, vin- 
dicating all the encroachments of the crowm 
in granting monopolies, in issuing procla- 
mations which sliould have the force of 
lavys, in pnni.5hing small otfences, or no of- 
fences at all, but of their own creating, by 
exorbitant fines, imprisonment, and corpo- 
ral severities ; until at last this court lie- 
carae *o odious, that it w'a.s finally abolished 
. STA 
by the 16 Charles I. c. 10. Most of fh<* 
ancient authorities respecting the law of 
libels come from t’ i 5 court. 
Star Fish. See Asterias. 
STARCH. l'hi.s term is appropriated 
to a suh,stance existing in vegetables, simi- 
lar in many of it.s properties to gnm. It » 
a dry, white powder, which forms the prin- 
cipal part of the nutritive grains and rooks. 
If a (laste he formed of wheaten flour 
and water, and this be washed with addi- 
tional quantities of water, till it is no longer 
turbid, but comes olf pure and colourless, 
the mass which remains becomes tenacious 
and ductile. This is called Gluten, which 
sec. If the water with w'hich the paste was 
washed be allowed to remain at rest, it depo- 
sits a White powder, which is distinguished by 
the name of fectila or starch. .Starch is of 
a tine white colour, and is usually in the 
state of concrete columnar masses. It has 
no perceptible sindll, and scarcely any 
taste. It is little altered by exposure to 
the air ; w'hen it is exposed to heat, on a 
hot iron, it melts, swells up, becomes black, 
and burns with a bright flame. The char- 
coal which remains contains a little pot- 
ash. When it is distilled, it gives out water 
mixed with acetic acid, which is contami- 
nated with oil. It gives out also carbonic 
acid, and carbonated hydrogen gas. Stardi 
is not soluble in cold, but forms a thick 
paste" with boiling water; and when this 
paste is allowed to cool, it becomes seini- 
. transparent and gelatinous ; it is brittle 
when dry, somewhat resembling gum. If 
this paste be exposed to moist air, it is de- 
composed, for it acquires an acid taste. 
Siilpimric acid dissolves starch slowly ; sul- 
phurous acid is disengaged, and a great 
quantity of charcoal is formed. Muriatic 
acid also dissolves starch, and the solution 
resembles mucilage of gum Arabic. When 
left at rest, a thick, oily, mucilaginous liquid 
appears above, and a transparent straw- 
coloured fluid below. The odour of mu- 
riatic acid remains, but when water is add- 
ed, it is destroyed, and a strong peculiar 
smell is emitted. Starch is also soluble in 
nitric acid, with the evolution of nitrons gas. 
The solution assumes a green colour, and 
when heat is applied, the starch is con- 
verted into oxalic and malic acids. Some part 
of the starch, however, is insoluble in nitric 
acid, and, wdien this is separated by filtra- 
tion, and washed with water, it has a tliiok, 
oily appearance like tallow', is soluble in 
nlcohoi, ami when distilled, yields acetic 
acid, and an oily matter similar to tallow in 
