KAO 
longer appears, are hot. The streets are 
deserted, and the dead silence of night 
reigns every where. The inhabitants of 
towns and villages shut themselves up in 
their houses, and those of the desert in 
their tents, or in wells dug in the earth, 
where they wait the termination of this de- 
structive heat. It usually lasts three days, 
blit if it exceeds that time it becomes in- 
supportable. The danger is most imminent 
when it blows in squalls ; for theft the ra- 
pidity of the wind increases the heat to such 
a degree as to cause sudden death. This 
death is a real suffocation. The lungs be- 
ing empty are convulsed, the circulation is 
disordered, and the whole mass of blood 
driven by the heat towards the head and 
breast ; whence the hsemorihage at the nose 
and mouth, which happens after death. 
This wind is especially destructive to per- 
sons of a plethoric habit, and those in 
whom fatigue has destroyed the tone of the 
muscles and the vessels. The corpse re- 
mains a long time warm, swells, turns 
blue, and soon becomes putrid. These ac- 
cidents are to be avoided by stopping the 
nose and mouth with handkerchiefs. An 
efficacious method, likewise, is that prac- 
tised by the camels. On this occasion these 
animals bury their noses in the sand, and 
keep them there till the squall is over. An- 
other quality of this wind is its extreme 
aridity; which is such, that water sprinkled 
on the floor evaporates in a few minutes. 
By the extreme dryness it withers and strips 
all the plants ; and by exhaling too suddenly 
the emanations from animal bodies, crisps 
the skin, closes the pores, and causes that 
feverish heat which is the constant effect of 
suppressed perspiration. 
KAOLIN, in the arts, the name of an 
earth used in the manufacture of oriental 
porcelain china. A specimen of this earth 
was brought from Cliina, and examined by 
Reaumur, who found it to be infusible by 
fire. He thought it was a talcy earth ; but 
Mr. Macquer says, it is more probably of 
an argillaceous nature, from its forming a 
tenacious paste, with the other ingredient 
called petunse, which has no tenacity. A 
French chemist, M. Bomaire, analized it, 
and found it was a compound earth consist- 
ing of clay, to which it owed its tenacity ; 
of calcareous earth, which gave it a mealy 
appearance ; of sparkling crystals of mica ; 
and of small gravel, or particles of quartz- 
qrystals. He found a similar earth upon a 
stratum of granite, and conjectures it may 
be a decomposed granite. 
^ KEE 
KEDGIN G, in the sea-language, is when 
a ship is brought up or down a narrow ri- 
ver by means of the tide, the wind being 
contrary. To do this, they use to set their 
fore course, or fore-top-sail and mizen, that 
so they may flat her about ; and if she hap- 
pen to come too near the shore, they let 
fall a kedgc-anchor, with a hawser fastened 
to it from the ship, in order to turn her head 
about ; which work is called hedging. 
KEEL, the lowest piece of timber in a 
ship, running her whole length from the 
lowei' part of her stem to the lower part of 
her stern-post. Into it are all the lower 
futtocks fastened ; and under part of it a 
false keel is often used. 
By comparing the carcass of a ship to 
the skeleton of a human body, the keel ap- 
pears as the back bone, and the timbers as 
the ribs. Accordingly, the keel supports 
and unites the whole fabric, since the stem 
and stern-posts, which are elevated on its 
ends, are, in some measure, a continuation 
of the keel, and serve to connect and in- 
close the extremities of the sides by tran- 
soms, as the keel forms and unites the bot- 
tom by timbers. 
The keel is generally composed of several 
thick pieces placed lengthways, which, af- 
ter being scarfed together, are bolted and 
clinched upon the upper side. 
Keel hauling, a punishment inflicted for 
various offences in the Dutch navy. It is 
performed by suspending tbe culprit by a 
rope from one yard-arm, with a weight of 
lead or iron upon his legs, and having an- 
other rope fastened to him, leading under 
the ship’s bottom, and through a block at 
its opposite yard-arm ; he is then repeatedly 
and suddenly let fall from the one yard-arm 
into the sea, where, passing under the ship’s 
bottom, he is hoisted upon the opposite side 
of the vessel to the other. 
KEELER.S, among seamen, are small 
tubs, which hold stuff for the caulking of 
ships. 
KEELSON, a principal timber in a ship, 
fayed within-side cross all the floor-timbers ; 
and being adjusted to the keel with suitable 
scarfs, it serves to strengthen the bottom of 
the ship. 
KEEP, in ancient military history, a 
kind of strong tower, which was built in the 
centre of a castle or fort, to which the be- 
sieged retreated, and made their last efforts 
of defence. 
Of this description is the keep of Wind- 
sor Castle. 
