PUZ 
process of decomposition which takes place 
in all the soft parts of animals, and some ve- 
getables, by which they are finally disor- 
ganized, and resolved into a variety of ga- 
seous and volatile substances which mix 
with the atmosphere. See Physiology. 
PUTTING in fear. See Robbery. 
PUTTOCKS, or Puttock shrouds, in 
a ship, are small shrouds which go from the 
shrouds of the main-mast, tore-mast, and 
mizen mast, to the top-mast shrouds ; and 
if there be any top-gallant masts, there are 
puttocks to go from the top-mast shrouds 
into these. These puttocks are at the bot- 
tom seized to a staff, or to some rope which 
is seized to a plate of iron, or to a dead 
man’s eyes, to which the laniiiards of tlie 
fore-mast shrouds do come. 
PUTTY, in the arts, is a substance used 
in polishing metals, precious stones, and 
glass ; it is also the base of most of the 
opaque enamels. It is made by calcining 
equal parts ot tin and lead. Glazier’s putty 
was probably composed of this true putty 
and oil j but what they now use is a mix- 
ture of whiting and linseed oil, which has 
the property of becoming very hard and du- 
rable by exposure to the air. 
PUZZGUANA, or PozzuLANA, a kind 
of earth found about Puteoh, Bairn, and 
CuniEE, in the kingdom of Naples. It is 
thrown put from the burning mouths of vol- 
canoes, in the form of ashes ; sometimes in 
such large quantities, and with so great vio- 
lence, that whole provinces have been cor 
vered with it at a considerable distance, 
Puzzolana is of a grey, brown, or blackish 
colour ; of a loose, granular, or dusty and 
rough, porous or spongy texture, resem- 
bling a clay hardened by fire, and then re- 
duced to a gross powder. It has various 
heterogeneous substances mixed with it. 
Its specific gravity is from S.5 to 2.8 ; 
and it is, in some dfcgree, magnetic: it 
scarcely effervesces with acids, though par- 
tially solqble in them. It easily melts per 
se ; but its most distinguishing property is, 
that it hardens very suddenly when mixed 
with one third of its weight of lime and wa- 
ter ; and forms a cement which is more du- 
rable in water than any other. Accoiding 
to Bergman’s analysis, 100 parts of it con- 
tain from 55 to 60 of siliceous earth, 20 of 
argillaceous, 5 or 6 of calcareous, and from 
15 to 20 of iron. Its effects, however, in 
cement may perhaps depend only on the 
iyon which has been reduced into a particu- 
}ar substance by means of subterraneous 
fires ; evident signs of which are observ- 
able in the places where it is obtained. 
PYR 
PYRAMID, in architecture: this fon» 
W’e derive from the Egyptians, a people 
who conceived and executed unparalleled 
works, which are, however, more remark- 
able for their strengtli and durability than 
elegance of outline, and beauty of execu- 
tion. According to Herodotus, the people 
alluded to considered the pyramidal forni 
as emblematic of human life, the broad 
base representing the commencement, and 
the gradation, to a point, the termination 
of our existence in the present state ; hence 
they used it for sepulchral purposes : it 
would be absurd to contradict this asser- 
tion, as the period of their erection is too 
remote for enquiry, witli any probable suc- 
cess; but there is another obvious reason 
for the adoption of the shape, which of all 
others is most decidedly calculated to resist 
the operations of time. Admitting a mo- 
narch to have conceived an idea of render- 
ing his tomb almost everlasting, it was im- 
possible to invent an outline less liable to 
injury from the assaults of wind and rain, 
and the very disposition of the stones made 
it impossible that it should fall even through 
the operations of an earthquake, besides 
the immense extent of their bases, and the 
solidity of the w-orkmanship made it highly 
improbable that his successors, or the peo- 
ple, would be at the trouble and expense of 
destroying it through disrespect to his me- 
mory ; this circumstance, perhaps, united 
with the former consideration, were suffi- 
cient inducements for the selection of the 
pyramid for monuments. 
Some authors derive the word from the 
Greek for wheat and its receptacle, and 
those assert that pyramids were originally 
built by the Patriarch Joseph as granaries; 
others derive it from the word -cr-jj, lire, 
thinking that the pyramidal shape resembles 
the ascent of flame. 
There are several pyramids in Egypt, 
but those at Gizeh are the most gigantic ; 
and the most enormous, or the great pyra- 
mid, is situated near Memphis. Herodotus 
says, he was informed the latter covered the 
remains of Cheops, and another adjoining 
those of bis brother Cephrenes, who suc- 
ceeded him ; the first only having inner 
galleries, or passages. Although much de- 
pendence cannot be placed upon the fur- 
ther accounts of this ancient writer, it 
seems highly probable that an 100,000 men 
may have been constantly employed, for 20 
years, in ereeting the immense pile, and 
that Cheops became detested by the peo- 
ple, who were thus taken from more iisofii) 
employments, as well as by the bulk of the 
