BAR 
prejudice of the realm, which is said to be 
composed of counties and baronies. 
BARRA, in commerce, a long measure 
used in Portugal and some parts of Spain, 
to measure woollen cloths, linen cloths, and 
serges. 
BARRACAN, in commerce, a sort of 
stuff not diapered, sometliing like camblet, 
but of a coarser grain. It is used to make 
cloaks, surtouts, and such other garments 
to keep off the rain. 
BARRACKS, places for soldiers to lodge 
in, especially in garrisons. Barracks were 
formerly reckoned as highly dangerous to 
the constitution of the realm ; within these 
last ten years, however, they have increased 
so much in number and extent, that there is 
scarcely a moderate sized town in the king- 
dom without its barracks ; and one might 
infer from the rapid increase of these build- 
ings, that our very existence depends upon 
them. 
BARRATOR, in law, a common mover 
or maintainer of suits and quarrels, either in 
courts or elsewhere in the country. A man 
cannot be adjudged a barrator for bringing 
any number of suits in his own right, though 
they are vexatious. Barrators are punished 
by fine and imprisonment. 
BARRATRY, in law, signifies the fo- 
menting quarrels and law-snits. 
Barratry, in a ship-master, is his cheat- 
ing the owners. If goods delivered on ship- 
board are embezzled, all the mariners ought 
to contribute to the satisfaction of the party 
that lost his goods, by the maritime law ; 
and the cause is to be tried in the admiralty. 
In a case where a ship was insured against 
the barratry of the master, Ac. and the jury- 
found that the ship was lost by the fraud 
and negligence of the master, the court 
agreed that the fraud was barratry, though 
not named in the covenant ; but that neg- 
ligence was not. 
B ARREL is a measure of liquids. The 
English barrel, wine measure, contains the 
eighth part of a tun, the fourth part of a 
pipe, and one half of an hogshead ; that is to 
say, it contains thirty-one gallons and a half : 
a barrel, beer-measure, contains thirty-six 
gal! ons. 
Barrel also denotes a certain weight of 
several merchandises, whicli differs accord- 
ing to the several commodities : a barrel of 
Essex butter weighs one hundred and six 
pounds, and of Suffolk butter, two hundred 
and fifty -six pounds. The barrel of herrings 
ought to contain thirty- two gallons wine- 
measure, which amount to about twenty- 
BAR 
eight gallons old standard, containing about 
a thousand herrings. The barrel of salmon 
must contain forty-two gallons. The bar- 
rel of eels the same. The barrel of soap 
must weigh two hundred and fifty-six' 
pounds. 
B arrel, fire , in military affairs, is mount- 
ed on wheels, filled with a composition, and 
intermixed with loaded grenades, and the 
outside full of sharp spikes : some are placed 
under ground to act as mines : others are 
used to roll down a breach to prevent the 
enemy's entrance. These are rarely used 
now in any country. 
Barrel, in mechanics, a term given by 
watch-makers to the cylinder about which 
the spring is wrapped : and by gun-smiths 
to the cylindrical tube of a gun, pistol, &c. 
through which the ball is discharged. 
BARRERIA, in botany, named after 
Peter Barrere, a French physician, a genus 
of the Syngenesia Monogymia class and 
order. Essential character : calyx five- 
toothed, very small ; corol five-parted ; style 
short; stigma trifid. There is only one 
species, viz. B. guianensis. This tree rises 
forty or fifty feet in height, and is two feet 
and a half in diameter ; the bark is ash-co- 
loured, and the wood is reddish brown, 
hard and compact. It sends forth from 
the top a great number of branches, which 
rise and spread in all directions. These 
branches are loaded with twigs, on which 
are alternate leaves ending in a point. It 
is a native of Guiana, and flowers there in 
November. 
BARRICADE, or Barricado, a war- 
like defence, consisting of empty barrels 
and such like vessels filled with earth, 
stones, carts, trees cut down, against an 
enemy’s shot, or assault; but generally, 
trees cut with six faces, which are crossed 
with battoons as long as a half-pike, bound 
about with iron at the feet. 
In a vessel of war, the vacant spaces be- 
tween the stancheons are commonly filled 
with rope, mat, cork, or pieces of old cable, 
and the upper part which contains a double 
rope netting above the sail, is stuffed full 
with hammocks, to intercept the motion, 
and prevent the execution of small shot in 
the line of battle. 
BARRIER, in fortification, a kind of 
fence made at a passage, retrenchment, &c. 
to stop up the entry thereof, and is com- 
posed of great stakes, about four or five 
feet high, placed at the distance of eight or 
ten feet from one another, with transums, 
or over thwart rafters, to stop either horse 
