aBMi 
BRA 
same time, on tlie state of science at the 
period in which he lived. He was distin- 
guished by the comprehensiveness of his 
views, and the extent and variety of his re- 
searches; by indefatigable diligence, and 
invincible perseverance, in his collection of 
facts and investigation of their causes ; by a 
total freedom from any preconceived at- 
tachment to theories and systems ; by can- 
dour in discussing the opinions of others ; 
and by fidelity and modesty in the narration 
of his own performances. 
B QUADitO, Quadrato, or Durale, 
in music, called by the French b quarre, 
from its figure jj , This is what we call B 
natural or sharp, in distinction to B mol or 
flat. See Flat and 
If the flat ^ be placed before a note in 
the thorough bass, it intimates that its 
third is to be minor f and if placed with any 
Cypher over a note in the bass, as ^ 6, or 
^3 5, Ac. it denotes, that the fifth or sixth 
thereto are to be flat. But if the quadro 
£| be placed over any note, or with a cy- 
pher, in the thorough bass, it has the con- 
trary effect ; for thereby the note or inter- 
val thereto is raised to its natural order. 
BRABEIUM, in botany, a genus of the 
Polygamia Monoecia class and order. Es- 
sential character : herrn. scales of the 
ament ; corol four-parted, revolute above ; 
stamens four; pistil one; drupe roundish; 
seed globular; male, scales of the ament; 
corol four or five-parted ; stamens four, in- 
serted into the throat ; style bifid, abortive. 
There is only one species, with its varie- 
ties, t'ir. B. stellulifolium, or African al- 
mond, rises with an upright stem, which 
is soft and full of, pith, and covered with a 
brown bark. Horizontal branches are sent 
out at every joint, the lower ones being 
longest, and every tier diminishing to the 
top, so as to form a sort of pyramid. The 
flowers are produced near the ends of the 
shoots, coming out from between the leaves, 
quite round the branches, they are of a pale 
colour inclining to white, they appear early 
in the spring, and fall away without any 
fruit succeeding them in this country. It 
is a native of the country about the Cape 
of Good Hope. 
BRACE, in architecture, a piece of tim- 
ber framed in with bevil joints, the use of 
which is to keep the building from swerv- 
ing either way. When the brace is framed 
into the king-pieces, or principal rafters, it 
is by some called a strut. 
Braces, in the sea-language, are ropes 
belonging to all the yards of a ship, except 
BRA 
the rnizen, iwo to each yard, reeved through 
blocks that are fastened to pennants, seized 
to the yard arms./ Their use is either to 
square, or traverse the yards. Hence to 
brace the yard, is to bring it to either side. 
All braces come aftward qn, as the main 
brace comes to the poop, the main-top-sail 
brace comes to the mizen-top, and thence 
to the main shrouds : the fore and fore-top- 
sail braces come down by the main and 
main-top sail stays, and so of the rest. But 
the mizen-bowline serves to brace to the 
yard, and the cross jack braces are brought 
forw ards to the main-shrouds when the ship 
sails close by a wind. 
Braces, in music, are those double 
curves which are placed at the beginning of 
the staves of any composition. Their use 
is to bend together the harmonizing parts, 
and lead the eye with facility from one set 
of staves to another. In those scores which 
include a part for a keyed instrument, as 
the organ, harpsicord, or piano-forte, it is 
usual to draw a smaller brace within the great 
one, to include and to distinguish from the 
other parts of the score the tw o staves de- 
signed for either of those instruments. 
Braces to a drum, the cords which are 
distended in oblique lines from the hfead to 
the bottom round the exterior of the drum, 
and which by tightening or relaxing the 
parchment, serve to raise or flatten the tone. 
BRACELET, an ornament worn on the 
wrist, much used among the ancients : it 
was made of different materials, and in dif- 
ferent fashions, according to the age and 
quality of the wearer. Bracelets are still 
worn by the savages of Africa, who are so 
excessively fond of them, as to give the 
richest commodities, and even their fathers, 
wives, and children, in exchange for those 
made of no richer materials than shells, 
glass, beads, and the like. 
BRACHLEUS, in anatomy, a name 
given to two muscles, which are flexors of 
the cubitus, and distinguished by the ap- 
pellations of externus t.nd interims. See 
Anatomy. 
BRACHMANS, a sect of Indian philo- 
sophers, known to the ancient Greeks by 
the name of Gymnosop! lists. The ancient 
Brachmans lived upon herbs and pulse, 
and abstained from every thing that had 
life in it. They lived in solitude, without 
matrimony, and without property ; an 'I 
they wished ardently for death, consideriiwj 
life only as a burden. The modern Braeh- 
maus make up one of the Casts or tribes of 
the Banians. They are the priests of tliat 
• • - Scs*- . 
