CON 
lin equal state of mind. The geneml alarm 
■which prevails on such occasions contri- 
butes, not a little, to extend the evil. 
CONTENT, in geometry, the area or 
quantity of matter or space included in cer- 
tain bounds. 
The content of a tun of round timber is 
43 solid feet. A load of hewn timber con- 
tains 50 cubic feet : in a foot of timber are 
contained 1728 cubic or square inches ; and 
as often as 1728 inches are contained in a 
piece of timber, be it round or square, so 
many feet of timber are contained in the 
piece. For the contents of cylindrical ves- 
sels, and vessels of other figures, see Guag- 
ING. 
CONTIGUOUS angles, in geometry, are 
such as have one leg common to each angle, 
and are sometimes called adjoining angles, 
in contradistinction to those produced by 
continuing their legs through the point of 
contact, which are called opposite or ver- 
tical angles. The sum of any two contigu- 
ous angles is always equal to two right 
angles. 
CONTINENT, in geography, a great 
extent of land not interrupted by seas, in 
contradistinction to island, peninsula, &c. 
According to what relations we have of 
the disposition of the globe from late navi- 
gators, we may count four continents, of 
which there are but two well known. The 
first, called the ancient continent, compre- 
hends Europe, Asia, and Africa. The second 
is the new continent, called America. The 
third, which is called the northern or arctic 
continent, comprehends Greenland, the 
lands of Spitzberg, Nova Zeinbla, and the 
lands of Jesso. The fourth comprehends 
New Holland, &c. 
CONTINGENT, something casual or 
uncertain. Hence future contingent, in 
logic, denotes a conditional event which 
may or may not happen, according as cir- 
cumstances fall out. 
Contingent is also a term of relation 
for the quota that falls to any person upon 
a division, 'fhus each prince in Germany, 
in time of war, was formerly obliged to fur- 
nish so ■ many men, so much money and 
ammunition for his contingent. 
CoNTiNOENT usc, in law, is an use limit- 
ed in a conveyance of lands which may or 
may not happen to vest, according to the 
contingency mentioned in the limitation of 
the use. And a contingent remainder is 
when an estate is limited to take place at a 
time to come, on an uncertain event. 
Contingent legacy, is a legacy which 
CON 
may, or may not happen. If a legacy b'e 
left to one when he shall attain, or if he 
shall attain the age of twenty-one year!?, 
this is a contingent legacy, and if the lega- 
tee die before that time, the legacy shall 
not vest. But a legacy to one to be paid 
when he attains the age ■ of twenty-one 
years, is a vested legacy ; an interest which 
commences in prasenti, although it be sol- 
vendum mfuturo : and if the legatee die be- 
fore that age, his representatives shall re- 
ceive it out of the testator’s personal estate, 
at the same time that it would have be- 
come payable in case the legatee had 
lived. 
CONTINUANCE of a writ or action, is 
its continuing in force from one term to 
another, where the sheriff has not returned 
a former writ issued out in the same action. 
With respect to continuances, the court of 
King’s Bench is not to enter them on the 
roll till after issue or demurrer, and then 
they enter the continuance of all on the 
back, before judgment. 
CONTINUED proportion, in arithmetic, 
is that where the consequent of the first ra- 
tio is the same with the antecedent of the 
second; as 4 : 8 8 : 16, in contradistinc- 
tion to discrete proportion. 
CONTORTION, in medicine, has many 
significations. 1. It denotes the iliac pas- 
sion. 2. An incomplete dislocation, when 
a bone is in part, but not entirely, forced 
from its articulation. 3. A dislocation of 
the vertebrae of the back sideways, or a 
crookedness of these vertebr®. And, 4. A 
disorder of the head, in which it is drawn 
towards one side, either by a spasmodic 
contraction of the muscles on the same 
side, or a palsy of the antagonist muscles 
on the other. 
CONTORTjE, in botany, twisted plants. 
The name of the thirteenth order in Lin- 
naeus’s fragments of a natural method, con- 
sisting of plants which have a single petal 
that is twisted or bent towards one side. 
This order is divided into plants with twist- 
ed flowers, having five stamina and one 
style ; and plants with twisted flowers, hav- 
ing five stamina and scarce any style ; of the 
first, the genus Vinca, periwinkle, is an ex- 
ample; of the second, Apocynum, dog’s- 
bane, is an example. 
CONTOUR, in painting, the out-line, or 
that which defines a figure. 
CONTRABAND, in commerce, a pro- 
hibited commodity, or merchandise bought 
or sold, imported or exported, in prejudice 
to the laws and ordinances of a state, or 
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