COR 
Jussieu. Essential cliaracter : calyx five- 
leaved ; petals five ; seed one, three-sided. 
There is but one species, viz. C. litoralis. 
Bastard knot grass, a native of France, Ger- 
many, Switzerland, and Piedmont, in san- 
dy soils, usually near the sea or rivers. 
CORRIRA, the courier, in natural his- 
tory, a genus of birds of the order Grallas. 
Generic character : bill short and straight, 
and without teeth ; legs long ; thighs longer 
than the body ; feet pabnated, with a back 
toe. This bird, for there is only one species, 
is a native of Italy, and is remarkable for 
the extreme length of its neck as well as 
legs ; it runs with pecidiar speed, and de- 
rives, unquestionably, from this circum- 
stance its popular designation of courier. 
It seems to be extremely rare, as Latham 
remarks that Aldrovandus was the only 
naturalist who had seen it, and that on his 
description all subsequent writers had de- 
pended. 
CORROSIVE sublimate, an old name 
for the oxymuriate of mercury, or as it is 
called in the shops muriated mercury. If 
muriatic acid be added to the yellow sul- 
phate of mercury, or to the nitrate of mer- 
cury, and muriate of mercury is formed, 
which is soluble in water, and which on 
account of its properties was formerly called 
corrosive sublimate, or corrosive muriate of 
mercury. 
To obtain it, in the large way, the follow- 
ing process is mentioned by Mr. Murray : 
mix together equal parts of dry oxynitrate of 
mercury, decrepitated common salt, and 
calcined sulphate of iron. One-third of a 
matrass is filled with tiiis mixture; the ves- 
sel is placed in a sand-bath and gradually 
heated to redness. When the apparatus is 
cold, oxymuriate of mercury is found sub- 
limed in the upper part of the matrass. 
Oxymuriate of mercury, when obtained 
by sublimation, is in the form of a beautiful 
w'liite semi-transparent mass, composed of 
very small prismatic needles. By evapora- 
tion, it yields cubes or rhomboidal prisms, 
or, more commonly, quadrangular prisms 
with their sides alternately narrower, and 
terminated by dihedral summits ; its specific 
gravity is 5.1; its taste is excessively acrid 
and caustic, and it leaves, for a long time, a 
very disagreeable styptic metallic impres- 
sion on the tongue. When swallowed it is 
one of the most virulent poisons known, 
producing violent pain, nausea, and vomit- 
ing, and corroding in a very short time the 
stomach and intestines. It is soluble in 
about 20 parts of cold water. Boilin" 
COR 
water, according to Macquer, dissolves half 
its weight of it. According to Wenzel, 
water when boiled over this salt dissolves 
veiy nearly r of its weight of it. Alcohol, 
according to Macquer, at the temperature 
of 70°, dissolves |ths of its w'eight, and 100 
parts of boiling alcohol dissolves 88 parts of 
it. It is not altered by exposure to the air. 
When heated it sublimes very readily ; and 
while in the state of vapour it is exceedingly 
dangerous to those who are obliged to 
bre-athe it. 
It is soluble in sulphuric, nitric, and mu- 
riatic acids ; and may be obtained again by 
evaporation unaltered. It is decomposed 
by the fixed alkalies, and its oxide precipi- 
tated of a yellow colour, which soon be- 
comes brick-red. This decomposition ren- 
ders oxymuriate of mercury a useful test for 
ascertaining the presence of fixed alkalies 
m solution. If liquid oxymuriate of mer- 
cury be dropt into a solution containing the 
smallest portion of alkali, the brick-red pre- 
cipitate appears. Ammonia forms with it a 
triple salt. The component parts of this 
salt are, according to Chenevex, 
Oxide of mercury 82 
Acid 18 
10O 
Externally this snb.stance is employed as 
an escharotic for destroying fungus flesh. 
CORROSIVES, in surgery, are medi- 
cines which corrode whatever part of the 
body they are applied to : such are burnt 
alum, white precipitate of mercury, white 
vitriol, red precipitate of mercury, butter 
of antimony, kipis infernalis, &c. 
CORRUPTION, the destruction of the 
proper mode of existence of any natural 
body. 
Corruption of blood, in law, an in- 
fection accruing to a man’s state, attainted 
of felony and treason, and to his issue; for 
as he loses all to the prince, &c. his issue 
cannot be heirs to him, or to any other an- 
cestor by him ; and if he were noble his 
heirs are rendered ignoble. 
CORSELET, a little cuirass, or, accord- 
ing to others, an armour or coat made to 
cover the whole body, anciently worn by 
the pike-men, usually placed in the front and 
flanks of the battle, for the better resisting 
the enemy’s assaults, and guarding the sol- 
diers placed behind them. 
CORTULA, in botany, a genus of the 
Syngenesia Polygamia Siipeiflua class and 
order. Natural order of Composirm Dis- 
