FLE 
pointed lancet, for making incisions ; and 
two fleams, one sharp and the other broad- 
pointed. These last dre somewhat like the 
point of a lancet, fixed in a flat handle, only 
no longer than is just necessary to open the 
vein. 
FLEECE, the covering of wool, shorn off 
the bodies of sheep. See Wool. 
FLEECY hosiery, a very useful kind of 
manufacture of late invention, in which fine 
fleeces of wool are interwoven into a cotton 
piece of the common stocking texture : the 
nature of the manufacture is thus described, 
having in the ' common stocking frame, 
twitted silk, cotton-yarn, &c. begin the 
work in the common way of making ho 
siery, and having worked one or more 
course or com ses in the usual method, be- 
gin to add a coating thus : draw the frame 
over the arch, and then hang wool or jer- 
sey, raw or unspun, upon the beards of the 
needles, and slide the same off their beards 
upon their stems, till it comes exactly 
under the nibs of the sinkers ; then sink the 
jacks and sinkers, and bring forward the 
frame, till the wool or jersey is drawn under 
the beards of the needles ; and having done 
this, draw the frame over the arch, and 
place a thread of spun materials upon the 
needles, and proceed in finishing the course 
in the usual way of manufacturing hosiery 
with spun materials. Any thing manufac- 
tured in this way has, on the one side, the 
appearance of common hosiery, and on the 
other side the appearance of raw wool. 
FLEET, commonly implies a company 
of ships of war, belonging to any prince or 
state : but sometimes it denotes any num- 
ber of trading ships, employed in any parti- 
cular branch of commerce. 
In sailing, a fleet of men of war is usually 
divided into three squadrons ; the admi- 
ral’s, the vice-admiral’s, and the rear-admi- 
ral’s squadron 5 all which, being distinguished 
by their flags and pendants, are to put 
themselves, and, as near as may be, to keep 
themselves in their customary places, viz. 
The admiral, with his squadron, to sail in 
the van, that so he may lead the way to all 
the rest in the day-time, by the sight of his 
flag in the main-top-mast-head ; and in the 
night- time, by his lights or lanterns. The 
vice-admiral and his squadron, is to sail in 
the centre, or middle of tire fleet, the rear- 
admiral, and the ships of his squadron, 
to bring up the rear. But sometimes other 
divisions are made, and those composed 
of. the lighter ships and best sailors, are 
placed as wings to the van, centre, and rear. 
Merchant-fleets generally take their de- 
FLI 
nomination from the place they are bound 
to, as the Turkey fleet, East India fleet, &c. 
These, in time of peace, go in fleets for their 
mutual aid and assistance : in time of war, 
besides this security, they likewise procure 
convoys of men of war, either to escort 
them to the places whither they are bound, 
or only a part of the way, to a certain place 
or latitude, beyond which they are judged 
out of danger of privateers, &c. See Convoy. 
FLESH. See Anatomy. 
FLEXION, in anatomy, is applied to the 
motion by which tire arm or any other mem- 
ber of the body is bent. It is also applied 
to the muscles, nerves, &c. 
Flexion, or flexure of curves. See 
Flexure. 
FLEXOR, in anatomy, a name applied to 
several muscles, which are so called from 
their office, which is to bend the pa,rt to 
which they belong, in opposition to the ex- 
tensors, which open or stretch them. See 
Anatomy. 
FLEXURE of curves, in the higher geo- 
metry, is used to signify that a curve is 
both concave and convex, with respect to 
a given right line or a fixed point. 
FLIGHT, in law. On an indictment of 
treason, felony, or even petit-larceny, if the 
jury find that the party fled for it, he shall 
forfeit his goods and chattels, though he is 
acquitted of the offence ; but the jury sel- 
dom find the flight, it being thought too se- 
vere a punishment for that to which a man 
is prompted by his natural love of liberty. 
FLINT. A semitransparent hard stone, 
of the siliceous order, of a greyish, black, 
or yellowish colour, w 7 ell known for its ge- 
neral utility in giving fire with the steel. It 
is commonly found in nodules, in beds of 
chalk or sand, and frequently exhibits in- 
dications of its having been in a soft state. 
Some specimens are hollow, and internally 
lined with siliceous crystals. By long expo- 
sure on the surface of the ground, they gra- 
dually become w'hite on their upper surface 
first, and afterwards all over. This white- 
ness, in process of time, penetrates into the 
substance of the flint, forming a crust some- 
times one-twentieth of an inch thick, which 
may be scraped with a knife. It has been 
said, that this is a conversion of flint into 
calcareous earth ; but we know of no proof 
of the fact ; and as this white matter does 
not appear to be affected by nitric acid, we 
are inclined to think, that the flint is merely 
shattered by the weather in a manner some- 
what analogous to the effect of ignition and 
quenching in w r ater, which renders it white 
and friable. N 
