GOL 
losing any thing of its gilding, and is ren- 
dered so exceedingly thin and flexible, that 
it is easily spun on silk thread, by means ot 
a hand wheel, and so wound on a spool or 
bobin. 
GOLDFINCH. See Fringilla. 
Gold size. See Size. 
GOLDSMITH, or, as some choose to 
express it, silversmith, an artist who makes 
vessels, utensils, and ornaments in gold and 
silver. 
The goldsmith's work is either performed 
in the mould, or beat out with the hammer, 
or other engine. All works that have raised 
figilres are cast in a mould, and afterwards 
polished and finished : plates, or dishes, of 
silver or gold are beat out from thin flat 
plates; and tankards, and other vessels of 
that kind, are formed of plates soldered 
together, and their mouldings are beat, not 
east. The business of the goldsmiths’ for- 
merly required much more labour than it 
does at present; for they were obliged to 
hammer the metal from the ingot t<Whe 
thinness they wanted : but there are now 
invented flatting-mills, which reduce metals 
to the thinness that is required, at a very 
small expence. The goldsmith is to make 
his own moulds, and for that reason ought 
to be a good designer, and have a taste in 
sculpture : he also ought to know enough of 
metallurgy, to be able to assay mixed me- 
tals, and to mix the alloy. The goldsmiths 
in London employ several hands under them 
for the various articles of their trade : such 
are the jeweller, the snuff-box and toy -ma- 
ker, the silver turner, the gilder, the bur- 
nisher, the chaser, the refiner, and the gold- 
beater. 
Gold, mosaic, that applied in pannels, on 
proper ground, distributed into squares, lo- 
zenges, and other compartments, part 
whereof is shadowed to heighten or raise 
the rest. 
Gold, shell, that used by the illuminers 
to write gold letters. It is made with the 
pavings of leaf-gold, and even of the leaves 
themselves, reduced into an impalpable 
powder, by grinding on a marble with honey. 
After leaving it to infuse some time in aqua- 
fortis, they put it in shells, where it sticks. 
To use it they dilute it with gum-water, or 
soap-water. 
Gold, pure, that purged by fire of all its 
impurities, and all alloy. The moderns 
frequently call it gold of 24 carats, but in 
reality there is no such thing as gold so very 
pure, and there is always wanting at least a 
quarter of a carat. Gold of 22 carats 
GON 
has one part of silver and another of copper ; 
that of 23 carats has half a part, i. e. half 
a twenty-fourth of each. See Carat. 
GOLDEN number, in chronology, a num- 
ber shewing what year of the moon’s cycle 
any given year is. See Chronology. 
The rule for finding the golden number 
is this ; add one to the given year, and di- 
vide by 19, the quotient is the number of 
cycles which have revolved since the com- 
mencement of the Christian asra, and the 
remainder will be the golden number for 
the given year: the golden number for 
1809 = — 95 f° r number of 
cycles, and 5 the remainder will be the gol- 
den number: when there is no remainder 
the golden number is 19. 
/ Golden rod. See Solidago. 
Golden rule, in arithmetic, is also called 
ihe rule of three, and the rule of propor- 
tion. See Proportion, and Rule of 
Three. 
GOMPHIA, in botany, a genus of the 
Decandria Monogynia class and order. Es- 
sential character : calyx five-leaved ; corolla 
five-petalied ; berries two, on a large re- 
ceptacle; seed solitary. There are three 
species. 
GOMPHRENA, in botany, globe ama- 
ranth, a genus of the Pentandria Digynia 
class and order. Natural order of Ama- 
ranthi, Jussieu. Essential character: calyx 
coloured, outer three leaved ; leaflets two, 
converging, keeled ; petals rude, villose ; 
nectary cylindric, five-toothed ; style cloven 
half way; capsule one-seeded. There are 
nine species. 
GONATOCARPUS, in botany, a genus 
the Tetrandria Monogynia class and order. 
Essential character: corolla four- cleft; 
drupe eight-cornered, one-seeded. There 
is only one species; viz. G. micranthus. 
GONDOLA, in naval architecture, a flat 
kind of boat, very long and narrow, chiefly 
used on the canals at Venice. 
GON G, in music, an instrument used in 
China, is made of a metal composed of sil- 
ver, lead, and copper, and its shape is a 
sort of circular concave. The tone is loud, 
harsh, and clanging. It is never introduced 
except on occasion of giving a national cast 
to the music in which it is employed, or to 
awaken surprize, and rouse the attention of 
the company. 
GONIOMETRY, a method of measur- 
ing angles with a pair of compasses, and 
that without any scale whatever, except an 
undivided semicircle. Thus, having any angle 
