GRA 
riols ai t. usually fixed by a chain on the yard- 
arms of a ship, to grapple any adversary 
whom she intends to boat'd, and are parti- 
cularly requisite in fire-ships. 
GRASS, in botany. The tribe of grasses 
is one of the seven natural families into 
which all vegetables are distributed by Lin- 
n®us in his “ Philosophia Botanica.” They 
are defined to be plants which have very 
simple leaves, a jointed stem, a husky ca- 
lyx named a glume, and a single seed. 
This description includes corn as well as the 
grasses. 
Most of these plants are annual or peren- 
nial herbs ; some of them are erect, others 
creep upon the ground. The roots, in the 
greatest number creep, and emit fibres 
from each knot or joint ; in others, they are 
simply branched and fibrous. The stems 
and branches are round ; the leaves are 
simple, alternate, entire, very long, and 
commonly narrow ; they are generally 
placed immediately upon the stem, except 
in the bamboo, and a few others which 
have a foot stalk at the origin of the leaves. 
The leaves form below a sort of sheath, 
which embraces the stem, and is generally 
cleft on one side through its whole length. 
The top of the sheath is sometimes crowned 
with a membrane, that is either cleft or 
entire, and is frequently accompanied with 
two appendages or ears, as in lice, pharus, 
darnel, wheat, rye, and barley. In others, 
the sheath is crowned with hairs, as in mil- 
let, panic-grass, and andropogon, and in 
some species of panic grass it is naked, that 
is, has neither membrane nor hairs. There 
are three sections. The flowers are her- 
maphrodite in plants of the first section ; 
male and female upon the same root hi those 
of the second ; hermaphrodite and male on 
the same root in those of the third. They 
proceed either singly from the sheath of the 
leaves, as in lygeum; form a single spike, as 
in nardus and darnel ; or are formed into a 
panicle, that is, loose spike, as inpoa, agres- 
tis, and oats. The calyx and corolla in 
this order are not sufficiently ascertained. In 
some a single scale or husk, in others two, as 
in nardus, supply the place of both covers ; 
some grasses, as canary-grass, and phleum, 
have four husky scales, two of which serve 
for the calyx, and the other two for the 
corolla ; some have five, as anthoxanthum ; 
others six, as rice, four of which are sup- 
posed to constitute the calyx, and the other 
two are termed, improperly enough, the 
husky petals. The corolla is sometimes 
composed of one petal with two divisions. 
GRA 
as in fox-tail grass. The stamina are gene- 
rally three in number, and placed irregu- 
larly with respect to the situation of the 
calyx and the corolla. One stamen is com- 
monly placed betwixt the seed bud and the 
two small scales or external husk of the 
corolla ; dhd two betwixt the seed bud and 
the inner husk. Rice, zizania, and pha- 
rus, have six stamina. The anthers are 
long, furnished, with two cells, and slightly 
attached to the filaments. The seed bud is 
placed upon the same receptacle as the 
calyx, corolla, and stamina. In bobartia it 
is said to be placed under the receptacle of 
the flower. The style is generally double, 
and crowned with a hairy stigma or summit. 
The seed vessel in -this order is wanting. 
The seeds are single, oval, and attached be- 
low to the bottom of the flower. 
GRATIOLA, in botany, a genus of the 
Diandria Monogyuia class and order. Na- 
tural order of Personal®. Scrophularise, 
Jussieu. Essential character : calyx seven- 
leaved, the two outer leaves petulous; co- 
rolla irregular, reversed ; stamfen two, bar- 
ren ; capsule two-celled. There are twelve 
species. 
GRAVE, in music, is applied to a sound 
which is of a low or deep tone. The thicker 
the cord or string, the more grave is the 
note or tone ; and the smaller, the more 
acute. The gravity of sounds depends on 
the slowness of the vibratory motions of 
the chord , and their acuteness on Its quick 
vibrations. Grave, in the Italian music, 
denotes a very grave and slow motion, 
somewhat faster than adagio, and slower 
than largo. 
Grave accent, in grammar, shews that 
the voice is to be lowered ; its mark stands 
thus-'. See Accent. 
Grave digging beetle. See Silpha. 
GRAVEL, in natural history and gar- 
dening, a congeries of pebbles, which, 
mixed with a stiff loam, makes lasting and 
elegant gravel walks ; an ornament peculiar 
to our gardens, and which gives them the 
advantage over those of other nations. 
GRAVER, in the art of engraving, a 
tool by which all the lines, scratches, and 
shades, are cut in copper, &c. Gravers are 
of three sorts, round-pointed, square-point- 
ed, and lozenge. The round are the best 
for scratching; the square-pointed are for 
cutting the largest strokes, and the lozenge- 
pointed ones for the most fine and delicate 
strokes ; but a graver of a middle form, 
between the square and lozenge-pointed, 
w ill make the strokes or scratches appear 
