HIE 
but the denomination is particularly applied 
to those of large cattle, as bullocks, cows, 
buffaloes, horses, &c. Raw hides are still a 
considerable object in the Egyptian trade : 
about 80,000 hides of buffaloes, camels, 
cows, and oxen, are exported yearly. Nearly 
10,000 go to Marseilles, and a still greater 
number to Italy. The buffaloe hides being 
thicker and heavier than the others, are 
chiefly transported to Syria. As the pas- 
tures of Lower Egypt are excellent, the 
hides of its cattle, in consequence of their 
being so well fed, are of the very best qua- 
lity. Great numbers of buffaloes are also 
in North America. They are larger than 
an ox, and their head is so full of hair that 
it falls over their eyes, and gives them a 
frightful look. There is a bunch ou their 
back, which begins at the haunches, and en- 
creasing gradually to the shoulders, reaches 
on to the neck. The whole body is covered 
with long hair, or rather wool, of a dun or 
mouse colour, which is exceedingly valu- 
able, especially that on the forepart of the 
body, being proper for the manufacture of 
various articles. The hide makes a con- 
siderable article of export from America. 
There are hides of several denominations, 
according to their state and quality. Raw 
or green hide, is that which has not under- 
gone any preparation, being in the same 
condition as when taken off the carcase. 
There are also hides dried in the hair. 
Salted hide, is a green hide seasoned with 
-sea-salt and alum, or salt-petre, to prevent 
its corruption. Most of the hides imported 
from Holland and France are so prepared. 
Tanned hides are further prepared by the 
tanner, by paring off the. hair, and steeping 
them in pits of lime and tan. Curried hides 
are those which, after tanning, have passed 
through the curriers’ hands, and have thus 
received their last preparation, so as to be 
fit for use. 
Hide of land, was such a quantity of land 
as might be ploughed with one plough within 
the compass of a year, or so much as would 
maintain a family ; some call it sixty, some 
eighty, and some an hundred acres. 
The distribution of this kingdom by hides 
of land is very ancient, mention being made 
of it in the laws of King Ina. Henry I. had 
three shillings for every hide of land, in 
order to raise a dowry for his daughter : 
this tax was called hidage. 
HIERACIUM, in botany, English hawk- 
weed, a genus of the Syngenesia Polygamia 
Aequalis class and order. Natural order of 
Composite Semiflosculo3se. Cichoraceae, 
.Jussieu. Essential character : calyx imbri- 
HIE 
eate, ovate; down simple, sessile; recep- 
tacle naked. There are fifty-five species: 
most of these plants are reputed to be 
weeds ; few of them are cultivated except 
in botanic gardens. 
HIERARCHY, denotes the subordina- 
tion of the clergy, ecclesiastical polity, or 
the constitution and government of the 
Christian Church considered as a society. 
HIERO’s crown. Under the article Ar- 
chimedes we have given an account of the 
interesting fact to which this phrase alludes) 
we shall only add here, an example to 
shew how the fraud was detected by a sim- 
ple arithmetical process: suppose each of 
the three masses above referred to weighed 
64 ounces, and that immersing them sepa- 
rately in the same vessel of water, there 
were displaced boz. of water by the golden 
ball, 9oz. by the silver, and 6oz. by the com- 
pound, or the crown itself, then the respec- 
tive bulks being as the quantities of water 
displaced, will be as 5, 9, and 6 ; and we say, 
9 — 6 = 3 
6 — 5 = 1 
4 
4:64: :3 : 48 
4 : 64 : : 1 : 16 
And under such circumstances the crown 
consisted of 48oz. of gold and 16 of silver. 
HIEROGLYPHICS, in antiquity, mys- 
tical characters, or symbols, in use among 
the Egyptians, and that as well in their 
writings as inscriptions ; being the figures 
of various animals, the parts of human bo- 
dies, and mechanical instruments. 
But besides the hieroglyphics in common 
use among the people, the priests had cer- 
tain mystical characters, in which they 
wrapped up and concealed their doctrines 
from the vulgar. It is said that these some- 
thing resembled the Chinese characters, 
and that they were the invention of Hermes. 
It has been thought that the use of these 
hieroglyphical figures of animals introduced 
the strange worship paid them by that na- 
tion : for as these figures were made choice 
of, according to the respective qualities of 
each animal, to express the qualities and 
dignity of the persons represented by them, 
who were generally their gods, princes, and 
great men, and being placed in their tem- 
ples as the images of their deities ; hence 
they came to pay a superstitious veneration 
to the animals themselves. 
The meaning of a few of these hierogly- 
phics has been preserved by ancient wri- 
ters. Thus we are told they represented 
