coo 
though' the word dolare, from which it is derived, applies 
very well to’our calks, which are compofed of feveral 
pieces of wood hewn from thp fame tree, and fitted by 
planes before they be joined together. We are indeed 
certain that calks of the fame kind with our own were 
in ufe among the Romans before the Chrifiian era ; for 
both Varro and Columella, in treating of the rural eco¬ 
nomy of their days, fpeak of velfels formed of feveral 
Haves of wood bound together by circles or hoops. The 
merit of having invented fuch velfels is given by Pliny 
to certain people who lived at the foot of the Alps, and 
who, in his days, lined their calks with pitch. At what 
period the fabrication of calks was introduced into Bri¬ 
tain is unknown to us, though it is probable that we de¬ 
rived the art from the French, who might have it from 
the Romans. 
We need hardly inform our readers, that a calk has the 
appearance of two truncated cones joined at their bafes, 
or that the part where the junction appears to be made 
being the moll capacious, or that of which the diameter 
is the largeli, is vulgarly called the belly of the calk. 
Thefe cones, however, were they completed, would not 
be regular, but rather conoids, being formed of pieces of 
timber, or Hayes, which are not flraight lines as in the 
cone, but are curved from the vertex to the bafe. In 
choofing his wood, if he can have a choice, the cooper 
prefers old and thick and Hraight trees, from which he 
hews thin planks to be formed into Haves; and in France, 
where this art is pradlifed on a large fcale, the winter 
months are allotted for the preparation of the Haves and 
bottoms, and the fummer for putting them together or 
mounting the calk. The author of the-'article in the 
Encyclopedic Mctkodique directs the cooper, when dreHing 
the Haves with the plane, to cut the wood always acrofs ; 
a practice which we doubt not is proper, though we 
think it would not be eafy -o aflign the reafon of it. 
Planing is the mod laborious and difficult part of the 
work; and there are but few coopers who plane quickly, 
and at the lame time. well. In forming the Haves, it 
mud never be forgotten that eacli is to confiitute part 
of a double conoid ; that it mud therefore be broaded 
at the middle, becoming gradually, though not in flraight 
lines, narrower towards the extremities ; that the out- 
flde acrofs the wood mud be wrought into the fegment 
of a circle ; and that the Have mud be thickefl near, the 
middle, growing thinner, by very gentle degrees, towards 
the ends. To adjuH accurately thefe different curves (for 
even the narrow'ing- of the Haves mud be in a curve) to 
the fize and intended Ihape of the calk, would require 
either great experience, or a larger portion of mathema¬ 
tical fcience than we have reafon to think that many 
coopers pofiefs. With refpeft to the infide of the Have, 
it is of little eonfequence whether it be rounded into the 
fegment of a circle or not, and therefore -the cooper very 
feldom takes that trouble. 
The Haves being all dreffed and ready to be arranged 
in a circular form, it might be thought neceffary, in or¬ 
der to make the feams tight, to trim the thin edges, 
which are to be joined together in fuch a manner, as that 
a ray palling from the outlide of the calk through a feani 
to the center, Ihould touch the contiguous. Haves from, 
the exterior to the interior fide ; in other words, that 
the thin edges Ihould be Hoped as the archdones of a 
bridge are-Hoped, fo that the contiguous Haves may be 
brought into firm contadf throughout the-whole joint. 
This, however, is not. the practice of the cooper. With 
great propriety he brings the contiguous Haves into con¬ 
tact at their inner furfaces only ; fo that by driving the 
hoops hard, he can make the joints much clofer tharf he 
could poffibly have done, had the . edges of the Haves 
been lo Hoped as to permit them to touch each other 
throughout before being drove together by the com- 
preifion of the hoops. This, together with giving to the 
Haves the proper curvature, feems to be, tire only part 
of the cooper’s work which.deferves the name of art. 
Vol. V. No. 263. 
P E K.- , 169 
The law requires that coopers (hall make their veffelS 
of feafoned wood, and mark them with their own marks,' 
on pain of three fhillings and fourpence forfeiture ; and 
the contents of velfels are appointed to be obferved un¬ 
der like penalty, as the beer-barrel fnall contain thirty-1 
Hx gallons, a kilderkin eighteen, a firkin nine, &c. The 
wardens of the coopers’ company in London, with an 
officer of the mayor, are to fearcb all velfels for ale, beer, 
and foap, to be fold there ; and to mqrk them that are 
right, and they- may burn thofe that be not fo : and if 
any cooper diminilh a velfel by taking out the head, or 
a Have thereof, it Ihall be burnt, and the offender forfeit 
three fiiillings and fourpence. 23 Hen. VIII. c. 4. 
COO'PER (Anthony Afiiley), firfl earl of Shaftelbn- 
ry, was fon of fir John Cooper, of Rockbonrn, in the 
county of Southampton, baronet, by Anne, daughter of 
fir Anthony Afiiley, of Winborne St. Giles, in the coun¬ 
ty of Dorfet, baronet, where he was born July 22, 1621. 
Fie was fent to Oxford at the age of fifteen, and ad¬ 
mitted a gentleman commoner of Exeter college, under 
Dr. John Prideaux. He fludied there for about two 
years, and then removed to Lincoln’s-inn, where lie ap¬ 
plied himfelf with great vigour to the law, and efpeci- 
ally to that part of it which related to the confiitution' of 
the kingdom. He was eledled for Tewkelbury in Glou- 
cefterffiire, in the parliament which met at Weflminfier, 
April 13, 1640, but was foon dilfolved. He feems to 
have been well affedted to the royal caufe at tire begin¬ 
ning of the civil war ; for he repaired to king Charles at 
Oxford, offered his ailiflance, and projedted a Icherne, 
not for fubduing or conqueriqg-his country, but for re¬ 
ducing fuch as had either deferted or mifiaken their 
duty to his majefly’s obedience. Being then only twen¬ 
ty years of age, the king told him that lie was a very 
young man for fuch an undertaking. “ Sir, find he, 
that will not be the worfe for your affairs, provided I 
do the bufinefs.” It met not. however, with the king’s 
approbation. 
Sir Anthony was afterwards invited to Oxford by a 
letter from the king; but perceiving that he was not in 
confidence, that his behaviour was dilliked, and his per- 
fon in danger, he retired into the-parliament quarters, 
and foon after went to London, where lie was- well re¬ 
ceived by that party: “to which,” fays Clarendon, 
“ lie gave himfelf up .body and foul.” He accepted a 
commiflion from the parliament; and, railing forces, 
took Wareham by dorm, October 1644; and icon after 
reduced all the adjacent parts of Dorfetfirire. This 
might poffibly induce the above-mentioned hiflorian to 
fay, that lie “ became an implacable enemy to the royal 
family .” Towards the end of 1645 he was chofihi HierifF 
of Norfolk, and approved by the parliament. The next 
year he was fheriff of Wiltfliire. In 16 51 he was of the 
committee of twenty, appointed to confider of ways and 
means for reforming the law. He was alfo one of the 
members of the convention, that met after Cromwell- 
had turned out the long parliament. He was again a 
member of parliament in 1654, and one of the principal' 
perfons who ligned that famous proteflation, charging 
the protector with tyranny and arbitrary government 
and ho always oppofed the illegal meafures of that- 
ufurpe.r to the utmofl. When the protedfor Richard 
was depofed, the parliament nominated fir Anthony one' 
of their council of Hate, and a commillioner for managing 
the army. Fie was at that time engaged in a fecret cor- 
refpondence with the friends of Charles II. and greatly 
indrumental in promoting his reiteration. He . was re¬ 
turned a member for Dorfetlhire, in that which-was call¬ 
ed the healing parliament, which fat in April 1660 ; and 
a relolution being taken to reflore the confiitution, he 
was named one of the twelve members of-the houfe of 
commons, to carry their invitation to the king. It was 
in performing this fervice, that lie had the misfortune to 
be overturned in a carriage upon a Dutch road, and re¬ 
ceived a dangerous wound between the ribs,, which id-,. 
X x cerated 
