cun 
<6fhenvife, by reafon of their flexiblenefs and weight, 
would flag or curl. Boyle. —To rife in undulations.—As 
curling fmoaks from village tops are feen. Pope. 
To every nobler portion of the town 
The curling billows roll their redlefs tide ; 
In parties now they draggle up and down. 
As armies, unoppos’d, for prey divide. Dryden. 
To twill itfelf: 
Then round her flender waill he curl'd. 
And (lamp’d an image of himfelf, a fov’reign of the 
world. Dryden. 
CURL'ED-LEAF, in botany, is wdien the periphery 
Is larger than the dilk admits, and fo becomes waved; 
or, is fo luxuriant, that the difk is longer than the rib 
of the leaf : as in curled parfley. All curled leaves are 
conlidered as monfters, or produdftions of art. Curled 
nectary, as in narciffus pfeudonarcidus, have the cup 
waved or curled about the edge. 
CUR'LEW, mountains of Ireland, in the county of 
Sligo : feventeen miles fouth of Sligo. 
CUR'LEW,/. in ornithology. See Scolopax. 
CURLIGNA'NO, a town of Italy, in the kingdom of 
Naples, and province of Otranto : eight miles well of 
Otranto. 
CUR'LINGS,/ among hunters, the little fpotted 
curls with which the bur of a deer’s head is powdered. 
CUR'MI, f. A name anciently given to malt liquor 
or ale. 
CURMUD'GEON, f. [“ a vicious manner of pro¬ 
nouncing caeur mechant, Fr. An unknown correfpondent." 
Dr. Johnfon gave the etymology thus in conlequence of 
his having inquired in the Gentleman’s Magazine after 
the derivation of this word, of which he was informed 
through the fame channel by an unknown correfpondent. 
Every fchoolboy knows that cceur mechant fignifies an evil- 
minded perfon: but Dr. Adi, author of Grammatical 
Inditutes, copies the word into his Dictionary in this 
manner: Curmudgeon, from the French cceur, un¬ 
known, and mechant, a correfpondent.] An avaricious 
churlilh fellow ; a mifer; a niggard ; a churl; a griper.— 
A man’s way of living is commended, becaufe he will give 
any rate for it; and a man will give any rate rather than 
pafs for a poor wretch, ora penurious curmudgeon. Locke. 
And when he has it in his claws. 
He’ll not be hide-bound to the caufe; 
Nor fiialt thou find him a curmudgeon. 
If thou difpatch it without grudging. Hudibras. 
CURMUD'GEONLY, adj. Avaricious; covetous; 
churlilh ; niggardly.—In a country where he that killed 
a hog invited the neighbourhood, a curmudgeonly fellow 
adviled with his companions how he might lave the 
charge. L'EJlrange. 
CUR'NOCK,/ A meafure of corn, containing four 
bufhels, or half a quarter. Fleta. 
CURRAGHRO'E, mountains of Ireland, in the coun¬ 
ty of Tyrone: fifteen miles fouth-weft of Strabane. 
CUR'RAN, a town of Hindooftan, in the country of 
A(llahabad : thirty miles north-well of Allahabad. 
CUR'RAN LOUGH, a lake of Ireland, in the county 
of Kerry : twenty-three miles fouth-well of Killarney. 
CUR'RANT, / The fruit of the currant-tree. See 
Ribes. This term is a corruption of the word Corinth, 
an appellation originally given to the fruit, as coming 
firlt from that city. It is by fome writers called the Co¬ 
rinth grape; by others, the Corinth raifin : and it is 
now the principal production of the ille of Zante, which, 
in common years, produces between nine and ten millions 
of pounds weight of that article. Years have been known 
which yielded crops of above twelve millions of pounds. 
It is this fruit which furnillies the Zantiot with the 
means of fatisfying thofe wants, for the fupply of which 
nature has fhown herfelf not liberal in providing him. 
The firft plants of this fruit were carried from Corinth 
Vol. V. No. 289. 
CUR 48 J 
to Zante about two centuries ago. No record has been 
preferved, which can afeertain the precile epoch or the 
author of the original tranfplantation: the period here 
afligned is founded on the date of various regulations 
made by the Venetian fenate refpefting the exportation 
of currants. The tree certainly found in Z.inte a foil at 
leall equally good as that of its native fpot; and accord¬ 
ingly it throve in its new fituation. The culture of it 
became gradually extended in proportion to the increafc 
of commerce : and it is a demondrated faCt that it is fuf- 
ceptible of llill greater extenlion. About the end of 
July, or, at latell, the beginning of Augud, the fealon 
commences for gathering the fruit, which is careiully 
laid on a level ground prepared for the purpofe, where 
they are dried by the heat of the fun. Not more than a 
fortnight is required to dry them perfectly. In fome 
years, above two-thirds of the crop are entirely dellroycd 
by the rain : the fruit rots, and the owners are obliged 
to throw it away, or fave with difficulty a fmall portion 
which they give to their cattle. When the fruit is 
deemed to be fufficiently dried, the berries are pulled 
from the Hems, and carefully winnowed in a van, tor the 
purpole of purifying them from clay ar.d dull. T. hey are 
then put into facks, and carried to repofitories called 
ferraglic, where the fruit remains in (lore until the mo¬ 
ment of embarkation. The ferraglie are lined with boards 
on every fide, to protedl the fruit front being injured by 
the damp or coldnefs of the walls. Thefe magazines 
have two openings: the one., a trap-door in the floor of 
the apartment above ; the other, a door below. To the 
former the peafant carries the facks containing the pro¬ 
duce of his crop, which, after being weighed, are emp¬ 
tied through the aperture. The owner ot the ferraglie 
keeps an account of the quantity and quality ot the trait 
he receives, for which he is refponfible. He gives to 
the peafant a written acknowledgment for it, ligned un¬ 
der his hand ; which receipt patfes current in trade, and 
is negociable in the public market. There are great 
numbers of thefe magazines, the larged ot which do not 
contain above three or four hundred thoufand pounds 
weight. At the moment when the Corinths are to be 
embarked, the coopers take their pod at the door of the 
ferraglie, where, in proportion as they prepare the calks, 
the fruit is thrown in, and carefully prelfed down. 'I his 
fruit furnilhes likewife a wine, which is very rich, and 
good for the doma.ch. The ufe of it is drongly recom¬ 
mended by the phyficians during the convalelccncy of 
their patients. The wine is not made from the frelh- 
gathered fruit; but it is fird expofed during three or four 
days to dry in the fun. It is then carried to the prefs- 
room, and laid in a heap ; a third part of water is thrown 
on the heap, which is trampled with the feet, until re¬ 
duced to a fort of pade. It is then laid on the prefs, and 
yields a thick wine of a dark colour, which clarifies it¬ 
felf in the cades by depofiting its fediment. 
CUR'RENCY, f. Circulation ; power of pafiing from 
hand to hand.—The currency of thofe halfpence would, 
in the univerfal opinion of our people, be utterly deftruc- 
tive to this kingdom. Swift. —-General reception : as, the 
report had a long currency. Fluency ; readinefs ot ut¬ 
terance ; eafinefs of pronunciation. Continuance; con.' 
dant flow ; uninterrupted courfe.—The currency of time 
to edablith a cullom, ought to be with a continuando from 
the beginning to the end of the term preferibed. Ayliffe. 
—General elleem ; the rate at which any thing is vul¬ 
garly valued.—He that thinketh Spain to be fome great 
overmatch for this edate, afiided as it is, and may be, is 
no good mintman, but takes greatnefs of kingdoms ac¬ 
cording to their bulk and currency, and not after intrinfic 
value. Bacon. —The papers damped in the Englifh colo¬ 
nies by authority, and palling for money. 
CUR'RENT, adj. [_currens, Lat.] Circulatory; paf- 
fing from hand to hand.—Shekels of filver, current tnoney 
with the merchant. Gen. —That there was current money 
m Abraham’s time, is pad doubt, though it is not fure 
6 H that 
