tains ro gallons; at Falmouth, the bufhel of ftricken coals is 16 gallons, of other things 20, and usually 21 gallons; at Kingston upon Thames, the bufhel contains 8; at Newbury 9; at Wycomb and Reading, 8; at Stamford, 16 gallons. Houghton. Col. lect. tom. i. n. 46. p. 42.

At Paris, the bufhel is divided into 2 half-bufhels; the half-bufhel into 2 quarts; the quart into 2 halfquarts; the half-quart into 2 litrons; and the litron into 2 half-litrons. By a fentence of the provost of the merchants of Paris, the bushel is to be 8 inches 2 lines high, and 10 inches in diameter; the quart 4 inches 9 lines high, and 6 inches 9 lines wide; the half-quart 4 inches 3 lis high, and 5 inches diameter; the litron 3 inches high, and 3 inches 10 lines in diameter. Three bufhels make a minot, 6 a mine, 12 a feptier, and 144 a muid. In other parts of France the bufhel varies: 14 bushels of Amboife and Tours make the Paris feptier. Twenty bufhels of Avignon make 3 Paris feptiers. Twenty bushels of Blois make 1 Paris feptier. Two bushels of Bourdeaux make 1 Paris feptier. Thirty-two bufhels of Rochel make 19 Paris feptiers. Oats are measured in a double proportion to other grains; fo that 24 bushels of oats make a feptier, and 248 a muid. The bufhel of oats is divided into 5 picotins, the picotin into 2 half-quarts, or 4 litrons. For falt 4 bufhels make one minot, and 6 a feptier. For coals 8 bufhels make a minot, 16 a mine, and 320 a muid. For lime, 3 bufhels make a minot, and 48 minots a muid. Such were the measures by bufhel before the revolution; for the changes that have fince taken place, fee MEASURE and WEIGHT.

BUSIRIS, in Ancient Geography, a city of the Lower Egypt, to the fouth of Leontopolis, on that branch of the Nile called Bufiriticus: Built by Bufiris, noted for his cruelty, and flain by Hercules, (Ovid, Virgil, Diodorus Siculus). Strabo denies fuch a tyrant ever exifted; Ifocrates has written his panegyric. In this city there ftood a grand temple of Ifis, which gave it the appellation of the city of Ifis. It was deAroyed on a revolt by Dioclefian.

BUSIRITICUS FLUVIUS, in Ancient Geography, that branch of the Nile which empties itself at the mouth called Oftium Pathmeticum, or Phatniticum, (Ptolemy); alfo a part, according to an ancient map at the Oftium Mindefium; this river, or branch, dividing itself at Diofpolis into two branches; called Bufiriticus, from the city of Bufiris, which flood on its left, or weft branch. It is the fecond branch of the Nile, reckoning from the east.

BURITICUS Nomos, in Ancient Geography, a prefecture, or divifion of the Lower Egypt; fo called from the city Bufiris, (Herodotus, Pliny, Ptolemy.)

BUSITIS, in Ancient Geography, a diftrict of Arabia Deferta; fo called from Bus, or Buz, Nahor's fecond fon; the country of Elihu, the fourth interlocutor in Job; called Buzetes, by the Septuagint.

BUSKIN, a kind of fhoe, fomewhat in manner of a boot, and adapted to either foot, and worn by either fex. This part of drefs, covering both the foot and mid-leg, was tied underneath the knee; it was very rich and fine, and principally ufed on the ftage by actors in tragedy. It was of a quadrangular form; and the fole was fo thick, as that, by means thereof, men of the ordinary ftature might be raised to the pitch and

elevation of the heroes they perfonated. The colour was generally purple on the flage; herein it was dif tinguished from the fock worn in comedy, that being only a low common fhoe. The buskin feems to have been worn not only by actors but by girls, to raise their height; travellers and hunters alfo made use of it, to defend themselves from the mire. In claffic authors, we frequently find the bufkin ufed to fignify tragedy itfelf, in regard it was a mark of tragedy on the stage. It was alfo to be understood for a lofty ftrain or high ftyle.

BUSS, in maritime affairs, a fmall fea veffel, ufed by us and the Dutch in the herring-fifhery, commonly from 48 to 60 tons burden, and fometimes more: a bufs has two small sheds or cabins, one at the prow and the other at the ftern; that at the prow serves for a kitchen. Every bufs has a master, an assistant, a mate, and feamen in proportion to the veffel's fize; the mafter commands in chief, and without his exprefs orders the nets cannot be caft or taken up; the af fiftant has the command after him; and the mate next, whose business is to fee the feamen manage their rigging in a proper manner, to mind those who draw in their nets, and those who kill, gut, and cure the herrings as they are taken out of the fea: the seamen generally engage for a whole voyage in the lump. The provifions which they take on board the buffes, confift commonly in bifcuit, oat meal, and dryed or falt fish ; the crew being content for the rest with what fresh fish they catch. See FISHERIES.

BUST, or BUSTO, in Sculpture, denotes the figure or portrait of a perfon in relievo, fhowing only the head, fhoulders, and stomach, the arms being lopped off: ordinarily placed on a pedestal or confole.

In fpeaking of an antique, we fay the head is marble, and the buft porphyry, or bronze, that is, the ftomach and shoulders. Felibien obferves, that though in painting, one may fay a figure appears in bufto, yet it is not properly called a buft, that word being confined to things in relievo.

The buft is the fame with what the Latins called Herma, from the Greek Hermes, Mercury, the image of that god being frequently reprefented in this manner amongst the Athenians.

BUST is also used, especially by the Italians, for the trunk of a human body, from the neck to the hips.

BUSTA Gallica, was a place in ancient Rome, wherein the bones of the Gauls, who firft took the city, and were flain by Camillus, were depofited. It differed from BUSTA Gallorum, a place on the Apennines, thus called by reafon of many thousands of Gauls killed there by Fabius.

BUSTARD. See OTIS, ORNITHOLOGY Index.

BUSTUARIÆ MOECHE, according to fome, women that were hired to accompany the funeral and lament the lofs of the deceased: but others are of opinion, that they were rather the more common prostitutes, that flood among the tombs, graves, and other fuch lonely places.

BUSTUARII, in Roman antiquity, gladiators who fought about the buftum or funeral pile of a perfon of diftinction, that the blood which was fpilt might ferve as a facrifice to the infernal gods, and render them more propitious to the manes of the deceafed. This eustom was introduced in the room of the more inhu

man

ButcherWand.

the tombs of warriors..

BUSTUM, in antiquity, denotes a pyramid or pile of wood, whereon were anciently placed the bodies of the deceased, in order to be burnt.

The Romans borrowed the custom of burning their dead from the Greeks. The deceafed, crowned with flowers, and dreffed in his richest habits, was laid on the buftum. Some authors fay, it was only called bustum, after the burning, quafi bene ufum: before the burning it was more properly called pyra; during it, rogus; and afterwards, buftum. When the body was only burnt there, and buried elfewhere, the place was not properly called buftum, but uftrina, or ufirinum.

BUSTUM, in the Campus Martius, was a structure whereon the emperor Auguftus firft, and after him the bodies of his fucceffors, were burnt. It was built of white stone, surrounded with an iron pallifade, and planted withinfide with alder trees.

BUSTUM was alfo figuratively applied to denote any tomb. Whence thofe phrafes, facere buftum, violare buftum, &c.

BUSTUM of an Altar, was the hearth or place where the fire was kindled.

BUTCHER, a person who flaughters cattle for the ufe of the table, or who cuts up and retails the fame.

Among the ancient Romans, there were three kinds of established butchers, whofe office it was to furnish the city with the neceffary cattle, and to take care of preparing and vending their flesh. The fuarii provided hogs; the pecuarii or boarii, other cattle, especially oxen; and under these was a fubordinate clafs, whole office was to kill, called lani, and carnifices.

To exercife the office of butcher among the Jews with dexterity, was of more reputation than to underftand the liberal arts and sciences. They have a book concerning fhamble-constitution; and in cafe of any difficulty, they apply to fome learned rabbi for advice: nor was any allowed to practise this art, without a li cenfe in form; which gave the man, upon evidence of his abilities, a power to kill meat, and others to eat what he killed; provided he carefully read every week for one year, and every month the next year, and once a quarter during his life, the conftitution abovementioned.

We have fome very good laws for the better regulation and preventing the abufes committed by butchers, A butcher that fells fwine's flesh meafled, or dead of the murrain, for the first offence fhall be amerced; for the fecond, have the pillory; for the third, be imprifoned, and make fine; and for the fourth, abjure the town. Butchers not felling meat at reasonable prices fhall forfeit double the value, leviable by warrant of two juftices of the peace. No butcher fhall kill any flesh in his fcalding-houfe, or within the walls of London, on pain to forfeit for every ox fo killed 12d. and for every other beaft, 8d. to be divided betwixt the king and the profecutor.

dex.

BUTCHER-Bird. See LANIUS, ORNITHOLOGY In

BUTCHER-Broom. See Ruscus, BOTANY Index. BUTCHER-Iland, in the East Indies, a small island about two miles long and fcarce one broad. It has its name from cattle being kept there for the use of Bom

bay, from which it is about three miles diftant. It has a small fort, but of very little confequence.

BUTE, an island lying to the weft of Scotland, being feparated from Cowal, a district of Argyllshire, only by a narrow channel. In length it is about 18 miles; the broadest part from east to west is about five. Part of it is rocky and barren; but from the middle fouthwards, the ground is cultivated, and produces peafe, oats, and barley. Here is a quarry of red stone, which the natives have ufed in building a fort and chapel in the neighbourhood of Rothfay, which is a very ancient royal borough, head town of the fhire of Bute and Aran; but very thinly peopled, and maintained chiefly by the herring fishery, with the profits of which all the rents of this island are chiefly paid. On the north fide of Rothfay, are the ruins of an ancient fort, with its drawbridge, chapel, and barracks. Here are likewife the remains of fome Danish towers. The natives are healthy and induftrious, fpeak the Erfe and the dialect of the Lowlands indifferently, and profefs the Proteftant religion. The island is divided into two parishes, accommodated with four churches; and belongs chiefly to the earl of Bute, who poffeffes an elegant feat on the eaft fide of the island. The name of this ifle has by feveral authors, and in different periods, been very differently written, as Bote, Both, Bothe, Boot, but now generally Bute. Our ancient writers fuppofe that it derived its name from a cell erected therein by St Brendan, an Irish abbot who flourished in the 6th century, because in his language fuch a cell was called Both. It is, however, probable, that this name was of great antiquity, fince we find it denominated Botis by the anonymous geographer of Ravenna. It was from very early times part of the patrimony of the Stuarts: large poffeffions in it were granted to Sir John Stuart, fon of Robert II. by his beloved mistress Elizabeth More; and it has continued in that line to the prefent time.

BUTESHIRE, comprehends the islands of Bute, Arran, the greater and leffer Cumbray, and Inch-marпос. This fhire and that of Caithnefs fend a member to parliament alternately. The earl of Bute is admiral of the county, by commiffion from his majefty; but no way dependent on the lord high admiral of Scotland fo that if any maritime cafe occurs within this jurifdiction, (even crimes of as high a nature as murder or piracy), his lordship, by virtue of his powers as admiral, is fufficient judge, or he may delegate his authority to any deputies.

The following is a view of the population of this county at two different periods, taken from the Statiftical History of Scotland.

Buteo,

BUTEO, the trivial name of a species of FALCO. Butler. See ORNITHOLOGY Index. BUTLER, CHARLES, a native of Wycomb in the county of Bucks, and a mafter of arts in Magdalen college, Oxford, publifhed a book with this title, "The principles of mufic in finging and fetting; with the twofold ufe thereof, ecclefiaftical and civil." Quarto, London 1636. The author of this book was a perfon of fingular learning and ingenuity, which he manifefted in fundry other works enumerated by Wood in the Athen. Oxon. Among the reft is an English grammar, published in 1633, in which he propofes a fcheme of regular orthography, and makes ufe of characters, fome borrowed from the Saxon, and others of his own invention, fo fingular, that we want types to exhibit them and of this imagined improvement he appears to have been fo fond, that all his tracts are printed in like manner with his grammar; the confequence whereof has been an almoft general difguft to all that he has written. His " Principles of Mufic" is, however, a very learned, curious, and entertaining book; and, by the help of the advertisement from the printer to the reader, prefixed to it, explaining the powers of the feveral characters made ufe of by him, may be read to great advantage, and may be confidered a judicious fupplement to Morley's introduction,

:

BUTLER, Samuel, a celebrated poet, was the fon of a reputable Worcestershire farmer, and was born in 1612. He paffed fome time at Cambridge, but was never matriculated in that univerfity. Returning to his native country, he lived fome years as clerk to a justice of peace; where he found fufficient time to apply himfelf to hiftory, poetry, and painting. Being Being recommended to Elizabeth countefs of Kent, he enjoy ed in her houfe, not only the use of all kinds of books, but the converfation of the great Mr Selden, who oftten employed Butler to write letters, and tranflate for him. He lived alfo fome time with Sir Samuel Luke, a gentleman of an ancient family in Bedfordshire, and a fan.ous commander under Oliver Cromwell: and he is fuppofed at this time to have wrote, or at least to have planned, his celebrated Hudibras; and under that character to have ridiculed the knight. The poem itfelf furnishes this key; where, in the first canto, Hudibras fays,

""Tis fung, there is a valiant mamaluke "In foreign land yclep'd "To whom we oft have been compar'd "For perfon, parts, addrefs, and beard." After the Restoration, Mr Butler was made fecretary to the earl of Carbury, lord prefident of Wales, who appointed him fteward of Ludlow castle, when the court was revived there. No one was a more generous friend to him than the earl of Dorfet and Middlesex, to whom it was owing that the court tafted his Hudibras. He had promises of a good place from the earl of Clarendon, but they were never accomplished; though the king was fo much pleased with the poem, as oftten to quote it pleafantly in converfation. It is indeed faid, that Charles ordered him the fum of 3000l.: but the fum being expreffed in figures, fomebody through whofe hands the, order paffed, by cutting off a cypher reduced it to 300k which, though it paffed the offices without fees, proved not fufficient to pay

what he then owed; fo that Butler was not a fhilling Eutler, the better for the king's bounty. He died in 1680: Buterlage and though he met with many difappointments, was never reduced to any thing like want, nor did he die in debt. Mr Granger obferves, that Butler " ftands without rival in burlesque poetry. His Hudibras (fays he) is in its kind, almolt as great an effort of genius, as the Paradife Loft itfelf. It abounds with uncommon learning, new rhimes, and original thoughts. Its images are truly and naturally ridiculous. There are many ftrokes of temporary fatire, and fome characters and allufions which cannot be discovered at this distance of time."

BUTLER, Jofeph, late bishop of Durham, a prelate diftinguifhed by his piety and learning, was the youngest fon of Mr Thomas Butler, a reputable shopkeeper at Wantage in Berkshire, where he was born in the year 1692. His father, who was a Prefbyterian, obferving that he had a strong inclination to learning, after his being at a grammar-school, fent him to an academy in Gloucestershire, in order to qualify him for a diffenting minifter; and while there, he wrote fome remarks on Dr Clarke's first sermon at Boyle's lecture. Afterwards, refolving to conform to the eftablished church, he ftudied at Oriel college, where he contracted an intimate friendship with Mr Edward Talbot, fon of the bishop of Durham, and brother to the lord chancellor, who laid the foundation of his fubfequent advancement. He was first appointed preacher at the Rolls, and rector of Haughton and Stanhope, two rich benefices in the bishopric of Durham. He quitted the Rolls in 1726; and published in 8vo, a volume of fermons, preached at that chapel. After this he conftantly refided at Stanhope, in the regular discharge of all the duties of his office, till the year 1733, when he was called to attend the lord chancellor Talbot as his chaplain, who gave him a prebend in the church of Rochefter. In the year 1736, he was appointed clerk of the clofet to Queen Caroline, whom he attended every day, by her majefty's special command, from feven to nine in the evening. In 1738 he was appointed to the bishopric of Briftel; and not long afterwards to the deanery of St Paul's, London. He now refigned his living of Stanhope. living of Stanhope. In the year 1746, he was made clerk of the clofet to the king; and in 1750, was tranflated to Durham. This rich preferment he enjoyed but a short time; for he died at Bath June 16. 1752. His corpfe was interred in the cathedral at Briftol; where there is a monument, with an infcription, erected to his memory. He died a bachelor. His deep learning and comprehenfive mind appear fufficiently in his writings, particularly in that excellent treatife entitled, The Analogy of Religion, natural and revealed, to the Conflitution and Courfe of Nature, publifhed in 8vo, 1736.

BUTLER, the name anciently given to an officer in the court of France, being the fame as the grand echanfon, or great cupbearer of the prefent times.

BUTLER, in the common acceptation of the word, is an officer in the houfes of princes and great men, whofe principal business is to look after the wine, plate, &c.

BUTLERAGE of wine, is a duty of 2s. for every ton of wine imported by merchant ftrangers; being a compofition in lieu of the liberties and freedoms grant

ed

Batment ed to them by King John and Edward I. by a charter called charta mercatoria.

Butter.

Butlerage was originally the only custom that was payable upon the importation of wines, and was taken and received by virtue of the regal prerogative, for the proper ufe of the crown. But for many years past, there having been granted by parliament fubfidies to the kings of England, and the duty of butlerage not repealed, but confirmed, they have been pleased to grant the fame way to fome noblemen, who by virtue of fuch grant, is to enjoy the full benefit and advantage thereof, and may cause the same to be collected in the fame manner that the kings themselves were formerly wont to do.

BUTMENT. Butments of arches are the same with buttreffes. They answer to what the Romans call fublicas, the French culees and butees.

BUTMENTS, or Abutments, of a bridge, denote the two maflives at the end of a bridge, whereby the two extreme arches are fuftained and joined with the shore on either fide.

BUTOMUS, the FLOWERING-RUSH, or Watergladiole. See BOTANY Index.

BUTRINTO, a port-town of Epirus, or Canina, in Turkey in Europe, fituated oppofite to the island of Corfu, at the entrance of the gulf of Venice. E. Long. 20. 40. N. Lat. 39. 45.

BUTT is used for a veffel, or measure of wine, containing two hogsheads, or 126 gallons; otherwife called pipe. A butt of currants is from 1500 to 2200 pounds weight.

BUTTS, or Butt-ends, in the fea-language, are the fore ends of all planks under water, as they rife, and are joined one end to another.-Butt-ends in great ships are most carefully bolted; for if any one of them should fpring or give way, the leak would be very dangerous and difficult to ftop.

Burrs, the place where archers meet with their bows and arrows to fhoot at a mark, which is called fhooting at the butts: (See ARCHERY.)-Alfo butts are the short pieces of land in arable ridges and fur

According to Beckman, the invention of butter belongs neither to the Greeks nor the Romans. The former, he thinks, derived their knowledge of butter from the Scythians, the Thracians and Phrygians; and the latter from the people of Germany.

The ancient Chriftians of Egypt burnt butter in their lamps instead of oil; and in the Roman churches, it was anciently allowed, during Christmas time, to burn butter instead of oil, on account of the great confumption of it otherwise.

Butter is the fat, oily, and inflammable part of the milk. This kind of oil is naturally diftributed through all the fubftance of the milk in very fmall particles, which are interpofed betwixt the cafeous and ferous parts, amongst which it is fufpended by a flight adhe

fion, but without being diffolved. It is in the fame state Butter. in which oil is in emulfions: hence the fame whitenefs of milk and emulfions; and hence, by rest, the oily parts feparate from both these liquors to the furface, and form a cream. See EMULSION.

When butter is in the ftate of cream, its proper oily parts are not yet fufficiently united together to form a homogeneous mafs. They are ftill half feparated by the interpofition of a pretty large quantity of ferous and cafeous particles. The butter is completely formed by preffing out thefe heterogeneous parts by means of continued percuffion. It then becomes an uniform foft mass.

Fresh butter which has undergone no change, has fcarce any fmell; its tafte is mild and agreeable; it melts with a weak heat, and none of its principles are difengaged by the heat of boiling water. Thefe properties prove, that the oily part of butter is of the nature of the fat, fixed, and mild oils obtained from many vegetable fubftances by expreffion. See OILS.-The half fluid confiftence of butter, as of moft other concrete oily matters, is thought to be owing to a confiderable quantity of acid united with the oily part; which acid is fo well combined, that it is not perceptible while the butter is fresh and has undergone no change; but when it grows old, and undergoes fome kind of fermentation, then the acid is difengaged more and more; and this is the cause that butter, like oils of the fame kind, becomes rancid by age.

:

Butter is conftantly ufed in food, from its agreeable tafte but to be wholefome, it must be very fresh and free from rancidity, and alfo not fried or burnt; otherwife its acrid and even cauftic acid, being difengaged, disorders digeftion, renders it difficult and painful, excites acrid empyreumatic belchings, and introduces much acrimony into the blood. Some perfons have ftomachs fo delicate, that they are even affected with thefe inconveniences by fresh butter and milk. This obfervation is also applicable to oil, fat, chocolate, and in general to all oleaginous matters.

It

For the making of butter fee AGRICULTURE Index. The trade in butter is very confiderable. Some compute 50,000 tons annually confumed in London. is chiefly made within 40 miles round the city. Fifty thoufand firkins are faid to be fent yearly from Cambridge and Suffolk alone: each firkin containing 56lbs. Utoxeter in Staffordshire is a market famous for good butter, infomuch that the London merchants have established a factory there for that article. It is bought by the pot, of a long cylindrical form, weighing 14lb.

Shower of BUTTER. Naturalifts fpeak of fhowers and dews of a butyraceous fubftance. In 1695, there fell in Ireland, during the winter and enfuing fpring, a thick yellow dew, which had the medicinal properties of butter.

BUTTER, among chemifts, a name given to feveral preparations, on account of their confiftence resembling that of butter; as butter of antimony, &c. See CHEMISTRY Index.

BUTTER- Bur. See TUSSILAGO, BOTANY Index. BUTTER-Milk, the milk which remains after the butter is produced by churning. Butter-milk is esteemed an excellent food, in the spring especially, and is particu

larly

Edward's
Hipt. of
Birds,

p. 122. vol.

milk hot.

BUTTER-Wort. See PINGUICULA, BOTANY Index. BUTTERFLY, the English name of a numerous genus of infects. See PAPILIO, ENTOMOLOGY Index. BUTTERFLY-Shell. See VOLUTA, CONCHOLOGY

Index.

Method of preferving BUTTERFLIES. See INSECTS.

Method of making Pictures of BUTTERFLIES. "Take butterflies or field moths, either those catched abroad, or fuch as are taken in caterpillars and nurfed in the houfe till they be flies; clip off their wings very clofe to their bodies, and lay them on clean paper, in the form of a butterfly when flying; then have ready prepared gum arabic that hath been fome time diffolved in water, and is pretty thick; if you put a drop of oxgall into a fpoonful of this, it will be better for the ufe; temper them well with your finger, and fpread a little of it on a piece of thin white paper, big enough to take both fides of your fly; when it begins to be clammy under your finger, the paper is in proper order to take the feathers from the wings of the fly; then lay the gummed fide on the wings, and it will take them up then double your paper fo as to have all the wings between the paper; then lay it on a table, preffing it clofe with your fingers; and you may rub it gently with fome Imooth hard thing; then open the paper and take out the wings, which will come forth tranfparent the down of the upper and under fide of the wings, fticking to the gummed paper, form a juft likeness of both fides of the wings in their natural fhapes and colours. The nicety of taking off flies depends on a juft degree of moisture of the gummed paper: for if it be too wet, all will be blotted and confufed; and if too dry, your paper will stick fo faft together, that it will be torn in feparation. When you have opened your gummed papers, and they are dry, you must draw the bodies from the natural ones, and paint them in water colours: you must take paper that will bear ink very well for this ufe; for finking paper will feparate with the reft, and spoil all."

BUTTERIS, in the manege, an inftrument of steel, fitted to a wooden handle, wherewith they pare the foot, or cut off the hoof, of a horse.

BUTTOCK of a SHIP, is that part of her which is her breadth right aftern, from the tack upwards; and a fhip is faid to have a broad or a narrow buttock, according as fhe is built broad or narrow at the tran

fum.

BUTTON, an article in drefs, whofe form and ufe are too well known to need defcription. They are made of various materials, as mohair, filk, horfe hair, metal, &c.

Method of making common BUTTONS. Common buttons are generally made of mohair; fome indeed are made of filk, and others of thread; but the latter are of a very inferior fort. In order to make a button, the mohair must be previously wound on a bobbin; and the mould fixed to a board by means of a bodkin thrust through the hole in the middle of it. This being done, the workman wraps the mohair round the mould in three, four, or fix columns, according to the button.

Horfe-hair BUTTONS. The moulds of these buttons

are covered with a kind of stuff compofed of filk and Button. hair; the warp being belladine filk, and the shoot horfe hair. This stuff is wove with two felvages, in the fame manner and in the same loom as ribbands. It is then cut into fquare pieces proportional to the fize of the button, wrapped round the moulds, and the felvages ftitched together, which form the under part of the button.

Cleanfing of BUTTONS. A button is not finished when it comes from the maker's hands; the fuperfluous hair and hubs of filk must be taken off, and the button render gloffy and beautiful before it can be sold. This is done in the following manner: A quantity of buttons are put into a kind of iron fieve, called by workmen a fingeing box. Then a little fpirit of wine being poured into a kind of shallow iron difh, and set on fire, the workman moves and thakes the fingeing box, containing the buttons, brifkly over the flame of the fpirit, by which the fuperfluous hairs, hubs of filk, &c. are burnt off, without damaging the buttons. Great care, however, must be taken that the buttons in the fingeing box be kept continually in motion; for if they are fuffered to reft over the flame, they will immediately burn. When all these loofe hairs, &c. are burnt off by the flame of the spirit, the buttons are taken out of the fingeing box, and put, with a proper quantity of the crumbs of bread, into a leather bag, about three feet long, and of a.conical shape; the mouth or smaller end of which being tied up, the workman takes one of the ends in one hand and the other in the other, and shakes the hand brifkly with a particular jerk. This operation cleanfes the buttons, renders them very gloffy, and fit for fale.

Gold-twift BUTTONS. The mould of these buttons is firft covered in the fame manner with that of common buttons. This being done, the whole is covered with a thin plate of gold or filver, and then wrought over of different forms, with purple and gimp. The former is a kind of thread composed of filk and gold wire twisted together; and the latter, capillary tubes of gold or filver, about the tenth of an inch long. These are joined together by means of a fine needle, filled with filk, thruft through their apertures, in the fame manner as beads or bugles.

The manner of making Metal BUTTONS. The metal with which the moulds are intended to be covered is first cast into fmall ingots, and then flatted into thin plates or leaves, of the thickness intended, at the flatting mills; after which it is cut into fmall round pieces proportionable to the fize of the mould they are intended to cover, by means of proper punches on a block of wood covered with a thick plate of lead. Each piece of metal thus cut out of the plate is reduced into the form of a button, by beating it fucceffively in feveral cavities, or concave moulds, of a spherical form, with a convex puncheon of iron, always beginning with the fhalloweft cavity of the mould, and proceeding to the deeper, till the plate has acquired the intended form : and the better to manage fo thin a plate, they form ten, twelve, and fometimes even twenty-four, to the cavities, or concave moulds, at once; often nealing the metal during the operation, to make it more ductile. This plate is generally called by workmen the cap of the but

ton.

The form being thus given to the plates or caps,