D E I
The common way of trying fpirits by deflagration, is to mea- fiire out any quantity of it, then to heat it, and fet it on fire ; if after it will no longer burn, the remainder is half as much as the quantity meafured out for the trial was, then the (pint tried is found to confift of half water and half totally inflam- mable fpirit ; that is, it is exaflly what we understand by the term perfect proof, and according as the remainder is more or lefs than half the original quantity, it is fo much below or fo much above proof, or the due ftrength of brandy. This method is much more certain than that by the crown of bubbles, which arifes upon making the fpirit in a vial. Monf. Geoffroy's method is thus; take a cylindric veflel two inches high, and as much in diameter, confifting of thin plate filver, that metal being much lefs liable to ruft than copper; this veflel muft be fitted with a little rectangular gage exactly graduated into lines, half lines, &c. then the veflel being fet level upon a copper cafe made to contain it, a parcel of the brandy to be examined is poured in, to the height of fixteen iines. This height is to be exactly hit by pouring in more than e- nough at firft, and then with a fmall tube fucking out what is fuperfluous ; then the veflel being heated a little, fo as juft to make the liquor fume, it is to be fet on fire and left to go out of itfelf; at the inftant when the flame ex- pires the gage is plunged perpendicularly into the veflel, and the lines and quarters exactly noted, which the liquor wants of its former height : this difference gives the precife quantity of pure fpirit, or alcohol, originally contained in the liquor : thus, if eight lines of phlegm are found remaining, this being the half of the fixteen lines of the original filling, it is plain that the liquor contained one half fpirit, and as fuch it is found to be of the due ftrength of brandy ; or, as we exprefs it, proof fpirit. If there remains no more than four lines of the phlegm, the fpirit was double proof, or of a middle ftrength, between that of common proof fpirit and alcohol, and fo arife all the other proportions. Mem. Acad. Par. 17 18. DEFLUVIUM, is ufed to exprefs a diftemper in trees, where- by they lofe their bark ; it is thought to be caufed by a lharp humour, that diflblves the glue whereby the bark is fattened to the wood, and fometimes by too much drought. Harris. DEFORCEMENT {Cyd.) in the law of Scotland, is ufed for the refilling, or offering violence to the officers of the law, while they are actually employed in the exercife of their func- tions, by putting its orders and fentences in execution; whe- ther they be officers of the fupreme courts of juftice, as he- ralds, purfevants, meflengers, macers; or of inferior courts, as mayors.
The punifhment of this crime is confifcation of moveables, joined with fome arbitrary punifhment ; as fine, imprifon- ment, banifhment, or corporal pains, according to the degrees of violence, and other circumftances which aggravate the crime : befides, the party aggrieved may have an action of damages, to be highly taxed out of the firft and readieft of the offender's efcheat, or other eftate. See Bayne's Criminal Law. Deforcing of officers of the Cuftom-Houfe is provided againft by the fame ftatutes as in England. DEEOSSION, Defoffw, the punifhment of burying alive, inflicted, among the Romans, on veftal virgins guilty of incontinency. It is alio a Cuftom among the Hungarians to inflict this pu- nifhment on women convicted of adultery. Heretics alfo were punifhed in this manner. Mofm. Lex. in voc. Dcfcffio and Ho- via. See Burying alive. DEGREE {Cyd.) — The degree of the meridian meafured by Mr. Picart was in the latitude of 49° 21', and was found to be equal to 57060 French toifes. But the French mathema- ticians who have lately examined Mr. Picart's Operations, allure us, that the degree in that latitude is, 57183 toifes. They meafured a degree in Lapland in the latitude of 66° 20', and found it 57438 toifes. A degree has likewife been mea- fured at the equator, and found to be conflderably lefs than in the latitude of Paris. From thefe meafures it appears that the earth is not a fphere, but an oblate fpheroid. SeeEARTH. Degrees of fire. See the article Fire. Prohibited Degrees in Marriage. See Marriage. Degrees in the civil and canon law. In computing degrees of confanguinity, the rule of the civil law is univerfal, either in the direct, or collateral, otherwife called the oblique line, $%uot funt generationes tot junt gradus. But in the canon law the rule is different for the oblique line. And here a diftinc- tion is made between the equal, and the unequal oblique line. In the firft cafe the rule is, ^uot grndibus perfona cognates dijlant a communi Jlipite ; tot gradibus inter fe dijlant. In the other cafe the rule is, ^ust gradibus perjona remotior diftat a communi jlipite, tot gradibus perfons dijlant inter fe. Hence, the filler of a perlon's grandfather, by the civil law is diftant from that perfon in the fourth degree, whereas by the canon law fhe is only in the third degree. So that what is faid in the Cyclopedia, of two degrees in the civil law making only one in the canon law, is not univerfally true, but holds only in the equal oblique line. Vid. Heinec. Inft. Jur. Civ. §. civ. DEIS or Dagus, the chief table in a monaftery. Solus in
DEL
refeflorio prandebit fupremus habens vajldlum, prior e trandente ad magnam menfani quam Deis vulgaritur appellamus. It is thus called from a cloth called Dais, with which the tables of Kings were covered. Matt. Parif. in vit. Abbat Sanct. Alb. p. 92. DELIA, Antea, (Cyd) in antiquity, a quinquennial fefli va l i n the ifland of Delos, inftituted by Thefeus in honourof Venus Pott. Arctoeol. Grasc. 1. 2. c. 20.
There was likewife a feftival celebrated at Athens called Delia, for which fee Delia, Cyd. DELIAS, Ant-tat, in antiquity, the name of the fhip in which the Delian proceflion was annually made by the Athenians See Delia, Cyd. DELIBAMENTA, in antiquity, a libation offered to the in- fernal gods, which was always poured downwards ; hence this act was expreffed by the word defundare. Pitifc. Lex, ■ antiq. in voc.
DELICT, in the law of Scotland, is ufed to exprefs an offence of an inferior degree to a crime, to be punifhed only by the effect of a civil action, for reparation of private damage. DELIGATION, Deligatio, that part of furgery which relates to the binding up of wounds, ulcers, broken bones, &c. Blancard, Lex. Med. in voc. DELIVERANCE. See Repleciare.
DELIVERY (Cyd.)— The figns of delivery, or child birth, juft coming on, are a frequent emiflion of the urine, tenefmusof the inteflinum rectum, or frequent wanting to go to ftool with- out any real occaiion ; this complaint in this cafe is not con- tinual, but lafts only a little while, and foon returns again: and often there comes out of the vagina a bloody and mucous matter, followed by fome thick and turbid urine, and the uterus fubfides, and plainly finks upon and prefles againft the os pubis, in a manner very different from what it does at another time : thefe fymptoms happening at the natural time of delivery, that is, in the fortieth week from the firft fup- preffion of the menfes, or the twentieth or twenty firft from the fcetus being firft perceived to move, prefage it with great certainty ; and particularly if the fame face of the moon be prefented at this time that was at the time of the firft fuppreffion of the menftrual difcharge. Pains of the back and loins alfo come on at this time, which extend them- felves down to the pubes, and thefe are fucceeded by fpafticlc motions of the uterus itfelf, and tremblings of the knees and legs, and finally an opening of the mouth of the ute- rus ; this is fucceeded by a burfting of the fecundines, and an effufion of the water they contain, and after this the open- ing of the womb becomes larger, and the convexity of the child's head is ufually in fome manner perceived. Delivery is eafier with young and healthy perfons than with older, or thofe who are fickly; and fuch who live on coarfe food and are accuftomed to hard labour, ufually fucceed better in it than thofe of idle lives and delicate tables. People who are of an even temper of mind ufually alfo fucceed better than thofe addicted much to Paffions ; and it is ufually a good omen if the time of delivery be at or near that of the ufual difcharge of the menfes in a ftate of health.
Difficult births, or hard and dangerous deliveries, are to be prefaged from the following circumftances : from the mother's being fat and of a plethoric habit, or equally from her being of an over tender and delicate conftitution, and fubjedt to frequent illneis ; fuch as are troubled with a ftone in the bladder fucceed very unhappily in labour, and there is much mifchief often from the perfons being obftinate and unruly, and not liftening to the dictates of nature, or the advice of thofe about her. Peribns who are in years, and are with child for the firft time, ufually have difficult, and often dan- gerous labours ; the pains continuing longer than they ought ; and being languid at times, and not returning at fuch fhort intervals as they fhould, are ufually alfo a bad omen. Spu- rious pains alfo which do not tend to delivery but fly up- wards, and affect the bread and head, and are attended with faintings and anxieties of the Praecordia, and with head-achs and tooth-ach, are always bad omens ; as are alfo an hae- morrhage of the womb, or as our women exprefs it, a flood- ing before the birth, a too foon breaking of the fecundines and eruption of the water ; and, on the other hand, a too great firmnefs and toughnefs of the fecundines, fo that they will not break, is not a better omen ; convulfions coming on in the time of labour are ufually fatal prognoftics, and deficiencies in the opening of the uterus from fchirrofities, excrefcences or injuries of the vagina are alfo very bad prefages. Thefe are the general occafions of bad and dangerous labours depend- ing on the mother, but there are alfo a not lefs number de- pending on the child. The firm concretion of the fecundines, or their excretion before the birth are of this kind, as are alfo the winding of the navel firing about the child's neck, a bad conformation of the foetus, as its being hydrocephalus, or the like, or its being dead in the womb: twins in the womb both offering themfelves to the birth at the fame time ; the bad fituation of the foetus, as in the lying of the head upon the os pubis, or the firft offering of a foot or an arm inftead of the head - 3 a falfe conception or mole found in the uterus at
the
