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top, and water put into it, it will be fecn to fall out at the bottom in form of a little fhower of rain ; this might give fome countenance to the Mexican ftory of their filtrum being form • cd under water. As the fpar contained in all water, fo that of the fea, as well as of rivers and fprings, may form itfelf into a fort of fungous mafles, againft the fides and edges of the rocks i but it is not probable that it mould be found at fuch depths. On obferving the great denfity and firmnefs of the fparry concretions in (brings, which yet fuffer water to pervade their texture fo very readily, Dr. Vater, to whom we owe this account, was induced to try the common coarfe {tone ufed in building houfes to this purpofe; and a mortar being made of this, was found to let the water thro', as well as the Mexican ftone. The water firft palled thro' this mortar had an earthy tafte from fome of the loofe matter of the ftone, which it difloged in its pafling thro', but this is alfo the cafe in the Mexi- can, and all other kinds of filtering Hones, and it goes off in all, after a few times ufmg.
It being found therefore an eafy thing for us to have our wa- ter filtered in the fame manner that tht Japonefc have, it re- mains to try, whether it will have all thofe falutary cffe£ts,which the people of that part of the world give it ; and this feems not to be imagined from reafon and analogy. We very well know that water is frequently impregnated with faline particles, and that it alfo frequently diflblves by this means earthy and other matters,which it otherwife could not do. But we alfo know, that falts diflblved in water, are not to be feparated by filtration ; and it is equally certain, that earthy fparry or other matter that is fufpended in water when clear, will in like manner pafs thro' the filter with it. We daily fee that the folid bodies of metals when perfectly difiolved in proper menftruums, pak through the filter of paper with thofe menftruums; and if af- terwards fomething be added to the folution to weaken the force of the menftruum, fo that it can no longer fufpend fo much of thofe heavy bodies; then the liquors become turbid, and the difunited particles of the metal will on a fecond filtra- tion, be left in the paper. It feems evident from this, that it is not the finenefs of the filtre, but the ftate in which hetero- gene fubftances are fufpended in fluids, which is the occafion ol their pafling thro' with them, or fcparating from and remaining behind them. It is in vain to fay, that filtres of ftone can flop the earthy and fparry particles of water, though filtres of paper cannot ; fince we every day fee in caverns in the earth, that the water which oozes through the hardeft rocks, forms ftony icicles or ftalaclita?, before it falls to the bottom. Upon the whole, we are happy enough to have no occaiion for filtering Hones, fince our fprings and rivers afford us waters already pure enough to our hands ; and in places where this is not the cafe, it is always poffible to fave rain water, which will keep \ a long time with proper management, arid is much purer than all the art in the world can make fuch as has once been foul. Valentini Mufeum Mufaeorum, L. i. C. 22. The only inftance in which a filtering ftone can be of real life is, when there is no water to be had, but that of fome muddy river; in this cafe the mud being a foreign body not diflblved in, but only floating among the water, it will be left behind in its pafling the clofe ftructure in the filtre; but this is always to be as well obtained by letting it ftand a while to fub- ftde. Ephem. Germ. Cent. 3. p. 76. FIN, in ichthyology. See the article Pinna. FINDERS, in our old ftatutes, are fuppofed to be the fame with thofe we now call fearchers; who are employed for the dif- covery of goods imported or exported, without paying cuf- tom. Stat. 18 Ed. 3. 14RJC. 2. 17 Ric. 2. &c. FINE {Cycl.) — Fine adnullando levato de tenements quod fu'it de ami quo deminko^ in law, a writ directed to thejuftices for difannulling a fine levied of lands in antient demefne, to the prejudice of the lord. Reg. Orig. 15. Fine capiendo pro icrris^ &c. a writ lying where a perfon up- on conviction of any offence by jury, hath his lands and goods taken into the king's hands, and his body is committed to prifon,- to be remitted his imprifonment, and have his lands and goods redelivered him, on obtaining favour, fur a fum of money. Reg. Orig. 142. Fine Uvando de tenementh tenth de rege in capite, &C. a writ di- rected to the juftices of the common plea* to admit of a fine for the fale of land holden of the king in capite. Reo-, Orig. 167. Fine noti capiendo pre ptkhre placitands, a writ to inhibit officers
of courts to take fines for fair pleading. Reg. Orig. 179. Fine pro redijfeifiv.a capiendo^ &c. a writ lying for the releafe of one imprilbned for a redifleifin, on payment of a reafonable fine. Reg. Orig. 222. Fines le roy 7 in law, are all fines to the king. Under this
head are included fines for original writs. Fine Jliller, in the diftillery. That branch of the art which is employed on the diftilling the fpirit from treacle of other pre- parations or recrements of fugar, is called fine ftilling, by way of diflinction from malt ftilling; and the perfon who exercifes this part of the trade is called a fine ftiller. The operation in procuring the fpirit from fugar is the fame with that ufed in making the malt fpirit; a wafh of the fac- charine matter being made with water from treacle, &c. and
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fermented with yeaft. It is ufual to add in this cafe how- ever, a confiderable portion of malt and fometimes powdered jalap to the fermentrug backs. The malt accelerates the fer- mentation, and makes the fpirit come out the cheaper and the jalap prevents the rife of any muity head on the lurfa'ce of the teimenting liquor, fo as to leave a greater opportunity, for the free accefsot the air, and thus to ihorten the work by torn- ing the foamy into a hih.ng lermentation. Shaw's Lecl. p 220
FINERY, in tfie iron works, is one of the two forges, at which they hammer the low iron. In order to make the wrought iron, they firfl hammer a piece of a proper fize gently at This forge, and bydegries bring it after it has been hammer'd in- to a fquare bar or bloom, into what they call an ancory - which is the fame mats hammer'd fmaller in the middle, and there reduced to the fhape the whole is to be brought to, at the chofery or other forges. Ray's Englifh Words, p. 127.
FING ART, in the manege, fignifies a horle that kicks againft the
fpu rs.
FINGERS (Cy:cl.)—Emt) of the Fingers. The phalanges of the bones of the four fingers are all of nearly the fame ftruc- ture, differing only in lize. The full phalanges are made nearly in the lame manner with the fecond of the thumb only that they are flatter in proportion on their concave fides' and more rounded at their convex fides. They are alio larg- er in proportion; and the edges of the flat lides, have the fame rough line as the fecond phalanx of the thumb. Their bones are more hollow for their articulations with the meta- carpal bones, and their heads are foimed like pullies. The fecond phalanges aie fhorter, narrower and thinner, than the firft; both phalanges are gently incurvated, and rel'emble each other in ftrudlure, except that the fecond contract by degrees from their bales, to the heads which are very final), and that their bones have a double cavity for their articulation by ginglymus, with the heads of the firft phalanges. Their flat lides have all the beforementioned rough lines. The third phalanges are in every thing like that of the thumb (which fee) but that they are fmaller, each ot them being proportion- ed to the fingers they belong to. It is to be oblerved of all the phalanges, that their bafes have fmall tuberolities, and their heads, except thofe of the hilt phalanges, have on each fide a fort of rounddh fofiula, bordered with fmall eminences. Win- Jlo-w's anatomy, p. 88.
Mr. Hunauld has given us obfervations on the ftruflure and aflion of fome mufeks of the fingers in the Mem. Acad. Stiences for 1729. Superfluous Fingers. Infants are often born with fuperfluous or lupra numerary finger,, which are ufually milhapen and milplaced: fome of theie are found to have nails and bonen like the other fingers; others have nothing of this, but are mere mafles of rlefh.
Thefe fhould always be amputated in the infancy of the child, but if they are many in number, and the child but weakly it may be better not to take them all off at one time, but to ftay tome time between each amputation, that one may be near well, before another is taken off. They are ro be cut oft wuh the fcalpel, or fciffars, and the haemorrhage flopped either with dry lint, or with the fame dipped in (pint of wine, and afterwards healed as common wounds, with vulnerary ballams. Heijler's Surgery, p. 330. Carious Fingers. The fingers when carious or afflaed by a foi- na ventofa, are to be amputated three ways. I. By a pair of ftrong iciffars or fharp edged pincers. 2. By a chizzel ftruck by a leaden mallet, by which they are feparated at one blow, or laffly by dividing the next found joint with a fcalpel, and drawing back a part of the skin to wrap over the Hump, that it may heal the fooner ; and this is the beft method of all, as by this you are in no fear about any fplinters of the bone bein- left. Hei/hr's Surgery, p. 331. Frallw'd Fingers. When one or more of the bones in the fingers arc broke, the furgeon's bufmefs is carefully to replace what has been removed, and to roll up the finger a Utile way with a narrow bandage, and then to bind it firmly to the next found finger. But it is much more proper, when the finger is mafhed, fo as to give no hope of a good cure, to take it off at once. Beifter's Surg. p. 129. Luxitid Fingers. The bones of the fingers and thumbs are liable to luxations of each of their articulations, and that in feveral directions; but thefe are accidents not only ealily dif- covered, but very eafily remedied alfo ; for the ligaments be- ing not very robuft, the fat and mufcles thin, and the finufes of the articulations fhallow, the extenfion is very eafy, and the reduction of them into their former places not lefs fo. The beft method is to extend fufficiently the finger with one hand,and to replace the luxated bone at the fame time with the other,and to retain it fo by a proper bandage. Hcifl. Sur.p.i66. FING1TES, a name given by fome of the barbarous writers of the middle ages to the phengites, a very tranlparent fort of marble ufed by the Romans in building FINING (Cyei. )_Fining of wines. The ufual method of fining down wines, fo as to render them expeditioufly bright, clear, and fit for ufe, is this. Take an ounce of ifinglafs, beat it into thin fhreads with a hammer, and diffolve it by boiling, in a
pint
