Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 2.djvu/514

 SPA

SPA

a plant in fuch circumftances as it may thrive under. Philof.

Tranf. N°25l* p. 120. SPA (Cycl.) — SpA-water. The contents of this water, by

means of which it is able to do fuch great things in many

chronical cafes, are underftood by the following experiments

■ and obfervations.

j. When the Spa-water is carried to any diftant place, though ever fo well flopped down, they always, after a time, will precipitate a fmall quantity of a yellow ochreous earth. 2.. If a ftnglc grain of galls be put into an ounce of Spa- water, it tinges the whole with a beautiful purple; but if the water be heated before the galls are put in, there will not be the leaft change of colour produced in it.

3. Mixed with milk they do not coagulate it, but when mixed with wine they make a great ebullition, and throw up a large quantity of air-bubbles with a peculiarly pleating fmell.

4. The waters drank at the fpring caufe a fort of drunken- nefs, but it does- not laft above a quarter of an hour.

5. A fmall vial being filled up to a certain height with Spa- water, and afterwards exactly to the fame height with pure

- diftilled water, and weighed, when filled with each, in a

- nice balance, was found, when the Spa-water was in it, to weigh three ounces, four drachms, and forty grains, and

, with the other, three ounces, four drachms, and forty one grains ; fo that the Spa-water, notwithstanding its mineral

- particles, is fomewhat lighter than the pureft common . water;

6. And finally, a pint of the Spa-water evaporated over a very gentle fire, leaves behind only a grain and half of white powder.

Hence it appears, that the Spa-waters are the lighteft and moil: fubtle of all the mineral waters ; and the finaJl quantity of earth, and large portion of fubtle mineral fpirit they con- tain, befpeak their poflefiing the moft exalted virtues of all the mineral waters. One very remarkable virtue of this water is, that it greatly relieves in all diforders of the kidneys, ureters, and bladder, whether occafioned by ftone, gravel, or ulcerations. It poflefles, befide, all the virtues of the other mineral waters, and is of the greateft fervice in edulcorating iharp, and di- viding vifcous humours, and removing all difeafes arifing from thefe caufes, by difpofing them to pafs off" by the proper emunclories.

SPADE, {Cycl.) is an inftrument for digging up the ground, the handle, or ihaft, is about three feet long ; the head of it is all of iron, the upper part being flat, for the workman to fet his foot on to force it into the ground ; the length of the head is a foot, or fifteen inches, and the breadth fix or eight.

SPADO, among the Romans, differed from an eunuch only in this, that the latter was deprived both of the penis and teftes, but the fpado of the teftes only. Hofm. Lex. univ. in voc. See Eunuch, Cycl,

SPAGIRIC art, ars fpagirka, a name given by authors to that fpecies of chemiftry which works on the metals, and is employed in the fearch of the philofopher's ftone.

SPAGNUOLA, in the Italian mufic, denotes a guitar.

SPANIEL. This fort of dog is of great ufe, but fubjecT: to many diftempers ; among thefe the mange is a very frequent one, and is the moft pernicious of all others to his quiet and his beauty, and is very apt, when one dog has it, to fpread to others that come in its way. The beft cure is a decoc- ' tion of a large quantity of brimftone, with fome common fait and wood-aih.es, in water and urine, of each equal quan- tities ; this is to be ufed three or four times a day, warning the creature well with it before the fire, or in the warm fun. If this is not ftrong enough, the fame ingredients, with the addition of a confiderablc quantity of wood-foot, are to be boiled in ftrong vinegar, and the liquor ufed in the fame manner ; but this muft never be ufed in cold weather, as it would then endanger the creature's life. When this difcafe is not in a violent degree, it may be cured by the herb agrimony internally taken. The method is to pound the roots, leaves, and feeds of this plant in a mortar, and mix them with a large quantity of wheaten-bran ; they are to be then made into dough in the common way, and baked in an oven ; the dog is to have no other bread but this for fome time, but he is to eat of this as often, and as much as he will : this, without any farther care, has cured many.

Another very troublcfome diforder in this creature, is what is called the formica : this infefts only the ears, and is caufed by flies, and by the dog's fcratching for them. The beft medicine for the cure of thefe is this : take a quantity of pure and clean gum rragacanth, itifufe it in white-wine vinegar ; let as much vinegar be ufed as will ferve to foften it, and when it has lain a week in it, let it be taken out and ground on a marble, as the painters grind their colours, adding to it roach-alum and galls, reduced to powder, of each two ounces ; all this is to be well mixed together, and the matter, if it grows too ftiff in the grinding, is to be moiftened with fome of the vinegar in which the gum was foaked : when all is thoroughly mixed, and ground fine, it 3

is to be put by in a gallypot, and a fmall quantity of it ap- plied to the creature's ear every night till the complaint is removed.

The fwelling of the throat is another difeafe very common to fpaniels, but the cure of this is eafy, there needs only to bath it well with oil of camomile, and afterwards wafti it with a mixture of vinegar and fait; this done night and morning will, in a few days, wholly remove the complaint. Spaniels will fometimes, when they have much reft and good food, lofe their fenfe of fmelling, but this is recovered by a brifk purge and repeated airings ; a very common dofe, on this occafion, is a drachm of jalap, and two drachms of fal gem, mixed up into a bolus with oxymel of fquills : this is to be rubbed over with fome butter, and will be got down in that manner pretty eafily, and will work brifkly. SPAR, (Cycl.) in natural hiftory. Spars are defined to be foflils not inflammable, nor foluble in water. When pure, pel- lucid and colourlefs, and emulating the appearance of cryftal, but wanting its diftinguifhing characters ; compofed of plane and equable plates, not flexile nor elaftic ; not giving fire with fteel ; readily calcining in a fmall fire, and fermenting violently with acids, and wholly foluble in them. Of this clafs of bodies there are ten orders, and under thofe twenty one genera, many of which, from their accidental admixtures, deviate greatly in appearance from the natural ftate of pure /par.

Of the firft order are the pellucid cryftalliform and perfect fpars, compofed of a column terminated at each end by a pyramid.

Of the fecond are thofe compofed of two pyramids joined bafe to bafe, without any intermediate column. Of the third are the cryftalliform columnar fpars, adhering by one end to fome folid body, and terminated at the other by a pyramid.

Of the fourth are the pyramidal cryftalliform fpars without columns.

Of the fifth are the fpars of a parallellopiped form. Of the fixth are the fpars externally of no regular form, but breaking into rhomboidal mafles.

Of the feventh order are the cruftaceous fpars. Thefe are of a cryftallino- terrene ftrudlure, or debated from their na- tive pellucidity by an admixture of earth, and formed into plates or crufts of a ftriated figure within. The eighth order comprehends the cruftaceous terrene fpars ; bodies fo highly debafed with earth, as to appear merely earthy, of an irregular ftrucliure, and not ftriated within. Thefe often encruft fiflures of ftone, and fometimes vege- table and other extraneous bodies in fprings. Of the ninth order are the fpars formed into oblong cy- lindric bodies, known by the name of JlalaSUta, or ftony icicles.

And the tenth comprehends thofe formed into fmall round figures, compofed of various crufts enclofing one another, and generally known by the name jlalagmita ; and adding to thefe the fpars, influenced in their figures by metalline particles, we have the whole feries of thefe bodies. Thefe are, 1. the cubic, owing their figure to lead. 2. The py- ramidal with four planes, owing their figure to tin. 3. The rhomboidal, confifting of fix planes, owing their figure to iron. Bill's Hift. of Foflils, p. 201. The genera of thefe feveral orders are thefe. Of the firft there are three. 1. The triexahedria, thofe which are compofed of a hexangular column, terminated at each end by a hexangular pyramid. 2. The tripentahedria, thofe compofed of a pentangular column, terminated at each end by a pentangular pyramid. And 3. the enneahedria, which are compofed of a trigonal column, terminated at each end by a trigonal pyramid.

Of the fecond order there are three genera. 1. The diofta- hedria, fpars compofed of two octangular pyramids joined bafe to bafe. 2. The diexahedria, compofed of two hex- angular pyramids joined bafe to bafe. And 3. the ditribe- dria, which are compofed of two trigonal pyramids joined bafe to bafe.

Of the third order there are alfo three genera. 1. The hexacdroflyla, which are hexangular columns, terminated by hexangular pyramids. 2. The pentaedrojlyla, compofed of a pentangular column, terminated by a pentangular pyramid. And 3. the triedrqflyla, compofed of a trigonal column, ter- minated by a trigonal pyramid.

Of the fourth order there are only two genera. 1 . The bexapy- ram'ides, fpars in form of hexangular pyramids without co- lumns. And 2. tripyramides, thofe in form of trigonal pyra- mids without columns.

Of the fifth order there is only one known genus, the pa- rallellopipedia, fpars of a regular parallellopiped figure, as well in their whole mafles, as in their conftituent par- ticles.

Of the fixth order there is alfo only one known genus, the ano- morhomboidia, fpars of no regular external figures, but break- ing into rhomboidal mafles.

Of the feventh order there are two known genera. I. The placagnodiaugia, femipellucid, and of a ftriated texture within,

and