Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 2.djvu/1060

 D E G

DBG

Weft, which they accounted the length, and a much lefs from north to fouth, which pafled with them for the breadth of the earth. See Earth. The quantity of a Degree of a meridian, or other great cir- cle on the furface of the earth, is varioufly determined by various obfervers : the methods too made ufe of are various. See Earth.' — Ptolemy fixes the degree at 68 Arabic miles f accounting 7 | ftadia to a mile. The Arabs thenifelves, who made an exact computation of the diameter of the earth, by meafuring the diftance of two places under the fame me- ridian, in the plains of Seniar, by order of Almamom, only make 56 miles. Kepler determining the femidiameter of the earth by the diftance of two mountains, makes a degree 13 German miles : but his method is far from being accu- rate. Snellius feeking the diameter of the earth, from the diftance of two parallels of the equator, finds the quantity of a degree by one method to be 57064 Paris toifes, or 342384 feet; and by another method, 57057 toifes, or 342342 feet. The mean between which two numbers M. Picart found by menfuration in 1669, from Amiens to Malvoifin, the moil fure, and makes the quantity of a degree 57060 toifes, or 342360 feet, which reduced to other meafures, gives the quantity of a degree of a great circle in

Englifh miles of 5000 feet each ■ 73 *ff

Florentine miles of 3000 braccios — — • 63 ? 7 - Common French leagues of 220 toifes — 25 Rhinland perches of 12 feet — — 29556.

However, M. Caflini, at the command of the king of France in the year 1700, repeated the fame labour, and meafuring the fpace of 6 degrees, 18 minutes, from the ob- fervatory at Paris, along the meridian to the city of Coli- oure in Rouffillon, that the greatnefs of the interval might diminifh the error, found the quantity of a degree to be 57292 toifes, or 343742 Paris feet, amounting to 365184 Englifh feet. — On which footing, the quantity of a minute of a degree of a great circle of the earth is 57 10 Paris feet, and that of a fecond, 95 feet.

With which account pretty nearly agrees that of our coun- tryman Mr. Norwood, who about the year 1635, meafured the diftance between London and York, and found it 005751 Englifh feet; and finding the difference of latitudes 2°, 28', determined the quantity of one degree to be 367196 Englifh feet, or 57300 Paris toifes, or 69 Englifh miles, 288 yards. See Newt. Prim. Phil. Nat. Math. prop. 19. p. 378. and Hift. Acad. R. Scienc. An. 1700, p. 153. The quantity of a degree of great circle, with the diftance of any other parallel from the equator being given, the quantity of a degree in that parallel is found by this canon : as the whole fine is to the cofine of the diftance of the pa- rallel from the equator ; fo is the quantity of a degree of the equator to the quantity of a degree of the parallel. Suppofe, e. gr. the latitude of the parallel 5 1°, and fuppofe a degree of the equator 69 miles.

Log. of whole fine Cofine of 5 1 ° Log. 69°

1 00000000. 97988718.

Log. required

16377201.

The number correfponding to which in the tables is 43 T W miles, nearly; which being multiplied by 5280, the number of feet in a mile, gives the number of Englifh feet in a de- gree in that parallel. — On which foundation (fuppofing M. Caftan's proportion of 365184 Englifh feet, or 69 miles, 864 feet to 1 degree of a great circle) is built the following table, exhibiting the quantity of a degree of longitude ia each parallel of latitude.

DeP.

Englilh Stat.

Deg.

Engl

fh Stat.

q(

Miles of

ot

Miles of

Lat.

5280 Feet.

Lat.

528

> Feet.

Equ.

69 864

I

69 808

16

66

2557

2

69 641

■7

66

747

3

69 363

18

6?

41 10

4

68 5254

■9

<>S

2088

5

68 4739

20

t>

3461

65

29 1213

36

55

5040

66

28 743

37

55

1248

67

27 12S

38

54

2648

68

25 4800

39

53

3961

69

24 4150

40

5 Z

5187

70

23 3460

4i

52

"47

71

22 2732

V-

51

2204

72

21 1968

43

5°

3178

73

20 1169

44

49

4071

74

19 338

45

48

4884

75

■7 4756

46

48

338

76

16 3866

47

47

994

77

i ; 2948

48

46

'575

78

1 4 2006

49

45

2082

79

1 3 1 040

5°

44

2515

80

12 53

5i

43

2777

81

10 4327

52

42

3069

8z

9 33°3

53

4'

3293

8.3

8 2264

54

40

3449

84

7 1212

55

39

354°

85

6 147

56

38

3568

86

4 3454

57

37

3533

87

3 3272

58

36

3438

88

2 2184

59

35

3283

89

1 1093

60

14

3072

90

Decree, in civil and canon law, denotes an interval in cog- nation or kinfhip, whereby proximity and remotenefs of blood are computed.

Degrees are the intervals whereby it is known what perfons are neareft to the ftock or root. 1 — Or they are the diftances of one perfon from another in the line of confanguinity or affinity, reckoned from fome common parent or anceftor. See Consanguinity and Affinity. We fay, the fecond degree-, the third degree ; Gregory the great was the firft who prohibited marriage to the feventh degree ; which reftricfion was long obferved : the fecond council of Lateran, under Innocent III. reftrained the prohi- bition to the fourth degree inclufive, that is, to coufin Ger- mans children. See Ma r r 1 a g e.

In the civil law, the degrees of kindred or cognation are dif- ferently computed from what they are in the canon law.— The firft reckons by the number of perfons iffued from the fame ftock ; each perfon fprung therefrom making one de- gree: but with this difference, that in the direct line the or- der begins with the firft degree ; and thus the father and fon are in the firft degree: but in the collateral line there is no firft degree reckoned : two brothers being only related in the fecond degree, by reafon the father, who is the common ftock, makes the firft degree.

The canon law obferves the fame rule as to the direct, line; but in the collateral line, a generation only makes a degree: thus brothers- are in the firft degree, and coufin Germans in. the fecond. Whereas, the civil law puts brothers in the fe- cond, and coufms German in the fourth.— So that two de- grees in the civil law only make one in the canon law.

Degree, in medicine, denotes a certain pitch or intenfenefs of the elementary qualities. See Quality. The degrees ufually allowed are four, anfwering to the num- ber of the peripatetic elements. See Elements. In the fchool philofophy, the fame qualities are divided into eight : the laft or higheft degree of intenlion is called ut o£fo. We fay, a thing is cold in the fecond degree, pepper is hot in the third degree. See Heat and Cold. Fire is held hot in the eighth degree, and dry in the fourth degree. See Fire.

Degree, in chymiftry, is underftood of the ftate or intenfe- nefs of the fire, or heat. See Fire.

Chymijis diftinguifh four degrees of fire, or heat : the firjl y is two or three coals.

The fecond, that of four or five coals, or rather fo much as is fufficient to warm a veflel fenfibly ; yet lb, as that the hand may be held on it a confulerable time. The third degree, is when there is a fire capable of boiling a veflel of five or fix pints of water. The fourth., is when there is fire enough for a furnace. Thefe degrees, however, are all varied according to the dif* ferent circumftances of operations, furnaces, vefiels, fub- jecls, &c.

Degrees, in mufick, are the little intervals whereof the concords, or haimonical intervals, are compofed. See In- terval and Concord.

The