Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 2.djvu/147

 MAR

( *<& } Mar

Marriage was accounted no more than a lawful Debauch, a Ward or a Widow m Marriage, and the Land given in

or a Species of Bigamy. There are fbme antient Canons Marriage. ,

which forbid the Ecclefiaftics from being prefent at fe- For the Proportions tf'hich Marriages bear to Births, and

cond Marriages. Births to Burials in federal Parts of Europe, Mr. Derbam

Marriage, in Law, fignifies not only the lawful join- gives us the following "jfable. ing of Man and Wife 1, but alfo the Right of bellowing

Names of Places.

"Marriages to Births, as 1 to 4-tf 3

Birfhs to Bu- rials, as 1.1:2 to 1

England in General

London

1 to 4.

1 to III

Hantfihe, from 1569 to 1058

1 to 4.

1.2 tO I

Tiverton in Devon* from 16^6 to 1564

x to 9-7.

1.2.(5. to I

1.(5 to r

Cranbrook in A"cm T 1 560 to 1649

1 to 5.9.

Aynho in Nonhamf. tor 118 Years

1 to 6

1.6 to 1

1.8 i>o 1

1.2 tD I.

1. 9 to I

Upmmjter m £(fex, tor ico Years

1 to 4.6, 1 to ;-7 1 to 3.7 1 to 3.7

Frankfort on the Mfl« in 169 s

Old, Middle, and Lower Marck, in 169%

Dominions of Elect, of liranden. 169&

1.5 to X

Brefla-za in S'tlejia, from 16S7 to 91

1.6 to r 1.6 to I

Farts in 1670, 167 1, KS72

1 to 4.7

From which Table it appears, that Marriages, one with another, do each produce about four Births, both in Eng- land and other Parts of Europe. And by Mr.A'inj'! Com- putation, about 1 in 104. Perfons marry ; the Number of People in England being eilimated at five Millions and a half, whereof about 41000 annually marry.

Major Graimt and Mr. King difagree in the Proportions between Males and Females, the latter making 10 Males to 13 Females in London ; in other Cities and Towns, and in the Villages and Hamlets, 100 Males to 99 Females. But Major Graimt, both from the London and Country Bills, computes that there are in England 14 Males to 13 Females; whence he juftly infers, that the Chriftian Religion, prohibiting Polygamy, is more agreeable to the Law of Nature than Mahumetifm, and others that al- low it. This Proportion of Males to Females Mr. Derbam thinks pretty juft, being agreeable to what he had obferved himfelf. In the ico Years, for inftance, of his own Pa- rim Regifter of Vpmmjler, tho the Burials of Males and Females were nearly equal, being 535 Males, and 523 Females in all that time ; yet there were baptized 709, and but (175 Females, which is 13 Females to 13.7 Males. From which Inequality it appears, that one Man ought to have but one Wife, and yet that every Woman, with- out Polygamy, may have a Husband ; this Surplufage of Males above Females being fpent in the Supplies of War, the Seas, iic. from which the Women are exempt. That this is a Work of Providence, and not of Chance, is well ■made out by the very Laws of Chance, by Dr. Arbathnot : Who fuppofes Thomas to lay againft Join, that for eighty- two 1 ears running, more Males /hall be born than Fe- males ; and giving all Allowances in the Computation to Thomas's Side, he makes the Odds againft Thomas, that it does not fo happen to be near five Millions of Millions of Millions of Millions to one ; but for Ages of Ages, accord- ing to this World's Age, to be near an infinute Number to one. Sec Births and Burials.

MARROQUIN, vulgarly Morocco, the Skin of a Goat, orfome other Animal refembling it, and call'd Me- non, frequent in the Levant ; drefs'd in Sumac or Galls, and colour'd of any Colour at pleafure, much ufed in Tapif- try, Book-Binding, &c. The Name is ordinarily de- rived from the Kingdom of Morocco, whence 'tis fuppofed the Manner of preparing them was firft borrow'd. We have Morocco Skins brought from the Levant,Barbary, Spain, Flanders, and France; red, black, yellow, blue, &c. The various Manners of preparing Morocco's, both Black and in Colours, are fo curious and ufeful, and withal fo little known among us, that the Fublick will not be difpleafed to find them here.

Manner of preparing black Morocco. The Skins having been dried in the Hair, are fteep'd in clear Water three Days and Nights, ftretch'd on a wooden Horfe or Leg, like that ufed by Tanners, beaten with a large Knife for the purpofe, and fteep'd a-frelli in Water, chang'd daily till they be well come again. In this State they are thrown into a large Vat in the Ground, full of Water, wherein Quick-Lime has been ilaked, where they lie 1 5 Davs ; whence, however, they are taken, and again re- turn'd every Night and Morning : They are then thrown into a frefli Vat of Lime and Water, and fhifted Night »nd Morning, as before, for 15 Days longer; then rinfed in clear Water, and the Hair taken off, on the Leg, with th« Knife ; return'd into a third Fat, and Ihifted as before

for about 18 Days; fteep'd i% Hours in a River, taken out, rinfed, put in Pails, where they are pounded with wooden Peltles, changing this Water twice : then laid on the Horfe, and the FleJli taken off, return'd into Pails of new Water, taken out, and the Hair- fide fcraped ; re- turn'd into trelh Pails, taken out, and thrown into a Pail of a particular Form, having Holes at bottom: here they are beaten the fpace of an hour, and fre/h Water pour'd on from time to time ; ftretch'd on the Leg, and fcraped on either Side, return'd into Pails of fre/h Water ; taken out, ftretch'd up all around in manner of Bags, leaving out the hind Legs, which ferve as a Mouth for the Con- veyance of a Mixture mention'd hereafter. The Skins thus few'd, are put in luke-warm Water, where Dogs Ex- crement has been diffolved. Here they are ftirred with long Poles half an hour, left at reft a dozen, taken out, rinfed in fre/h Water, and fill'd by a Tunnel with a Pre- paration of Water and Sumac, mix'd and heated over the Fire till ready to boil; and as they arefill'd, the hind Legs are fewed up, to flop the Faffage. In this State they are let down into the Veffel of Water and Sumac, and kept ftirring four hours fucceflively, taken out, and heap'd on one another ; after a little time, their Sides changed : and thus they continue an hour and half, till drain'd. This done, they are loofen'd, and fill'd a fecond time with the fame Preparation, few'd up again, and kept ftirring two hours, piled up and drain'd as before. This is again repeated a third time, with this Difference, that they are now only ftirred a quarter of an hour ; after which, they are left till the morrow morning, when they are taken out, drain'd on a Rack, unfewed, the Sumac taken out, folded in two from Head to Tail, the Hair- fide outwards, laid orer each other on the Leg, to per- fect their Draining, ftretch'd out, and dried; then tram- pled under foot by two and two, ftretch'd on a wooden' Table, what Flefh and Sumac remains fcraped off, and the Hair-fide rubbed over with Oil, and that again with Water. Having thus received their Oil and Water, they are twilled in the Hands, then ftretch'd and prefs'd tioht on the Table with an Iron Inftrument like that of the Cur- riers, the Flefh-fideuppermoft; then turn'd, and the Hair- fide rubb'd ftrongly over with a handful of Rufhes, to fqueeze out as much of the Oil remaining within as pof- fible. The firft Courfe of Black is now laid on the Hair- Side, by means of a Lock of Hair twilled and fteep'd in a kind of black Dye, prepared of four Beer, wherein Pieces of old nifty Iron have been thrown. When half dry by hanging in the Air, they are flretch'd on a Table, and rubb'd over every way with a Paumelle, or wooden Inftrument, with Teeth to raife the Grain, over which is pafs'd a light Couche of Water, then fleek'd, by rubbing them with RufTies prepared for the purpofe. Thus fleek'd, they have a fecond Couch of Black, then dried, laid on the Table, rubb'd over with a Paumelle of Cork, to raife the Grain again ; and after a light Couche of Water, Ueek'd over anew, and to raife the Grain a third time, a Paumelle of Wood ufed. After the Hair- fide has thus received all its Preparations, the Flem-fide is pared with a /harp Knife for the purpofe ; the Hair- fide rubb'd ftrongly over with a woollen Cap, having firft given it a Luftre with Barberries, Citron, or Orange. The whole is finifh'd, by railing the Grain lightly for the laft time with the Paumelle of Cork, which leaves them in a Condition for Sale and Ufe.

Manner