Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 2.djvu/455

 POL

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POL

fix'd Pole in any Iron. Tis required the Iron have a length, if it be thick. Mr. Ballard tells us, that in fix or feven Drills made before his Face, the Bit of each became a North Pole, merely by hardening.

Pole of a Glafs in Opticks, is the thickeft Part of a Con- vex, or the thinneft of a Concave Glafs. See Convex and Concave.

If the Glafs be truly ground, the Pole will be exaftly in the Middle of its Surface. See Optic, Glass, Grind- ing, &c.

This is fometimes alfo called the Vertex of the Glafs. See Vertex.

Pole in Surveying, is a Meafure, containing 16 Foot and sn half; called alfo Perch. See Perch.

Pole-Sw, or Polar-Sm?-, is a Star of the fecond Magni- tude ; the laft in the Tail of Urfa Minor, or Little Bear. See Ursa Minor.

Its Longitude Mr. Flamfiead makes 24° 14' 41 ", its Lati- tude, 66° 64' 11".

The Nearners of this Star to the Pole, whence it happens that it never fets ; renders it of vaft Service in Navigation, &e. for determining the Meridian Line, the Elevation of the Pole, and confequently the Latitude of the Place, &c. See Pole; fee alfo Meridian and Latitude.

P O L E M, Atmo 4. Edw. IV. cap. 7. was a (harp or picked Top, fet in the Fore-part of the Shoe or Boot. This Fafhion was firft taken up in the Time of King Willia?n Un- fits ; the Picks being made fo long, that they were tied up to the Knees with Silver or Golden Chains : They were forbidden by Edw. IV. Tunc fiuxus Crinium, tunc luxus Veftium, tunc ufus Calceorum cum arcuatls aculeis inventus eft. Malmf. in Will. II.

POLEMICAL, an Epithet applied to Books of Con- troverfy ; efpecially thofe in Divinity.

Hence alfo we fay Polemical Divinity, for Controversial, &c. See Divinity.

The Word comes from the Greek wtKtiMi, War, Battle. Scaliger's Exercitations againft Cardan make a pure po- lemical Book.

POLEMOSCOPE, in Opticks, a kind of crooked or oblique Prospective Glafs, contrived for the feeing ofObjefts that don't lie direftly before the Eye.

It was invented by Hevelius, in 1637, who gave it this Name from the Greek miM/Mt, pugna, becaufe it may be of Ufe in War, in Engagements, Duels, &c

Something of this Kind are thofe now known among us under the Name of Ogling Glades, or Opera-Glaffes, thro' which one fees a Perfon in appearing to look at another.

Conftrucrion of the Polemofcope.

Any Telefcope wiil be a Polemofcope, if the Tube be but crooked, like a reftangular Syphon A B D M (Tab. Opticks, Fig. 70.) And between the Object Glafs, AB,and firft Eye- Glafs G H (if there be several) be placed a plain Mirror, in fuch manner as that the Mirror is inclined to the Horizon, at an An.^e of 45, and its reflefted Image found in the Fo- cus o f • it. Eye-Glafs G H.

For, by this means, Objefts fituate over againft the Lens A B will appear the fame as if the Mirror K were away, and the Object-GUI's with the Objects were direftly oppo- iite to the Eye-Glaffes.

If 'tis defired to look in at O, not at M, another plain Mirror, N muft be added. See Telescope.

POLETA, in our ancient Law-Books, fignifiesthe Ball of

the Foot Tres ortilli fcindamur de pede anteriori fine Pole-

ta. Mat. Par. Anno 1215. See Expeditate. . POLICY, or Polity, the Laws, Orders, and Regula- tions prefcribed for the Conduct and Government of States and Communities. See Government.

In the general, Policy is ufed in opposition to Barbarism.

Different States have different Kinds of Policy ; thus

the Policy of Athens differ'd from that of Sparta.

Loyfeau obferves, that Policy properly signifies the Courfe

and Administration of Justice in a City. The Direction

of the Policy of London is in the Hands of the Lord-Mayor. See Mayor.

At Paris they have a Chamber of Policy, where People are verbally accufed for Contraventions of Policy.

Some divide Policy into two Parts, Agaronomy, that re- lating to the Affairs of Merchandife; and Aflimmy, that concerning the Civil and Judiciary Government of the Ci- tizens : Some add a third Branch, viz.. what relates to the Ecclesiastical Government. See Ecclesiastical.

Bifhop Hooker has a fine Treatife of the Laws of Ecclefi- aftical Polity.

The Word is of Greek Original; being derived from the Greek v»us, Civitas, City.

Policy of Ajfurance, or Infurance of Ships, is a Contract or Convention whereby a Perfon takes upon himfelf the Rifques of a Sea- Voyage; obliging himfelf to make good the Loffes and Damages that may befal the Veflel, its E- guipage, Tackle, Victualling, Lading, &e. either from Tem-

pests, Shipwrecks, Pirates, Fire, War, Reprizals, & c. i ft Part or in whole; in Confideration of a certain Sum of Se- ven, Eight, or Ten per Cent, more or lefs, according to the Risk run ; which Sum is paid down to the Assurer by the Affuree, upon his figning the Policy. See Assurance.

There are fome Affurances for the Going, fome for the Returning, and fome for both ; or for a limited Time ; though fome maintain, that the Time ought never to be limited in that the Contract thereby becomes Ufurary.

The Policy is to contain the Name and Dwelling of the Perfon assured ; his Quality, whether as Proprietor or A- gent; the Effects, Name of the Veflel, and of the Master - thofe of the Place where the Goods are to be loaden or u n - loaden; the Port whence and whither, the Time, the Rifques, and the Conditions.

If the Veflel or Merchandizes assured be loft, the Affuree muft notify the fame by an Act in form ; declaring he fur- renders the whole to the Assurer, on his paying the Sums aflured in the Time exprefled.

The Origin of thefe Affurances is ascribed to the Jews at the Time they were expelled France, in 1182; who are faid to have ufed this as a Means to facilitate the tranfport- ing of their Effects.

The Term Policy is Spani/Ii, and comes from Polka, Sche- dule; but the Practice comes from the Italians and the Lombards, who, again, derived it originally from the Latin Policitatio, Promise.— Some fay, the Merchants of Marfeilles were the firft who fet on Foot this Kind of Commerce.

Anciently, Policies were given by Word of Mouth, called Policies of Credit ; it being supposed the Assurer would en- ter them in his Leidger: but of late that Honefty is be- come lefs frequent among Traders, they have been con- ftantly in Writing.

The Grand Mart for the Assurance of Ships is the City of Amflerdam. 'Tis here not only the Dutch Traders assure their Veffels, bur, what is infinitely more considerable, fuch is the Riches, Reputation, &c. of the Inhabitants, as to en- gage the Generality of Merchants of other Countries to pre- fer them to their own Countrymen, and to allure with the Dutch, when it would be much eafier for them to find Af- furers at Home, or in the Ports where the Veffels are laden.

The Number of Assurers at Amflerdam is not above Fifty or Sixty Perfons ; yet is their Wealth and Character fuch, that a Man never fails of an Aflurer, be the Countries or Ports what they will, the Cargo ever fo rich, or the Dangers ever fo imminent.

Policy of Ajfurance, or Infurance of Houfes, is an In- strument form'd on the Model of that for Vefcls; whereby a Perfon, or Community of Perfons, take on themfclves the Rifques and Damages that may befal Houfes, their Fur- niture, in whole or in Part, &c. from Fire; on Confi- deration of a certain Sum or Sums, to be paid by the Af- furer, according to the Terms of the Agreement. See A s- s u R a n c E.

The Assurance from Fire is now a popular Piece of Com- merce ; and we have a Number of Societies erected into Cor- porations, for that very Purpose. See Fire-Office.

Pol 1 cy of Ajfurance of Lives, is an Instrument whereby a Society of Perfons erected into a Corporation, 0-c. oblige themfelves to pay a certain Sum of Money, e. g. an Hun- dred Pounds upon the Death of a Perfon whole Life they assure; in Confideration of a Sum of Money, e. g. oneGui- nea, paid Quarterly, to the Assurers during the Life of the faid Perfon aflured.

The Policy is under the Seal of the Office, and entitles the Perfon, in whofe Favour 'tis granted, to make good his Claim, according to the Tenor of the Articles, or By-Laws of the So- ciety.

There have alfo been lately fet on Foot, Policies of Af- furance of Horfes, from Death, Damages in Travelling, Dif- eafes, being stolen, &c. In which Cafes the Assurers are to make them good to the Aflurees, &c.

Policy in Letter-Foundery, is fometimes ufed, for a Rule that regulates the Number of Letters of each Kind in a compleat Font; i.e. to determine how many, in Propor- tion to the whole Set, there are to be of each particular Kind. See Letter, &c.

For inftance, in a Font of an hundred thoufand Charac- ters, there are to be a thoufand for the e, five thoufand for «, three thoufand for the m, thirty only for k, as many or a little more for the x, they, and z.; and in Proportion for the other Letters, the great and little Capitals, the ini- tial Letters, Points, Comma's, double Letters, &c. See

£««r-F0UNDERY.

POLIOPTRUM, or Polyoptron, in Opicks. See Polyoptron.

POLISHER, an Inftrument call'd alio a Eurmffieri ufed for polishing and burnifhing Gold, Silver, and other Me- tals, when gilt or filver'd ; and Matters of other Kinds proper to take a Polish. See Burnisher and Polishing.

The Polijlier is different in the different Arts and Manu- factories.— ^The Gilders ufe an Iron Poliflier to prepare

their