Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VII.djvu/300

 292 FLUSHING FLUTE coal. In the north of England it is a common gangue of the lead veins which are found in the strata of the coal formation ; and it is there most conveniently applied as a flux for the re- duction of these ores, for which it is peculiar- ly adapted. The most famous locality of fluor spar is at Castleton, in Derbyshire, England, whence the name of Derbyshire spar has been given to the mineral. It is there found in the fissures of the limestone of deep blue and purple colors, in specimens so large and beautiful that they are wrought into vases, inkstands, cups, tables, &c., which present fine colors and polish, but which from their softness are liable to be soon defaced. The blue color is often so in- tense that the articles cannot be worked thin enough to exhibit the shade ; but by heating the stone nearly red-hot, the intensity is dimin- ished and the blue changes to amethystine. If the heat is continued, the color disappears. The workmen call the stone blue John. They chip the block into a rude shape, and then neat it, so that on applying rosin over its surface this will fuse and penetrate slightly into the mass, the object of which is to check the ten- dency to cleave as the stone is afterward worked in the lathe ; and as the particles are removed in this operation, the rosining is oc- casionally repeated. The manufacture is diffi- cult, from the crystalline structure with its fourfold cleavage causing the laminae to split up in unexpected places. The best workmen often fail in turning very thin hollow articles. Fluor spar is found at many localities in the United States, and is now largely used for practical purposes. Fine crystals, commonly green and very large, are found in different places in Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties, N. Y., and at Rossie they have been used as a flux in smelting lead ores. In Illinois, below Shawneetown on the Ohio, it is found in large purple crystals, with the same associations of lead ores and coal that accompany it in the north of England. The lead veins of the meta- morphic rocks of New England often contain it as one of the gangues. From fluor spar is obtained fluorine, which, combined with hy- drogen in the form of hydrofluoric acid, is used to etch glass. A variety of fluor spar has been discovered in Germany, which on the applica- tion of heat gives off an odor which Schonbein attributed to a modified oxygen, called anto- zone ; the mineral is called antozonite. FLUSHING, a village and town of Queens co., New York, about 8 m. N. E. of Brooklyn ; pop. of the village in 1870, 6,223 ; of the town, 14,650. The village is at the head of a bay of the same name opening into Long Island sound, and has daily communication with New York by the Flushing and the Flushing and North Side railroads and connecting ferries. It is noted for its magnificent avenues, lined with elegant residences, many of which are owned by New York merchants, and for its extensive gardens and nurseries, which are resorted to by numerous visitors. It is the seat of the Flushing institute, an academy which in 1872 had 7 instructors and 104 pupils; the Flush- ing female seminary; St. Joseph's academy for young ladies, with 100 pupils; St. Mary's seminary for boys ; and St. Joseph's convent, containing 113 sisters. One daily and two weekly newspapers are published. There are eight churches, Baptist, Congregational, Dutch Reformed, Episcopal, Methodist (three), and Roman Catholic. Two of the Methodist churches are for colored people. The town also contains the villages of College Point (pop. 3,652) and Whitestone (pop. 1,907). FLUSHING (Dutch, Vlissingen}, a fortified town and seaport of Holland, in the island of Walcheren, province of Zealand, on the N. shore of the estuary of the W. Scheldt, 50 m. S. W. of Rotterdam; pop. in 1867, 11,521. It is well built, and contains several churches, schools, and charitable institutions, an academy of sciences founded in 1765, a school of naviga- tion, five market places, extensive dockyards, a town hall, a theatre, and an exchange, near which is a statue of Admiral de Ruyter, who was born here. The principal manufactures are beer, soap, and oil ; but the inhabitants are chiefly engaged in commerce, and branches of industry subsidiary thereto. The port of Flush- ing is formed by two moles which break the force of the sea. The town is connected with the sea by two large and deep canals, naviga- ble for first-class merchant ships, which enter the town and unload at the quays close to the warehouses. The number of vessels entering and clearing is about 100 annually. Like Briel it was called a "cautionary town," having been given to Queen Elizabeth as security for the subsidy and soldiers sent to assist the Dutch, under Sir Philip Sidney. The French took possession of the town in 1795, and made it a principal station for their fleets. In 1809 it was bombarded and taken by the British under Lord Chatham, but was soon after evacuated. The new docks, completed in 1873, have made Flushing a rival of Antwerp in maritime and commercial activity. It is the only continen- tal port east of the English channel which will admit the largest ships at all seasons. FLUTE, a wind instrument, which under dif- ferent forms and names has been in use for more than 4,000 years. It was familiar to the Egyptians from a remote period, and among the Greeks and Romans was a favorite pastoral instrument, employed also on sacred and festive occasions, in military bands, and at funerals. Its present name is derived from the Latin fluta, an eel caught in the Sicilian waters, whose side is marked with seven spots like flute holes. The Egyptian flute was from 2 to 3 ft. long, and the performer generally sat on the ground; while that of the Greeks probably did not exceed a foot in length. At Athens it was once in great repute, but was superseded by the lyre, the use of which did not distort the face, while it allowed the accompaniment of the voice. In Thebes, Sparta, and other