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silver twenty-tvro inches long, and fifteen lines in diameter, isstretched to 1,103520 feet, or is 634,692 lines longer than before,which amounts to about ninety-seven leagues. To wind thisthread on siik for use, they first flatten it, in doing which it stretchesat least one-seventh farther, so that the twenty-two inches are"nn\v111 leagues: but in the tlatteningT instead of one-seventh, theycould stretch it one-fourth, which would bring it to 120 leagues.'This appears a prodigious extension, and yet it is nothing to whatthis gentleman has proved gold to be capable of.
Ductility of Glass . We all know that, when well pene-trated with tlie heat of tire, the workmen can figure and manageglass like soft wax; but what is most remarkable, it may be drawn,or spun out, into threads exceedingly long and fine. Our ordi-nary spinners do not form their threads of silk, flax, or the like,with half the ease and expedition as the glass-spinners do threads ofthis brittle matter. We have some of them used in plumes forchildren’s heads, and divers other works, much finer than any hair,and which bend and wave like hair with every wind. Nothing ismore simple and easy than the method of making them. Thereare two workmen employed ; the first holds one end of a piece ofglass over the flame of a lamp; and, when the heat has softened it,a second operator applies a glass hook to the metal thus in fusion ;and, withdrawing the hook again, it brings with it a thread of glass,which still adheres to the mass: then, fitting his hook on the cir-cumference of a wheel about two feet and a half in diameter, heturnsthe wheel as fad as he pleases: which, drawing out thethread, winds it on its rim; till, after a certain number of revolu-tions, it is covered with a skain of glass-thread. The mass in fu-tion over the lamp diminishes insensibly : being wound out like aclue of silk upon the wheel ; and the parts, as they recede fromthe flame, cooling, become more coherent to those next to them,and this by degrees : the parts nearest the fire are always the leastcoherent, and, of consequence, must give way to the effort therest make to draw them towards the wheel. The circumferenceof these threads is usually a Hat oval, being three or four times asbroad as thick: some of them seem scarcely bigger than the threadof a silkworm, and are surprisingly flexible. If the two ends ofsuch threads are knotted together, (hey may be drawn and bent,till the aperture, or space in the middle of the knot, does not ex-ceed one-fourth of a line, or one forty-eighth of an inch, in diame-ter. Hence M. Reaumur advances, that the 'flexibility of glassincreases in proportion to the fineness of the threads: and that,probably, had we but the art of drawing threads as line as a spider’sweb, we might weave stuffs and cloths of them for wear. Aecord-dingly, he made some experiments this way ; and found that hecould make threads fine enough, viz. as fine, in his judgement, asspider’s thread, but he could never make them long enough to dounv thing with them.
DUBERSTADT, a town of Germany, in the circle of LowerSaxony , 40 miles N. li. of Cassel. Lon. 10. 12. K. Lat. 51. 41. N.
DUDLEY, a town of England, in the county of Worcester,10 miles VV. of Birmingham .
DUEL, a single combat , at a time and place appointed, in con-sequence of a challenge. This custom came originally from thenorthern nations, among whom it was usual to decide* ail theircontroversies by arms. Both the accuser and accused gave pledges |to the judges on (heir respective behalf; and the custom prevailedso far amongst the Germans , Danes, and Franks, that none wereexcused from it but women, sick people, cripples, and such aswere under 21 years of age or above 60. Even ecclesiastics, priests,and monks, were obliged to find champions to fight in their stead.The punishment of the vanquished was either death, by hanging orbeheading; or mutilation of members, according to the circum-stances of the case. Duels were at first admitted not only oncriminal occasions, but on some civil ones for the maintenance ofrights to estates, and the like: in latter times, however, before theywere entirely abolished, they were restrained to these four cases.1. That the crime should be capital. 2. That it should be certainthe crime was perpetrated. 3. The accused must by common famebe supposed guilty. And, 4. The matter not capable of proof bywitnesses.
Dull, at present, is used for single combat on some privatequairel; and must be premeditated, otherwise it is called a Ren-counter. If a person is killed in a duel, both the principals andseconds are guilty, whether the seconds engage or not. See
VOL. II.—NO. 68.
Murdku. It is also a very high offence to challenge a poison■either by word or letter, or to be the messenger of a challenge.See Law.
DU ET, in music, a composition expressly written for two Amicesor instruments, with or without a bass and accompaniments. Injgood duets the execution is pretty equally distributed between the'two parts, and the melodies so connected, intermingled, and de-pendent on each other, as to lose every effect when separated, butto In* perfectly related and concinnou.i when heard together.
DUEREN, or DU REN, a handsome town of Germany , inthe duchy of Juliers, 12 miles S. S. E. of Juliers .
DUELISTADT, or WYCK DE DUERSTADT, a town ofBatavia, in the depaitment of the Rhine , and late province of U-trecht, 11 miles from Utrecht .
DUGDALE, Sir William, an eminent English historian, anti-quarian, and herald, born in Warwickshire in 1605. lie was in-troduced into the herald’s office by Sir Christopher Ilatton ; andascended gradually through all the degrees, until he became garterprincipal king at arms, llis chief work is the “Monasticum Angli-canum,” in 3 vols. folio; containing the charters and descriptions ofall the English monasteries, adorned with engravings: in the formerof which works he was assisted by Mr. Roger Dodsworth . Nor an*bis “ Antiquities of Warwickshire” less esteemed. He wrote like-wise the History of St. Paul’s Cathedral; a History of Embankingand Draining; a Baronage of England; and completed tiie secondvolume of Sir Henry Spelman’s Councils, with a second part ofhis Glossary. He died in 16S6. Ilisson, John, wasNorroy kingat arms, and published a Catalogue of English Nobility. Ilisdaughter Elizabeth married the famous Elias Ashmole .
DUG1NSKOI, a cape of Russian Siberia , in the sea of Ochot-skoi. I .on. 167. E. Lat. 59. 15. N.
DU1I.LIA LEX, the DUILLIAN I.AW, a Roman law,enacted by M. Duillius, a tribune, A. U. C. 304. It made it acapital crime to leave the Roman people without its tribunes, or tocreate any new magistrate w ithout a sufficient cause, There wasanother Duillian law in 392, regulating the interest to be paid formoney lent.
DCiLLIUS Nepos, Caius, a Roman consul, the first whoobtained a victory over the naval power of Carthage , A. U. C. 492.lie took 50 ships and was honoured with a naval triumph, the firstthat ever appeared at Rome. The senate rewarded his valour bypermitting him to have music playing, and torches lighted, at the,public expence, every day while he was at supper. There weresome medals struck’ in "commemoration of this victory ; andthere still exists a column at Rome, which was creeled on theoccasion.
DUINA, or DUNA, a river of Russia , which rises from alake, 16 miles N. E. of Toropetz, and falls into the Baltic atRiga .
DU1NO, or DOINO, orTYBEIN, a sea-port town of Ger-main, in Garniola, 8 miles N. \V. of Trieste.
DUISBURG, a town of Germany, in Westphalia . Lon. 6. 49.E. Lat. 51. 30. N.
DUKE, DUX, was originally a Roman dignity, denominateda ducendo, leading or commanding. Accordingly, the first dukes,duces, were ductores exercituum, commanders of armies. Underthe later emperors, the governors of provinces during war wereintitled duces. In after-times the same denomination was alsogiven to the governors of provinces in time of peace. The firstgovernor under the name of duke was a duke of the Marchia Rha>fica, or Grisons, whereof mention is made in Cassiodorus ; andthere were afterwards 13 dukes in the eastern empire, and 12 in thewestern. The Goths and Vandals, upon their over-running theprovinces of the western empire, abolished the Roman dignitieswherever they settled. But the Franks, Ac. to please the Gauls ,who had long been used to that form of government, made it apoint of politics not to change any thing therein: and accordinglythey divided ail Gaul into duchies and counties; and gave thenames, sometimes of dukes, and sometimes of counts, comiles, tothe governors thereof. In England, during the time of the Saxons ,Cainden observes, the officers and commanders of armies werecalled dukes, duces, after the ancient Roman manner, withoutany addition. After the Conqueror came in, the title lay dormanttill the reign of Edward III . who created his son Edward, firstcalled the Black Prince, duke of Cornwall j which has ever since3 G bee«*