V I s

F I S

431

the fixed stars return to the same precise points wherein they wereat the beginning. This period is commonly called Plato ’s year,or the great year. In various places of Scripture firmament isused for the middle region of the air. Many of the ancients al-lowed, with the moderns, that the firmament is a fluid matter;though they, who gave it the denomination of firmament, musthave taken it for a solid one.

Flit MAN, a passport or permit granted by the Great Mogulto foreign vessels, to trade within his territories,

F! R Kl N ESS, in physiology, the consistence of a body, or thatstate wherein its sensible parts cohere in sucli a manner, that themotion of one part induces a motion in the rest.

F'IRO, a species of Acarus. See AcaRUS.

FIRST-BORN. See Primogeniture. This word is oftenused in Scripture in a figurative sense for that which is first, mostexcellent, most distinguished in any thing. Thus it is said ofChrist (Col. i. 1 A,) that he is “ the first-born of every creatureand in the Revelation (i. 5,) he is called “ the first-begotten ofthe dead ;” that is, according to the commentators,' Begotten ofthe Father before any creature was produced ; and (be first whorose from the dead by his own power. “ The first-born of thepoor,” (Isa. xiv. 30,) signifies, The most miserable of all the poor;and in Job (xviii. 13,) “The first-born of death ; that is, Themost terrible of all deaths.

First-fruits, [ primitia Lat.] among the Hebrews, were obla-tions of part of the fruits of the harvest, offered to God as an ac-knowledgment of his sovereign dominion. The first of these fruitswere offered in the name of the whole nation, being cither twoloaves of bread, or a sheaf of barley which was threshed in thecourt of ihe temple. Every private person was obliged to bringhis first-fruits to the temple ; and these consisted of wheat, barley,grapes, figs, apricots, olives, and dates. There was another sortof first-fruits which were paid to God . When bread was kneadedin a family', a portion of it was set apart, and given to the priest orLevite who dwelt in the place: it there was no priest or hevitethere, it was cast into the oven, and consumed by the fire. Theseofferings made a considerable part of the revenues of the Hebrew priesthood.

First-fruits are frequently mentioned bv ancient ChristianWriters as one part of the church revenue. One of the councils°f Carthage enjoined, that they should consist only of grapes andcorn ; which shews, that this was the practice of the African church.

First-fruits, in the church of England , are the profits ofe very spiritual benefice for the first year, according to the valua-tion thereof in the king's books.

F1RUZABAD, a town of Persia , in the province of Faristan,

miles S. S. W. of the Schiras .

.FISC, or FISCUS, [from fivxo,-, Gr. a great basket/] in tbeC1 vil law, the treasury of a prince or state ; or that to which all

, n S s due to the public fall. Bv the civil law, none but a sove-Nign prince has a right to have a fisc or public treasury.

. fiscal, in the civil law, something relating to theIR terest of the prince or people.

Fiscal, a town of Spain in Arragon , 15 milesN. W. of Ainsa.

FJSCI1A, a river of Germany, m Austria , which runs into the■Danube , at FUchamuud.

,FISCI ADVOCATI, and FISCI PROCURATORES,“‘•ii'ers appointed for the management of the tisc.

. FISH, in natural history, constitutes a class of animals which

, ave 1,0 feet, hut always fins; add to this, that their body is eitherItoarovk..—. ■ - ’ ’ ’ ' , we

in water. See

1 pecuniary

- -■>' icci, mu always tins; acHl to tins, that their body is efili^together naked, or only covered with scales; and that they aRise *' 0 aililnals > which live mostly, if not always,

F’ish

mast or

i, in a ship, a plank or piece of timber, fastened to a ship sr yard, to strengthen it; which is done by nailing it on withlr °n spikes, and winding ropes hard about them.

Fishes, in heraldry, are the emblems of silence and watcbiul-aess i and are born either upright, unbowed, extended, endorsedInspecting each other, surmounting one another, fretted, fko. In‘"axoiling fishes, those born feeding, should be termed devour

IT 1 oil u i

tins, should be blazonedborn transverse the escutcheon, must be

mgall fishes born upright and bavinbauriant; and those

termed naiant. . t ,y, a t of blowing

F ishes, Blowing or, is a practice situ . deceitful pur-

fiesh, poultry, and pigs, and adopted tor the same

poses. The method of blowing fish, especially cod and whitingsis' by placing the end of a quill or tobacco-pipe at the vent, andpricking a hole with a pin tinder the fin which is next the gill;thereby making the fish appear to the eye large and full, whichwhen dressed will be flabby, and little else than skin and bones.But this imposition may be discovered by placing the finger andthumb on each side of the vent, and squeezing it hard ( the windmay be perceived to go out, the skin will fall in, and the fish seemlank, and of little value.

Fishes, F’eeding of. When they are fed in large pools orponds, either malt boiled, or fresh grains, is the best food ; thuscarps may be raised and fed like capons, and tenches will feed aswell. The care of feeding them is best committed to a aardeneror the butler, who should he always at hand. When ted in astew, any sort of grain boiled, especially peas, and malt coarselyground, are proper food ; also the grains after brew ing, while freshand sweet; but one bushel of malt not brewed, will go as far astwo of grains.

F’ish, Gold. See Cyprinus.

F’ish, Preserving of, for Cabinets. Linnieus’s methodis, to expose them to the air; and when they acquire such a de-gree of putrefaction that the skin loses its cohesion to the body oftile fish, it may be slid off almost like a glove: the. two sides ofthis skin may then be dried upon paper like a plant, or one of thesides may be filled with plaster of Paris to give the subject a dueplumpness. A fish may be prepared, after it has acquired this de-gree of putrefaction, by making a longitudinal incision on thebelly, and carefully dissecting the fleshy part from the skin, whichare but slightly attached to it in consequence of the putreseenev.The skin is then to be filled with bottom and the antiseptic powderas directed for birds ; and, lastly, to be sewed up where the inci-sion was made. See Bird .

F’ish, The Right and Property qf. It has been held,that where the lord of the manor has the soil on both sidesof the river, it is good evidence that he has the right of fish-ing ; but w here the river ebbs and flows, and is an arm of thesea, there it is common to all, and he who claims a privilegeto himself must prove it. In the Severn, the soil belongs to theowners of the land, on each side ; and the soil of the river Thames is in the king, tkc. but the fishing is common to all. I Mod. 105.Any person who shall unlawfully break, cut, or destroy, any heador dam of a fish-pond, or wrongfully fish therein, with intent totake or kill fish, shall on conviction at the suit of the king, or ofthe party, at the assizes or sessions, be imprisoned three months,and pay treble damages, and after the expiration of the threemonins, shall line! sureties for his good behaviour for seven years,or remain in prison till lie does. 5 Eliz. c. 21 . If any personshall enter into any park or paddock, fenced in and enclosed, orinto any garden, orchard, or yard, adjoining or belonging to anydwelling-house, in or through which park or paddock, garden, or-chard, or yard, any stream of water shall run, or wherein shall beany river, stream, pond, pool, moat, stew, or other water, and byany means or device whatsoever, shall steal, take, kill, or destroy,any fish bred or kept in it, without the consent of the owner, orshall be aiding therein, or shall receive or buy any such fish,knowing them to be so stolen or taken as aforesaid, and shall beconvic ted thereof at the assizes, within six calendar months afterthe offence shall be committed, be shall be transported for sevenyears. And any offender, surrendering himself to a justice, orbeing apprehended or in custody for such offence, or on any otheraccount, who shall make confession thereof, and a true discoveryon oath of his accomplice or accomplices, so that such accomplicemay be apprehended, and shall on trial give evidence, 50 as toconvict such accomplices, shall be discharged of the offence, soby him confessed. And if any person shall take, kill, or destroy,or attempt to take, kill, or destroy, any fish in any river,or stream, pond, pool, or other water, (not in any park orpaddock, or in any garden, orchard, or yard, adjoining orbelonging to any dwelling-house, but in any other inclos-ed ground, being private property) lie shall, on convictionbefore one justice, on the oath of one witness, forfeit 51. to theowner of the fishery of such river, pond, or other water ; and suchjustice, on complaint upon oath, may issue his warrant to bringthe person complained of before him ; and if lie shall be convictedbefore sucb justice, or any other of the county or place, he shall’ immediately