F LA

FLA

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4 ides that at the bottom, the mouth-piece, and that behind theneck.

Flac.-Flowf.r. See Acorus and Iris.

FLAIL, [ flagellum , Latin ; flegd, German, ] the instrumentwith which grain is beaten out of the ear ; the tool of the thresher.

Flaii.s consist of the following parts : 1. The hand-staff, orpiece held in the thresher’s hand. 2. The swiple, or that partwhich strikes out the corn. 3. The caplins, or strong doubleleathers, made fast to the lops of the hand-staff and s tiple. 4.The middle band, being the leather thong, or lish-skin, that tiesthe caplins together.

FLAIR, in sea language, the seamen say, that the work dothflair over, when a ship is housed in near the water, so that thework hangs over a little too much, and thus is let out broader aloftthan the flue proportion will allow.

FLAKE, in the cod fishery, a sort of scaffold or platform, madeof hurdles, and supported by stanchions, used for drying cod-lishin Newfoundland , 'these flakes are usually placed near theshores of iishing harbours.

Flake, in gardening, a sort of carnation, which is of two co-lours only, and has very large stripes, all of them going quitethrough the leaves.

Flake, W hite, in painting, lead corroded by the pressing ofgrapes, or a ceruss prepared by the acid of grapes. It is broughthere from Italy ; and far surpasses, both with regard to the purityof its whiteness, and the certainty of its standing, all the ceruss orwhite lead made with us. It is used in oil and varnish painting,for all purposes where a very clean white is required. It shouldbe procured in lumps, as brought over, and levigated by thosewho use it; as that which the colourmen sell in a prepared state islevigated and mixed up with starch, and often with white lead,and worse sophistications.

FLAMANV1LLE, a sea-port of France , in the department ofthe Channel, 10 miles S. W. of Cherbourg.

FLAMBEAU, a kind of large taper, made of hempen wicks,by pouring melted w'ax on their top, and letting it run down tothe bottom. This done, they lay them to dry; after which theyroll them on a table, and join four of them together by means ofa led-hot iron ; and then pour on more wax, till the flambeau isbrought to the size required. Flambeaus are of different lengths,and made either of white or yellow wax. They serve to givelight in the streets at night, or on occasion of illuminations.

FLAMBOROUGU, a town of Yorkshire , seated on the N.side of the cape, chiefly inhabited by fishermen.

Flambokough Head, a cape on the E. coast of Yorkshire ,five miles E. of Burlington, and 206 from London . It was theFleamburg of the Saxons ; so called from the flames or lightsmade on it to direct the landing of Ida, who in A. D. 547 joinedhis countrymen in Britain, with a large reinforcement from Ger-many, and founded the kingdom of Northumberland . Lon. 0. 4.E. Lat. 54. 9. N.

FLAME, yjiumma, Lat.] in physiology, the small parts of aninflammable bodv, that are set on lire, and throw off a quantity oflight in every direction, or according to Sir Isaac New ton theflame of a body is only the smoke thereof heated red hot ; and theR moke is only the volatile part of the body separated by the lire.'When oxygen gas is decomposed slowly, the heat is impercep-tible, because the caloric is dissipated as soon as generated. Whenfile decomposition goes on faster, the bodies concerned becomesensibly warm. A quicker decomposition of the gas heats thebodies so as to render them red hot, which state is called ignition :a nd when the process is attended w ith the production ot certainfluids, as hydrogen, &c. and the decomposition of oxygen air af-fords a sufficient developement of caloric, then the fluids them-sHves are ignited, and decomposed, which constitutes flame, andls thence termer! inflammation. When a candle is first lighted,"bit’ll must he done by the application of actual flame, a degree?f heat is given to the wick sufficient to destroy the affinity ofJ ts constituent parts; some of the tallow is instantly melted, vo-latilized, and decomposed, its hydrogen takes fire, and the candleo^elts. As this is destroyed by combustion another portion melts,j ,s s and supplies its place, and undergoes a like decomposition. 11 'his way combustion is maintained in a candle. I he most hril-flame is exhibited in oxvecn gas, and in this flames of dit-*-‘ r ent colours may be produced: thus a mixture of nitrate of

strontia and charcoal powder, previously ignited, burns with arose-coloured flame ; cue part of boracic acid, and three ot char-coal mixed, w ill burn green: one part of nitrate of barytes andfour of charcoal powder burn wilh a yellow flame : equal parts ofnitrate of lime and charcoal powder burn orange-red. Combus-tion is more perfect, mil the light more intense, w hen the air has afreer access to every part of the flame.

FLAMEN, in Roman antiquity, an order of priests, institifledby Romulus or Numa. They were originally only three, viz. the1’lamen Dialis, Martiulis, and Quirinalis. The two last, thoughof high authority, were much inferior to the Flnmen Dialis. Altthe three were chosen bv the people, and consecrated by the Pon-tifex Maximus. In latter times several priests of the same orderwere added to them, but inferior in power. The whole numberat last amounted to 15 : the three first of whom were senators, andcalled Flamines innjores; the other 12 taken from among the peo-ple, being denominated Flamines mirores.

FLAM1N1US, or FLAMING, Mark Anthony, one of thebest Latin poets in the 16th century, oflmola in Italy , son andgrandson of very learned men. The pope had chosen him secre-tary to the council in 1545 ; but he refused that employment, ashe favoured the new opinions, and would not employ his pen inan assembly where lie knew these opinions were to be condemned.He wrote notes on the Psalms ; paraphrased 30 of them in Latin verse ; and wrote letters and poems which are esteemed. Hedied at Rome in 1550.

FLAMS'TED, a town of England, in Hertfordshire , five milesfrom St. Alban’s and Dunstable , on the Verigin, anciently calledVerlamstede.

FLAMSTEED, John, an eminent English astronomer, bornin Derby in 1646. He had early read a great deal of civil andecclesiastical history; but happening to see John De Saerohosco’sbook, De Sphaua, he acquired a turn for astronomy, which he af-terwards prosecuted with great vigour. In 1674, he wrote anephemetis, in which he shewed the falsity of astrology ; and gavea table of the moon’s rising and setting, with the eclipses and ap-pulses of the moon and planets to fixed stars. This fell into thehands of Sir Jonas More; for whom he made a table of themoon’s true southings. In 1674, Sir Jonas having informed him,that a true account of the tides would be highly acceptable to theking, he composed a small ephemeris for his use; and when SirJonas shewed the king and duke of York Flamsteed’s telescopesand micrometer, he procured a warrant to be king’s astronomer,with a salary of 100/. a-year. His “ Doctrine of the Sphere” waspublished in 1681, in a posthumous work of Sir Jonas More, in-titled “ A new System of the Mathematics.” In 1684, he wasiresenled to the living of Burstow in Surrv, which he enjoyed tillle died in 1719. IIis “ Ilistoria ccelestis Britannica” was publish-ed at London in 1725, in three vols. He likewise composed theBritish Catalogue of the fixed stars, which contains tw ice the num-ber that are in the catalogue of llevelius ; see Astronomy ; toeach of which he annexed its longitude, latitude, right ascension,and distance from the pole, together with the variation of rightascension and declination, while the longitude iucleases a degree.This catalogue, together with most of his observations, wereprinted on a fine paper and character, at the expence of princeGeorge of Denmark .

FLANDERS, a country of the Netherlands , formerly a con-siderable county, governed by its own hereditary sovoreimis ; butnow forming part of France . It was hounded on the N. by theUnited Provinces ; on the E. by the late Austrian provincesof Brabant and llainault; on the S. by Ilainault and Artois: andon the VY. and N. \Y. by the German ocean ; extending 60 milesin length, and 50 in bread'll. It contained 30 cities, a great mini,her of market towns, 1154 villages, and 48 abbeys; besides manycolleges, monasteries, &c. The towns are situated so near eachother, that the Spaniards, who followed Philip II , supposed thewhole country to constitute blit one great city. Since that period,it has suffered greatly Irom the ravages of various wars; and par-ticularly during the present. The climate is temperate andhealthy ; *he soil is very fertile, being watered by many rivers andcanals, and producing all kinds of corn, flax, and other vegeta-bles; and the surlace is very level, there being not a single hill orr sing ground in it. The pastures are excellent, and rear greatnumbers of flue horses, sheep, and black cuttle. The Flemings

were