FLE

447

FLO

department of Gers,

turned schoolmaster, to which profession lie added those of astrolo-ger and doctor, by which means he acquired 30001. He died in1793. He published a compendium of practical mathematics un-der the title ot the Universal Measurer, t vol. 8vo. a work of con-siderable merit.

Fletcher John, a pious divine, was a native of Switzerland ,and educated at Geneva , lie came to England, and was appointedpresident of lady Huntingdon’sseminary of education atTrevecka,in South Wales, but was dismissed from that situation for denyingthe doctrine of absolute election. lie afterwards obtained the vi-carage of Madely in Shropshire , where, he died in 1785. Mr.Fletcher wrote several excellent tracts against the Calvinists inwhich he manifests a spirit of meekness, wisdom, and Christianlove.

Fletcher's Nook, a cape of the United States , in the dis-trict of Main. Lon. 70. 59. W. Lat. 43. 25. N.

FLETEWOOD, William, an eminent English lawver andrecorder of London , in the reign of queen Elizabeth, lie wasvery zealous in suppressing mass-houses, and committing Popishpriests; but once rushing in upon mass at the Portuguese ambas-sador’s house, he was committed to the Fleet for breach of privi-lege, but soon released. Mr. Wood says, “ he was a learnedIlian, and a good antiquarian.” He was a good popular speaker,and wrote well upon government. Ilis principal works are, 1.•Annalium tarn Regum Edvvardi V. Richardi 111. and Henrici VIIquam Henrici VIII. 2. A Table of the Reports of EdmundPlowden. 3. The Office of a Justice of Peace. He died about1593.

FLEVILLEA, in botany, a genus of the hexandria order, andditt'eia class of plants. Male calyx and corolla-quinquefid ; sta-mina live; the nectarium live converging filaments. Female ca-ly x quinquefid1; styli three ; apple hard, trilocular, barkv.

I 1 LEU RANC E, a town of France , in the deparl13 miles N. of Auch.

I’.h-EURl, or PLEUTIY, Claude, one of the best French critics and historians of his age, was born at Paris in 1040. Fieapplied himself to the law, was made advocate for the parliament°t Paris , and attended the bar nine years: he then entered intoorders, and was made preceptor to the princes of Conti, [n 1689,Lewis XIV. made him sub-preceptor to the dukes of Burgundy,•Anjou, and Berry; and in 1700, lie gave him the priory of Ar-genteuille. In 1716, he was chosen counsellor to Louis XV. and*ied in 1723. He was the author of a great number of esteemedtench works ; the principal of which are, 1. An Ecclesiastical^Lstory, in 20 volumes, the last of which ends with the rear 14-14.

I he Manners of the Israelites. 3. The Manners of the Chris-lans. 4. Institutions of Ecclesiastical Law . 5. An Historicalatechism. 6. On the Choice and Method of Study. 7. The■Duties ot Masters and Servants, &c.

Pleury, a town of France, in the department of Saone and9>re, and late province of Burgundy, 30 miles N. of Chalons .Pleury, a town of France , in the department of the Straits| 1;lls > 4-1. miles N. W. of St. Pol.flexible, in physics, a term applied to bodies capable of' lrt - 11 or diverted from their natural figure or direction.

LEXION, in anatomy, is applied to the motion by which the' rn or any other member of the body is bent. It is also applied0 ‘, m F 'sclos, nerves, Ac.

v-P.XOR, in anatomy, a name applied to several muscles,wi '^i arL so ‘ -died from their office, which is to bend the part tobelong, in opposition to the extensors, whicli open or

Plr y**'- 1 '. ^ ee A n atomv -

S j .,_PRE of Curves , in the higher geometry, is used toa in' " * . a c urve is both concave and convex, with respect to'j■: von r 'fiht-line A/>, or a fixed point P, (Plate LXX. fig. 11.)or p' . i turvc t’MI), having the part CM concave towards A pU e ’ a,, “ tk ‘ part Ml) convex to the same, is said to have ay e ’ .' r * ’. •""■I the point M which limits the concavity and con-pj-,’ ’ s the point of intlcclion or contrary flexure,tarilv" , * 's evading the course of justice, by a man’s volun-lonv ^'“'drawing himself. On an accusation of treason or fe-tor flu? 1 Pv ™ P e tty larceny, if the jury find that the party fledbe a ,. ( s . arnp > he shall forfeit his goods and chattels, although heCarr ym ■ elte,K ‘e; for the very flight itself is an offence,

gwith it a strong presumption of guilt, and is at least an

of

endeavour to elude and stifle the course of justice prescribed bythe law. But now the jury very seldom find the flight; such for-feiture being looked upon, since the vast increase ot personal pro-perty, as too large a penalty for an offence, to which a man isprompted by the natural love of liberty. 4 Black. 387.

Flight, is also used for the manner, duration, &c. of flying.Almost every kind of bird has its particular flight: the eagle’sflight is the highest; the flight of the sparrow-hawk and vulture isnoble, and fit for high enterprize and combat. The flight of some,birds is low, weak, and transient; the flight of the partridge andpheasant is but of short continuance; that of the dove is labour-ed ; that of .the sparrow undulatory, Ike. The augurs pretend-ed to foretel future events from the flight of birds. See Au-gury.

FLINT, in geography, the capital of Flintshire, in NorthWales, 195 miles N. W. of London , and 12-i W. N. W. ofChester.

Flint Island, an island of North America , in the Gulph ofSt. Lawrence, near the E. coast of Cape Breton . Lon. 59. 40.W.Lat. 46. 10. N. -

Flint River, a river of Georgia.

Flint, a stone of the siliceous kind, found in pieces of differentsizes, and usually of a figure more or less globular, commonlyamong chalk, and often arranged in order. Its texture is com-pact. Its fracture smooth, conchoidal. The stones are alwayscovered by a white crust. Specific gravity from 2.58 to 2.63.Colour varies from honey-yellow to brownish-black. Very brit-tle, and splits into .splinters in every; direction. Two pieces offlint rubbed smartly together phosphoresce, and emit a peculiarodour. - When heated it decrepitates, and becomes white andopaque. When exposed long to the air it often becomes coveredwith a white crust. A specimen of flint analysed by- Klaproth contained,

98.00 silica,

.50 lime,

.25 alumina,

0.25 oxide of iron,

1.00 water.

100.00

Vauqtielin obtained from another,

97 silica,

1 alumina and iron.

98

Another specimen analysed by Dolomieu was composed of,97 silica,

1 alumina, and oxide of iron,

2 water.

100

The whole crust with which flint is enveloped consists of thesame ingredients, and a little carbonate of lime. Water is essen-tial to flint; for when it is separated by heat, the stone loses itsproperties. See Silica .

FLIX, in geography, a town of Spain, in Catalonia , on theEbro , 20 miles S. ot Leriha,

FLOAT of a Fishing-line, the cork or quill that floats orswims above water. See Fishing.

Float also signifies a certain quantity of timber bound toge-ther with rafteis, athwart, and put into a river to be conveyeddown the stream ; and even, sometimes, to carry burdens down a

river with the stream.

FLOATAGES, all things floating on the surface of the seaor any water: a word much used in the commissions of water-bail i fls.

FLOAT-BOARDS, boards fixed to water-wheels of under-shot mills, serving to receive the impulse ofthe stream, whereby thewheel is carried round. See M ill and Wheel . It is no advantageto have too great a number of float-boards; because, when theyare all struck by the water in the best manner that can be broughtto come against them, the sum of all the impulses will be butequal to the impulse made against one float-board at right angles,by all the water coming out of the penstock through the opening,so as to take plate on the-float-board. The best rule in this case

is.