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FLO

is, to have just so many, that each of them may come out of thewater as soon as possible, alter it has received and acted with itsfull impulse. As to the length of the float-board, it may be regu-lated according to the breadth of the mill.

FLOATING Bodies are tho-e which swim on the surface ofa fluid, the most interesting of which are ships and vessels employ-ed in war and commerce, and it is of the utmost consequence toascertain the stability of such vessels. However operose and dif-ficult (says an able mechanic} the calculations necessary to deter-mine the stability of nautical vessels may, in some cases, be, yetthey all depend upon the four following simple and obvious theo-rems, accompanied with other well known stereometrical and sta-tical principles:

Theorem 1 . Every floating body' displaces a quantity of thefluid in which it floats, equal to its own weight; and consequent-ly, .the specific gravity of the fluid will be to that of the floatingbody, as the magnitude of the whole is to that of the part im-mersed.

Theorem 2. Every' floating body is impelled downward by itsown essential power, acting m the direction of a vertical line pass-ing through the centre of gravity of ' the whole ; and is impelledupward by the re-action ot the fluid which supports it, acting inthe direction of a vertical line passing through the centre of gra-vity of the part immersed ; therefore, unless these two lines arecoincident, the floating body thus impelled mint revolve roundan axis, either in motion or at rest, until the equilibrium is re-stored.

Theorems. If-by any power whatever a vessel be deflectedfrom an upright position, the perpendicular distance between twovertical lines passing through the centres of gravity of the whole,and of the part immersed respectively, will be as the stability ofthe vessel, and which will be positive, nothing, or negative, accord-ing as the metacentre is above, coincident with, or below thecentre of gravity of the ves-el.

Theorem 4. The common centre of gravity of any system ofbodies being given in position, if any one of these bodies be mov-ed from one part of the system to another, the corresponding mo-tion of the common centre of gravity, estimated in any givendirection, will be to that of the aforesaid body, estimated in thesame direction, as the weight of the bodv moved is to that ofthe whole system. From whence it ; s evident, that in order toascertain the stability of any vessel, the position of the centres ofgravity of the whole, and of that part immersed, must he deter-mined ; with which, and the dimensions of the vessel, the line offloatation, and angle of deflection, the stability or power either toright itself or overturn, may be found.

Floatings, in husbandry, the drowning or watering of meadows.

Floating of Cheese, among housewives, separating thewhev from the curd. See Cheese.

FLOOD, a deluge or inundation of waters. See Deluge.

Flood, among seamen, is when the tide begins to come up, orthe water begins to rise, then they call it young flood ; after whichit is quarter-flood, half-llood, and high-flood.

F'lood-mark, the mark which the sea makes on the shore, atflowing water, ami the highest tide: it is also called high-watermark.

Flood, Henry, an eminent orator, poet, and politician, of the18th century, the son of the Right Hon. Warden Flood, lord chiefjustice ot the King’s Bench in Ireland , was born in 1732, and edu-cated in Dub n. In 174fl, after attemling Dublin college forthree years, he spent other fiwo with much advantage under thetuition ot Dr. Markinfin, now Archbishop of York. Besides theacqu sition of mathematics and other sciences, he became so com-plete a master of the Greek, that he read it with as much-facilityas English . In 1739 god 17pl,.heuas chosen a member of theIrish Parliament, and soon rendered himself conspicuous as thegreat leader of opposition. The first-important measure whichhe attempted was, an explanation of Povning’s law, by a miscon-struction of which, the privy council had. assumed a degree ofpower so unconstitutional, as to render the Irish parliament a merecypher. By his repeated efforts, the obnoxious part of that lawwas repealed. He next introduced a hill for limiting the durationof the Irish parliament, which till then had always continued dur-ing the life of the king.' This measure, after much opposition, heat last effected, under the administration of Lord Townshend, in

1709, when the octennial bill was passed, which first gave Ireland a constitution somewhat resembling the British , In 1775, he wasappointed a privy counsellor in both kingdoms, and a vice-trea-surer’of Ireland ; hut resigned this office, in 1781 ; upon which his.name was struck out of the list of the pnvv conned- In 1782, theBritish parliament having repealed this act, 6 Geo. I. c. 5, declar-ing Ireland subordinate to, and dependent on, the imperial crownof Great Britain, Mr. Flood in two able speeches, insisted, thatthe simple repeal of this act was no security against similar futureclaims; and, though he was supported by only three members, inthe Irish parliament, yet his doctrine was soon after adopted andratified by the British parliament, w ho passed an act renouncing theclaim for -ever. In November 1783, a violent altercation tookplace between Mr. Flood and Mr. Grattan, in the course of whichMr. Flood gave a detail of his whole political life, and shewedthat lie had never once departed from the great principles lie hadalways maintained. He was soon after elected a member of theBritish parliament for Winchester; and in the subsequent one,

I for Sealord, which he continued to represent till its dissolution in1790; soon alter which, lie diet! of a pleurisy. His first knownproduction was “ Ver-es on the Death of Frederick Prince ofWales ;” in the Oxford collection, 1751. lie also wrote an Odeto Fame, translated the 1st Pythian Ode of Pindar, printed in178:5 ; and several orations of Demosthenes, jF.schiiies, and Ci-cero ; still iii MS. Several of his speeches are extant; the last ofwhich, delivered March 4th, 1790, on a parliamentary reform,was celebrated by Mr. Fox, as containing the most rational schemeever proposed on the subject. lie married Lady Frances Beres-ford, daughter of the Earl of Tyrone, in 1762, hut had no issue.

FLOCK, or FLUKE. See Anchor.

FLOOR , in building, that part of a room we walk on. Floorsare of several sorts ; some of earth, some of brick, others of stone,of boards, See. See Pavement. Carpenters never floor theirrooms w ith hoards till the carcase is set up, and also im losed w ithwalls, lest the weather should injure the flooring. Yet they gene-rally rough-plane their boards tor flooring before they begin anything else about the building, that they may set them by to dryand season, which is done in the most careful manner, i he heatwood tor flooring is the fine yellow deal well seasoned, which,when well laid, will keep its colour fur a long while ; whereas thew hite sort becomes black by often washing.

Floor of a Ship, strictly taken, is only so much of her bot-tom as she rests on when aground. Such ships as have long, andwitiial broad floors, lie on the ground with most security, and arenot apt to heel, or tilt on one side ; whereas others, wliieli are nar-row in the floor, or, in the sea-phrase, cranked by the ground,cannot be grounded without danger ot being overturned.

Floors, Earthen, are commonly made of loam, ai d some-times, especially to make malt on, ot lime, and brook-and, andgun-dust, or anvil-dust from the torge. Ox blood and line clay,tempered tog'-lher, Sir Hugh Plat says, make the finest floor mthe world. The manner ot making earthen floors for plain coun-try habitations is as follows: 'Fake two-thirds of lime, and one ofcoal-ashes well sifted, with a small quantity of loam clay ; mix thewhole together, anil temper it well with water, making it up intoa heap : let it lie a week or ten days, and then temper it overagain. After this, heap it up for lliree or four days, and repeat thetempering very high, till it hi come smooth, yielding, tough, andgluey. The ground being then levelled, lay the floor therewithabout two ami a half or three inches thick, making it sim-nth witha trowel: the hotter the season is, the better ; and when h is tho-roughly dried, it will make the best- floor tor houses, especiallymalt-houses. Those who would have their floors look better, letthem take lime made of rag-stones, well tempered with whites ofeggj>, covering the floor abuut half an iueh think with it, hetore theunder flooring is too dry.. Ill this he well done, and thoroughlydried, it will look, when rubbed with a little oil, as transparent asmetal or glass. Inelegant houses, floors of this nature are unadeof stucco, or of plaster of Paris beaten and silted, and mixed withother ingredients.

Floor Timbers, In a ship, are those parts of a ship’s timberswhich are placed immediately across the keel, and upon whichthe bottom of the ship is framed ; to these the upper part* of thetimbers are united, being only a continuation of floor timbers

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