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FOMAHANT, in astronomy, a star of the first magnitude inthe mouth of the Southern Fish.

FOMENTATION, in medicine, the bathing of any part of thebody with a convenient liquor; which is usually a decoction ofherbs, water, wine, or milk; and the applying of bags stuffed withherbs and other ingredients, which is commonly called dry fo- |ipentation. . _ j

Fomentations are usually applied as warm as Hie patient canbear, in the following manner: Two flannel-cloths are dipped intothe heated liquor, one of which is wrung as dry as the necessaryspeed will admit, then immediately applied to the part affected; !it lies on until the heat begins to go off, and the other is in readi-ness to apply at the instant in which the first is removed: thusthese flannels are alternately applied, so as to keep the affectedpart constantly supplied with them warm. This is continued fit-jteen or twenty minutes, and repeated two or three limes a-day.Every intention of relaxing and soothing by fomentations may beanswered as well by warm water alone, as when the whole tribe ofemollients are boiled in it; but when discutients or antiseptics arerequired, such ingredients must be called in as are adapted to thatend. The degree of heat should never exceed tnat of producinga pleasing sensation; great heat produces effects very opposite tothat intended by the use of fomentations.

FONDI, 1. a town, and 2. a lake of Naples in the provinceof Lavora ; 50 miles S. E. of Rome .

FONG-YANG, a city of China , in the province of Kiang-nan, situated on a mountain, which hangs over the Yellow river ,and incloses with its walls several fertile little hills. Its jurisdic-tion is very extensive, comprehending 18 cities; five of which areof the second, and 13 of the third class.

FONS, a town of France , in the department of Lot, 4* milesN. W. of Figeac .

FONT, among ecclesiastical writers, a large bason, in whichwater is kept for the baptizing of infants, or oilier persons. It isso called probably because baptism was usually performed amongthe primitive Christians at springs or fountains. In process of timethe font came to be used, being placed at the lower end of thechurch, to intimate, perhaps, that baptism is the rite of admissioninto the Christian church.

Font, in the art of printing, denotes a complete assortment oftypes for letters, accents, &c. See Fount.

FONTA1NBLEAU, a town of France , in the department ofSeine and Marne, 35 mites S. E. of Paris . Lon. 2. 47. E. Lat.48 . 25. N.

FONTAINE, John de la, a French poet, was born at Cha-teau-Thierry in l62f. He was educated first at Klieims, and af-terwards under the fathers of the Oratory. lie was a man of ex-cessive simplicity of manners, credulous, fearful, and uncommonlyabsent. He lived for some time with the superintendant Fouc-quet, who allowed him a pension. Afterwards he was in the ser-vice of Princess Henrietta of England, and next lived with Ma-dame de la Sabliere . He was married, but his wife had as littleknowledge of ceconomy as himself. He died in 1005, and onbeing taid out, a hair shirt was found next his skin. His'I'ales arevery licentious, but his Fables are usually put into the hands ofvoting people. They are very natural, poetical, and entertaining,lie also wrote “ Les Amours de Psyche,” a romance; some co-medies ; Letters, &c. to be found in his miscellanies.

Fontaine, L’Eveoue, in the department of the North, andlate province of Ilaiuault, 3 miles \V. of Charleroi, and 10 E. ofMons.

FONTAINES, Peter Francis, a French critic, born atRouen in 1(385. At 15, he entered into the society of the Jesuits ,and at 30 quitted it, though he was a priest, and had a cure inNormandy. Ilav ng excited some attention at Paris by his criti-cal productions, the Abbfe Bignon in 1724 committed to him the« Journal de Soavans.” He was peaceably enjoying the ap-plauses of the public, when his enemies, whom he had raised byhis critical strictures ih his Journal, accused him of a most abomin-able crime, and procured him to be imprisoned. He was set atliberty in fifteen days ; the magistrate of the police justified hintin a letter to the A hi >6 Bignon ; and he was unanimously re-esta-blished in his former credit, in 1725. In 1731, he began a workentitled “ Novclliste du Parnasse, ou Rt flexions sur les OuvragesNottveaux but only proceeded to two volumes; the work hav-

ing been suppressed by ulhority, from the incessant complaintsof authors ridiculed l.iereio. In 1735, he obtained a new privi-lege for a periodical production, entitled, "Observations sur lesEdits Moderncs;” which, after continuing to 3.3 volumes wassuppressed in 1743. Yet in 1744, he published another weeklypaper, caked, “ Jugemeus sur les Ouvrages Nottveaux,” whichproceeded to 11 volumes : the two last being done by other hands.In 1745, lie was attacked with a di>on!er in the breast, which end-ed in a dropsy that proved fatal in live weeks. “lie was (saysM. Freron) born a sentimental person; a philosopher in conduetas well as in principle : exempt from ambition, and of a noblefirm spirit, which would not submit to sue for preferments or titles.In common conversation he appeared only a common man ; butwhen any tiling out of the ordinary way was agitated, he discover-ed great force of imagination and wit.” He was the author ofmany other works; his biographer mentions 17 articles; many ofthem critical, some historical, and some translations from Pope ,Swift, Fielding, &c. '1 lie Abbe' de la Porte, published in 1757,

“ L’Esprit de l’Abbe des Fontaines,” in four volumes 12nio. ;with his Life, a catalogue of his works, and of writings againsthim.

FONTANELLA, in anatomy, the quadrangular aperture be-twixt the os front is and ossa sincipitis, in children just born ; alsocalled foils pulsatilis.

Fontanei.ua, in geography, a rich town of Italy , in the Cre-monese.

FONTANESIA, in botany-, a genus of the diandria monogy-nia class and order. Natural order, Sepiaris. Calyx four-part-ed, inferior; petals tw o, two-parted; capsule membranaceous,not opening, two-celled ; cells one-seeded. It has one species.

FONTARAB1A, a sea-port town of Spain in Biscay , and inthe territory of Guipuscon. Lon. 1. 47. W. Lat. 43. 22. N.

FONTENF.LLE, Bernard te, a celebrated French author,horn in IC537. He discharged the office of perpetual secretary tothe Academy of Sciences above forty years with universal ap-plause; and his History of that Academy throws great light upontheir memoirs. The elogies lie pronounced on the deceased mem-bers of the Academy excite a respect for the sciences, as well asfor the author. In his poetical performances, and his “ Dialoguesof the Dead,” the spirit of Voiture was discernible, though moreextended and more philosophical. His “ Plurality of VS 1 orlds,”is a singular work, the design of which was to present that part ofphilosophy to view in a pleasing dress. lie died in 1756, near100 years old.

F0NTENOY, a town of France , in the department of Je-mappes, late Austrian Netherlands , and province of Ilaiuault, 4uiiles'S. S. E. ofTournav.

FONTES, a town ol "France , in the department of Ilerault, 6mites N. YV. of Montagnac .

FONTEVRAULI), a town of Fiance , in the department ofMaine and Loire, and late province of Anjou. It is 6 miles S.E.of Saumur, ami I GO S. W. of Paris .

Fontevrauld, or Frontkvaux, Order or, in ecclesiasti-cal history, a religious order instituted by Robert d *Arbrissel,about the end of the 11th century; taken under the protection ofthe holy set', by Pope Pascal 11. in 1106 ; confirmed by a bull in1113, and invested by his successors with extraordinary privileges.The chiefof'this order is a female, who ia appointed to inspect boththe monks and the nuns.

FONTINALIA, or FONTANA LI A, in antiquity, a reli-gions feast held among the Romans in honour of the deities whopresided over fountains or springs.

FONTINALIS, in botany, a genus of the cryptogamin tnusci,or Mosses. Capsule oblong, w ith the mouth ciliate ; opening withan acuminate lid ; covered w ith a sessile, smooth, conical veil; in-cluded in a pitcher-shaped, imbricate pericluetium. Only fourspecies are known, they are natives of England: three of themare water-mosses, and one grows upon trees. Professor Martynsays, that several new species have been discovered by Swartz inthe YVe-t Indies.

FOOD, [ftrdtin, Sax. tocdtn, Dut. to feed.j in the most ex-tensive signification of the word, implies all aliments taken intothe body, whether solid or fluid ; but, in common language, it isgenerally used to signify only the solid part. Lord Monboddo and other authors, who are fond of representing mankind gs origi-n'll iv