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the phosphoric acid, has produced uncommon effects on the earthof vegetables, and accelerated their rapid growth in a very evi-dent manner. Farther experiments, however, will decide howfar such means are practicable, and whether the nature of plantsthus forced, is materially changed or affected.

FOOSIIT, an island in the Red Sea ; situated, according tothe observations of Mr. liruce, in N. lat. 13° 50' 43'.

FOOT , that part of the body on which animals stand and walk.The principal cause of the lameness and distortion observableamong manv children, especially of the poorer class, is owing toan improper management of them, during their infancy. Insteadof being carried on the nurses’ arms, in a posture which contractsand palsies the lower extremities, they ought to be supported insuch a direction that the legs and feet may be at liberty. Norshould they be confined loo early in narrow shoes, with a view torender their feet small and taper : those necessary parts of ourdress ought lobe wide enough to allow sufficient room for motion,and might be fastened with strings, which are preferable tobuckles. It will also be proper to adapt the shoes to the form ofeach fool, by means of separate lasts ; in the same manner as thoseof the fashionable classes are made at present. A kind of half-bools, however, such as mav be laced above the ancles, are supe-rior to shoes, as they not only have the advantage of fitting theleg, but arc likewise not easily trodden down at the heels ; besideschildren are enabled to walk more firmly in them than in shoes.AVith respect to the feet of adults, we would recommend alwaysto adapt the shoe to their size and shape, and utterly to disregardthe prevalence of an absurd fashion, which is often attended wiihinconvenience. Animals are distinguished, with respect to thenumber of their feet, into bipedes, two-footed; such are menand birds : cpiadrupedes, four-footed ; such are most land-animals:and multipedes, or many-footed, as insects. The reptile-kind, asserpents, &c. have no feet; the crab-kind of fish have gotten feet,hut most other fishes have no feet at all : the spider, mites, andpolypuses, have eight; flies, grasshoppers, and butterflies, have sixieet Animals destined to sw im, and waterfowl, have their toeswebbed together, as the phoex, goose, duek, &c. The fore-feetof the mole, rabbit, &c. arc wonderfully formed for digging andscratching up the earth, in order to make way for their head.

Foot, in anatomy. See A jj atomy.

Foot, in the Latin and Greek poetry, a measure, composed ofa certain number of long and short syllables. They are commonlyreckoned 28 : of these some are simple, as consisting of two orthree syllables, and therefore called dissyllabic or trissyllabic feet;others compound, consisting of four syllables, and therefore calledtetrasyllable feet. The dissyllabic feet are four in number, viz.the pyrrhichius, spondeus, iambus, and trocheus. See Pyrrhi-chius, &c. The trisyllabic feet are eight in number, viz. thedactylus, anapxstus, tribrachys, molossus, amphibrachys, amplii-macer, baccliius, and antibaccliins. See Dactylus, &c. Thetetrasyllable are 16 in number, viz. the procleusmaticus, dispon-deus, choriambus, antispastus, diambus, dichoreus, ionicus a ma-jore, ionicus a minore, epitritus primus, secundus, tertius, etquartus, pxon primus, secufldus, tertius, et quarlus. See Pro-

Cl.F.USMATICUS, &C.

Foot, a long measure containing 12 inches; it is divided bygeometricians into 10 digits,, and the digit into 10 lines. SeeMeasure.

Foot of a I1or.se, in the manege, the extremity of the leg,from the coronet to the lower part of the hoof. See 1 ’arkiery.

Foot, Solid or Cubic, is the same measure in all the three-dimensions, length, breadth, and depth or thickness, containing1728 cubic inches.

Foot, Square, is the same measure both in breadth and length,Containing 144 square or superficial inches.

FOOTE, Samufl, an English dramatic writer and actor, wasborn at Truro, in Cornwall , in 1722. i I is father was a justice ofpeace for that county, and bis mother sister to Sir John, DinelyGoodere, of Herefordshire . Foote was educated at Worcestercollege, Oxford , from whence he removed to the Temple; but asthe dryness of this study did not suit the liveliness of his genius,he soon relinquished it. He married a young lady of a good fa-mily and some fortune ; but their tempers not agreeing, harmonydid not long subsist between them. lie now launched into gam-ing and all the fashionable follies of the age; and in a few yearsspent his whole fortune. His necessities led him to the stage, and

he made his first appearance in Othello. In 1747 he opened thelittle theatre in the Haymarket, with a dramatic piece of his own,called, Tlie Diversions of the Morning, which succeeded very w ell.

T lie exhibition next season, was called An Auction of Pictures,in which lie look olfsoine of the most noted characters of the day'.He still continued to play at one or the other of (he theatres, andfrequently produced new pieces. In 17(30 lie brought out theMinor at his own house in the Haymarket. In 17(5(5 he had themisfortune to break his leg, which w as obliged to he amputated.

J he duke of York, out of compassion, procured for him a patentfor life for the theatre in the Haymarket. In 177(5 he attackedthe duchess of Kingston in a piece, which was suppressed by au-thority. Soon after this a man-servant, whom he had dismissed,charged him with an unnatural offence; of which he was honourablyacquitted. He died at Dover, on his way to Fiance for his health,in Oct. 1777. His remains were interred in Westminster abbey ,Foote had an infinite fund of comic humour, both in writing andconversation ; but he took unwarrantable liberties in taking offpersons merely on account of natural failings and peculiarities ofmanner. 11 is farces have procured him the title of (he English Aristophanes .

Foot-IIai.t, a disorder incident to sheep. It lakes its sourcefrom an insect, which, when it comes to a certain maturity, re-sembles a worm of 2, 3, or 4 inches in length. The first appear-ance of Ibis malady is, when the sheep gives signs of lameness,which increase to so high a degree as to prevent grazing ; when,with want of sufficient food, and pain, the poor animal suffersgreatly, and lingers till it dies, if not cured by extracting the insector worm. The sooner this is done the better, as it is easily per-I formed. As soon as the lameness is perceived, let the foot that islame be examined between the close of the claws, and it w ill befound that in the skin where the close separates is a small hole(not natural,) through which the insect, when yet small, gets itsentrance, and by degrees has worked itself upwards along the leg,between the outward skin and bone, and obtains its largest magni-tude. Proportionally it finds its nourishment, when it is left un-disturbed. This worm must be extracted by moving the dawsbackward and forward in contrary directions: when the underpart of the worm will soon make its appearance at the above-mentioned small hole, and continuing the same operation of mov-ing the claws, the whole worm will work itself out. This is bet-ter Ilian at its first appearance to draw it out with danger of break-ing off; lest part of it should remain in the sheep’s leg, and, byrotting there, prove hurtful. This easy operation will be effectual'without any application whatever, and the channel, which theworm hath made along the leg, will cure of itself. 'Phis malady isin some years more prevalent than in others, particularly in wetseasons; and is oftener observed to begin in spring and autumnthan in summer and winter; notwithstanding sheep suffer more bythe wet in winter than in any of the other seasons. In highgrounds, they are less liable to it than in low marshy and meadowgrounds; from all which circumstances it may be supposed, thatthis insect, in its first state, has for its most natural element citherthe earth, water, or air; and only gets accidentally between theclose of the daws of the sheep, and finds there what is sufficientfor its nourishment and security.

I’oot-Gei.d, or Faut-Geld, in our old customs, an amerce-ment laid upon those who live within the bounds of a forest, f° rnot lawing or cutting out the ball of their dog’s feet. To he freeof a foot-geld, w as a privilege to keep dogs unlawod, within th ebounds of a forest.

Foot-Lf.vei., among artificers, an instrument that-served as a-foot-ruicj a square, and a level. See Level, Rule, and Square-

Foot- Pace, or Half-Pace, among carpenters, a pair ot stair*;whereon, after four or six steps, you arrive at a broad place, wherevou may take two or three paces before you ascend another step-The design of which is to ease the legs in ascending the rest of thesteps.

Foot-Rot, a disease to which sheep are subject, and which 11 ’said to be contagious. The first symptom of the disorder is m a "nifest, when the animal atfected begins to limp; though non 1 'jury will be perceptible on examining the foot, which is extreme'ly hot. The second stage of the distemper is a yellowish-" hd®spot, that appears in the cleft of the hoof, spreads gradually, ambecomes livid ; destroying the hair, which in sound animals coversthe foot. At this period, the diseased part acquires a <Usagreeab |C

Sim’ 11 ;