BRA
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BRA
With regard to their Form and Structure, "Brandies are cither ftrcight, in form of a Piflol, for young Horfes, to form their Mouth ; or, after the Conftablc of Trance's Fafhion, for Horfes that already carry the Head well : Others are in form of a Gigot or Leg ;. others of a. bent Knee ; others in the French FaiTiion, %$C.
Note, Thefc are Laws in the Manage, I. That the far- ther the "Branch is from the Horfe's Neck, the more ef- fect it will have. '.. That fliort "Branches, ceteris fan- Ms are ruder, and their Effefts more fudden than thole of others. 3. That the Branch be proportion^ to the Length of the Horfe's Neck.
Branch, or Bough, in Botany, a Jet or Arm ot a Iree, emitted from its Trunk : guintmy calls it, a Part of a Tree, which coming from the Trunk, helps to form the Head. The Word, according to Salmafius, comes from the Latin Branca ; in the lower Latin, they faid Barga : Others derive it from Sracbium, an Arm; and others from Bran- chite, the Gills of Fillies.
The "Branches of Trees are obferv'd, almoft conffantly, to fhoot from the Trunk at an Angle of 45 Degrees : The Reafon is, that the whole Spreading being generally con- fin'd within an Angle of 90 Degrees, as the moll becoming and ufeful Difpofuion ; that fpace could not be well fill'd up any other way, than by forming all the Interferons which the Shoots and "Branches make, with Angles of 45 Degrees only. A ftrong Argument, that the Plaftick Ca- pacities of Matter, are under the Guidance of a wife Being.
Branches are diftinguifli'd into various Kinds : A Wood Branch, ^llintiny fays, is fuch a one, as fhooting out from a Cut of the preceding Year, is naturally of a confide- rable Thicknefs. A Fruit Branch, is that which ihoots out of a moderate Length and Breadth from the fame Cut : Fruit Branches, he adds, have large Eyes, and are very near each other. A Branch half Wood, is that, which being too (lender for a Wood Branch, and too grofs for a Fruit Branch, is cut, at the Length of two or three Inches, to make it produce a better Jet, whe- ther Wood or Fruit. Spurious Wood Branches, are fuch as come contrary to the Order of Nature ; or otherwife than from Cuts of the preceeding Year ; or which coming on fuch Cuts, are big in the Place where they fhould be fmall. To underftand this Order of Nature, it muft be obferved, 1. That Branches mould never come, except on thofe of the laft Cut ; fuch, therefore, as fhoot from other Parts are fpurious. 2. That the Order of the new Bran- ches is, if there be more than one, that the extreme Branch is thicker and longer than that immediately under it ; and this bigger and longer, again, than the third, c£c. Hence, if any be big where it mould be fmall, it is call'd Spurious. There are, however, fome Exceptions : In Trees that are vigorous, and yet bear a handfomc Figure, there can't well be too many Fruit Branches ; provided they make no Confufion ; but for Wood Branches, there ihould not ordinarily be above one fuffer'd to grow, of the feveral which Ihoot from each Cut of the preceeding Year. Sec Pruning.
BRANCHIA, a Name given by the Greek Naturalifts to the Gills of Fifties ; which are Parts compos'd of Car- tilages and Membranes, in form of a Leaf, and ferving inftead of Lungs to refpire by. Galen obferves, they are full of little Foramina, big enough to admit Air and Va- pours, but too fine to give Pafiage to Water. "Pliny held, that Fifties refpir'd by their Gills ; but obferves that Ari- Jlotle was of another Opinion : To whom we may add Dr. Needham. The Word Branchia, comes from the Greek
- f*Jt«*, which fignify'd the fame thing.
BRANDY, a fpirituous, inflammable Liquor, drawn from Wine, and other Liquors by Diftillation ; ordinarily in Balneo Maries ; fometimes alfo by the Flame of a Fire. See Distillation. The Veflels ufed herein, are ufually Copper : and fome Diftillers, to cool the Liquor more rea- dily, make the Neck of the Matras, which is very long, and winding like a Serpent, pafs through a Veflel of cold Water.
to diflil Branijy, they fill the Cucurbit half full of the Liquor from which it is to be drawn ; and raife it, with a little Fire, till about one fixth Part be diftill'd ; or till they perceive that what falls into the Receiver is not at all inflammable. The Liquor thus diftill'd the firft time, is call'd Spirit of Wine or Brandy ; which Spirit, purify 'd by another, or feveral more Diftillations, is what we call Spirit of Wine reSify'd. The fecond Diltillation is made in Bal- neo Marie, and in a Glafs Cucurbit ; and the Liquor put therein, diftill'd to about one half the Quantity : Which half is further rectify 'd, as long as the Operator thinks fit. To abridge thefe feveral Diftillations, which ate long and troublefome, they have invented a Chymical Inftrument ; whereby the Rectification of Spirit of Wine is perform'd at one tingle Diftillation : The Defcription and Figure of which Inftrument may be feen in Glafier's Chymifiry.
To try the Goodnefs of Rectify'd Spirit of Wine, it muft be lighted into a Blaze : if then it confumes wholly, without leaving any Impurity behind ; or, which is hirer ftill 5 if after putting a little Gun-pouder in the Bottom of the Spirit, the Gunpouder take fire when the Spirit is con- fum'd, the Liquor is good. Thofe who deal in Brandy, (we fpeak only of that made with Wine) chufe it white, clear, of a good Tafte, and fuch as will bear the Teft or Proof; i.e. fuch as in pouring into a Glafs, forms, a-top of it, a little white Lather, which, as it diminifhes, makes a Circle, call'd by the French Brandy Merchants, the Chapelet, or Bead-Roil : there being no Brandy but that well defleg- mated, and wherein there is no Humidity left, wherein the Chapelet is entirely form'd.
The chief ufe of Brandy, is as a Drink ; efpecially in the cold Northern Countries ; among the Negros in Guinea, who fell one another for a few Bottles ot Brandy ; and among the Savages of Canada, and other Parts of N. Ame- rica, who are infinitely fond of it. It is of fome ufe too in Medicine ; being faid to ftrengthen the Nerves : And in Dying, when rais'd into rectify'd Spirit of Wine ; being ac- counted one of the Dyers Non-colouring Drugs.
Betides the Brandy made of Wine ; there is other made of Malt-Liquors, of Cyder, Syrop, Sugar and Molof- fes, of Fruits, Berries, &c.
The greateft Part of the Brandies in ufe, and thofe too, the beft, are prepared in France : Of the French Bran- dies, thofe of Nantes and "Poitou are the moft efteem'd ; as being of a better Tafte, finer and ftronger, and endu- ring the Teft of the Chapelet longer than any of the reft : Thofe of Anjou, touraine and Orleans, claim the fecond Place.
Brandy makes a very considerable Article in the French Commerce : The Number of Foreign Veflels, wherewith all their Ports are full in Time of Peace, and which are loaden, in good meafure, with Brandy, is incredible. Nantes alone furnifties 174000 Gallons per Annum, and Bourdeaux above twice as much ; the other Places in pro- portion. The "Dutch take off their Hands almoft as much as all rhe reft of Europe. ^Poland and Sweden are the only Nations which are not their Cuftomers ; thefe prefer- ring the Brandies of their own Countries, made of Grains to the Wine-Brandies of France.
Of Brandy, both plain and rectify'd, are prepared vari- ous Kinds of ftrong Liquors, with the Addition of other Ingredients, Sugars, Spices, Flowers, Fruits, igc. which are afterwards clarify 'd, by patting 'em thro a (training Bag, or filtering 'em thro Brown Paper. See Clarifi- cation. A great part of thefe are brought from Mont- pellier ; where they are fuppos'd to be better prepar'd than any where elfe. See Water.
BRASIL, or BRAZIL, a Wood fo call'd, becaufe firft brought from Brafil, a Province of S. America : It is de- nominated varioufly, according to the Places whence it is brought. Thus we have Brafil of Fernamhouc, Brafil of Japon,oi Lamon,o{ St. Martha ; and h&lyBrafillet, brought from the Antilles.
The Brafil-Tree ordinarily grows in dry barren Places, and in the middle of Rocks ; it is very thick and large, ufually crooked and knotty : Its Flowers, which are of a beautiful red, exhale a very agreeable Smell, which ftreng- thens the Brain. Tho the Tree be very thick ; it is co- ver'd with fo thick a Bark, that when the Savages have taken it off the Wood, a Trunk, which before was the Thicknefs of a Man, is fcarce left equal to that of his Leg.
Brafil Wood is very heavy, dry, crackles much in the Fire, and fcarce raifes any Smoak, by reafon of its extreme Drynefs. None of the feveral Kinds have any Pith ex- cept that of Japan : that of Fernamhouc is efteem'd the beft. It muft be chofen in thick Pieces, clofe, found, with- out any Bark ; and fuch as, upon fplitting, of pale be- comes reddifh ; and when chew'd has a fugar Tafte. It is much us'd in Turned Works, and takes a good Polifti • but its chief ufe is in Dying, where it ferves for a red Colour : 'Tis a fpurious Colour, however, it gives ; and eafily eva- porates and fades : Nor is the Wood to be us'd without Allum and Tartar. From the Brafil of Fernamhouc, is drawn a kind of Carmine, by means of Acids. There is' al- fo a liquid Lacca made of it, for Miniature. See Rei\
BRASS, Orichalcum; or, as the French call it, Tellow Copper ; a factitious Metal, compos'd of Copper, and Lapis Calaminaris. The Method of Preparation is as follows. The Lapis being calcin'd, and ground fine as Flour, is mix'd with ground Charcoal ; and incorporated, by means of Water, into a Mafs : Thus prepar'd, about feven Pounds of the Calamine is put into a Melting-Pot ef about a Gal- lon ; and over it, about five Pounds of Copper ■ which is let down into a Wind-Furnace eight Foot deep/remaining there about 1 1 Hours ; inwhich Time 'tis converted into Brafi. After melting, it is caft into Piates, or Lumps : 45 Pounds of crude Calamine, produces 30 Pounds burnt, or calcin'd. They fometimes ufe Brafs-Jhruff inftead of
Copper;
