Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 1.djvu/526

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DAM

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DAM

Colls are included within tUsWordSDamages ; for Damage, in its proper Signification, is faid a Hemends, when by Di- minution, a Thing becomes worfe; and in thisSenfeCofts of Suits s.te 'Damages, to the Plaintiff, for by it, his Sub- ftance is diminiflied : But when the P aintifr declares the Wrong done him to the damage of fuch a Sum, this fa to betaken relatively, for the Wrong which paffed Wore the Writ brougiit, and is affefs'd by Reafon of the Tfel- pafs aforcfaid"; and cannot extend to the Cofts of Suit, which are future, and of another Nature.

DAMAGE Fesfemt, or Ftsiftttt, i. e. doing hurt, or liafBitge . As when a Stranger's Beafts are doing hurt or fpoiling the Grafs, Corn, Woods, &c. of another Man, without his Leave or Licenfc. In which Cafe, the Party whom they damage may diflrain, and impound them, both by Night and by Day ; tho' in other Cafes, as for Rent, Services, &c. none may diflrain in the Night.

DAMASK, a Sort of Silk Stuff, having fome Parts rais'd above thcGround, rcprefentingFlowers, or other Fi- gures. Damask is properly a Sort of Mohair arid Satin Fntermix'd; in fuch Manner as that what is not Satin on one Side, is on the other. The Elevation which the Sa- tin makes on one Side, is the Ground on the other. The Flowers have a Satin Grain; and the Ground, a Grain of Taffetas. It has itsName from its being originally brought from Damafcus in Syria.

DAMASKEENING, or Damask-Worli, a kind of Mofaic Work; and accordingly, by the Italians, call'd by the fame Name, 1'avfia, as Mofaic.

Damaskeening, is properly the Art, orAft of adorn- ing Iran, Steel, &c. by making Incifions therein, and filling them up with Gold or Silver Wiar. It is chiefly us'd in Enriching Sword-blades, Guards and Gripes, Locks of Piftols, &c. Its Name Chews the Place of its Origin ; or, atleaft, the Place where it has been praftifed in the great- eft Perfection, viz. the City ofDamaftns in Syria. Tho' Monfr. Felibien attributes the Perfection of the Art to his Countryman Qirflnet, who wrought under the Reign of King Henry IV.

Damaskeeninc, is partly Mofaic Work, partly En- graving, and partly Carving : As Mofaic Work, it confifts of Pieces He Rapport; as Engraving, the Metal is indent- ed, or cut in creux ; and as Carving, Gold and Silver are wrought therein, in Relievo.

There are two Manners of'JDamaskeeniiig : In the firft, which is the moll beautiful, theArtift cuts into tho Metal with a Graver, and other Tools proper for Engraving on Steel ; and afterwards fills up the Incifions, or Notches with a pretty thick Silver, or Gold Wiar. In the other, which is only fuperficial, they content themfelves to make Hatches, or Strokes a-crofs the Iron, &c. with a cutting Knife, fuch as isufed in making of fmall Files.

For the firft, 'tis neceifary the Cravings, or Incifions be made in the dovetail Form ; that the Gold or Silver Wiar, which is thruft forcibly into them, may adhere the more ftrongly.

For tho 'fecond, which is the more ufual, the Method is thus : Having heated the Steel till it changes to a Violer, or blue Colour ; they hatch it over, and a-crofs with the Knife; then draw the Defign, or Ornament intended, on this hatching,with a fine Brafs Point, or Bodkin. This done,rhey take fine Gold Wiar,and conducting or chafing it according to the Figures already dcfign'd,they fink it care- fully into the Hatches of the Metal with a Copper Tool.

DAMASCUS-&ee/, a very fine kind of Steel, made in fome Parts of the Zevatit, and particularly- at Darnafcits, remarkable for its excellent Temper; and ufed chiefly in the making of Sword-Blades. See Steel.

Some Authors allure us it comes from the Kingdom of Golconda, in the Eaft-Indies ; Where the Method of tem- pering with Alum, which the Europeans have never been able to imitate, was firft invented.

DAMIANTSTS, a Branch of the Ancients Jtcephali Severity. They agreed with the Catholics in admitting the IV th Council ; but difown'd any Diftincfion of Per- fbns in the Godhead, and profefs'd one fingle Nature in- capable of any Difference. And yet they call'd God, the Father.Son, andGhoft. On which Account the Severity Metritis, another Branch of Acephali, ufed to call them Sabellianijls, and fometimes T'etraditcs. Thus much we learn from Kicephorns Callifies, L. XVIII. C. 40. They took their Name from 'Damiamis a Bifhop, who was their Leader.

DAMNATA Terra, in Chymiftry, is the fame with Caput Mortuum, that is, all the Earthy Part, or Mafs, remaining at the Bottom of the Retort, &c. after all the other Principles have been drawn out of the Body by Fire.

DAMPS, in Natural Hiftory,are noxious Steams,or Ex- halations, frequently found in clofe, fubterraneous Places, particularly Mines, Pitts, Cellars, &c. For the Rationale •fthe Effects o£!Zlamps, See Poisons and Mei'eites.

The Damps in Mines are of 4 K inds : The firft which ^vithal is the mod ordinary, the Workmen apprehend in its Approach, by the Flame of the Candle's becoming or- bicular, and leffening by degrees, till it goes quiet out- as alfo by their Shortnefs or Difficulty of breathing : Thofe whoefcape fwooning, feldom fuffer any great harmbv it but fuch as fwoon away, tho' they are not downright fu r - focated, yet on their firft Recovery are tormented with very violent Convulfions : Their way of Cure is to lav the Pcrfon down on the Earth in a prone Pofture, with a Hole dug in the Ground under his Mouth ; if this fail, they fill him full of good Ale ; and if that will not do, they con- clude him defperate. The fecond is the 'Peafe-flloow- Damp, which is called fo from its Smell. This Damp always comes in the Summer-time, and hath not been known to be mortal : The Miners in the Peak atDerby fancy it arifes there from the Multitude of red Trefoil- Fiowers, called by them Honey- Suckles, with which tht Lime-Stone Meadows of the Peake wiuch abound ; per- haps the Smell of this gives timely Notice to get out of the Way : The third is the moll peftilential, and moft ftrange of all, if what is faid of it be true: They, who pretend to have fcen it, (for they fay it is vifible) do thus defcribe it : In the highoft Part of the Roof of thofe Paf- fages in a Mine, which branch out from the main Grove, they fee a round Thing hanging, about as big as a Foot- Ball, covered with a Skin of the Thicknefs and Colour of a Cob-web : If this Bag, by a Splinter, or any other Ac- cident, become broken, the Damp immediately flies out, and futrocates all the Company : The Workmen, by Help of a Stick, and long Rope, have a way of breaking this ataDiftancc; and when they have done it, they purify the Place well with Fire : And they will have it, that it gathers from the Steam of their Bodies, and Candles, af- cends up into the higheft Part of the Vault, and there con- denfeth, and in Time has a Film grown over it, and then corrupts, and becomes Peftilential. The fourth, is theFul- minating,or Fire-Damp, whofe Vapour being touch'd by the Flame of the Candles, prefently takes Fire, and has all the Effect s of Lightning, or fired Gun-powder. Thef«  are found frequently in the Coal-Mines, and fometimes, tho' rarely, in the Lead ones. How Mineral Steams may prove poifonous, may be underftood from Doctor Mead's Effay on Poifons.

Naturalifts furnifh us with very furprizinglnftanccs of the Effects o£ Damps. In the Hift. de I'Jcademie des Sci- ences Jin. 1701; We read of a Well in the City of Ren- lies, into which a Mafon, at Work near its Brink, letting fall his Hammer, a Labourer, who was fent down to re- cover it, e're he reach'd the Water, was flrangled. A fe- cond fent to fetch up the Corps, met with with the fame Fate, and fo a third: At laft a fourth, half drunk, was let down, with Charge to call out affoon as he felt any Thing incommode him. He call'd accordingly, as foon as ho came near the Water ; and was inftantly drawn out : yet he died 3 Days afterwards. The Information he brought them was, that he felt a Heat, which fcorch'd up his En- trails. ADogbeingletdown, cried about the fame Place- and died affoon as he came to Air ; But throwing Water on him, he recover'd ; as happens to thofe thrown into the Grotto del Cani near Naples. See Grotto. The three Carcaffes being drawn up with Hooks, and open'd ; thern appear 'd not any Caufe of their Death. Now, what ren- ders the Relation the more confiderable, is, that the Wa- ter of this Well had been drawn and drunk fe vera I Years without the leaft ill Confequence.

In the fame Hiftory, An. 17 10. a Baker eUChartres having carried 7 or 8 Bufhels of Brands out of his Oven into a Cellar 51S Stairs deep ; his Son, a robuft young Fel- low, going with more, his Candle went out on the JVIiddle of the Stairs. Having lighted it a-frefh, he was nofooner got into the Cellar, than he cried out for Help ; and they heard no more of him : His Brother, an able Youth, run. immediately after him ; cried out, he was dead ; and was heard no more. He was follow'd by his Wife ; and fhe by a Maid, and ftill 'twas the fame. Such an Accident ftruck the whole Nighbourhood with a Panic ; and no body was forward to venture any further : till a Fellow more hardy and zealous than the reft, perfwaded the four People were not dead, would go down to give them Help; He cried too, and was fcen no more. Upon this, a 6th Man requiring a Hook to draw fome of them forth without going to the Bottom; drew up the Maid: who, having taken the Air, fetch'd a Sigh and dyed. Next Day, the Baker's Friend, undertaking to get up all the Carcaffes with aHook,was let down with Ropes on a wooden Horfe, to be drawn up whenever ho fhoulct call. He foon call'd, but the Rope breaking, he fell back again ; And tho' the Rope was foon piee'd again, he was drawn forth dead. Upon opening him,his Meninges were found extravagantly ftretched ; his Lungs fpotted with black, his Inteftines

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