Encyclopaedia Britannica; or, A dictionary of arts and sciences, compiled upon a new plan … > Volume 2, C-L

CAR (3.
thagena ; on the eaft, by New Grenada ; and on the
fouth and weit, by Popayan.
Caramanta is a'fo the name of the capital of that pro¬
vince, fituated in s° i8' N. lat.
CARANNA, a refsnous fubftance brought from New
Spain jn little maffes rolled up in leaves of flags. It is
rarely kept in the fhops, and is rejefted by the cata¬
logue of the London college, though it is ftill retained
in the Edinburgh.
CARAPO, in ichthyology, the trivial name of a fpecies
of gymnotus. SeeGYMNorus.
CARAVAN, dr Caravanne in the eaft, fignifies a
company or affembly of travellers and pilgrims, and
more particularly of merchants, who, for their greater
fecurity, and in order to aflift each other, march in a
body through the defarts, and other dangerous places,
which are infefted with Arabs or robbers.
There is a chief, or aga, w'ho commands the cara¬
van,' and is attended by a certain number of janizaries,
or other militia, according to the countries from whence
the caravans fet out; which number of foldiers muft
be fufficient to defend them and conduft them with
fafety to the places for which they are defigned, and
on a day appointed. The caravan encamps every even¬
ing near fuch wells or brooks, as their guides are ac¬
quainted with ; and there is a ftridt difcipline obferved
upon this occafion, as in armies in time of war. Their
beads of burden are partly horfes, but moft commonly
camels, who are capable of undergoing a very great
fatigue.
CARAVANSERA, or Karavansera, a place ap¬
pointed for receiving and loading the caravans.
It is commonl'y a large fquare building, in the mid¬
dle of which there is a very fpacious court; and under
the arches or piazzas that furround it there runs a
bank, railed fome feet above the ground, where the
merchants, and thofe who travel with them in any ca¬
pacity, take up their lodgings as well as they can ; the
beads of burden being tied to the foot of the bank.
Over the gates, that lead into the court, there are
fometimes little'rooms, which the keepers of the cara-
vanferas let out at a very high price to fuch as have a
mind to be private.
The caravanferas in the eafl are fomething in the
nature of the inns in Europe, only that you meet with
little accommodation either for man or bead, but are
obliged to carry almoft every thing with you : there is
never a c&ravanfera without a well, or fpring of water.
Thefe buildings are chiefly owing to the charity of the
Mahometans ; they are edeemed Lcred dwellings,
where it is not permitted to infult any perfon, or to
pillage any of the effects that are depofited there.
They even carry their precautions fo far,- as not to
fufifer any man who is not married to lodge there ;
becaufe they are of opinion, that a man who, has no
wife is more dangerous than another.
CARAVANSERASKIER, the deward, or keeper of
a caravanfera.
He keeps an account of all the merchandifes that
are fold upon trud, and demands the payments of the
* ) CAR
fums due to the merchants for what has been fold in
the caravanfera, on the feller’s paying two per cent.
CARAWAY, in botany. See Carum.
CARBUNCLE, in natural hidory, a very elegant gem,
whofe colour is deep red, with an admixture of fcarlet.
This gem was known among the ancients by the
name of anthrax. It is ufually found pure and fault-
lefs, and is of the fame degree of hardnefs with the
fapphire : it is naturally of an angular figure, and is
found adhering, by its bafe, to a heavy and ferrugine-
ous done of the emery kind : its ufual fize is near a
quarter of an inch in length, and two thirds of that in
diameter in its thicked parts : when held up againft
the fun, its lofes its deep tinge, and becomes exadtly
of the colour of a burning charcoal, whence the pro¬
priety of the name which the ancients gave it. It
bears %he fire unaltered, not parting with its colour,
nor becoming at .all the paler by it. It is only found
in the Ead Indies, fo far as is yet known, and there
but very rarely.
Carbuncle, or Anthrax, in furgery, an inflamma¬
tion which arifes, in time of the plague, with a veficle
or blider almod like thofe produced by burning.
Carbuncle, in heraldry, a charge or bearing, confid
ing of eight radii, four whereof make a common crofs,
and the other four a faltier.
Some call thefe radii buttons, or daves, becaufe
round, and enriched with buttons, or pearled like
pilgrims daves, and frequently tipped or terminated
with flower-de luces ; others blazon them, royal fcep-
tres, placed in faltier, pale and fefle.
CARCHARIAS, in ichthyology. See Squalus.
CARCASSE, or Carcuss, in the art of war, an iron-
cafe, or hollow capacity, about the bignefs of a bomb1,
of an oval figure, made of ribs of iron, filled with
combudible matters, as meal-powder, faltpetre, ful-
phur, broken glafs, (havings of horns, turpentinei
tallow, fire. ; the defign of it is to be thrown out of a
mortar to fet houfes on fire, and do other execution.
It has two or three apertures through which the fire
is to blaze.
CARCASSONE, a town of Languedoc, in France, fi¬
tuated on the river Ande, about twenty five miles wed
of Narbonne : E. long. 2°, and N. lat. 430 20'- It
is a bifhop’s fee.
CARCERES, in the ancient Circenfian games, were
inclofures, in the circus, wherein the horfes were re*
drained till the fignal was given for darting, when, by
an admirable contrivance, they all at once flew open.
CARCINOMA. See Canker.
CARD, among artificers, an indrument confiding of a
block of wood, befet with fharp teeth, ferving to ar¬
range the hairs of wool, flax, hemp, and the like :
there are different kinds of them, as hand-cards, dock-
cards, &/C.
CARDS, among gameders, little pieces of fine thin
padeboard of an oblong figure, of feveral fizes, but
mod commonly in England three inches and an half
long, and two and an half broad, on which are painted
feveral points and figures.
The