Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 5, BUR-CHI

BUT [ 31 ] B U X
E&tton.
they ftrlke the intended impredion on the convex fide,
by means of a fimilar iron puncheon, in a kind of mould
engraven en creux, either by the hammer or the prefs
ufed in coining. The cavity or mould, wherein the
impreffion is to be made, is of a diameter and depth
fuitable to the fort of button intended to be llruck in
it ; each kind requiring a particular mould. Between
the puncheon and the plate is placed a thin piece of
lead, called by workmen a hob, which greatly contri¬
butes to the taking off all the ffrokes of the engrav¬
ing ; the lead, by reafon of its loftnefs, eafily giving
way to the parts that have relievo, and as eaiily infinu-
ating itfelf into the traces or indentures.
The plate thus prepared makes the cap or {hell of
jthe button. The lower part is formed of another plate,
in the fame manner, but much flatter, and without any
impreflion. To the lafl or under plate is foldered a
fmail eye made of wire, by which the button is to be
faffened.
The two plates being thus flnifhed, they are foldered
together with foft folder, and then turned in a lathe.
Generally indeed they ufe a wooden mould, inftead of
the under plate j and in order to fallen it, they pafs a
thread or gut acrofs, through the middle of the mould,
and fill the cavity between the mould and the cap with
cement, in order to render the button firm and folid 5
for the cement entering all the cavities formed by the
relievo of the other fide, fuftains it, prevents its flatten¬
ing, and preferves its bolfe or defign.
Buttox, in the manege. Button of the reins of a
bridle, is a ring of leather, with the reins paffed through
it, which runs all along the length of the reins. To
put a horfe under the button, is when a. horfe is flop¬
ped without a rider upon his back, the reins being laid
on his neck, and the button lowered fo far down that
the reins bring in the horfe’s head, and fix it to the true
pofture or carriage. It is not only the horfes which
are managed in the hand that muft be put under the
button ; for the fame method muft be taken with fuch
horfes as are bred between two pillars, before they are
backed.
BuTTON-lVood. See Cephalanthus, Botany In¬
dex.
Button's-Bay, the name of the north part of Hud-
fon’s bay, in North America, by which Sir Thomas
Button attempted to find out a north-weft paffage to
the Eaft Indies. It lies between 8o° and ioo° weft
longitude, and between 6o° and 66° north latitude.
BuTTON-Stone, in Natural Hi dory, a kind of figured
Hone, fo denominated from its refembling the button
of a garment. Dr Hook gives the figure of three forts
of button-ftones, which i’eem to have been nothing elfe
but the filling up of three feveral forts of {hells. They
are all of them very hard flints; and have this in com¬
mon, that they confift of two bodies, which feem to
have been the filling up of two holes or vents in the
{hell. Dr Plot deferibes a fpecies finely ftriated from
the top, after the manner of fome hair buttons. This
name is alfo given to a peculiar fpecies of flate found
in the marquifate of Bareith, in a mountain called
Fichtelberg; which is extremely different from the
common forts of Hate, in that it runs with great eafe
into glafs in five or fix hours time, without the addi¬
tion of any fait or other foreign fubftance, to promote
its vitrification, as other fton.es require. It contains in
itfelf all the principles of glafs, and really has mixed in Bnttos
its fubftance the things neceffary to be added to pro- H
mote the fufion of other ftony bodies. The Swedes , Eu*tQ^',
and Germans make buttons of the glafs produced from v
it, which is very black and fliining, and it has hence its
name button-Jlone. They make feveral other things al¬
fo of this glafs, as the handles of knives and the like,
and fend a large quantity of it unwrought in round
cakes, as it cools from the fufion, into Holland.
BUTTRESS, a kind of hutment built archwife, or
a mafs of ftone or brick, ferving to prop or fupport the
fidcs of a building, wall, &c. on the outfide, where it is
either very high, or has any confiderable load tofuftain
on the other fide, as a bank of earth, &c.—Buttreffes
are ufed againft the angles of fteeples and other build¬
ings of ftone, &c. on the outfide, and along the walls
of fuch buildings as have great and heavy roofs, which
would be fubje£t to thruft the walls out, unlefs very
thick, if no buttreffes were placed againft them. They
are alfo placed for a fupport and hutment againft the
feet of fome arches, that are turned acrofs great halls
in old palaces, abbeys, See.
BUXUS, in Ancient Geography, a town of Lower
Egypt, on the weft fide of the branch of the Nile,
called Thermuthiacus ; towards the mouth called OJlium
Sebennyticnm : in this town flood an oracle of Baton a,
(Strabo, Herodotus). Ptolemy places Butus in the
Nomos Phthenotes : it is alfo called Buto, -us, (Hero-*
dotus, Stephanus). It had temples of Apollo and
Diana, but the largeft wras that of Latona, where the
oracle flood.
BUTZAW, a town of Lowrer Saxony, in Germany 5
it {lands upon the river Varnow, on the road from
Schwerin to Roftock, lying in E. Long. 13. 12. N.
Lat. 54. 50.
BUVETTE, or Beuvette, in the French laws, an
eftabliftied place in every court, where the lawyers
and counfellors may retire, warm themfelves, and take
a glafs of wdne by way of refrelhment, at the king’s
charge. There is one for each court of parliament,
but thefe are only for perfons belonging to that body ^
there are others in palais, whither other perfons alfo
refort.
BUXENTUM, (Livy, Velleius, Ptolemy, Mela,
Pliny) ; Pyxus, (Strabo, Pliny) j a town of Lucania,
firft built by the people of Meffana, but afterwards de-
ferted, (Strabo). A Roman colony was fent thither,
(Livy, Velleius) : and when found ftill thin of inhabi¬
tants, a new colony w'as fent by a decree of the fenate.
Its name is from buxus, the box-tree, growing plenti¬
fully there. Strabo fays, the name Pyxus includes a
promontory, port, and river, under one. Now Pulicafkro,
in the Hither Principato of Naples. E. Long. 15. 40.
N. Lat. 40. 20.
BUXTON, a place in the Peak of Derbyftiire, ce¬
lebrated for its medicinal w'aters, and lying in W. Long,
o. 20. N. Lat. 53. 20.
It has been always believed by our antiquaries, that
the Romans were acquainted with thefe wells, and had
frequented them much, as there is a military way ftill
vifible, called the Bath-gate, from Burgh to this place.
This w as verified about 50 years ago, when Sir Thomas
Delves, of Cheftiire, in memory of a cure he received
here, caufed an arch to be erefted j in digging the
foundation for which, they came to the remains of a
folid.