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ing of the ditch, Inftead of coffers, caponiers are frequently
made acrofs the ditch, oppofite to the middles of the tenailles
t I
3
or curtatns, which are lodgments four or five feet deep, having
fide a palifaded parapet about three feet high, as a
le covered way, to cover the mufqueteers lodged in it,
who fire through the meurtrieres, and pafs through {uch ca-
poniers to get to the outworks., Thefe are alfo made often
he efplanade, to repel the enemy when he
urs to take the covered way. Coffers are of ufe only
to the befieged. The chamber of a mine is alio called
s il
¢ i'/."fi e
5 9 e
upon the giaces of t
endeave
CXAavre Y
COFFER, {
S combuftible materials, which they con-
ceal in places, by which they fuppofe or fufpeé the enemy
end fome foldiers to attempt an enterprife. They
fet fire to it by means of a train of powder, or by a fauci{-
Correr of a horfe, denotes the hollow formed by the
contour of the ribs. See Horss.
Co¥FrER, or Cradle, in Tuland Nawvigation, denotes a large
wooden trunk or veffel open at top, with moveable ends,
large enough to receive a barge or veflel from a canal, in or-
der to its being hoilted into a higher pound of a canal, or let
down from it. Seef{ub&itutes for locks in our article CanAL.
See Canar and Locxk.
COFFER-DAM, a term in Engincery for a circular double
ange of piles, with clay rammed between, formed round any
entrance lock toa dock, bafon, or canal, where the fame can-
not otherwife be laid dry for digging out and building the
foundations. See our articles Cavar and Lock.
Correr-Dam, Batardeau, Fr.; an enclofure ufed in
laying the foundations of bridges and other aquatic buildings.
The earlielt mention of coffer-dams occurs in the writings of
Alberti, cap. 6. lib. 2. *¢ Make,” fays he, ¢ the foundations
of your piers in autumn when the wateris loweft, having firft
raifed an enclofure to keep off the water, which may be
done in this manner. 1Drive in a double row of ftakes, very
clofe and thick fet, with their heads above the top of the wa-
ter like a trench; then put hurdles wirhin this double row
of ftakes, clofe to that fide of the row which is next to the
intended pier, and fill up the hollow between the two rows
with rufthes and mud, ramming them together fo hard that
no water can get thraugh ; then whatever you find within the
enclofure, water, mud, {and, or whatever elfe is a hindrance
to you, throw them out, and dig till you come to a folid
foundation.” This method recommended by Alberti, will
aniwer for fhallow water, but the coffer-dams in deep and
rapid rivers muft be conltrufted with four or fix rows of
ftrong piles conneéted together with ties, to form a frame-
work of timber, and covered on each fide with a theeting
of planks ; then the interftices of the frame are to be filled in
with clay or chalk carcfully rammed to make the whole
ftaunch.
COFFERER of the King’s Houfehold, a principal offider
in the court, next under the comptroller ; who, in the
ompting-houfe, and elfewhere at other times, has a fpecial
charge and overfight of other officers of the houfe, for their
good demeanour and carriage in their offices ; to all whom
he pays the wages. See Housenovrp.
COFFIN, in a general {enfe, a wooden box or trunk,
into which the bodies of dead perfons are put, in order for
burial.
Coffins, at various periods, have been made of very
different materials. Coffins formed of a fingle ftone, hol-
fowed with a chiffel, are attributed by Mr. Gough to the
Romans. They were fometimes of marble, Some of them
contained two or more bodies, others only one; in which
cafe it was not unufual for them to be made to fit the
protuberances
6 0%
coffin, called ¢ kiftvaen,” found among ancient relics in
this kingdom, was compofed of rough ftones, fet edgeways
at the fides and ends, and covered with one or more flat
ftones. Sometimes the ftones were cemented together fo
that the joints were not difcernible, and fometimes fhty were
The leaden coffin was in
ufe amorg the Romans, not only for the reception of the
body, but, in many inftances, for the athes and bones.
was adopted by the Chriftians, and ¢ontinues in frequent ufe
to the prefent time, efpecially among the more opulent,
However, lead was not the only metal ufed for coffing,
Alexander was burted in a golden coffin by his fucceffor
Ptolemy; and Mr. Gough fays, that glals coffins have been
The molt ancient iaftance of wooden
coffins on record among us, is that of king Arthur, who was
uried 1n an entire trunk of oak, hollowed.
of Glaftonbury calis it ¢ Sarcophagus ligneus.”’
fubject fee Gough’s, Sepulchral Monuments in Great Bii-
compofed of baked clay or tiles.
found in England.
tain, part 1. fol. 1786.
The great improvements which took place in the ecafting
of iron about 20 or 3o years ago, enabling large articles to
be run much thinner than before, fuggefted the introduéion
of caft-iron coffins ; thefe were caft at fome of the Yorkfhire
founderies, of different fizes, extremely thin, and fo appor-
tioned, that they packed one within another, after the manner
of nelts of pill-boxes, for the convenience of carriage. From
not having heard of thefe iron coffins of late, we apprehend
that they were not found to anfwer in point of cxpence,
The increaling pradtice of {tealing dead bodies out of churehs
yards and burying grounds, for the ufe of the anatomical
fchools, and le¢ture rooms of the metropolis, having excited
the alarms of a great number of perfons, on the 5th of July,
1796, Mr. Gabriel Aughtie took out a patent for an im-
proved kind of coffin, which fhould render the ftealing of
bodies therefrom very difficult, if not impofiible.
¥ [
Thele pa-
tent coffins are made of wood, in the common way, except that
no faw-cuarfs are made in the fides for facilitating their bend-
ing to the fhape, and by which the fides of common coffins
are fo much weakened ; the infide of the bottom, fides, end,
and top, are fecured by iron plating, and with angle pieces,
from being cut or forced open; ont >
are fixed eight double fpring-catches, and within the top of
1
ne under-fide of the hid
the fides, eight brafs fockets, exaltly fitted to the catches,
fo that when the coffin isto be finally clofed thefe {pring-
catches enter the {ockets, and by {pringing open when the
lid is clofe put down, they effe¢tua
drawn back.
employs fcrews to further fecure the Iid, fimilar to thofe ufed
in common, except that each fcrew head has both halves of
ily fecure tne lid from being
again removed, as no tool or inftrument can be introduced
to contract the {prings again, and prepare them for being
Between thefe {pring-catches the patentee
it filed away in a bevelled form, and in contrary diretions,
fo that the fcrew-driver has perfeét hold for driving or fcrew-
ing them in, but none for drawing or unfcrewing them agam.
For further {ecurity, thefe patent fcrews have their heads
let into the lid, and a plug of wood, which matches the grain
of the wood in the lid, is fitted in upon them, fo as to conceal
the places of thefe {crews. v
Corrin, in the Manege, the whole hoof of a horfe’s foot;
3
above
: o aiaa : : body,
with cavities for the reception of the head, arms, and other
. The {olid ftone, or marble coffin, often ¢
rioufly wrought, wasin ufe among the firft Chriftians in
England ; who, in all probability, copied the cultoms of the
Romans, after the conquerors had quitted our ifland, The
U
It
The monk
On this
