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s Pythagoricus
\CUS, in arch.,
he capital of a
ture. In the
the abacus is
ic, Corinthian,
concave sides,
ble tablets let
them inserted
ed under the
ind meaning to
Persian origin,
of Hyder.
1 in Heraldry.
orial figure iy
re of the shield,
back to back),
g one another),
lé (winged), are
e abaissé, from
ralds in senses
rdinary signifi-
onment). This
1d etymological
ral phraseology,
to its popular
g 2
nical expression
g the act by
he is called in
m his action on
- and with the
> action had pre-
rpose is effected
urt of Common
ABANDONMENT—ABAUZIT.
Law either entering a Nolle Prosequi, or at the
trial withdrawing the record. In the Courts of Equity,
the plaintiff may move the dismissal of his own bill,
or the defendant may move to dismiss the suit for
want of prosecution by the plaintyf. Suits may also
abate by the death or supervening incapacity of the
parties. See ACTION.
ABANDONMENT, in Marine Insurance, signifies
the relinquishment to the insurer or underwriter of
goods or property saved from a shipwreck, and of
all interest in the same, previous to the ownery’
demanding payment in terms of the policy. See
INSURANCE.
ABANDONMENT OF RATLWAYS. By the act of
parliament 13 and 14 Vict. c. 83, facilities are
afforded for the A. of railways, and the dissolution
of railway companies by consent of the holders of
three-fifths of the shares or stock, and by warrant of
the ¢ Commissioners of Railways,” or, as it now is by
the 14 and 15 Vict. c. 64, by warrant of the Board of
Trade, who, in this respect, as well as in other
matters regarding the regulation of railways, have
superseded the former body. See RAILwWAY.
ABANDONING or deserting seamen, by masters
of merchant-vessels, is, by 9 Geo. IV. c. 31, s. 30, a
misdemeanour, and punishable by imprisonment.
See SEAMEN.
ABATEMENT. Thisisa term used in various
senses in the law of Hngland, as follows: 1. A. of
IFreehold, where a stranger without right enters and
gets possession. See FrREEmorp. 2. A. of Nuis-
ances, which is a remedy against injury by nuisance.
See NUISANCE. 3. Plex in A. by means of which
a defendant, on some formal and technical ground,
seeks to abate or quash the action. See ActIOoN.
4. A. of Legacies and Debts, where the estate is
insufficient for payment in full. See LEGACIES.
5. A. by the death of parties to actions at law and
suits in equity, which are in consequence stopped
till revived. The marriage of a plaintiff, the change
or loss of interest and right, and other similar con-
siderations, have also the effect of abating legal pro-
ceedings. See ActioN. 6. A. or discount, in
Commercial Law. See CoMMERCIAL Law. 7. A,
or deduction of duties levied by the Custom-house.
See CUSTOM-HOUSE.
ABATEMENT, in Heraldry, is a mark placed
over a portion of the paternal coat-of-arms of a
family, significative of some base or ungentieman-like
act on the part of the bearer. The coat is then said
to be abated, or lowered in dignity. Guillim gives
nine such marks, all of which are of either one orthe
other of the two disgraceful colours, tenné (tawney)
and sanguine. Such are the delf tenné, assigned
to him who revokes his challenge ; the escutcheon
reversed sanguine, proper to him who offends the
chastity of virgin, wife, or widow, or flies from his
govereign’s banner; the point-dexter tenné, due to
him who overmuch boasteth himself of his martial
acts ; and the like. Marks of abatement are gener-
ally repudiated by the best
heraldic authorities. Menestrier
calls them sottises Anglaises, and
Montagu is of opinion that we
shall seek in vain for a more
appropriate designation. Abate-
ments are carefully to be distin-
guished from such subtractive
alterations in coats-of-arms as
signify juniority of birth, or
removal from the principal house
or senior branch of the family.
These are commonly called marks of cadency,
distinctions, differences, or brisures. The latter
term is generally applied to marks of bastardy,
Abatement,
i
which might with less impropriety be classed with
abatements,
ABATTIS, a species of intrenchment, and one
of the oldest. It consists of trees felled (abattv),
and laid side by side, with the branches directed
towards the enemy,the.softer twigs being cut off. It
thus forms a breastwork to fire over, and is very
useful in field-works and in the out-works of regular
fortifications, for retarding the enemy’s advance.
ABATTOIR (Fr. abaitre, to fell or destroy), a
slaughter-house. The use of this term has passed
into England from France, where the example was
first given of public establishments for the slaughter
of animals used as food, on such a scale and with
such sanitary arrangements as to obviate the injuri-
ous effects that are found to result from the existence
of private slaughter-houses in the midst of a crowded
population. .This great public improvement origin-
ated with Napoleon, who passed a decree in 1807
for the erection of public abattoirs. The extensive
works connected with this design were nearly com-
pleted before the fall of the Empire; but it, was
not till the close of 1818, that the Parisian butchers
ceased to slaughter in their private establishments,
There are now five of these abattoirs in Paris—three
on the right, and two on the left bank of the Seine,
containing 240 slaughter-houses in all—which, both
in architectural propriety and completeness of
internal arrangement, may be regarded as models of
their kind. The charge per head is, for an ox 6
francs, a cow 4 fr., a calf 2 fr., and a sheep 50 cents.
Of the appearance and management of one of the
great Parisian abattoirs, a good account is given by
Sir Francis Head, in his amusing work, 4 Faggot
of French Sticks. Other towns in France have similar
abattoirs; and so have Mantua and Brussels.
The erection of similar establishments in Britain
is of comparatively recent date. Public slaughter-
houses formed part of the plan in the establishment
of the new cattle-market in the Metropolis in
Copenhagen Fields. Those built are well arranged ;
but they are few in number, and the old system is
still in full operation, to the great detriment of the
public health. In Edinburgh, an establishment of
this kind, excellent in its construction and arrange-
ments, was erected by the town-council in 1851.
A BATTUTA (Ital), in Music, in strict or
measured time.
ABAUZIT, FirmMiN, a French savant, was born
at Uzes, in Languedoe, 1679, and died at Geneva
1767. His parents were Protestant, and at the
revocation of the Edict of Nantes, being only six
years of age, he escaped with difficulty, by his
mother’s contrivance, from the hands of the authori-
ties who wished to educate him into Catholicism, and
was sent to Geneva. Here he prosecuted his studies
with such intense ardour and diligence, that he became
versed in almost all the sciences. He travelled in
England and Holland in 1698, where he made the
acquaintance of Newton, Bayle, and other eminent
writers. Newton, in sending him one of his contro-
versial works, paid him the distinguished compli-
ment of saying: ¢ You are worthy to decide between
Leibnitz and me.” Xing William wished to retain
him permanently in ¥ngland, and to that end made
him several advantageous offers; but his affection
for his mother induced him to return to Geneva. He
translated the New Testament into French in 1726 ;
and for his lucid investigations into the ancient
history, of Geneva, he received from its authori-
ties the rights of citizenship. He likewise wrote
numerous theological and archeseological treatises,
besides leaving one or two scientific and artistic
dissertations in manuseript, but the greater portion
of these were burned by his heirs, who were Catl:%olics.
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