to discourage the other mariners from defending the same, he shall lose all the wages due to him, together with such goods as he hath in the ship, and be imprisoned and kept to hard labour for 6 months.

The 6 Geo. 4. c. 49. enacts that a bounty shall be paid to the officers and crews of such of his Majesty's ships of war as may be engaged in the actual taking, sinking, burning, or otherwise destroying any vessel or boat manned by pirates, of 201. for each pirate taken or killed during the attack, and of 51. for every other man of the crew not taken or killed, who shall have been alive on board the said piratical vessel at the attack thereof.

The same statute (3.) enacts that vessels and other property taken from pirates, proved to have belonged to any of his Majesty's subjects, are to be delivered up to them, on their paying a sum of money, as salvage, equal to 1-8th part of the true value of the same.

[See Kent's Commentaries on American Law, Lecture 9th.-Am. Ed.]

PISTACHIA OR PISTACHIO NUTS (Ger. Pistaschen; Du. Pistasjes; Fr. Pistaches; It. Pistacchi, Fastucchi; Sp. Alfocigos; Lat. Pistacia), the fruit of the Pistachia vera, a kind of turpentine tree. It grows naturally in Arabia, Persia, and Syria; also in Sicily, whence the nuts are annually brought to us. They are oblong and pointed, about the size and shape of a filbert, including a kernel of a pale greenish colour, covered with a yellowish or reddish skin. They have a pleasant, sweetish, unctuous taste, resembling that of sweet almonds; their principal difference from which consists in their having a greater degree of sweetness, accompanied with a light grateful flavour, and in being more oily. Pistachias imported from the East are superior to those raised in Europe.-(Lewis's Mat. Med.)

PITCH (Ger. Pech; Fr. Poix, Brai; It. Pece, Sp. Pez; Rus. Smola gustaja), the residuum which remains on inspissating tar, or boiling it down to dryness. It is extensively used in ship building, and for other purposes. Large quantities are manufactured in Great Britain. The duty on pitch, which is 10d. a cwt., produced, in 1829, 448/., so that 10,752 cwt. must have been entered for home consumption.

An allowance is to be made for tare on pitch, of 93 lbs. each on Archangel casks, 36 lbs. each on Swedish do., and 56 lbs. each on American do.

PLANE, a forest tree, of which there are 2 species; the Oriental plane (Platanus Orientalis), and the Occidental plane (Platanus Occidentalis).

The Oriental plane is a native of the Levant, and other Eastern countries, and is considered one of the finest of trees. It grows to about 60 feet in height, and has been known to exceed 8 feet in diameter. Its wood is much like beech, but more figured, and is used for furniture and such like articles. The Occidental plane is a native of North America, and is one of the largest of the American trees, being sometimes more than 12 feet in diameter. The wood of the Occidental plane is harder than that of the Oriental. It is very durable in

water.

The tree known by the name of plane in England is the sycamore, or great maple (Acer pseudo-platanus). It is a large tree, grows quickly, and stands the sea spray better than most trees. The timber is very close and compact, easily wrought, and not liable either to splinter or warp. It is generally of a brownish white or yellowish white colour, and sometimes it is very beautifully curled and mottled. In this state it takes a fine polish, and bears varnishing well. It is chiefly used in the manufacture of saddle trees, wooden dishes, and a variety of articles both of furniture and machinery. When kept dry, and protected from worms, it is pretty durable; but it is quite as liable as beech to be attacked by them.—(Tredgold, p. 196.)

PLANKS (Ger. and Du. Planken; Da. Planker; Sw. Plankor; Fr. Planches, Bordages; Rus. Tolstülle olosku), thick strong boards, cut from various kinds of wood, espe cially oak and pine. Planks are usually of the thickness of from 1 inch to 4. They are imported in large quantities from the northern parts of Europe, particularly from the ports of Christiania, Dantzic, Archangel, Petersburgh, Narva, Revel, Riga, and Memel, as well as from several parts of North America.

PLANTAIN, OR BANANA, the pulpy fruit of the Musa paradisiaca, an herbaceous plant, extensively cultivated in most intertropical countries, but especially in Mexico. It is not, like most other fruits, used merely as an occasional luxury, but rather an established

article of subsistence. Being long and extensively cultivated, it has diverged into numerous varieties, the fruit of which differs materially in size, flavour, and colour. That of some is not above 2 or 3 inches long, while that of others is not much short of a foot; some sorts are sweet, and of a flavour not unlike nor inferior to that of a good mellow pear; but the larger kind are, for the most part, coarse and farinaceous. The latter are either used fresh or dried in the sun, in which latter state they are occasionally ground into meal and made into bread. In Mexico, the sweeter sorts are frequently pressed and dried, as figs are in Europe; and, while they are not very inferior to the last mentioned fruit, they are infinitely cheaper.

"I doubt," says M. Humboldt, "whether there be any other plant that produces so great a quantity of nutritive substance in so small a space. Eight or 9 months after the sucker is planted, it begins to develope its cluster. The fruit may be gathered in the 10th or 11th month. When the stalk is cut, there is always found, among the numerous shoots that have taken root, a sprout (pimpollo), which, being 2-3ds the height of its parent plant, bears fruit 3 months later. Thus a plantation of bananas perpetuates itself, without requiring any care on the part of man, further than to cut the stalks when the fruit has ripened, and to stir the earth gently once or twice a year about the roots. A piece of ground of 100 square metres of surface will contain from 30 to 40 plants. During the course of a year this same piece of ground, reckoning the weight of the cluster at from 15 to 20 kilog. only, will yield 2,000

kilog., or more than 4,000 lbs., of nutritive substance. What a difference between this product and that of the cereal grasses in most parts of Europe! The same extent of land planted with wheat would not produce above 30 lbs.; and not more than 90 lbs. of potatoes. Hence the product of the banana is to that of wheat as 133 to 1, and to that of potatoes as 44 to 1."-(Essai sur la Nouvelle Espagne, tom. ii. p. 388. 2d ed.)

The banana forms a principal part of the food of the people of Mexico; and the apathy and indolence of the natives in the tierras calientes, or hot regions, has been ascribed, and probably with good reason, to the facility with which it supplies them with subsistence. It is by no means in such exten sive use in tropical Asia; and comes nowhere in it into competition with corn as an article of food. PLATE, the denomination usually given to gold and silver wrought into articles of household furniture.

In order partly to prevent fraud, and partly for the purpose of collecting a revenue, the manufacture of plate is placed under certain regulations. Those who carry it on are obliged to take out a licence, renewable annually on the 31st of July.-(See ante, p. 137.) Assay offices are established in different places; and any one selling any article previously to its having been assayed and marked, forfeit 50%.-(24 Geo. 3. c. 53.) No plate is passed at the assay offices, unless it be of the fineness of the old standard, or 11 oz. and 2 dwts., or of the new standard of 11 oz. and 10 dwts. Gold plate, with the exception of gold watch-cases, is to pay a duty of 17s. an oz., and silver plate a duty of 1s. 6d.; but watch-cases, chains, tippings, mountings, collars, bottle tickets, teaspoons, &c. are exempted. The 52 Geo. 3. c. 143. made the counterfeiting, or the transference from one piece of plate to another, of the marks, stamps, &c. impressed on plate by the assayers, felony without the benefit of clergy. But the offence is now punishable by transportation or imprisonment only.—(1 Will. 4. c. 66.) In his able speech on the state of the country, 18th of March, 1830, Mr. Huskisson said, "The rate of duty upon silver wrought plate, in 1804, was 1s. 3d., upon gold 16s. an ounce; it was afterwards raised to Is. 6d. upon silver, and 17s. on gold. But what has been the increase in the nett produce of the duty? It has risen from less than 5,000l. in 1804, to 105,000l. in 1826; a rise of more than twenty-fold, notwithstanding the greatly diminished supply from the mines, and the consequent increasing value of the precious metals. It may be further remarked, that this augmentation shows how large a por tion of gold and silver is annually diverted from the purposes of coin to those of ornament and luxury.” A Return, showing the Annual Nett Produce of the Duty levied on wrought Gold and Silver Plate, in each Year from 1806 to 1833, both inclusive; distinguishing, as far as possible, Gold from Silver and also the Rate of Duty in each Year.-(Parl. Paper, No. 246. Sess. 1833.)

Note. The produce of the duties on gold and silver plate cannot be distinguished for the country prior to the year ended 5th of January, 1819, the same not having been distinguished in the accounts of the distributors.

We endeavoured to show, in the former edition of this work, that Mr. Huskisson had been deceived by trusting to false or defective information; and that, instead of the increase of the duties, and, consequently, of the consumption of plate, being nearly so great as he had represented, it fell far short of what might have been fairly expected from the increasing wealth and population of the country. The preceding Table shows that our criticism was well founded. The stationary amount of duty may, perhaps, be accounted for by the facility with which the duties are evaded. The increase of duty in 1826 is a curious phenomenon.

PLATINA, a metal which, in respect of scarcity, beauty, ductility, and indestructibility is hardly inferior to gold, was unknown in Europe till about the middle of last century, when it began to be imported in small quantities from South America. It has since been discovered in Estremadura in Spain, and, more recently, in the Ural Mountains in Asiatic Russia, where it is now raised in very considerable quantities.

Platina is of a white colour, like silver, but not so bright, and has no taste or smell. Its hardness is Intermediate between copper and iron. Its specific gravity is about 21-5, that of gold being 19.3; so that it is the heaviest body with which we are acquainted. It is exceedingly ductile and malleable; it may be hammered out into very thin plates, and drawn into wires not exceeding 1-1940th of an inch in diameter. In these properties it is probably inferior to gold, but it seems to surpass all the other metals. Its tenacity is such, that a wire of platina 0.078 inch in diameter is capable of supporting a

weight of 274-31 lbs. avoirdupois without breaking. It is one of the most infusible of all metals; but pieces of it may be welded together without difficulty when heated to whiteness. It is not in the smallest degree altered by the action of air or water.-(Thomson's Chemistry.)

The late Dr. Wollaston discovered a method of fusing platina, and, consequently, of rendering it easily available in the arts. The Russians have, within these few years, issued platina coins of the value of 3, 6, and 20 silver roubles. Platina first began to be an object of attention in Russia in 1824, when 1 pood 33 lbs. were collected. In 1830, the produce amounted to 303 poods 14 lbs. In 1831, a piece of native platina was discovered at Demidoff's gold mines, weighing 20 lbs. 2 zolt.—(Official Statements published by the Russian Government.)

PLATTING, slips of bast, cane, straw, &c. woven or plaited for making into hats, &c.— (See HATS, STRAW.)

PLUMS, the fruit of the Prunus domestica, are too well known to require any description. They were introduced into England in the 15th century, and are cultivated in all parts of the country. There are said to be nearly 300 varieties of plums.

PLUMBAGO. See BLACK LEAD.

POMEGRANATE, POMEGRANATES (Ger. Granatäpfel; Fr. Grenades; It. Granati, Melagrani; Sp. Granadas), the fruit of the pomegranate tree (Punica granatum). This tree, which grows to the height of 15 or 20 feet, appears to be a native of Persia, whence it has been conveyed, on the one side, to Southern Europe, and on the other, to the tropical parts of Asia, and eventually to the New World. The fruit is a pulpy, many-seeded berry, the size of an orange, covered with a thick, brown, coriaceous rind. The pulp has a reddish colour, and a pleasant subacid taste. The value of the fruit depends on the smallness of the seed and the largeness of the pulp. The finest, called by the Persians, badana, or seedless, is imported into India from Caubul and Candahar, where the pomegranate grows in perfection. The tree thrives all the way to the equator; but, within the tropics, the fruit is hardly fit for use. The pomegranates brought to England from the south of Europe and the West Indies are very inferior to those of Persia.-(Private information.)

POPLAR (Ger. Pappel, Pappelhaum; Du. Popelier; Fr. Peuplier; It. Pioppa; Sp. Alamo; Lat. Populus). Of the poplar (Populus of botanists), there are about 15 species described; of these, 5 are common in England; viz. the common or White, the Black, the Aspen or trembling poplar, the Abele or great white poplar, and the Lombardy poplar. In most favourable situations, the white poplar grows with great rapidity, sometimes sending forth shoots 16 feet long in a single season. The wood is soft, and not very durable, unless kept dry; but it is light, not apt either to swell or shrink, and easily wrought. The Lombardy poplar grows rapidly, and shoots in a complete spire to a great height; its timber does not differ materially from that of the white poplar. It is very light; and is, therefore, well adapted for the manufacture of packing-cases. None of the species is fit for large timbers.(Tredgold's Principles of Carpentry; Veget. Sub., Lib. of Entert. Knowledge.)

POPULATION. To attempt giving in this place any explanation of the laws which regulate the progress of population, would be quite inconsistent with the objects and limits of this work. It may, indeed, be thought that the word has no business here. However, as it is frequently of importance in commercial questions, and in others materially affecting commercial interests, to be able to compare the consumption of an article with the population, we believe we shall gratify our readers by laying before them the following Tables, showing the results of the different censuses that have been taken of the population of Great Britain and Ireland, [and of the United States.

3,929,827 5,305,925 7,239,814 9,638,131 12,866,920 697,897 893,041 1,191,364 1,538,064 2,009,031

I. Population of Great Britain in 1801, 1811, 1821, and 1831, showing its Amount at each Period in each County of England and Scotland, and in the entire Principality of Wales; with the Ratio of Increase.

II. Population of Ireland, as determined by the Censuses taken in 1813, 1821, and 1831, showing its Amount at each Period in each County, with the Rates of Increase.

The first spe

PORCELAIN, OR CHINA WARE, a very fine species of earthenware. cimens of this fabric were brought to Europe from China and Japan. The best Chinese porcelain is of a very fine texture, white, semi-transparent, and sometimes beautifully coloured and gilt; is infusible, and not subject to break by the sudden application of heat or cold. The Chinese term for the article is tse-ki. But the Portuguese, by whom it was first brought in considerable quantities into Europe, bestowed on it the name of porcelain, from porcella, a cup.

Common earthenware, sometimes of a very good quality, is manufactured in Canton, Fokien, and several other provinces of China. But it is a curious fact, that the beautiful porcelain imported into Europe is made only in the town of Kingtesing, in the province of Kyangsi. Its manufacture is fully described by Duhalde, in his account of China, under the head "Porcelain and China ware." The porcelain of Japan is decidedly inferior to that of China; very little is imported, and it is valued only as a curiosity.

After porcelain began to be imported, its beauty soon brought it into great request, notwithstanding its high price, as an ornament for the houses and tables of the rich and the great. The emulation of European artists was in consequence excited. Very little information was, however, obtained as to the mode of manufacturing porcelain till the early part of last century, when the process was developed in a letter from a French Jesuit in China, who had found means to make himself pretty well acquainted with the subject. The knowledge that thus transpired, and the investigations of Reaumur and other chemists, prepared the way for the establishment of the manufacture in Europe. It was first comienced at Dresden, which has been famous ever since for the beauty of its productions; but the finest and most magnificent specimens of European china have been produced at Sèvres, in France, in the factory carried on at the expense of the French government.

British Porcelain Manufacture. This, though unable to boast of such fine specimens of costly workmanship as have been produced at Sèvres and Dresden, is of much greater national importance.

*N. B.-Not enumerated in 1813.