COMMONWEALTH, in a general sense, any form of government; in an absolute one, a republic. See REPUBLIC

a

COMPANY, in a commercial sense, a society of merchants, mechanics, or other traders, joined together in a common interest. The mechanics of incorporated towns are thus erected into companies [See Livery Companies.] The term is also applied to large associations set on foot for purposes of commerce. When companies do not trade upon joint stock, but are obliged to admit any person properly qualified, upon paying a certain fine, and agreeing to submit to the regulations of the company, each member trading upon his own stock, and at his own risk, they are called regulated companies; when they trade upon a joint stock, each member sharing in the common profit or loss, in proportion to his share in the stock, they are called joint-stock companies. Regulated companies are intirely similar to the corporations of trades, and are a sort of enlarged monopolies of the same kind: As no inhabitant of a town can exercise an incorporated trade without first obtaining his freedom in the corporation; so in most cases no subject of the state can lawfully carry on any branch of foreign trade for which a regulated company is established, without first becoming a member of that company. The regulated companies for foreign commerce, at present subsisting in the united kingdom, are the Hamburg-company, the Russia-company, the Eastland-company, the Turkey-company, and the African-company.

A

COMPANY, joint-stock, differs essentially, not only from regulated companies, but also from private

copartneries. f. In a private copartnery, each member may, upon proper warning, withdraw, and demand his share of the common stock, but he cannot introduce a member into the company; in a joint-stock company, his situation is the reverse: he cannot demand his share, but he may transfer it to another. The value of this share, moreover, is uncertain; being that which it will bring at market. 2. In a private copartnery, each partner is bound for the debts contracted by the company to the whole extent of his fortune; in a joint-stock comony, on the contrary, each partner is bound only to the extent of his share. The trade of a jointstock company is always managed by a court of directors. See East-India company, South-sea company, and Hudson's-bay company.

COMPANY, in military affairs, a small body of foot, consisting of from 50 to 100 privates, commanded by a captain, who has under him a lieutenant and ensign. A battalion contains, 9, 10, or 11 such companies, one of which is always of gre nadiers. Companies not incorporated are called irregulars, or independent companies.

COMPARATIVE anatomy, otherwise called the anatomy of beasts, and sometimes zoötomy, and named comparative in relation to that of the human body; a study which affords considerable advantages. 1. It conveys such knowledge of the different parts of animals as detects imposition in those authors that. have delineated and described parts of brutes as belonging to the human body. 2. It interprets several passages in ancient writers in medicine who have reasoned from those descriptions, 3. It casts considerable light, sometimes by similarity,

and sometimes by contrast, on the functions of the human frame.

COMPASS, or mariner's steering compass, is an instrument used at sea to direct the course of ships, by ascertaining the situation of a given point, and thence enabling the seaman to pursue a line in any direction to or from it. The European compass is contained in a circular box of brass, and consists of the magnetic needle, and a card marked with the 32 points, so fixed as to turn freely, and, together with the pin in the centre, yield to the motion of the vessel. In the centre of the needle is fixed a brass conical socket or cup, by means of which, the card hanging on the pin turns freely round the centre. The top of the box is covered with a glass, that the card's motion may not be disturbed by the wind. The whole is inclosed in a box of wood, where it is suspended by brass hoops, or gimbals, to preserve the card in an horizontal position. The utility of this instrument results from the magnetic virtue of the needle, through which it constantly places itself in a direct line from pole to pole; a small declination peculiar to various parts of the world, excepted. The compass appears to have been first known about the thirteenth century; but whether it was then discovered by a Neapolitan, a Frenchman, or an Englishman, or brought from China by a Venetian, is not wholly agreed. From some particulars mentioned in the account of the late British embassy to Pekin, it seems reasonable to conclude that, at least, the Chinese did not receive this contrivance from Europeans. 1. The loadstone and its maritime use appears to have been anciently known to that people, because, in a figure of Nep

tune, it is placed in one of the hands of the god, as we place a trident; 2. The Chinese pilots speak of the needle as pointing to the South pole, and Europeans, as pointing to the North. Both these expressions are equally just: but it commonly happens that when any thing of importance is borrowed from one nation by another, all the little attendant circumstances are taken with it. This latter argument equally maintains, with whatever conclusiveness it possesses, the originality of the European compass: Mr. Barrow, however a gentleman who attended the embassy, has made some observation from which it appears, that that of the Chinese is the more perfect of the two. He describes a sort of bandage of copper, by means of which the declination or variation of the needle is prevented. See MAGNETISM.

COMPASS Azimuth, an instrument used for correcting the mariner's compass, or at least, for ascertaining its variation, by finding the sun's magnetical azimuth or altitude. See Azimuth, and Variation of the needle.

COMPASSION is that species of affection which is excited either by the actual distress of its object, or by some impending calamity which appears inevitable. Compassion is always connected with a desire to relieve, and will always prompt to vigorous exertions wherever there is a possibility of success; unless some important considerations should render the exertions improper or unjust, Compassion has no necessary connection with the character of the object. Its distress is a sufficient

excitement.

COMPENSATION is a contrivance in a pendulum

clock, by means of which, while the expansion from increase of temperature depresses the centre of gravity of some of the vibrating parts, other parts are made to ascend nearer the centre of suspension, or to draw up the pendulum, so as to preserve the centre of oscillation of the compound pendulum at an invariable distance, and in consequence to keep all the vibrations to the same time. Compensation balance in a watch is a contrivance by means of which the errors occasioned by the variation of temperature may be corrected by varying the diameter of the balances.

COMPLEMENT of Life, a term used in the doctrine of annuities by De-Moivre, who denotes by it the number of years which a given life wants of 86, this being taken as the utmost probable extent of life. Thus to a person aged 20 the complement of life is 66: to a person aged 40 the complement of life is 46. Upon this mode half the complement of life is that which persons not very young, nor very old, may expect to enjoy, thus to a person of 20 the

son of a given age may

number of years which

=33 years, and to per

expectation of it will be

To find how long a per

expect to live; that is, the persons of this age, taking them, one with another, will actually enjoy, and may be considered as sure of enjoying, those who live beyond that period enjoying as much more time, in proportion to their number, as those who fall short of it enjoy less. Rule. "Take the given