Between 29th September and 25th March, per Foot. Gt.Newtown Head | Saltees. 2 3 63 04 114 56 3 More than 6 and less than 12 Feet, between 25th March and 29th Sept., per Foot. The same rates of pilotage to be paid outwards, Ships not having British registers to pay 1 4 more of the rates of pilotage than is stated in the above Table. The pilot of any vessel shall, if required by the owner or master only, provide a boat with 4 men to attend her, from the roads to the quay, or from the quay to the roads, to tow her in or out, or carry ropes on shore or to the posts, &c., as may be necessary, for which service each man is to be paid 4s. per tide; the owner of the boat to be paid the same as a man. Masters of ships taking a pilot at sea (which is optional to them) to pay as follows, viz. L.. d. PIMENTO, ALLSPICE, OR JAMAICA PEPPER (Fr. Poivre de Jamaïque, Ger. Nelkenpfeffer; It. Pimenti), the fruit of the Myrtus pimenta, a beautiful tree which grows in great plenty on the hills on the north side of Jamaica. The berries are spherical, and, when ripe, of a black or dark purple colour. But, as the pulp is in this state moist and glutinous, the berries are plucked when green; and being exposed in the sun to dry, they lose their green colour, and become of a reddish brown. They are packed in bags and hogsheads for the European market. The more fragrant and smaller they are, the better are they ac counted. They have an aromatic, agreeable odour, resembling that of a mixture of cinna mon, cloves, and nutmegs, with the warm pungent taste of the cloves. Pimento is used in me dicine; but its principal use is in the seasoning of soups and other dishes. "The return," says Mr. Bryan Edwards, "from a pimento walk in a favourable season are prodi gious. A single tree has been known to yield 150 lbs. of the raw fruit, or 100 lbs. of the dried spice: there being commonly a loss in weight of in curing; but this, like many other of the minor productions, is exceedingly uncertain, and perhaps a very plenteous crop occurs but once in 5 years. The price in the British market, as may be supposed, fluctuates accordingly; but I believe its average for Bome years past may be set down at 7d. per lb., exclusive of the duty (3d.)."-(Vol. ii. p. 372. ed. 1819.) The price of pimento in bond, in the London market, has varied of late years from 4d. to 5d. per lb. At the period when Mr. Edwards's work was published, the annual imports of pimento from Jamaica amounted to about 672,000 lbs., and were decreasing every year-(loc. cit.). But at an average of the 3 years ending with 1832, the annual imports were 2,349,593 lbs., the annual exports 1,927,731 lbs., and the annual entries for home consumption 316,348 lbs. There has been, however, a considerable falling off in the imports of 1831 and 1832, which do not amount to much more than the half of those of the previous 4 years. The duty of 5d. per lb., being more than 100 per cent. on the price of the article, produces, at a medium, about 7,000. a year. It ought to be repealed altogether. Jamaica furnishes more than 9-10ths of the pimento brought to England. PINCHBECK (Ger. Tomback; Du. Tombak; Fr. Tambac, Similor; It. Tombacco; Sp. Tambac, Tumbaga), a name given to one of the many imitations of gold. By melting zinc in various proportions with copper or brass, some alloys result, the colours of which approach more or less to that of gold. This composition is frequently employed as a substitute for gold, in the formation of watch-cases, and various other articles of a like description. Pinchbeck is sometimes called Tambac, and sometimes Similor and Petit-or. PINE, OR FIR, a species of forest tree, next, if not superior, to the oak, in point of utility and value. There are above 20 species of pines. They do not bear flat leaves, but a species of spines, which, however, are real leaves. They are mostly, though not all, evergreens; but the appearance of the tree, as well as the quality of the timber, varies with the species, and also with the situation in which it grows. Generally speaking, the timber is hardest and best in exposed cold situations, and where its growth is slow. We shall only notice those species, the timber of which is most in use in this country. 1. SCOTCH PINE (Pinus Sylvestris), is a native of the Scotch mountains, and of most northern parts of Europe; being common in Russia, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Lapland. It is straight, abruptly branched, rising in favourable situations to the height of 80 or 90 feet, and being from 3 to 4 feet in diameter. It is at perfection when 70 or 80 years old. The colour of the wood differs considerably; it is generally of a reddish yellow, or of a honey yellow, of various degrees of brightness. It has no larger transverse septa, and it has a strong resinous odour and taste. In the best timber, the annual rings are thin, not exceeding th of an inch in thickness; the dark parts of the rings of a bright reddish colour; the wood hard and dry to the feel, neither leaving a woolly surface after the saw, nor filling its teeth with resin. The best Norway is the finest of this kind, and the best Riga and Memel are not much inferior. The inferior sorts have thick annual rings; in some, the dark parts of the rings are of a honey yellow, the wood heavy, and filled with a soft resinous matter, feels clammy, and chokes the saw. Timber of this kind is not durable, nor fit for bearing strains. In some inferior species, the wood is spongy, contains less resinous matter, and presents a woolly surface after the saw. Swedish timber is often of this kind. Scotch fir is the most durable of the pine species. It was the opinion of the celebrated Mr. Brindley, "that red Riga deal, or pine wood, would endure as long as oak in all situations." Its lightness and stiffness render it superior to any other material for beams, girders, joists, rafters, &c. It is much used in joiners' work, as it is more easily wrought, stands better, is much cheaper, and is nearly, if not quite, as durable as oak. Scotch fir is exported from Norway and Sweden, under the name of redwood. Norway exports no trees above 18 inches' diameter, consequently there is much sap wood; but the heart wood is both stronger and more durable than that of larger trees from other situations Riga exports a considerable quantity under the name of masts and spars; pieces from 18 to 25 inches' diameter are called masts, and are usually 70 or 80 feet in length; those of less than 18 inches' diameter are called spars.-(See RIGA.) Yellow deals and planks are imported from various ports of Norway, Sweden, Prussia, Russia, &c. Tar, pitch, and turpentine, are obtained from the Scotch fir.-(See these titles.) When the tree has attained to a proper age, it is not injured by the extraction of these products. 2. SPRUCE PINE. Of this there are 3 species: the Norway spruce, or Pinus abies; white spruce, or Pinus alba; and black spruce, or Pinus nigra. These are noble trees, rising in straight stems from 150 to 200 feet in height. They yield the timber known by the name of white fir, or deal, from its always being imported in deals or planks. Deals imported from Christiania are in the highest estimation.-(See CHRISTIANIA) The trees are usually cut into 3 lengths, generally of about 12 feet each; and are afterwards cut into deals by saw-mills, each length yielding 3 deals. The Norway spruce thrives very well in Britain, and produces timber little inferior to the foreign: it is somewhat softer, and the knots are extremely hard. The white spruce, or Pinus alba, is brought from British North America. The wood is not so resinous as the Norway spruce: it is tougher, lighter, and more liable to twist in drying. The black spruce, or Pinus nigra, is also an American tree; but it is not much imported into this country. The black and white spruce derive their names from the colour of the bark; the wood of both being of the same colour. The colour of spruce fir, or white deal, is yellowish or brownish white; the hard part of the annual ring a darker shade of the same colour; it often has a silky lustre, expecially in the American and British grown kinds. Each annual ring consists of two parts; the one hard, the other softer. The knots are generally very hard. The clear and straight-grained kinds are often tough, but not very difficult to work, and stand extremely well when properly seasoned. White deal, as imported, shrinks about th part in becoming quite dry. 3. WEYMOUTH PINE, OF WHITE PINE (Pinus strobus), is a native of North America, and is imported in large logs, often more than 2 feet square and 30 feet in length. It is one of the largest and most useful of the American trees, and makes excellent masts; but it is not durable, nor fit for large timbers, being very subject to dry rot. It has a peculiar odour. 4. SILVER FIR (Pinus picea), is a native of the mountains of Siberia, Germany, and Switzerland, and is common in British plantations. It is a large tree, and yields the Strasburgh turpentine. The wood is of good quality, and much used on the Continent both for carpentry and ship building. The harder fibres are of a yellow colour, compact, and resincus; the softer nearly white. Like the other kinds of fir, it is light and stiff, and does not bend much under a considerable load; consequently, floors constructed of it remain permanently level. It is subject to the worm. It has been said to last longer in the air than in the water; and, therefore, to be fitter for the upper parts of bridges than for piles and piers. 5. LARCH (Pinus larix). There are 3 species of this valuable tree; 1 European, and 2 American. The variety from the Italian Alps is the most esteemed, and has lately been extensively introduced into plantations in Great Britain. It is a straight and lofty tree, of rapid growth. A tree 79 years of age was cut down at Blair Athol, in 1817, which contained 252 cubic feet of timber; and one of 80 years of age, at Dunkeld, measured 300 cubic feet. The mean size of the trunk of the larch may be taken at 45 feet in length, and 33 inches' diameter. The wood of the European larch is generally of a honey yellow colour, the hard part of the annual rings of a redder cast; sometimes it is brownish white. In common with the other species of pine, each annual ring consists of a hard and a soft part. It generally has a silky lustre; its colour is browner than that of the Scotch pine, and it is much tougher. It is more difficult to work than Riga or Memel timber; but the surface is better when once it is obtained. It bears driving bolts and nails better than any other species of resinous wood. When perfectly dry, it stands well; but it warps much in seasoning. It is in all situations extremely durable. It is useful for every purpose of building, whether external or internal; it makes excellent ship timber, masts, boats, posts, rails, and furniture. It is peculiarly adapted for flooring boards, in situations where there is much wear, and for staircases in the latter, its fine colour, when rubbed with oil, is much preferable to that of the black oaken staircases to be seen in some old mansions. It is well adapted for doors, shutters, and the like; and, from the beautiful colour of its wood when varnished, painting is not necessary. We have abstracted these particulars from Mr. Tredgold's excellent work, The Principles of Carpentry, pp. 209–217. PINE-APPLÉ, OR ANANAS, though a tropical fruit, is now extensively cultivated in hothouses in this country, and is well known to every one. When of a good sort and healthy, it is the most luscious, and, perhaps, the best fruit that this country produces; and when carefully cultivated, is equal in point of quality to that produced in the West Indies. A pine-apple raised at Stackpool Court, Pembrokeshire, and served up at the coronation dinner of George IV., weighed 10 lbs. 8 oz.-(Vegetable Substances, p. 379., Lib. Entert. Knowledge.) PINT, a measure used chiefly in the measuring of liquids. The word is High Dutch, and signifies a little measure of wine. The English pint used to be of 2 sorts; the one for wine, the other for beer and ale. Two pints make a quart; 2 quarts a pottle; 2 pottles a gallon, &c. The pint, Imperial liquid measure, contains 34-659 cubic inches. PIPE, a wine measure, usually containing 105 (very nearly) Imperial, or 126 wine gallons. Two pipes, or 210 Imperial gallons, make a tun. But, in practice, the size of the pipe varies according to the description of wine it contains. Thus, a pipe of port contains 138 wine gallons, of sherry 130, of Lisbon and Bucellas 140, of Madeira 110, and of Vidonia 120. The pipe of port, it is to be observed, is seldom accurately 138 gallons, and it is usual to charge what the vessel accurately contains. PIPE-CLAY, a species of clay abounding in Devonshire, and other parts of England, employed in the manufacture of various sorts of earthenware, and in bleaching. PIRACY, consists in committing those acts of robbery and violence upon the seas, that, if committed upon land, would amount to felony. Pirates hold no commission or delegated authority from any sovereign or state, empowering them to attack others. They can, therefore, be only regarded in the light of robbers or assassins. They are, as Cicero has truly stated, the common enemies of all (communes hostes omnium); and the law of nations gives to every one the right to pursue and exterminate them without any previous declaration of war; but it is not allowed to kill them without trial, except in battle. Those who surrender, or are taken prisoners, must be brought before the proper magistrates, and dealt with according to law. By the ancient common law of England, piracy, if committed by a subject, was held to be a species of treason, being contrary to his natural allegiance; and, by an alien, to be felony only but since the statute of treasons (25 Edw. 3. c. 2.), it is held to be only felony in a subject. Formerly this offence was only cognisable by the admiralty courts, which proceed by the rules of the civil law; but it being inconsistent with the liberties of the nation that any man's life should be taken away, unless by the judgment of his peers, the statute 28 Hen. 8. c. 15. established a new jurisdiction for this purpose, which proceeds according to the course of common law. It was formerly a question whether the Algerines, and other African states, should be considered pirates: but, however exceptionable their conduct might have been on many occasions, and however hostile their policy might be to the interests of humanity, still, as they had been subjected to what may be called regular governments, and had been admitted to enter into treaties with other powers, they could not be treated as pirates. Pirates having no right to make conquests, or to seize upon what belongs to others, capture by them does not divest the owner of his property. At a very early period of our history, a law was made for the restitution of property taken by pirates, if found within the realm, whether belonging to strangers or Englishmen : but any foreigner suing upon this statute must prove that, at the time of the capture, his own sovereign and the sovereign of the captor were in mutual amity; for it is held that piracy cannot be committed by the subjects of states at war with each other. Piracy was almost universally practised in the heroic ages. Instead of being esteemed infamous, it was supposed to be honourable.-(Latrocinium maris gloriæ habebatur.— Justin. lib. xliii. c. 3.) Menelaus, in the Odyssey, does not hesitate to inform his guests, who admired his riches, that they were the fruit of his piratical expeditions—(lib. iv. ver. 90.); and such, indeed, was the way in which most of the Greek princes amassed great wealth.-(Goguet, Origin of Laws, vol. i. p. 383. Eng. trans.) The prevalence of this piratical spirit in these early ages may, perhaps, be explained by the infinite number of small independent states into which the country was divided, and the violent animosity constantly subsisting amongst them. In this way ferocious and predatory habits were universally diffused and kept alive; and it is not to be supposed that those who were at all times liable to be attacked by hosts of enemies, should very accurately examine the grounds upon which they attacked others. According, however, as a more improved system of government grew up, Greece, and a few states, as Athens, Corinth, &c., had attained to distinction by their naval power, piracy was made a capital offence: but though repressed, it was never entirely put down. Cilicia was at all times the great stronghold of the pirates of antiquity: and in consequence of the decline of the maritime forces of Athens Rhodes, &c., which had kept them in check, they increased so much in numbers and audacity as to insult the majesty of Rome herself; so that it became necessary to send Pompey against them, with a large fleet and army, and more extensive powers than had been ever previously conferred on any Roman general. During the anarchy of the middle ages, when every baron considered himself a sort of independent prince, entitled to make war on others, piracy was universally practised. The famous Hanseatic League was formed chiefly for the purpose of protecting the ships of the confederated cities from the attacks of the pirates by which the Baltic was then infested. The nuisance was not finally abated in Europe till the feudal system had been subverted, and the ascendency of the law every where secured. In more modern times, some of the smaller West India islands have been the great resort of pirates: latterly, however, they have been driven from most of their haunts in that quarter. They are still not unfrequently met with in the Indian seas east of Sumatra. Besides those acts of robbery and depredation upon the high seas, which, at common law, constitute piracy, some other offences have been included under that term. Thus, by the stat. 11 & 12 Will, 3, c. 7., if any natural-born subject commits any act of hostility upon the high seas against others of his Majesty's subjects, under colour of a commission from any foreign power, this, though it would only be an act of war in an alien, shall be construed piracy in a subject. And further, any commander or other seafaring person betraying his trust, and running away with any ship, boat, ordnance, ammunition, or goods, or yielding them up voluntarily to a pirate, or conspiring to do these acts; or any person assaulting the commander of a vessel, to hinder him from fighting in defence of his ship, or confining him, or causing or endeavouring to cause a revolt on board, shall for each of these offences be adjudged a pirate, felon, and robber, and shall suffer death, whether he be principal, or merely accessory by setting forth such pirates, or abetting them before the fact, or receiving them, or concealing thein er their goods after it; and the stat. 4 Geo. 1. c. 2. expressly excludes the principals from the benefit of clergy. By the stat. 8 Geo. 1. c. 24., the tråding with known pirates, or furnishing them with stores or ammunition, or fitting out any vessel for that purpose, or in any wise consulting, combining, confederating, or corresponding with them; or the forcibly boarding any merchant vessel, though without seizing or carrying her off, and destroying or throwing any of the goods overboard, shall be deemed piracy; and such accessories to piracy as are described by the statute of King William are declared to be principal pirates, and all pirates convicted by virtue of this act are made felons without benefit of clergy. To encourage the defence of merchant vessels against pirates, the commanders and seamen wounded, and the widows of such seamen as are slain in any engagement with pirates, are entyl a to a bounty, to be divided among them, not exceeding the one fiftieth part of the value of the cargo saved; and the wounded seamen are entitled to the pension of Greenwich Hospital.-(11 & 12 ha. 3. c. 7.; (co. 1. c. 24.) The first of these statutes also enacts, that if any mariner or inferior offic of any English ship decline or refuse to fight when commanded by the master, or shall utter any wors 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 Gen. 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 is 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 |