Clofe Clonmell, gular monaftery, confifting of a fquare built around; ordinarily between the church, the chapter-houfe, and the refectory; and over which is the dormitory. The cloifters ferved for feveral purposes in the ancient monafteries. Petrus Blefenfis obferves, that it was here the monks held their lectures: the lecture of morality at the north fide, next the church; the school on the, weft, and the chapter on the east; fpiritual meditation, &c. being referved for the church. Lanfranc obferves, that the proper ufe of the cloifter was for the monks to meet in, and converfe together, at certain hours of the day. The form of the cloifter was fquare; and it had its name clauftrum, from claudo, "I fhut or clofe;" as being inclosed on its four fides with buildings. Hence, in architecture, a building is still said to be in form of a cloifter, when there are buildings on each of the four fides of the court. CLONMELL, the affize town of the county of Tipperary in Ireland, is fituated on the river Suir, hath a barrack for two troops of horse, and is governed by a mayor, recorder, bailiffs, and town-clerk. The river is navigable from this town to Carrick and Waterford; and there is fome trade carried on here in the woollen branch, particularly by the quakers, who are very numerous in this neighbourhood. There is a fpring here of Spa water, that iffues out of the fide of a rifing ground, that is, notwithstanding, overlooked by a pretty steep hill, on that fide of the river Suir which is in the county of Waterford. The cures performed by drinking of this water in the fcurvy, and other chronic diftempers, drew thither, fome years ago, a great refort of people; but fashion, which reigns with an abfolute authority, has brought other waters of late into higher credit. It was in this town that the celebrated and Rev. Laurence Sterne was born, on the 24th of November 1713. The town confifts of four crofs ftreets, and has a fpacious bridge of 20 arches over the river Suir; the market houfe is ftrong and well built; and there is a charter fchool here for forty children, to which the late John Dawfon, Efq; and Sir Charles Moore, Bart. were confiderable benefactors. A Dominican friary was founded at Clonmell, in 1269, and dedicated to St Dominick. In the fame year Otho de Grandifon erected a Francifcan friary, the church of which was efteemed one of the moft magnificent in Ireland; in it was kept an image of St Francis, refpecting the miracles wrought by which many marvellous itories are circulated. This town is very ancient, being built before the invafion of the Danes: it was formerly defended by a fquare wall. Oliver Cromwell, who found more refiftance from this place than any other of his conquefts in the kingdom, demolished the caftles and fortifications, of which now only the ruins remain: the chief Gothic church here is ftill kept in good repair. CLOSE, in heraldry. When any bird is drawn in a coat of arms with its wings clofe down about it, (i. e. not difplayed), and in a ftanding posture, they blazon it by this word clofe; but if it be flying, they call it volant. See VOLANT. CLOSE, in mufic. See CADENCE. CLOSE-Hauled, in navigation, the general arrangement or trim of a fhip's fails when the endeavours to make a progress in the nearest direction poffible to wards that point of the compafs from which the wind blows. In this manner of failing, the keel commonly makes an angle of fix points with the line of the wind; but floops and fome other small veffels are faid to fail almoft a point nearer. All veffels, however, are fuppofed to make nearly a point of lee-way when closehauled, even when they have the advantage of a good. failing breeze and fimooth water. The angle of leeway, however, increases in proportion to the increase of the wind and fea. In this difpofition of the fails, they are all extended fideways on the fhip, fo that the wind, as it croffes the fhip obliquely toward the ftern from forwards, may fill their cavities. But as the current of winds alfo enters the fails in an oblique direction, the effort of it to make the hip advance is confiderably diminished: fhe will therefore make the leaft progrefs when failing in this manner. The fhip is faid to be close-hauled, because at this time her tacks, or lower corners of the principal fails, are drawn clofe down to her fide to windward, the fheets hauled clofe-aft, and all the bow-lines drawn to their greatest extenfion to keep the fails fteady. CLOSE-Quarters, certain ftrong barriers of wood,. ftretching across a merchant-fhip in feveral places. They are ufed as places of retreat when a fhip is boarded by her adverfary, and are therefore fitted with feveral finall loop-holes through which to fire the. fmall arms, and thereby annoy the enemy and defend themselves. They are likewife furnished with feveral caifons called powder-chefts, which are fixed upon the deck, and filled with powder, old-nails, &c. and may be fired at any time from the close-quarters upon the boarders. Clofe Cloth. Marine. We have known an English merchant-fhip of 16 Falconer's guns, and properly fitted with clofe-quarters, defeat Dict. of the the united efforts of three French privateers who boarded her in the laft war, after having engaged at fome distance nearly a day and a half, with very few intervals of reft. Two of the cruifers were equipped with twelve guns each, and the other with eight. The French failors were, after boarding, so much exposed to continued fire of mufquetry and cochorns charged with grenadoes, that a dreadful fcene of carnage enfued, in which the decks were foon covered with the dead bodies of the enemy, feveral of which the board-ers, in their hurry to escape, had left behind. CLOT-BIRD: a fpecies of FRINGILLA CLOTH, in commerce, a manufacture made of wool, wove in the loom. Cloths are of divers qualities, fine or coarfe. The goodnefs of cloth, according to fome, confifts in the following particulars: 1. That the wool be of a good quality, and well dreffed. 2. It must be equally fpun, carefully obferving that the thread of the warp be finer and better twisted than that of the woof. 3. The cloth must be well wrought, and beaten on the loom, fo as to be every where equally compact. 4. The wool must not be finer at one end of the piece than in the rest. 5. The lifts must be fufficiently strong, of the fame length with the ftuff, and muft confift of good wool, hair, or oftrich-feathers; or, what is ftill better, of Danish dog's hair. 6. The cloth must be free from knots and other imperfections. 7. It mut: be well fcoured with fuller's earth, well fulled with the best white foap, and afterwards washed in clear water.. water. 8. The hair or nap must be well drawn out bare. In this condition it is carried to the fullery, to be Cloth feured with urine, or a kind of potter's clay, well fteeped in water, put along with the cloth in the Cloud trough wherein it is fulled. The cloth being again cleared from the earth or urine, is returned to the former hands to have the leffer filth, fmall ftraws, &c. taken off as before: then it is returned to the fuller to be beat and fulled with hot water, wherein a fuitable quantity of foap has been diffolved; after fulling, it is taken out to be fmoothed or pulled by the lifts lengthwife, to take out the wrinkles, crevices, &c. Manufacturing of white Cloths which are intended for dyeing. The belt wool for the manufacturing of cloths are thofe of England and Spain, efpecially those of Lincolnfhire and Segovia. To ufe thofe wools to the best advantage, they must be fcoured, by putting them The fmoothing is repeated every two hours, till into a liquor fomewhat more than lukewarm, com- the fulling be finished, and the cloth brought to its pofed of three parts fair water and one of urine. Af- proper breadth: after which it is wathed in clear water the wool has continued long enough in the liquor ter, to purge it of the foap, and given wet to the to foak, and diffolve the greafe, it is drained and well carders to raise the hair or nap on the right fide with wathed in running water. When it feels dry, and has the thistle or weed. After this preparation the clothno fmell but the natural one of the fheep, it is faid to worker takes the cloth, and gives it its first cut or be duly fcoured. fhearing then the carders refume it, and after wetting, give it as many more courfes with the teazle, as the quality of the ftuff requires, always obferving to begin against the grain of the hair, and to end with it; as alfo to begin with a smoother thiitle, proceeding ftill with one harper and sharper, as far as the fixth degree. After this, it is hung to dry in the fhade; the heat of the fun making it harth and inflexible: when dry, it is beat with rods upon hurdles of wood, or on cords, to cleanse it from duit and the groffer filth; the more it is thus beat and cleanfed, the fofter it becomes, and the better for fpinning. After beating, it must be well picked, to free it from the reft of the filth that had efcaped the rods. It is now in a proper condition to be oiled, and carded on large iron cards placed flopewife. Olive oil is efteemed the best for this purpofe: one fifth of which fhould be used for the wool intended for the woof, and a ninth for that defigned for the warp. After the wool has been well oiled, it is given to the fpinners, who firft card it on the knee with fmall fine cards, and then fpin it on the wheel, obferving to make the thread of the warp fmaller by one third than that of the woof, and much compacter twisted. The thread thus fpun, is reeled, and made into fkeins. That defigned for the woof is wound on little tubes, pieces of paper, or rufhes, fo difpofed as that they may be eafily put in the eye of the fhuttle. That for the warp is wound on a kind of large wooden hobbins, to difpofe it for warping. When warped, it is ftiffened with fize; the beft of which is that made of fhreds of parchment; and when dry, is given to the weavers, who mount it on the loom. The warp thus mounted, the weavers, who are two to each loom, one on each fide, tread alternately on the treddle, firft on the right ftep, and then on the left, which raifes and lowers the threads of the warp equally; between which they throw tranverfely the fhuttle from the one to the other and every time that the fhuttle is thus thrown, and a thread of the woof inferted within the warp, they ftrike it conjunctly with the fame frame, wherein is faftened the comb or reed, between whofe teeth the threads of the warp are paffed, repeating the ftroke as often as is neceffary. The weavers having continued their work till the whole warp is filled with the woof, the cloth is fihifhed; it is then taken off the loom by unrolling it from the beam whereon it had been rolled in proportion as it was wove; and now given to be cleanfed of the knots, ends of threads, ftraws, and other filth, which is done with iron nippers. After thefe operations, the cloth being dried, is returned to the cloth-worker, who theers it a fecond time, and returns it to the carders, who repeat their operation as before, till the nap be well ranged on the furface of the cloth, from one end of the piece to the other. The cloth thus wove, fcoured, napped, and fhorn, is fent to the dyer; when dyed, it is wathed in fair water, and the worker takes it again wet as it is, lays the map with a brush on the table, and hangs it on the tenters, where it is ftretched both in length and breadth fufficiently to fmooth it, fet it fquare, and bring it to its proper dimenfions, without faining it too much; obferving to brush it afresh, the way of the nap, while a little moiit, on the tenters. When quite dry, the cloth is taken off the tenters, and brushed again on the table, to finish the laying of the nap: after which it is folded, and laid cold under a prefs, to make it perfectly fmooth and even, and give it a glofs. Laftly, the cloth being taken out of the prefs, and the papers, &c. for gloffing it removed, it is in a condition for fale or ufe. With regard to the manufacture of mixt cloths, or thofe wherein the wools are first dyed, and then mixt, fpun, and wove of the colours intended, the procefs, except what relates to the colour, is moftly the fame with that juft reprefented. CLOTH made from Vegetable Filaments. See BARK and FILAMENTS. Incombuflible CLOTH. See ASBESTOS. CLOTHO, the youngest of the three Parcæ, daughters of Jupiter and Themis. She was fuppofed to prefide over the moment that we are born. She held the diftaff in her hand and fpun the thread of life, whence her name xx, to fpin. She was reprefented wearing a crown with seven stars, and covered with a variegated robe. CLOUD, a collection of vapours fufpended in the atmosphere. Cloud. I Cause of tion of clouds uncertain. That the clouds are formed from the aqueous vapours which before were fo clofely united with the atmosphere as to be invifible, is univerfally allowed: the forma- but it is no cafy matter to account for the long continuance of fome very opaque clouds without diffolving; or to give a reason why the vapours, when they have once begun to condenfe, do not continue to do fo till they at last fall to the ground in the form of rain or fnow, &c. Under the article BAROMETER, n° 23. we have hinted at the general caufe of the formation of clouds; namely, a feparation of the latent heat from the water whereof the vapour is compofed. The confequence of this feparation, as is undeniably proved by Dr Black, must be the condenfation of that vapour, in fome degree at leaft: in fuch cafe, it will brit appear as a fmoke, mist, or fog; which if interpofed betwixt the fun and earth, will form a cloud; and the fame caufes continuing to act, the cloud will produce rain or fnow. But though the feparation of this latent heat in a certain degree is the immed ate caufe of the formation of clouds, the remote caufe, or the changes produced in the atmofphere, whereby fuch a feparation may be induced, are much more difficult to be difcovered. In common obfervation, we fee that vapour is moft powerfully condenfed by cold fubftances, fuch as metals, water, &c. But cold alone cannot in all cafes caufe the condenfation of the atmofpherical vapours, otherwife the nights behoved to be always foggy or cloudy, owing to the vapours, raifed throughout the day by the heat of the fun, being condenfed by the fuperior coldness of the night. Great rains will happen in very warm weather, when the union of the vapours with the atmosphere ought rather to be promoted than diffolved, if cold was the only agent in their condenfation. The ferenity of the atmosphere, alfo, in the most severe frofts, abundantly fhows that fome other caufe befides mere heat or cold is concerned in the formation of clouds, and condenfation of the atmospherical vapours. 2 Not always owing to cold. 3 . Electricity impoffible to lay down any rational theory of the for Cloud. Clouds of trified cloud But whether the clouds are produced, i. e. the in- 4 vifible vapours floating in the atmosphere condensed on prodifo as to become vifible, by means of electricity or not, gioufly eit is certain that they do contain the electric fluid in lectified. prodigious and inconceivable quantities, and many very terrible and deftructive phenomena have been occafioned by clouds very highly electrified. The moft extraordinary inftance of this kind perhaps on record happened in the ifland of Java in the Eat Indies in August 1772. On the 11th of that month, at mid- Terrible night, a bright cloud was obferved covering a mountain delituction in the diftrict called Cheriton, and at the fame time feve by an elec ral reports were heard like those of a gun. The people in Java. who dwelt upon the upper parts of the mountain not being able to fly faft enough, a great part of the cloud, almost three leagues in circumference, detached itself. under them, and was feen at a distance rifing and falling. like the waves of the fea, and emitting globes of fire fo luminous, that the night became as clear as day. The effects of it were aftonifhing; every thing was deftroyed for feven leagues round; the houfes were demolished; plantations were buried in the earth; and 2140 people loft their lives, befides 1500 head of cattle, and a vaft number of horfes, goats, &c. 6 Another inftance of a very deftructive cloud, the elec- By another tric qualities of which will at present scarcely be doubt- in the ifland ed, is related by Mr Brydone, in his Tour through of Malta. Malta. It appeared on the 29th of October 1757. About three quarters of an hour after midnight, there was feen to the fouth-west of the city of Melita, a great black cloud, which, as it approached, changed its colour, till at laft it became like a flame of fire mixed with black finoke. A dreadful noife was heard on its approach, which alarmed the whole city. It paffed over the port, and came firft on an English fhip, which in an inflant was torn in pieces, and nothing left but the hulk; part of the mafts, fails, and cordage, were carried to a confiderable diftance along with the cloud. The fmall boats and felloques that fell in its way were all broken to pieces and funk. The noife increased and became more frightful. A centinel terrified at its approach ran into his box; but both he and it were lifted up and carried into the fea, where he perifhed. It then traverfed a confiderable part of the city, and laid in ruins almoft every thing that flood in its way. Several houfes were laid level with the ground, and it did not leave one fteeple in its paffage. The bells of fome of them, together with the fpires, were carried to a confiderable diftance; the roofs of the churches demolished and beat down,.&c. It went off at the north-east point of the city, and demolishing the light-houfe, is faid to have mounted up into the air with a frightful noife; and paffed over the fea to Sicily, where it tore up fome trees, and did other damage; but nothing confiderable, as its fury had been moitly spent at Malta. The number of killed and wounded amounted to near 200; and the loss of ship. ping, &c. was very confiderable. The effects of thunder-ftorms, and the vaft quantity of electricity collected in the clouds which produce thefe ftorms, are fo well known, that it is fuperfluous to mention them. It appears, however, that even thefe 8 for fome time. The reafon of this moft probably is, Cloud. that they are impelled by two oppofite ftreams of air nearly of equal ftrength; by which means their velocity is greatly retarded. In fuch cafes both the aerial currents feem to afcend to a very confiderable height; for Meff. Charles and Roberts, when endeavouring to avoid a thunder-cloud in one of their aerial voyages, could find no alteration in the courfe of the current, though they afcended to the height of 4000 feet from the furface of the earth. In fome cafes the motions of the clouds evidently depend on their electricity, independent of any current of air whatever. Thus, in a calm and warm day, we often fee small clouds meeting each other in oppofite directions, and fetting out from fuch short distances, that we cannot fuppofe any oppofite winds to be the caufe. Thefe clouds, when they meet, inftead of forming a larger one, become much lefs, and fometimes vanih altogether; a circumstance undoubtedly owing to the difcarge of oppofite elec tricities into each other. This ferves alfo t throw fome light on the true caufe of the formation of clouds; for if two clouds electrified, the one pofitively and the other negatively, deftroy each other on contact; it follows, that any quantity of vapour suspended in the atmosphere, while it retains its natural quantity of electricity, remains invifible, but becomes a cloud when electrified either plus or minus. A difficulty, however, ftill occurs; viz. in what manner a small quantity of vapour furrounded by an immenfe ocean of the fame kind of matter, can acquire either more or less electricity than that which furrounds it: and this indeed we feem not as yet to have any data to folve in a satisfactory manner. Cloud. thefe clouds are not fo highly electrified as to produce their fatal effects on those who are immersed in them. It is only the discharge of part of their electricity upon fuch bodies as are either not electrified at all, or Inftance of not fo highly electrified as the cloud, that does all the two people mifchief. We have, however, only the following ininvolved in ftance on record, of any perfon's being immerfed in a thunder the body of a thunder-cloud. Profeffor Sauffure, cloud. and young Mr Jalabert, when travelling over one of the high Alps, were caught among clouds of this kind; and to their aftonishment found their bodies fo full of electrical fire, that spontaneous flashes darted from their fingers with a crackling noise, and the fame kind of fenfation as when ftrongly electrified by art. The height of clouds in general is not great; the Height of the clouds. fummits of very high mountains being commonly quite free from them, as Mr Brydon experienced in his journey up mount Etna: but those which are molt highly electrified defcend loweft, their height being often not above seven or eight hundred yards above the ground; nay, sometimes thunder-clouds appear actu•See Thun-ally to touch the ground with one of their edges*: but the generality of clouds are fufpended at the height of a mile, or little more, above the earth. Some, however, have imagined them to arife to a moft incredible and extravagant height. Maignan of Thoulouse, in his Treatife of Perspective, p. 93, gives an account of an exceeding bright little cloud that appeared at midnight in the month of Auguft, which spread itself almost as far as the zenith. He fays that the fame thing was also observed at Rome; and from thence concludes, that the cloud was a collection of vapours raifed beyond the projection of the earth's fhadow, and of confequence illuminated by the beams of the fun. This, however, can by no means be credited; and it is much more probable that this cloud owed its fplendor to electricity, than to the reflection of the folar beams. der. Their vari In the evenings after fun-fet, and mornings before ous colours fun-rife, we often obferve the clouds tinged with beauaccounted tiful colours. They are molly red; fometimes orange, for. yellow, or purple; more rarely bluish; and feldom or ever green. The reason of this variety of colours, according to Sir Ifaac Newton, is the different fize of the globules into which the vapours are condenfed. This is controverted by Mr Melville, who thinks that the clouds reflect the fun's light precifely as it is tranfmitted to them through the atmosphere. This reflects the most refrangible rays in the greateft quantity; and therefore ought to tranfmit the leaft refrangible ones, red, orange, and yellow, to the clouds, which accordingly appear moft ufually of thofe colours. In this opinion he was greatly confirmed by obferving, when he was in Switzerland, that the fnowy fummits of the Alps turned more and more reddish after fun-fet, in the fame manner as the clouds; and he imagines, that the femitransparency of the clouds, and the obliquity of their fituation, tend to make the colours in them much more rich and copious than those on the tops of fnowy II The fhapes of the clouds are likewife undoubtedly Their owing to their electricity; for in those seasons in which thapes. a great commotion has been excited in the atmospherical electricity, we fhall perceive the clouds affuming ftrange and whimfical fhapes, which vary almost every moment. This, as well as the meeting of fmall clouds in the air, and vanishing upon contact, is an almost infallible fign of thunder. clouds with Befides the phenomena of thunder, rain, &c. the Connec clouds are intimately connected with thofe of wind, tion of the and always affume a particular fhape when a ftrong wind. continued wind is about to enfue; though it is remarkable, that in the ftrongeft winds we shall often obferve them ftationary. Sometimes alfo, on the approach of a cloud, we fhall find a fudden and violent guft of wind arife; and at others, the wind, though violent before, fhall ceafe on the approach of a cloud, and recover its ftrength as foon as the cloud is paft. This connection of the clouds with wind is moft remarkable in mountainous countries, when the peaks are fufficiently high to have their tops involved in clouds. A very remarkable mountain of this kind is met with at the Cape of Good Hope, from the clouds on whofe top, according to the relations of travellers, the winds iffue forth as if they had been confined in a bag; and fomething fimilar has been obferved of mountains in other parts of the world. 13 The ufes of the clouds are evident; as from them Their uses.) proceeds the rain which refreshes the earth; and without which, according to the prefent fyllem of nature, the whole furface of the earth must be a mere defart. They |