1. (Standard.) Copper, 78 parts; tin, 22 parts;[136] fused together and
cast in the manner described under BRONZE. The most sonorous of all the
alloys of copper and tin. It is easily fusible, and has a fine compact
grain, and a vitreous-conchoidal and yellowish-red fracture. According to
Klaproth, the finest-toned Indian gongs have this composition.
[Footnote 136: The resulting alloy probably contains 7 Cu + Sn.]
2. (Founder's Standard.) Copper, 77 parts; tin, 21 parts; antimony, 2
parts.[137] Slightly paler and inferior to No. 1.
[Footnote 137: More antimony, or some other metal, is often added, as
subsequently noticed; but always to the injury of the alloy as
bell-metal.]
3. Copper, 80 parts; tin, 20 parts.[138] Very deep-toned and sonorous.
Used in China and India for the larger gongs, tam-tams, &c.
[Footnote 138: Equal to about 8 Cu + Sn. In some gongs the proportion of
tin is so low as 22, or even 20 parts, to 100 parts of copper.]
4. Copper, 78 to 80 parts; tin, 22 to 20 parts. Usual composition of
Chinese cymbals, tam-tams, &c.
5. Copper 75 (= 3) parts; tin, 25 (= 1) parts.[139] Somewhat brittle. In
fracture, semi-vitreous and bluish-red. Used for church and other large
bells.
[Footnote 139: Nearly equal to 6 Cu + Sn.]
6. Copper, 80 parts; tin, 10-1/4 parts; zinc, 5-1/2 parts; lead, 4-1/4
parts. English bell-metal, according to Thomson. Inferior to the last; the
lead being apt to form isolated drops, to the injury of the uniformity of
the alloy.
7. Copper, 68, parts; tin, 32 parts.[140] Brittle; fracture conchoidal and
ash-grey. Best proportions for house-bells, hand-bells, &c.; for which,
however, 2 of copper, and 1 of tin, is commonly substituted by the
founders.
[Footnote 140: Equal to about 4 Cu + Sn.]
8. Copper, 72 parts; tin, 26-1/2 parts; iron, 1-1/2 part. Used by the
Paris houses for the bells of small clocks or pendules.
9. Copper, 72 parts; tin, 26 parts; zinc, 2 parts. Used, like the last,
for very small bells.
10. Copper, 70 parts; tin, 26 parts; zinc, 2 parts. Used for the bells of
repeating watches.
11. Melt together copper, 100 parts; tin, 25 parts. After being cast into
the required object, it should be made red hot, and then plunged
immediately into cold water in order to impart to it the requisite degree
of sonorousness. For cymbals and gongs.
12. Melt together copper, 80 parts; tin, 20 parts. When cold it has to be
hammered out with frequent annealing.
13. Copper, 78 parts; tin, 22 parts. This is superior to the former, as it
can be rolled out. For tom-toms and gongs.
14. Melt together copper, 72 parts; tin, 26 to 56 parts; iron, 1·44 part.
Used in making the bells of pendules or ornamental Parisian clocks. For
clock-bells.
_Concluding remarks._ Castings in bell-metal are all more or less brittle;
and, when recent, have a colour varying from a dark ash-grey to
greyish-white, which is darkest in the more cupreous varieties, in which
it turns somewhat on the yellowish-red or bluish-red. The larger the
proportion of copper in the alloy, the deeper and graver the tone of the
bells formed of it. The addition of tin, iron, or zinc, causes them to
give out their tones sharper. Bismuth and lead are also often added to
modify the tone, which each metal affects differently. The addition of
antimony and bismuth is frequently made by the founder to give a more
crystalline grain to the alloy. All these additions are, however,
prejudicial to the sonorousness of bells, and of very doubtful utility.
Rapid refrigeration increases the sonorousness of all these alloys. Hence
M. D'Arcet recommends the 'pieces' to be heated to a cherry-red after they
are cast, and after having been suddenly plunged into cold water, to be
submitted to well-regulated pressure by skilful hammering, until they
assume their proper form; after which they are to be again heated and
allowed to cool slowly in the air. This is the method adopted by the
Chinese with their gongs, &c., a casing of sheet-iron being employed by
them to support and protect the pieces during the exposure to heat. In a
general way, however, bells are formed and completed by simple casting.
This is necessarily the case with all very large bells. Where the quality
of their tones is the chief object sought after, the greatest care should
be taken to use commercially pure copper. The presence of a very little
lead or any similar metal greatly lessens the sonorousness of this alloy;
whilst that of silver increases it. This last metal has been detected in
many old church bells remarkable for the richness of their tones--articles
of silver plate having been cast into the crucibles of the founders, as
votive offerings, by the pious Christians of former ages.
The specific gravity of a large bell is seldom uniform throughout its
whole substance; nor can the sp. gr. from any given proportion of its
constituent metals be exactly calculated owing to the many interfering
circumstances. The nearer this uniformity is approached, or in other
words, chemical combination is complete, the more durable and finer toned
will be the bell.
In general it is found necessary to take about 1-10th more metal than the
weight of the intended bell, or bells, in order to allow for waste and
scorification during the operations of fusing and casting. See BELL,
BRONZE, COPPER, &c.
=BELLADON'NA= (-d[)o]n'[)a]), [It., Sp., Port.; Eng., L., Ger.;[141] B.
P.] _Syn._ DEAD'LY NIGHT'SHADE, DWALE; BELLEDAME, BELLADONNE, &c., Fr.;
TÖDTLICHER NACHTSCHATTEN, TOLLKERSCHE, TOLLKRAUT, WOLFSKIRSCHE, &c., Ger.;
AT'ROPA LETHA'LIS*, SOLA'NUM FURIO'SUM*, S. LETHA'LE*, S. MANIA'CUM*, S.
MELANOCER'ASUS[dagger], &c., L., Bot. var. Literally, fair lady; in
_materia medica, botany, &c._, the usual name (adopted from the Ital.) of
_at'ropa belladonn'a_ (Linn.), an indigenous, poisonous, perennial,
herbaceous plant, of the nat. ord. Solanæ (DC); Solanaceæ, Endl., (Lind.).
It flowers in June and July, and its drooping, purple blossoms are common
ornaments of our hedges and wastes where the soil is calcareous. It is
supposed to be the 'insane root' of Shakespeare.[142]
[Footnote 141: As a borrowed word.]
[Footnote 142: 'Macbeth,' Act I, Scene 3.]
The parts of this plant used in medicine and pharmacy are the "fresh
leaves and branches to which they are attached; also the leaves separate
from the branches, carefully dried, of _atropa belladonna_; gathered, when
the fruit has begun to form, from wild or cultivated plants in Britain"
(B. P.).
_Prop., Uses, &c._ Every part of this plant contains ATRO'PIA, and is
consequently highly poisonous. Every part, except the berries, is f[oe]tid
when bruised, and of "a dark and lurid aspect, indicative of its deadly
narcotic quality."[143] Its berries, which are of a glossy violet-black,
and of the size of a small cherry, are sweet-tasted, and not at all
nauseous. Children and tired travellers and soldiers, allured by their
beauty and the absence of disagreeable flavour, have frequently been
induced to eat them; but in all cases poisoning, often fatal, has followed
the indulgence.[144] Belladonna is, however, in qualified hands a safe and
most valuable medicine. Its chief use is as an anodyne, antispasmodic,
sedative, and discutient, and particularly to diminish sensibility and
allay pain and nervous irritation in a variety of diseases--neuralgia,
arthritic and migratory rheumatic pains, painful ulcers, cancer, spasmodic
rigidity, strictures, and contractions (especially of the bladder and
uterus), angina pectoris, iritis, epilepsy, chorea, hooping-cough,
hysteria, mania, fevers, phthisis, asthma, &c.; also as a prophylactic of
scarlet-fever,[145] hydrophobia, and salivation, as a resolvent in
enlarged and indurated glands (particularly when painful), as an agent to
produce dilation of the pupil during surgical examinations and operations,
&c., &c. It is employed both internally and externally, and in various
forms, as is noticed under its 'preparations' elsewhere. _Dose._ Of the
powder, 1/2 to 1 gr. twice a day, gradually and cautiously increased until
dryness of the throat or dilation of the pupil occurs, or the head is
affected.
[Footnote 143: Pereira, 4th ed., vol. ii, 545.]
[Footnote 144: One hundred and fifty French soldiers were thus poisoned at
Pirna, near Dresden. (Orfila, 'Tox. Gén.')]
[Footnote 145: Of 2027 persons who took it, and were exposed to the
contagion of scarlet fever, 1948 escaped. (Bayle, 'Bibl. Thérap.,' t. ii.
p. 504.) Of 1200 soldiers who took it only 12 became affected. (Oppenheim,
'Lond. Med. Gaz,' vol. xiii, 814.) In this country, however, except among
hom[oe]opaths, it has not found much favour as a prophylactic.]
_Pois., &c._ Belladonna and its preparations are poisonous to _all_
animals, but very much more so to the carnivora than to the herbivora. It
also acts as a poison on vegetables.
_Treatm. Ant., &c._ These may be the same as those employed in poisoning
by aconite, atropia, and opium. The stomach must be cleared as soon as
possible, followed by active purgation. Unfortunately emetics have
scarcely any action, and, therefore, must be given in large doses,
assisted by tickling the fauces, &c. If copious vomiting does not rapidly
follow, the stomach-pump may be had recourse to. When the poison has been
removed from the stomach, copious and continued draughts of astringent
vegetable solutions (weak decoction of galls or oak-bark, or strong coffee
or green-tea), should be persisted in for some time; followed by like
draughts of water soured with any mild vegetable acid (as vinegar,
lemon-juice, citric or tartaric acid, &c.) _Detec._ The contents of the
stomach or vomited matter may be searched for the berries, leaves, seed,
or portions of the root; all of which are easily recognisable. The usual
physiological and chemical tests of atropia may also be applied to these
and to the organic liquids supposed to contain the poison. See ALKALOID,
ATROPIA, EXTRACTS, OINTMENTS, TINCTURES, VEGETABLE JUICES, &c.
=BELLADONNINE.= _Syn._ ATROPIA, which see.
=BELL'Y= (-e). The abdomen (which _see_).
=BELTS.= In their connection with health and disease, _see_ BANDAGE,
DRESS, STAYS, &c.
=BENEDICTINE'S HEALING-PLASTER= (Hauber). 35 grammes of a dark brown
plaster, prepared by digesting together 1 part litharge with 2 parts olive
oil until they become blackish-brown, then adding 4 parts yellow wax,
containing the heat for a short time, and then pouring out. (Wittstein.)
=BENGAL'= (-gawl'). A thin fabric of silk and hair interwoven, originally
from Bengal.
=Ben'gal Light.= A firework used as signals. See FIRES (coloured).
=Ben'gal Stripes.= Cotton cloth, woven with coloured stripes, orig. from
Bengal; gingham.
=BEN'JAMIN[dagger]*.= Benzoin.
=BEN'ZENE.= See BENZOL.
=BEN'ZINE= (-z[)i]n). Benzol.
=BEN'ZOATE= (-zo-[=a]te). [Eng., Fr.] _Syn._ BEN'ZOÄS, L. A salt in which
one atom of benzoic acid is replaced by a metal or other basic radical.
The benzoates may, in general, be easily prepared by either neutralising
the acid with the base, or by double decomposition. Most of them are more
or less soluble in water, and crystallisable. Those of the alkalies and
ammonia are very soluble, and rather difficult to crystallise. See BENZOIC
ACID and the respective bases.
=BEN'ZOENE*.= See TULUOLE.
=BENZO'IC ACID= (-z[=o]'-[)i]k). HC_{7}H_{5}O_{2} _Syn._ FLOWERS OF
BENZOIN'; HY'DRATED BEN'ZOYL; ACIDUM BENZO'ICUM (B. P.); ACIDE BENZOÏQUE,
FLEURS DE BENJOIN, &c., Fr.; BENZOESÄURE, &c., Ger. A substance which is
commonly stated to be the characteristic constituent of the two balsams.
Pure oil of bitter almonds suffers gradual conversion into this acid by
exposure to the air.
_Prep._ The acid of commerce is principally obtained from gum-benzoin,
either by sublimation (dry way), or by dissolving it out by means of an
alkali, or an alkaline earth in the form of a salt (moist way); but
chiefly by the first method.