Part 220

HUGHLY WACCA, Ind. a newspaper or chronicle which is kept by the officers of the native governments in India.

HUISSIER d’armes, Fr. tipstaff; an officer formerly so called in France, who was attached to the royal household. They were at first distinguished by the name of Sergens d’armes, or serjeants at arms. Some were directed to bear the mace before the king during the day, and obtained on that account the appellation of Huissiers d’armes; in later times while the monarchy subsisted, they were called the Huissiers, or tipstaffs of the king’s chamber. Others kept watch in the king’s bed-chamber during the night, and were sworn to expose their lives for the safety of his person, whence they obtained the name of archers de la garde, which term was changed into gardes-du-corps, or body-guards.

Death HUNTERS, followers of an army, who, after the engagement look for dead bodies, in order to strip them. They generally consist of soldiers’ wives, &c.

HUNGARIAN battalion, a body of men belonging to the Austrian army, whose dress consists in a white jacket, the buttons straight down to the waist, with blue colored collar, cuffs and skirts before and behind, like the rest of the Austrian infantry, with this difference, that the latter have white breeches and long black gaiters, and the former wear light blue pantaloons and half-boots.

HUNS, GOTHS, and VANDALS, barbarous tribes that inhabited the various provinces of Germany which had never been subdued by the Romans, or were scattered over those vast countries in the north of Europe, and north west of Asia which are now occupied by the Danes, the Swedes, the Poles, the subjects of the Russian empire, and the Tartars.

HURDLES, in fortification, are made of twigs of willows or osiers, interwoven close together, sustained by long stakes. They are made in the figure of a long square; the length being 5 or 6 feet, and breadth 3 or 3¹⁄₂. The closer they are wattled together, the better. They serve to render batteries firm, or to consolidate the passage over muddy ditches; or to cover traverses and lodgments for the defence of the workmen against the fireworks, or the stones, that may be thrown against them.

HURDLE Battery. See BATTERY. These are the invention of colonel Congreve of the British Artillery, and are admirably adapted for temporary fortifications. They consist of hurdles fixed in the ground in a triangular form, the intermediate space being filled with sand or earth, &c. are constructed in a few minutes, and in any figure.

HURTER, a flatted iron fixed against the body of an axle-tree, with straps to take off the friction of the naves of wheels against the body.

HURTOIR, a piece of timber about 6 inches square, placed before the wheels of a carriage, against the parapet of a battery, to prevent the wheels from doing damage to the parapet.

HURTLE. See SKIRMISH.

HUSB ul hookum, or HASSAB ul hookum, Ind. a patent or order, under the seal of the Vizier, with these initial words, which signify, always to command.

HUSSARDS, Fr. hussars. They were first introduced into the French service in 1692, and owed their origin to the Hungarian cavalry which was subsidized by France before the reign of Louis XIII.

HUSSARS, are the national cavalry of Hungary and Croatia, they never encamp, consequently are not burthened with any kind of camp equipage, saving a kettle and a hatchet to every six men. They always lie in the woods, out-houses, or villages, in the front of the army. The emperor of Austria and the king of Prussia, had many troops under this name in their service. See CAVALRY.

Death’s-Head HUSSARS, a regiment of Hussars in the Prussian service, so called from the emblems of death being exhibited on their caps. They were dressed in black, faced with yellow, and rode small active horses.

In the seven years war they obtained considerable reputation under the command of the brave and intrepid general Ziethen.

HUT. The ancient mode of encamping was in little huts. In the American war, hutted camps were not uncommon. The French armies have encamped in huts from 1793, as in that years campaign they lost all their tents.

HUTTE, Fr. Hut.

HUZZOOR NAVEIS, Ind. a secretary who resides at an Indian court, and keeps copies of all firmauns, records, or letters. Huzzoor, is the court, Naveis, a writer.

HYDER, the Arabic term for lion. This title is often given to men of rank in India.

HYDER ALI, the sultan of Mysore; was known under the name of Hyder Naik; his son Tippoo succeeded him, and was killed at the storming of Seringapatam by the British forces.

HYDER COOLY, a term of subjection used in India, meaning literally the slave; but not so understood; it is a proud assertion of humility, such as the pope used, in calling himself the fisherman.

HYDERABAD, HYDRABAD, a city in Asia, which arose from the desertion of Golconda. This name is often used in Indostan when Hyderabad is meant. Hyderabad became the principal rendezvous of the Mahomedans opposed to the Marattahs whose country lies between Guzzerat and Golconda. See MARATTAHS.

HYDRAULIC, (Hydraulique, Fr.) the name of a particular science, which points out the method of conducting and raising bodies of water.

Colonnes HYDRAULIQUES, Fr. columns ornamented by sheets of water or water spouts.

HYDROMETER (Hydrometre, Fr.) the name of an instrument which serves to ascertain the dryness or moisture of the atmosphere.

HYDROSTATIC, (Hydrostatique, Fr.) the name of a science whose principal object is to ascertain the weight of fluids, particularly of water, and of all bodies that are either borne upon the surface or immersed beneath it.

HYPERBOLA, the section of a cone made by a plane, so that the axis of the section shall incline to the opposite leg of the cone.

HYPOTHENUSE, that line which subtends the right angle of a right angled triangle.