Part 357

PECULATE, PECULATION, the crime of pilfering any thing, either sacred or public, particularly public money, by a person who has the management or custody thereof. This crime is punishable in the heirs of the original delinquent. Under peculation may be considered not only the monies which are embezzled or misapplied by commissioned, non-commissioned, and warrant officers, but the public stores, provisions, aims, and ammunition, &c. which may be sold for private emolument. Occasional examples have been made by government, of a crime that cannot be too scrupulously watched, or too heavily punished, ought to deter individuals from sacrificing public integrity to private views. They ought to remember, that like the sword of Damocles, public scorn hangs over the head of every man whose accounts have not been finally audited and passed.

PECUNIA. Money. A deity in the heathen mythology; (though not a goddess personified among them) the most powerful ascendant the moderns know. The Romans held that she presided over riches, and that she had a son named Argentinus, whom they adored in the hopes of growing rich.

PECUNIUS, a deity of the ancient Prussians, in honor of whom they kept a fire of oak perpetually burning. A priest constantly attended, and if the fire happened to go out by his neglect, he was instantly put to death. When it thundered, they imagined that their grand priest conversed with their god, and for that reason they fell prostrate on the earth, praying for seasonable weather.

PEDERERO, PATTARERO, a Portuguese term, signifying a small sort of cannon, which is particularly used on the quarter deck of ships, to fire or throw forth stones, or broken iron, upon hoarding parties. This word has been adopted both by the French and English.

PEDOMETER, (Pedometre, Fr.) a mathematical instrument, composed of various wheels with teeth, which by means of a chain fastened to a man’s foot, or to the wheel of a chariot, advance a notch each step, or each revolution of the wheel, and the number being marked at the edge of each wheel, the paces may be numbered, or the distance from one place to another be exactly measured.

PEGS, pointed pieces of wood, used to fasten the cords of a tent.

PEIADAK, Ind. a guard to accompany a prisoner at large.

PEISA, Ind. Cash; or copper money.

PEER, Ind. Monday.

PELE-MELE, Fr. a French adverb, from which is derived the English term pellmell, signifying, confusedly, in disorder, in heaps, &c.

PELICAN, Fr. an ancient piece of artillery which carried a six pound weight of ball, and weighed two thousand four hundred pounds.

PELLE de bois simple, Fr. a wooden shovel.

PELOTE à feu, Fr. Pelote literally means the bottom of a pincushion, a ball, &c. It is here used to signify a species of combustible ball, which serves to throw light into a fosse or elsewhere. The composition is pitch one part, sulphur three parts, to one pound of saltpetre. The whole is well mixed together, and incorporated with tow, from which the pelotes are made.

PELOTON, Fr. Platoon.

Rompre le PELOTON, Fr. A platoon being generally considered as a subdivision, rompre le peloton signifies to break into sections.

Former le PELOTON, Fr. to double up or form subdivision.

PELOTONNE, ée, Fr. formed into a platoon.

PELOTONNER, Fr. to gather together, to get into groupes.

Se PELOTONNER, Fr. to form into a platoon.

PELTA, in antiquity, a kind of buckler, small, light, and more manageable than the Parma which was used by the Amazons, according to Virgil, and resembled the moon in his first quarter, according to Servius.

PENAL, (Pénal, ale, Fr.) any decree or law which subjects individuals, &c. to penalties. Hence code pénal. Les loix pénales. The penal code, the penal laws. Thus in England a person professing the Catholic religion is not permitted to exercise his religion if a soldier; and a catholic cannot be a commissioned officer.

PENALTY. In a military sense, signifies forfeiture for non-performance, likewise punishment for embezzlement, &c. An officer found guilty of embezzling stores is cashiered; any person who harbors, conceals, or assists any deserter from the United States’ service, is liable to a heavy penalty.

PENDULUM, in mechanics, any heavy body suspended in such a manner that it may vibrate backwards, and forwards, about some fixed point, by the force of gravity.

A pendulum is any body suspended upon, and moving about, a point as a centre. The nature of a pendulum consists in the following particulars. 1. The times of the vibrations of a pendulum, in very small arches, are all equal. 2. The velocity of the bob in the lowest point, will be nearly as the length of the cord of the arch which it describes in the descent. 3. The times of vibrations in different pendulums, are the square roots of the times of their vibrations. 4. The time of one vibration is to the time of descent, through half the length of the pendulum as the circumference of a circle is to its diameter. 5. Whence the length of a pendulum vibrating seconds in the latitude of London, is found to be 39 inches and ²⁄₁₀ths; and of one half-second pendulum 9.8 inches. 6. An uniform homogeneous body, as a rod, staff, &c. which is ¹⁄₃d part longer than a pendulum, will vibrate in the same time with it.

From these properties of the pendulum we may discern its use as an universal chronometer, or regulator of time. By this instrument, also, we can measure the distance of a ship, of a battery, &c. by measuring the interval of time between the fire and report of the gun; also the distance of a cloud, by counting the seconds or half-seconds, between the lightning and the thunder. Thus, suppose between the lightning and thunder we count ten seconds; then, because sound passes through 1142 feet in one second, we get the distance of the cloud = 11420 feet. Again, the height of any room, or other object, may be measured by a pendulum vibrating from the top thereof. Thus, suppose a pendulum from the height of a room, or other object, vibrates once in three seconds; then say, as 1 is to the square of 3, viz. 9, so is 39.2 to 352.8 feet, the height required. Lastly, by the pendulum we discover the different force of gravity on divers parts of the earth’s surface, and thence the true figure of the earth.

PENDULUMS. Pendulums for military purposes are best made with a musquet ball, and a piece of silk, or other small line. Their length must be measured from the centre of the ball to the end of the loop on which they are to swing. In a cylinder, or other uniform prism or rod, the centre of oscillation, from whence they must be measured, is at the distance of one-third from the bottom, or two-thirds below the centre of motion.

Pendulum’s length in latitude of London, to swing

Seconds 39¹⁄₈th. ¹⁄₂ Seconds 9·8 ¹⁄₄ Seconds 2·45