fourth part of any thing, the fractional expression for which is $\frac{1}{4}$.

weights, is generally used for the fourth part of an hundred weight avoirdupois, or 28 lb.

Used as the name of a dry measure, quarter is the fourth part of a ton in weight, or eight bushels.

term in the manege. To work from quarter to quarter, is to ride a horse three times in upon the first of the four lines of a square; then changing your hand, to ride him three times upon the second; and so to the third and fourth; always changing hands, and observing the same order.

Quarters, with respect to the parts of a horse, is used in various senses: thus the shoulders and fore-legs are called the fore-quarters, and the hips and hinder-legs the hind-quarters. The quarters of a horse's feet are the sides of the coffin, comprehending between the toe and the heel: the inner quarters are those opposite to one another, facing from one foot to the other; and these are always weaker than the outside quarters, which lie on the external sides of the coffin. False quarters, are a cleft in the horn of a horse's hoof, extending from the coronet to the shoe. A horse is said to be quarter-calf, when for any disorder in the coffin we are obliged to cut one of the quarters of the hoof.

astronomy, the fourth part of the moon's period: thus, from the new moon to the quadrature is the first quarter; from this to full moon, the second quarter, &c.

heraldry, is applied to the parts or members of the first division of a coat that is quartered, or divided into four quarters.

Franc Quarter, in heraldry, is a quarter single or alone; which is to possess one fourth part of the field. It makes one of the honourable ordinaries of a coat.

Quarter of a Ship, that part of the ship's side which lies towards the stern; or which is comprehended between the aftermost end of the main chains and the sides of the stern, where it is terminated by the quarter-pieces.

Although the lines by which the quarter and bow of a ship, with respect to her length, are only imaginary, yet experience appears sufficiently to have ascertained their limits: so that if we were to divide the ship's sides into five equal portions, the names of each space would be readily enough expressed. Thus the first, from the stern, would be the quarter; the second, abaft the midships; the third, the midships; the fourth, before the midships; and the fifth, the bow. Whether these divisions, which in reality are somewhat arbitrary, are altogether improper, may be readily discovered by referring to the mutual situation or approach of two adjacent pieces. The enemy boarded us on the larboard side! Whereabouts? Abaft the midships, before the midships, &c.

Plate CCCCXXVII. No 1. represents a geometrical elevation of a quarter of a 74 gun ship. A the keel; with a the false keel beneath it. B the stern-post. DD the quarter-gallery, with its balustrades and windows. EE the quarter-pieces, which limit and form the outlines of the stern. F the taffarel, or upper pieces of the stern. FG the profile of the stern, with its galleries. H the gun-ports of the lower-deck; b the gun-ports of the upper and quarter-deck. I the after-part of the mizen-channel. K the wing-tranform. KG the lower counter. LB the station of the deck-tranform. LQ the after-part of the main-wale. DR the after-part of the channel-wale, parallel to the main-wale. SU the sheer-rail, parallel to both wales. Tt the rudder. AF the rake of the stern. Pii the drift-rails. TU the after-part of the load water-line; kkl the curve of the several decks corresponding to those represented in the head. See the article Head.

As the marks, by which vessels of different constructions are distinguished from each other, are generally more conspicuous on the stern or quarter than any other part, we have represented some of the quarters, which assume the most different shapes, and form the greatest contrast with each other. No 2. shows the stern and quarter of a Dutch sloop. No 3. the stern and quarter of a cat. No 4. is the stern and quarter of a common galley. No 5. exhibits the quarter of a first-rate galley, otherwise called a galleass. No 6. the quarter of a Dutch dogger, or galliot. No 7. represents the stern and quarter of a sloop of war.

The quarters of all other ships have a near affinity to those above exhibited. Thus all ships of the line, and East-Indiamen, are formed with a quarter little differing from the principal figure in this plate. Xebecs have quarters nearly resembling those of galleasses, only somewhat higher. Hagboats and pink approach the figure of cats, the former being a little broader in the stern, and the latter a little narrower; and the sterns and quarters of cats seem to be derived from those of fly-boats. boats. The sterns of Dutch doggers and galliots are indeed singular, and like those of no other modern vessel; they have nevertheless a great resemblance to the ships of the ancient Grecians, as represented in medals and other monuments of antiquity.

On the Quarter, may be defined an arch of the horizon, contained between the line prolonged from the ship's stern and any distant object, as land, ships, &c. Thus if the ship's keel lies on an east and west line, the stern being westward, any distant object perceived on the north-west or south-west, is said to be on the larboard or starboard quarter.

Quarter-Bill, a roll, or list, containing the different stations, to which all the officers and crew of the ship are quartered in the time of battle, and the names of all the persons appointed to those stations. See Quarter.

Quarter-Master, is an officer, generally a lieutenant, whose principal business is to look after the quarters of the soldiers, their clothing, bread, ammunition, firing, &c. Every regiment of foot and artillery has a quarter-master, and every troop of horse one, who are only warrant-officers, except in the Blues.

Quarter-Master-General, is a considerable officer in the army; and should be a man of great judgment and experience, and well skilled in geography. His duty is to mark the marches and encampments of an army; he should know the country perfectly well, with its rivers, plains, marshes, woods, mountains, defiles, passageways, &c., even to the smallest brook. Prior to a march, he receives the order and route from the commanding general, and appoints a place for the quarter-masters of the army to meet him next morning, with whom he marches to the next camp; where being come, and having viewed the ground, he marks out to the regimental quarter-masters the ground allowed each regiment for their camp; he chooses the head-quarters, and appoints the villages for the generals of the army's quarters; he appoints a proper place for the encampment of the train of artillery; he conducts foraging parties, as likewise the troops to cover them against assaults, and has a share in regulating the winter-quarters and cantonments.

Quarter Netting, a sort of net-work, extended along the rails on the upper part of a ship's quarter. In a ship of war these are always double, being supported by iron cranes, placed at proper distances. The interval is sometimes filled with cork, or old sails; but chiefly with the hammocks of the sailors, so as to form a parapet to prevent the execution of the enemy's small arms in battle.

Quarter-Sessions, a general court held quarterly by the justices of peace of each county. This court is appointed by stat. 2 Hen. V. c. 4, to be in the first week after Michaelmas-day; the first week after the Epiphany; the first week after the close of Easter; and in the week after the translation of Saint Thomas a Becket, or the 7th of July. This court is held before two or more justices of the peace, one of whom must be of the quorum. The jurisdiction of this court by 34 Ed. III. c. 1 extends to the trying and determining of all felonies and trespasses whatsoever, though they felony; if ever, try any greater offence than small felonies within the benefit of clergy, their commission providing, that if any case of difficulty arises, they shall not proceed to judgment, but in the presence of one of the justices of the courts of king's bench or common pleas, or one of the judges of assize. And therefore murderers and other capital felons are usually remitted for a more solemn trial to the assizes. They cannot also try any new-created offence, without express power given them by the statute which creates it. But there are many offences, and particular matters, which by particular statutes belong properly to this jurisdiction, and ought to be prosecuted in this court; as, the smaller misdemeanors against the public or commonwealth, not amounting to felony, and especially offences relating to the game, highways, alehouses, bastard children, the settlement and provision for the poor, vagrants, servants wages, apprentices, and попытк recusants. Some of these are proceeded upon by indictment, and others in a summary way by motion and order thereupon; which order may, for the most part, unless guarded against by particular statutes, be removed into the court of king's bench, by writ of certiorari facias, and be there either qualified or confirmed. The records or rolls of the sessions are committed to the custody of a special officer, denominated the custos rotulorum. In most corporation towns there are quarter-sessions kept before justices of their own, within their respective limits, which have exactly the same authority as the general quarter-sessions of the county, except in very few instances; one of the most considerable of which is the matter of appeals from orders of removal of the poor, which, though they be from the orders of corporation justices, must be to the sessions of the county, by 8 and 9 Will. III. c. 35. In both corporations and counties at large, there is sometimes kept a special or petty session, by a few justices, for dispatching smaller business in the neighbourhood between the times of the general sessions, as for licensing alehouses, passing the accounts of parish-officers, and the like.

Quarter-Staff, a long staff borne by foresters, park-keepers, &c., as a badge of their office, and occasionally used as a weapon.

Quarters, a name given at sea to the several stations where the officers and crew of a ship of war are posted in action. See Naval Tactics.

The number of men appointed to manage the artillery is always in proportion to the nature of the guns, and the number and condition of the ship's crew. They are, in general, as follow, when the ship is well manned, so as to fight both sides at once occasionally:

| Pounder | No. of men | Pounder | No. of men | |---------|------------|---------|------------| | To a 42 | 15 | To a 9 | 6 | | 32 | 13 | 6 | 5 | | 24 | 11 | 4 | 4 | | 18 | 9 | 3 | 3 | | 12 | 7 | | |

This number, to which is often added a boy to bring powder to every gun, may be occasionally reduced, and the guns nevertheless well managed. The number of men appointed to the small arms, on board his Majesty's ships and floops of war, by order of the admiralty, are... The lieutenants are usually stationed to command the different batteries, and direct their efforts against the enemy. The master superintends the movements of the ship, and whatever relates to the sails. The boatswain, and a sufficient number of men, is stationed to repair the damaged rigging; and the gunner and carpenter, wherever necessary, according to their respective offices.

The marines are generally quartered on the poop and forecastle, or gang-way, under the direction of their officers; although, on some occasions, they assist at the great guns, particularly in distant cannonading.

Quarters, at a siege, the encampment upon one of the most principal passages round a place besieged, to prevent relief and convoys.

Head Quarters of an Army, the place where the commander in chief has his quarters. The quarters of generals of horse are, if possible, in villages behind the right and left wings, and the generals of foot are often in the same place; but the commander in chief should be near the centre of the army.

Quarters of Refreshment, the place or places where troops that have been much harassed are put to recover themselves during some part of the campaign.

Intrenched Quarters, a place fortified with a ditch and parapet to secure a body of troops.

Winter Quarters, sometimes means the space of time included between leaving the camp and taking the field; but more properly the places where the troops are quartered during the winter.

The first bivouacs, after the army is in winter-quarters, is to form the chain of troops to cover the quarters well; which is done either behind a river, under cover of a range of strong posts, or under the protection of fortified towns. Hussars are very useful on this service.

It should be observed, as an invariable maxim, in winter-quarters, that your regiments be disposed in brigades, to be always under the eye of a general officer; and, if possible, let the regiments be so distributed, as to be each under the command of its own chief.