Charles,** a learned Minim, born at Marseilles, and one of the most able botanists of the 17th century. He was instructed by the famous Maiguen, who taught him mathematics, turnery, the art of making spectacles, burning-glasses, microscopes, and other works. He at length went to Rome to perfect himself in his studies, and there applied himself entirely to botany under a skilful Italian. At his return to Provence, he settled in the convent at Bornes, a maritime place near Hieres, where he had the conveniency of making discoveries in the fields with respect to simples. He was some time after sent by the French king to America, to bring from thence such plants as might be of service in medicine. He made three different voyages to the Antilles, and visited the island of St Domingo. The king honoured him with a pension; and he at last settled at Paris. However, at the desire of M. Fagon, he prepared to go a fourth time to America, to examine the tree which produces the Jesuits bark; but died at the port of Santa Maria, near Cadiz, in 1766. He wrote several excellent works; the principal of which are, 1. A volume of the Plants in the American Islands. 2. A Treatise on the American Fera. 3. The Art of Turnery; a curious work embellished with plates.

**PLUMMET,** **Plumb-Rule,** or **Plumb-line,** an instrument used by carpenters, masons, &c. in order to judge whether walls, &c. be upright planes, horizontal, or the like. It is thus called from a piece of lead, fastened to the end of a cord, which usually constitutes this instrument. Sometimes the string descends along a wooden ruler, &c. raised perpendicularly on another; in which case it becomes a level.

**PLUMMING,** among miners, is the method of using a mine dial, in order to know the exact place of the work where to sink down an air-shaft, or to bring an adit to the work; or to know which way the load inclines when any flexure happens in it.

It is performed in this manner: A skilful person with an assistant, and with pen, ink, and paper, and a long line, and a mine-dial, after his guess of the place above ground, descends into the adit or work, and there fastens one end of the line to some fixed thing in it; then the incited needle is let to rest, and the exact point where it rests is marked with a pen: he then goes on farther in, the line still fastened, and at the next flexure of the adit he makes a mark on the line by a knot or otherwise: and then letting down the dial again, he there likewise notes down that point at which the needle stands in this second position. In this manner he proceeds, from turning to turning, marking down the points, and marking the line, till he comes to the intended place: this done, he ascends and begins to work on the surface of the earth what he did in the adit, bringing the first knot in the line to such a place where the mark of the place of the needle will again answer its pointing, and continues this till he come to the desired place above ground, which is certain to be perpendicular over the part of the mine into which the air-shaft is to be sunk.

**PLUMOSE,** something formed in the manner of a feather, with a stem and fibres issuing from it on each side; such are the antennae of certain moths, butterflies, &c.

**PLURAL,** in **Grammar,** an epithet applied to that number of nouns and verbs which is used when we speak of more than one thing. See **Grammar.**

**PLURALITY,** a discrete quality, consisting of two or a greater number of the same kind: thus we say, a plurality of gods, &c. See the article **Astronomy,** No. 157, for the arguments both for and against a plurality of worlds.