419 taxes that have been laid upon merchandizes either by way of duties of custom, or excise, or in any other manner, to supply the exigencies of the state, and to pay interest for what sums it may have occasion to borrow. Thus it is said, "such a duty, or such a tax, is a good fund to answer such a purpose."

The funds or taxes of the united kingdoms, are either temporary or perpetual: temporary ones, are such as are either imposed for a certain number of years, or annually, as the land and malttaxes: the perpetual funds, are those on which money has been borrowed for the public service,' and which are appropriated for the secure and cer tain payment of the interest of such money, till the discharge of the principal so borrowed. See STOCKS.

FUNGUS, in botany, an order of vegetables, extremely different from all others, and belonging to the cryptogamia class of Linnæus. The fungi have, indeed, so little of the common and general appearance of vegetables, that many have denied them to be such, and contended for their being only excrementous matter, protruded from decaying vegetables of other kind: but, notwithstanding the fungi have neither the colour nor texture of other plants, nor leaves nor flowers like them, yet they must be allowed to belong to the vegetable kingdom, as having absolute and perfect seeds, consisting usually of single antheræ, which produce plants like those from which they are collected. The fungi are extremely different in figure, and in their manner and place of growth; some growing on the ground, some on living trees, and many

on decayed wood; and this, horizontally, or erect.
Some are of only a few days duration, others re-
main for years, and some there are which grow
under the surface of the earth in no particular
direction.

FURBISHER, a person who polishes, or cleans
arms; as guns, swords, pistols: an operation which
is chiefly performed with emery.

FURLONG, a long measure, equal to 1-8th of a
mile, or forty poles. It is also used in some law.
books, for the eighth part of an acre.

FURLOUGH, in military language, a licence granted
by an officer to a soldier, to be absent for some
time from his duty.

FURNACE, See LABORATORY.

FUSION, a chemical process, by which bodies
are made to pass from the solid to the fluid state in
consequence of the application of heat. The chief
objects susceptible of this operation are salts, sul-
phur and metals. Salts are liable to two kinds of
fusion, the one, which is peculiar to saline matters,
is owing to water, and is called aqueous fusion; the
other, which arises from the application of fire, is
known by the name of igneous fusion.

FUSTICK, is the wood of the Morus Tinctoria, a
tree that grows to a considerable size in the West
Indies. It is much used in dyeing yellow, and pro-
duces a large quantity of colouring matter.