COLOURS diaionic, or musical scale of in the course of Sir Isaac Newton's ex periments on the properties of light, he discovered the remarkable fact, that the spectrum of the sun's image, formed by refracted light, let into a darken ed room,i s longitudinally divided by the points sepa rating the different colours ; viz. violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red, into spaces, which are respectively equal to 2 TO ant TIT) parts of the double length of the trum ; as, suppose the spectrum to be 360 parts in length, then and will represent 72 the length of each colour respectively,and adding these successively in the reverse order, to 44:, we have #4, 44%, 444 540 so° sao and 7which in their VYti` lowest terms, are 1., and 1, and appear to be the diatonic ratios answering to the octave, minor seventh, major sixth, fifth, minor fourth, minor third, major second, and key note.
From the experiments of Henry Broughton, jun. Esq., " Philosophical Transactions, 1796," it appears that, not only by refraction, but by inflection, de flection, and reflection, the rays of light may be separated on a chart or screen : and he mentions numerous experiments, wherein the limits of the several colours on the spectrum were carefully marked with the point of a needle, after which the papers thus marked were put away, and a fresh paper substituted for other ex periments, the measurement or compari son of the lengths of the intervals occu pied byeach colour on the different papers beingpurposely deferred, until the whole course of experiments was completed, in order to prevent any preconceived opi nions from operating, in making the ex periments : the results are represented as agreeing, in the spaces, TT) and occupied by the vio l let, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red colours, being the very same, as to arrangement, as those by refraction above mentioned.
Commit of office, signifies some unjust action, done under countenance of an of fice, and is opposed to virtute officii, which implies a man's doing a right and just thing in the execution of his office.
Coaouat, in the military art, include the banners, flags, ensigns, &c. of all kinds, borne in the army or fleet. See