was kept in commemoration of the deliverance of the
Israelites from Egypt, and was so named, because, the night before their
departure, the destroying angel, who slew all the first-born of the
Egyptians, _passed over_ the houses of the Israelites, without entering
them. See Exodus xii. The Feast of Pentecost was so called, from a word
meaning _the fiftieth_, because it was celebrated on the fiftieth day
after the Passover, and was instituted in commemoration of the giving of
the Law from Mount Sinai, on the fiftieth day from the departure out of
Egypt. It is also called the Feast of Weeks, because it was kept seven
weeks after the Passover. See Exodus xxxiv. 22, Leviticus xxiii. 15-21,
Deuteronomy xvi. 9, 10. The Feast of Tabernacles, or Feast of Tents, was
so called, because it was celebrated under tents or tabernacles of green
boughs; and was designed to commemorate their dwelling in tents, during
their passage through the wilderness. At this Feast, they also returned
thanks to God, for the fruits of the earth, after they had been
gathered. See Exodus xxiii. 16, Leviticus xxiii. 34-44, Deuteronomy xvi.
13, and also St. John vii. 2.

_Fire blight_, a disease in the pear, and some other fruit trees, in
which they appear burnt, as if by fire. It is supposed, by some, to be
caused by an insect, others suppose it to be caused by an overabundance
of sap.

_Fluting-iron_, an instrument for making flutes, channels, furrows, or
hollows, in ruffles, &c.

_Foundation muslin_, a nice kind of buckram, stiff and white, used for
the foundation or basis of bonnets, &c.

_Free States_, those States in which slavery is not allowed, as
distinguished from Slave States, in which slavery does exist.

_French chalk_, a variety of the mineral called talc, unctuous to the
touch, of a greenish color, glossy, soft, and easily scratched, and
leaving a silvery line, when drawn on paper. It is used for marking on
cloth, and extracting grease-spots.

_Fuller's earth_, a species of clay, remarkable for its property of
absorbing oil; for which reason it is valuable for extracting grease
from cloth, &c. It is used by fullers, in scouring and cleansing cloth,
whence its name.

_Fustic_, the wood of a tree which grows in the West Indies, called
_Morus tinctoria_. It affords a durable, but not very brilliant, yellow
dye, and is also used in producing some greens and drab colors.

_Gastric_, (from the Greek [Greek: gastir], _gaster_, the belly,)