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and let down, on Occasion: They are commonly good Sailers; and are often ufed as Tenders upon a Man of War. f
SHAMADE. See Chamade. SHAMOY, or SHAMMY. See Chamois. SHANKER, in Medicine, a malignant Ulcer, which gnaws and eats the Flefh ; uiually occalioned by Jbme Ve- nereal Dilorder. See Carcinoma.
SHARP, in Mufk, a kind of artificial Note or CharaSer, (thus form'd #) which being prefix'd to a Note, fhews that it is to be fung or play d a Semi-tone, or half a Note higher thin the natural Note would have been without. When the Semi-tone takes the Name of the natural Note next above it, 'tis mark'd with a Character call'd a Flat. See Flat. 'Tis indifferent, in the Main, which of the Two be ufed, tho' there are Ibmetimes particular Rcafons for the one rather than the other. See Semitone. The Ufe of Flats and Sharps, is by way of Remedy to the Deficiencies of the fixed Scales of Instruments. See Scale.
SHARPING CORN, is a cuffomary Present of Corn, which at every Chriftmas, the Farmers, in fome Parts of England, make to their Smith, for ifiarpening their Plough- Irons, Harrow tines, ££?c.
SHEADING, is a Riding, Tything, or Divifion in the JJle of Man ; the whole liland being divided into Six Shead- ings, in every one of which, is a Coroner or chief Con- ftable.
SHEATHING of a Ship is thecafing that Part of her Hull, which is to be under Water, with iomething to keep the Worms from eating into her Planks. It is uiually done with laying Tar and Hair mix'd together all over the old Plank, and then nailing on thin new Boards : But this hinders a Ship's failing, and therefore of late fome have been fheathed with mill'd Lead, which is much fmqpther, and confequemly better for failing, and alio more cheap and durable than the other Way. It was firft Invented by Sir 'Philip Howard, and Major Watfon.
SHEERING, in the Woollen Manufactures, the Sheer- man's Craft or Office; or the cutting off, with latge Sheers, the too long and superfluous Nap, or Shag found on the Sur- face of Worfted Stuffs, Fuftians, Cottons, &£ in older to make them more imooth and even. Stuffs ate Shorn more or fewer Times, according to their Quality and Fineness. See Cloth.
Some ufe the Phrafe Sheering of Hats, for the pairing of Hats made of Wooll, over the Flame of a clear Fire made of Straw, or Spiay, to take off* the long Hairs. Others call this Flaming and others Sindging. Other Hats, as Castors', Semi caftors, l$c. are Shorn, by rubbing them over with Pumice-ftone. See Hat.
Sheering, isalfo the Sea Term for the Motion of a Ship, when ilie is not fleer'd ffeadily ; in which cafe fhe is laid to Sheer or go Sheering. When Hie lies at Anchor, near Port, £fjc. by reafon of the fwift running of a Tide Gate,£f*c. Ilie is laid to be in danger of Sheering home her Anchor, or Sheering a-pore.— Sheer-hooks, are large Iron Hooks, ufed when a Ship defigns to Board another — Sheer-Jhanks, is a kind of Knot, by which they tie up and lliorten a Runner when it is too long.
SHEKEL, an ancient Hebrew Coin, equal to Four At- tick 'Drachmas, or Four Roman -Denarii ; amounting to 2 s. id. Sterling. In the Bible, the Shekel is fometimes alfo rendet'd Solidtis, and Ibmetimes Staler. The Jewip Doctors are in great doubt of the Weight of the Shekel, and 'tis only by Conjecture, and by the Weight of the Modern Shekel, that the Ancient one is judg'd equal to Four Attick 'Drachmas. See Budeus. Father Souciet, has delcribed feveral of thefe Shekels, in his DifTettation on the Hebrew Medals. By the Way he obferves, that the Third and Fourth Parts of a Shekel, delcribed by Waferus de Ant. Num. Heb. arc Counterfeits of that Author.
The Hebrew Shekel, according to F. Mcrfenne, weighs 268Grains, and iscompofedof 20 Oboli.eachObolus weighing 16 Grains of Wheat. This, he fays, is the juft Weight, as he found by Weighing one in the French King's Cabinet. He adds, that (uch as come Ihort of this Weight, have been filed or clip'd. Biffiop Cumberland tells us, he has weigh 'd ieveral, and always found them near the Weight of i Roman Halfounce. Some are of Opinion, that the Hebrews had two Kinds of Shekel s.The Common, or Prophane Shekel,ca.\l'd 'Didrachma; and the Shekel of the SanSuary, which last they will have double the former. By this Expedient they think we may get clear of fome Difficulties occurring in Scripture, where Things are mentioned as of Incredible Weight • par- •icularly that Paflage where 'tis fai'd, That every Timey#>- Jfflow cut off his Hair, the Weight whereof ufed to incom- 5™' him ; he cut off the Weight of 200 Shekels. But ' 'ilalpandius will not hear of it ; nor does Bifhop Cumber- land, M_ Morin, He. take the Opinion to have any Founda- tion. The Profane Shekel, or Shekel of Four Drachmas, they "("««, was the fame with the Sacred Shekel ; and 'twas only
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fo call'd, becaul'e the Standard thereof was kept in the Sanflu- ary, by the Priefts. 'Tis pretended by others, that the Jews had a Gold Shekel of the lame Weight with the Silver one. The Shekel is iuppoled to have been firft ttruck iri the De- iim, at the Rate of 100 to the Attick Mina, weighing 160 Grains of Wheat, and currant for to Geratis or Oboli, But afterwards they were ttruck of double that Weight. Some will have Ate Shekel the oldeft Piece of Money in the World, as being in Die in Abraham's Time ; but this was not Coin'd, or Stamp'd ; nor had any other Value befides its Intriniic Worth. See Money. Xencphon mentions Shekels, as current in Arabia : Du Catrge fays the lame of England and Germany. The Wotd is form'd from a Hebrew Word, signifying to Weigh.
SHEL'P, is what the Miners (efpecially in Tin Mines) call xatFaft-Cttintry, by which they mean, an imaginary Sur- face of the Earth, which, at the Concussion of Waters at the Deluge, was never moved ; and to the She If they think, all the Loads or Mineral Veins at firft lay even, and parallel; tho' after the Flood, fome were elevated, fome depreffed. And by Shelf now, they mean that hard Surface or Coat of the Earth which lies under the Mould, uiually about a Foot deep; for they luppole, that fince the Flood, the Earth hath gotten a new Coat of Vegetable Earth, or fuch as is made by the Corruption of Vegetables and Animals. See Deluge and Strata.
SHELL, in Natural Hiftory, a hard Cruft, ferving to cover and inclofe a kind of Animals, hence call'd Teftaceom. Naturalifts have been generally mistaken in the J Manner of the Formation of Shells. The Animal and its Shell have been always fuppofed to atife from the fame Egg. But M. Reaumur has fhewn the Supposition to be false. He has found, by lure Experiments, that the Shells of Gatdcn Snails are form'd of a Matter which perfpires from their Bodies, and hardens and condenfes in the Air. 'Tis certain, that all Animals perfpire, and are cncompals'd with a kind of Cloud or Atmosphere, which exhales from them, and, in all Pro- bability, aslumes pretty neatly their external Figure. Snails have nothing peculiar in this refpect ; unlefs that the At- molphere of their Perspiration, condenfes and hardens about them, and forms a visible Cover, whereof the Body is the Mould or Model ; whereas that of othet Animals is evapo- rated and loft in Air. This Difference arifes from the dif- ferent Subftance pctfpired; That coming from Snails, is vilcous and ftony. This is no Supposition ; but a Matterof Facf, which M. Reaumur has well proved by Experiments.
On this Principle, tho' the Shell ferve the Animal as an universal Bone, yet it does not grow like a Bone, nor like any of the other Parts, by Vegetation ; that is, by a Juice circulating within itself; but by an external Addition of Parts laid one over another ; as is commonly fuppoled of Stones. But, to confider the Thing more particularly ; It is to be remembred, that the Snail's Head is always at the Apertute of the Shell, and its Tail in the Tip or Point of the Shell ; and that its Body is naturally turnd into a Spiral Form, the different Folds whereof are in different Planes. This fuppoled: Take the Snail juft hatch d ; As the Matter it perfpires petrifies around it, there mutt be firft form d a little Cover, proportion'd to the Bignels of its Body ; And as its Body is yet too little to make a Fold of a Spiral, at lead a whole Fold ; this Cover will only be the Centre, or, at molt, the firft Beginning of a little Circle of a Spiral. But the Animal grows : If, then, itceas'd to perlpire, 'tis evident, all that is added to its Body, would remain naked ; but as it continues to perfpire, it makes itlirlf a Cover in propor- tion as it needs it. Thus is an intite Fold ofa Spiral found ; and thus is a Second and a Third ; and ftill every new Fold is bigger than the laft, in regard the Animal grows in Thicknefs, at the lame Time as it grows in Length. When the Animal ceafes to grow, yet it does not ceafe to perfpire ; Accordingly, the Shell continues to grow thicker, though not longer.
Shells make a considerable Article in the Cabinets or the Curious ; The fineft and rareft are thefe that follow ; '•oik. The Papal Crown, which takes its Name from its Form, and which is all ftrcak'd with Red on a White Ground. The Feather, Pluma, whole Whitenefs, with its Carnation Stains, have an admirable Effect. The Hebraica, which, on a Ground as white as Snow, has Spots as black as Jet, much refembling Hebrew Characters. The Chinefe Snail, which has a Green and Black Embroidery, on a dark Brown Ground. The Cloth of Geld, remarkable for an admirable Texture of Yellow, Brown and Black. The Cloth cf Silver, which does not come behind that of Gold in Beauty. The Leopard, which is all fpeckled. The lyger, whofe Spots exceed thofe of the Leopard. The Hart's-horn, which has black Stains on a white Ground. The Purfe, thus call'd from its Figure ; it is embroider'd with Three or Four Colours. The Dial: The Caterpillar, both deno- minated from their Forms. The Nerites, White Nautilus, Zepajia, ApJ'crays, 'tuba, Galea, Sec.
In
