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In Aldfcvaud, Gcfner and Fab'ms Cdwmm, we have all that the Ancients have laid on the Subject of Shells. In i6~2, Dr. Lifer publilh'd a Natural Hilfory of Shells, M Fofio', full of Cuts, reprelenting the various Kinds of Shells. Under the firit Clais, he ranges the Terreftrial or Land Shells; In the Second, the Frelh-water Shells, both thole call'd Turbinate, and thole Bivahia. In the Third he difpofcs all the Sea Shells, the 'Bivalvia and Multwalvia ; and in the Fourth, he divides, into feveral Gaffes, the Sea Shells, call'd 'turbinate,. .
Shells are frequently found under the Ground, in Places far remote from the Sea, in Mines, and even in the Tops of Mountains : but how they (hould come there, is a Thing the Naturalifts are greatly divided about. The molt ufual and ealy Opinion is, That thole Parts have been for- merly Sea, or at leaft have been over-flown thereby ; and many even go as high as the grand Deluge, bee Deluge. But others take thefe to be the natural Places of their Birth or Formation ; fome of them being found no other than raw Clay: others of the fame Texture with the Rock whereto they crow ; and others of as ablblute a Shelly Subftance, as any in the Sea. In efteft, thefe may be only fomany different Gradations of Nature, which can as well produce Shells in Mines, as in the Sea; there being no want of Saline or Earthy Particles for the Purpole : nor is there any great Difference between fome Sorts of Spars, and Sea Shells. See
rJr.Z//?er judges, that Shells found in Stone-Quarries, were never any Part of an Animal ; and gives this Reafon for it ; That Quarries of different Stone, yield quite dif- ferent Species of Shells ; different not only from one an- other, but from any Thing in Natute bcfides, which either Sea or Land does yield. SeeFossiLE.
SHELL-FISH, a colkaive Name for all Fifties naturally incloied in Shells. See Testaceous. Bonetus oblerves, That Shell Animals have no Diverfity of Sex; that they lay no Eggs, as having no Blood ; and that if they have any ihmg that appears analogous to Eggs, 'tis rather fomething thattenes for Nutrition, than fot Generation.
SHERIF, or Sheriff, or Shire-reeve, an Officer in each County of England, whole Bufineis is to fee to the Executi. on of the King's Orders, and all Writs drafted to him out of the King's Courts; To impannel Juries; to bring Caufes and Criminals to Tryal ; to take Care of the Dilpatch of Affairs both Civil and Criminal; to collect the Revenues, Impolls. Fines, Confutations, &. arilmg in his County, lor which he accounts to the Exchequer ; and to attend and aflift the itinerant Judges. The Sherif is, as it were, the Soul of the Policy of the County; andthelre- ierver of the Peace thereof. His Office only lafts one Year. The Sherif vim anciently thofc by the People in the Coun- ty Court, as Knights now arc for Parliament ; but he is now nominated bv the King. In order to which, the itinerant fudges every' Year nominate Six Perfons for each County ; whereof, the Lord Chancellor, Trcafurer, Privy Council, tic. afiembled in the Exchequer Chamber, make Choice of Three ; out of which Number, the King chufes One. On- ly the County of Middlcfcx has Two Sherifs ; chofe, as an- ciently, by the Citizens of Louden : And Durham, Weji- moreland, and Cumberland, none.
The Sherif, befides his Miniflerial Office, of executing ProcelTcs and Precepts of the Courts, and making Returns o the fame ; has a judicial Office, whereby he holds Two leveral Kinds of Courts ; the one called the Sherifs Turn, held in divers Places of the County, to enquire of all Of- fences againlf Common Law not prohibited by any Statute. The other called the County Court, wherein he hears and de- termines all Civil Caufes of the County, under Forty Shil. lings. See Court, and Turn.
The Word is formed from the Saxon, Scire Gerefa, Prefect of a Town or County ; or rather from Scyrian, to divide ; the Sherif being denominated from the firft Divi- sion of the Kingdom into Counties. In Latin he is called Vice-comes.
SHIELD, an ancient Weapon of Defence, made in Man- ner of a li»htBuckbi', and bore on the Arm to fend off J.anccs, Darts, &c. The Form of the Shield is reprefented by theEfcutchcon in Coats of Arms. See Buckler.
Shield, in Heraldry, the Elcuthcon or Field whereon the Bearings of an Armory are placed. See Escutcheon.
SHILLING, an Englifi Silver Coin, equal ro Twelve Pence or the 20th Fart of a Pound : See Pound and Penny. 'Tis 'oblerv'd, there were no Shillings or Twelve-penny- Pieces coin'd in England till the Year 1504; and thefe, Stern calls Groats, though Fabian mentions them under the Name of Shillings, 34 Hen. VIII. The Hutch, Flemifu, and Germans have likewife their Shilling ; call'd Schelm, Schilling, Schilling, Scalin, &c. But thelb not being of the fame Weight or Finenefs with the Englifi Shilling, are not Current on the fame Foot. The Eiigli/h Shilling is worth about Fifteen French Sols : thofe of Holland and Germany about Seven Sols and a Half, or Six Deniers. Thofe of
Flanders about Six. The 'Dutch Shillings ixi alio call'd Sols de Grofs, becaufe equal to 1 2 Grols. The Danes have Copper Shillings, wortn about ; of a Farthing Sterling. Freherus derives the Word from a Corruption of Siliaua ; proving the Derivation by fc-veral Texts of Law, and among others by the XXI. Law, De Animis kgatis. See Coin.
SHINGLES, in Building, lmall Pieces of Wood, ot quarter'd oaken Boards, law 'd to a certain Scantling ; or mote ufually cleft to about an Inch thick at one End, and made like Wedges, Four or Five Inches broad, and Eight or Nine Inches long. They are uled in Covering, elpeciady Churches and Steeples, inllead of Tiles, or Slates. This Covering is dear; yet where Tiles, Fjc. are very fcarce, and a light Cover required, is preferable to Thatch. If made of good Oak, and cleft, not lawed, and well leafon'd, they make a lure 'light, and durable Covering. The Building is flrll to be cover'd all over with Boards, and the Shingles nail'd there=- on. See Covering.
Shingles, in Medicine, a kind of Herpes, call'd alfo the Milliary Herpes. It confUls of innumerable little Puftules breaking out in various Parts of the Body, viz. the Neck, Breaft, Loins, Thighs, (Sc. The Place affected is fome- what Inflamed, and the Patient a little Feverifh. White Puff ules arife and fuppurate, and are Succeeded by little round Scabs refembling Millet Seeds. It is to be attack'd with Difcutients ; and the higher Puftules cut off with Sciflars, and a Cerate of Oil and Wax to be applied. M r ifeman ob- lerves, the Shingles come near the Nature of a Pfora, and are therefore to be cured with Mercurial Catharticks..
SHIP, a general Name for all great Veflels with Sails, fit for Navigation on the Sea ; excepting Galleys, which go with Oars and Smack-Sails. See Galley. The Sieur Aubin, defines a Ship, A Timber-building, confining of various Parts and Pieces, nail'd and pinn'd together with Iron and Wood, in fuch Form as to be fit to floiir, and to bp conducted by Wind and Sails, from Sea to Sea.
For the moji convenient Form of Ships ; pr thai ■tvhereit} they pall meet with the leajl Rejiftance from the Water-; See Vessel.
The Invention of Ships is very Ancient, and, at the lame time, very uncertain. The Mythologifts attribute it to Dedalus ; and pretend, that the Wings he invented to fave himlelf withal from the Labyrinth of Crete, were nothing but Sails, which he firft gave to Veffels, and wherewith he eluded the Vigilance and Purluit of Minos. Others gave the Honour to Janus 5 on the Credit of ibme ancient Greek and Latin Coins, on one Side whereof, is reprefented his double Face, and on the Reverie a Ship. Laftly, others, and thofe who go on the bell Grounds, look on Noah as the Firft Ship-builder. See Ark; See alfo Navigation.
Ships are ufually divided into Three Clones, Ships of War, Merchant Ships, and an intermediate Kind, bait War, half Merchant ; being iiich, as, tho' built for Merchandife, yet take Commiffions for War. Ships of War are again di- vided [into feveral Orders, call'd Rates. See Rate. Mer- chant Ships are eftimated by their Burthen, that is, by the Number of Tuns they bear, each Tun reckon 'd at Two thoufand Pounds Weight. The Elfimate is made by Gauging the Bottom of the Keel, which is the ptoper Place of Load- ing. See Burthen.
The mofl celebrated Ships of Antiquity are, that of 'Ptohmy fhilopater, which was 280 Cubits long, 38 broad and 48 high. It carried 400 Rowers, 400 Sailors, and jooo Soldiers. That he made to Sail on the Nile, we are told, was Half a Stadium long. Yet thefe were nothing in Compatifon with Hiero's Ship, built under the Direction of Archimedes ; on the Struct ure whereof, Mojchion, as we are told by Snellius, wrote a whole Volume. There was Wood enough employ 'd in it to make Fifty Gallies. It had all the Variety of Apartments of a Palace ; Banqueting Rooms, Galleries, Gardens, FihVponds, Equerries, Mills, Baths, 4 Temple of Venus, f£c. It was incompafs'd with an Iron Rampart, Eight Tours, with Walls and Baflions furnilh'd with Machines of War; particularly one, which threw a Stone of 300 Pounds, or a Dart of 12 Cubits, the Space of Half a Mile ; with many other Particulars related by Atbe- iuc-us. Among Modern Ships, one of the mofl confident)!? is a Firft Rate Ship of War, builr at Woolwich in 1701 j The Dimcnlions whereof, whence thole of other Rates may be deduced, are as follow : The Length 2 10 Foot ; Number of Guns 1 10 : Number of Men 1250 : Number of Tuns 2300 ■■ Draught of Water 22 Foot ; the Main-fail in Length 54 Yatds, Depth 19 : Main-maft in Length 39 Foot; in Diameter 38 Inches: Weight of the Anchor 82 Hundred 1 Quarter 14 Pound : Cable in Length 200 Yards : Dia- meter of the Cable 22 Inches. TheExpence of buildings common Firft Rate Ship, with Guns, Tackling and Rigg'«gi is computed at 60000 1. Sterling. See Navy, Freight, Charter-Party, Folicy of Afliirauce, &c.
To give the Reader an Idea of the feveral Parts and Mem- bers of a Ship, both Internal and External, with their re- fpectivc Denominations in the Sea Language (the Principa^
