Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 2.djvu/744

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S M O

[ 88 ]

S M E

SMACK, is a (mall Veffel with but one Maft. See Mast. Sometime!, fitch are employed as Tenders on a Man of War, and they are alfo uled for Filhing upon the Coatts. SMALL-POX, Variola:. See Pox and Variolje. SMALT, a kind of Mineral Matter, prepared and puri- fied Abroad, and brought hither, fometiines in Form of a blue Powder, and ibmerimes in Cakes ; chiefly uled along with Starch, to give Linens the finer and clearer Call ; and belt known by the Name of Stone-blue. See Blue.

The Preparation of Smalt, as praitifed in Hermandtsrm, we have defcribed in the 'Pbikfopbical Iranfaclions by Dr.Kriegi Who tells us, that the Matter 'tis made of, is the Mineral Stone, called Cobalt or Cadmitt, which being pulveriz'd, and thelighter Stuff wafh'd away, the Remainder is laid on a Furnace, and by a Fire, underneath and alide it, the Flames whereof are reverberated over it, a Matter is lepcratcd from it in Form of a Smoak, which flicking to the Walls, makes what we call Arfenic. See Arsenic.

When the Cobalt has done finoaking, 'tis cool'd, mix'd with Pot-allies and Powder of white Flint-flones, the Mixture put in Pots, and melted for five or fix Hours in a Furnace. By this means, the Matter is form'd into a blue Glafs, which being put in cold Water, cracks and grows tender, and is at length powder'd by an Engine, the fineft part fe- parated by a Sieve, put into a Mill, and ground in Water, into the fineft Powder, which by waffling is ftill further fe- parated from the coarfer, then dried in warm Chambers, barrell'd up, and fent away.

SMARAGD, a precious Stone of a green Colour, very Beautiful and Brilliant. See Precious Stone.

The Oriental Smaragds are the moll in Eflecm, as being the hardelt, and their Splendor the moil vigorous; fo as even to tinge the ambient Air with their Greennefs. Great Virtues are afcribcd to the Smaragd. Cardan and others fay, it refills Plagues, Poifons and Dyffenteries; that it re- freflies the Spirits, SyC.

The Word is form'd from the Greek, trixuev.yf©'. SMECT YMN U US, a Term that made feme Figute in the Time of the Civil Wars, and during the Inter-regniim. It was form'd of the initial Letters ot the Names of Five eminent Presbyterian Minillers of that Time, viz. Stephen Marfial, Edmund Calamy, Thomas Toung, Matthew J&wamm, and William Spurflo, who, together, wrote a Book againft Epif- copacy, in the Year 1641, whence they and their Retainers, were called Smetlymmians.

SMELL, Odor, with regard to the Otgan, is an Im- preffion made on the Nofe, by little Particles continually exhaling from odorous Bodies. See Nose, £=fc.

Smell, with regard to the Object, is the Figure and Dif- pofition of Odorous Effluvia, which flicking on the Organ, excite the Senle of Smelling. See Smelling.

With regard to the Soul, Smell is the Perception of the Impreffion of the Object on the Organ, or the Affection in the Soul refulting therefrom. See Sense.

The Chymifis teach, that Sulphur is the Principle of all Smells; and that thefe are more or lels flrong, as the Sulphur in the odorous Body, is more or lels dried and exalted. Sul- phur, they lay, is the Foundation of Odors, as Salt is oi Sa- vors, and Mercury of Colours. See Smelling.

Smell, like Tafte, confilts altogether in the Arrangement, Compofition and Figure of the Parts; as appears from the following Experiments of Mr. Beyle 5

l° From a Mixture of Two Bodies, each whereof, is, of itfelf, void of all Smell ; a very urinous Smell may be drawn: Thar is, by the Grinding of Quick-lime with Sal-Am- moniac. 2" By the Admixture of common Water, which of it- felt, is void of Smell, or inodorous ; another inodorous Body may be made to emit a very rank Smell. Thus Camphor diffolved in Oil of Vitriol, is inodorous; yet mix'd wirh Water, immediately exhales a very flrong Smell. 3 ° Com- pound Bodies may emit Smell?, which have no Similitude to the Smells of the Simples they confift of. Thus Oil of Turpentine, mixt with a double Quantity of Oil of Vitriol, and Diddled ; after Diftillation, there is no Smell but of Sulphur ; and what is left behind in the Retort, being again urged by a more violent Fife, yields a Smell like'Oil of Wax. 40 Several Smells are only to be drawn by Motion and Agitation. Thus Glafs, Stones, Sjc. which even when heated, yield no Smell, yet when rubbed and agitated iu a peculiar Manner, emit a flrong Smell ; parti- cularly Beech-wood in turning, yields a kind of Rofy Smell. 5 A Body that has a flrong Smell, by being mix'd with an Inodorous one, may ceafe to have any Smell at all : Thus if Aqua-fortis, not well dephlegmated, be poured on Salt of Tartar, till it ceafe to ferment ; the Liquor, when evaporated, will yield inodorous Cryflals, much reiemblingSalt of Nitre. Yet when burnt, will yield a moll noifom Smell. 6" From -a Mixture of Two Bodies, the one whereof fmells extremely ill, and the other not well ; a very pleafant aromatic Odor may be gain'd, viz. by a Mixture of Aqua-fortis, or Spirit of Nitre, with an inflammable Spirit of Wine. 7* Spirits of Wine, by mixing with an almoft inodorous Body, may

gain a very pleafant, aromatic Smell. Thus inflammable Spirits of Wine, and Oil oSDatitzic Vitriol, mix'd in equal Portions, then digefted, and at lafl diftili'd, yield a Spirit of a very fragrant Smell. 8 s A moll fragrant Body may degenerate into a fcetid one, without the Admixture of any other Body. Thus if the Spirit, mentioned in the former Experiment, be kept in a well clofed Receiver, it will ibori turn to the Rinkneis of Garlic. 9 From two Bodies, one whereof is inodorous, and rhe other fcetid ; a very pleafant Smell may ariie, much relembling Musk, viz. by putting Pearls into-Spiritof Vitriol: For when diffolved, they yield a very agreeable Smell.

SMELLING, the AS whereby we perceive Smells; (See Smell) or the Act, whereby we become fenfible of odorous Bodies, by means of certain Effluvia thereof, which flicking on the Olfactory Organ, and briskly enough to have their Impulfe propagated to the Brain, excite a Senfation in the Soul. See Sensation.

The principal Organs of Smelling, are the Noftrils, and the Olfactory Nerves ; the minute Ramifications of which latter are diflributed throughout the whole Concave of the former : Their Delcription, fee under their proper Heads.

Smelling isperformed by the odorous Effluvia floating in the Air, being drawn into the Noftrils, in Inlpiration, and flruck wirh fuch Force againft the Fibrilla: of the Olfactory Nerves which the Figure of the Nole, and the Situation of the lit- tie Bones, render oppofite thereto, as to fhakc them, and give them a vibratory Motion ; which Action beingcommunicated thence to the common Senfory, occafion an Idea of a fweet, or fcetid, or four, or an aromatic, or a putrified Object, ($c.

The Matter in Animals, Vegetables, Foffils, i£c. which chiefly affefts' the Senfe of Smelling, Bcerhaave obferves, is that fubtile Subftance inherent in the oily Parts thereof, call'd Spirit ■■ For that when this is taken away from the moil fragrant Bodies ; what remains, has fcarce any Smell 3.1 all ; but this pour'd on the mofl fmell-lefs Bodies, gives them a Fragrancy. Inftit. cap. de Olfac.

Willis obferves, That Brutes have, generally, the Senfe of Smelling in much greater Perfection than Man ; as by this, alone, they diftinguifh the Virtues and Qualities of Bodies unknown before; hunt out their Food at a great Diftance, as Hounds, and Birds of Prey, or hid among other Matters, as Ducks, g?c. Man having other means of judging of his Food, &c. did not need fo muchSagacity in hisNole: Yet have we Inflancesof a great deal, even in Man.

In the Hifteire des Antilles, we are allured, there are Ne- groes who,by the Smelling, alone, can diflinguifli between the Foot-fleps of a Frenchman and a Negro. 'Tis found that the Lamina:, wherewith the Upper Part of the Noftrils is fene'd, and which ferve to receive the Divarications of the olfactory Nerves, are always longer, and folded up together in greater Number, as the Animal has this Senfe more accurate. The various Windings and Turnings of thefe Lamina:, detain and fetter the more of the odoriferous Particles.

SMELTING, among Refiners, the melting of Metal in the Ore in a Smelting Furnace ; in order to leparate the metallic from the earthy Parts. See Metal.

SMINTHEAN, SMINTHEUS, in Antiquity, an Epi- thet given to Apollo, from the Greek o-^icS©-, a Rat. — There are rwo different Accounts of the Origin ot this Appellation : The firft, that in the City of Cbryfa in Mifia, was a Prieif of Apollo, call'd Crines, with whom that God being offended, fent a Herd of Rats ro Ipoil all his Lands. But Crines ap- pealing the Deity, he came in Peribn to his Afliilance, rook his Lodgings with Crines's Shepherd, told him who he was, and deflroyed all the Rats with his Arrows : In Memory whereof, Crines built a Temple to his Deliverer, under the Name of Apollo Smintbeus. — Clemens Alexandrinvs, in his Exhortation to the Greeks, gives us a different Story. The Cretans, fays he, intending to fend out a Colony, confulted the Oracle of 'Apollo as to the Place ; the Anfwer was, That they lliould place their Colony where thole, born of the Earth, fhould oppofc them. Upon their Arrival in the Hellespont, the Rats, in the Night-time, gnawed afunderalt the Strings of their Bows : This they deem'd an Accom- pli fhment of the Oracle, and built a City call'd Sminthia.

SMOAK, a humid Matter, exhaled in Form of Vapou't by the Action of Heat, either external or internal. See Fire- Smoak, Sir Ifaac Newton obferves, afcends in the Chim- ney by the Impulfe of the Air it floats in : For that Air being rarified by the Fire underneath, has its fpecific Gra vlt y diminifhed ; thus, being determined to afcend, itfelf,' 1 carries up the Smoak along with it. The Tail of a C«tn er > that great Author takes to afcend from the Sun after the lame manner. See Comet. ,

Smoak of fat unftuous Woods, as Fir, Beech, (ge. «&*" what we call Lamp-black. See Black.

There are various Inventions for preventing and curl ?| Sneaking Chimneys; as the Oeolipiles of yimtviaSt x Ventiducts of Cardan, the Wind mills of ■Bernard, t" Capitals of Serlio, the little Drums of Taduanus, and «' veral Artifices of de Lorrne, £?<;. See Chimney. ^'