196 



SENSITIVE PLANTSEPTENNIAL ELECTIONS. 



classes of animals, when we consider the variou 

 services which this sense performs, as that of indi 

 fating the approach of danger, of conducting beast 

 of prey to their food, &c. ; and even in those ani 

 mals, in which no external organ of hearing is dis 

 coverablc, the sense is evidently not wanting. (See 

 I-".<ir, and Hearing.) The power of vision is con 

 fined to those animals which are provided wit! 

 eyes for the reception of the images of externa 

 objects. Some species, even of the higher orders 

 are destitute of the organ of vision, which is 

 entirely wanting in the lower classes of the anima 

 creation. (See Eye, and Optics.) It is by th< 

 senses that the mysterious communication between 

 the spiritual soul and the external world of being 

 is kept up. The manner in which this is done, i: 

 unknown to us ; we can trace the operation of out 

 ward matter, upon the organized material system 

 a few steps ; but we soon lose sight even of these 

 vestiges, and are obliged to acknowledge our 

 ignorance of the workings of our own frame. We 

 cannot give even a sketch of the speculations o: 

 philosophers on this subject, on which the history 

 of philosophy, in fact, chiefly turns. 



SENSITIVE PLANT (mimosa pudica). This 

 plant is celebrated for its apparent sensibility 

 shrinking and folding up its leaves on the slightest 

 touch. These movements are doubtless mechanical. 

 It is a native of tropical America, but is often seen 

 in our green-houses. It is a low plant, with white 

 flowers, disposed in heads, which are rendered 

 somewhat conspicuous by the length of the stamens ; 

 the stem is prickly; the leaves are compound, con- 

 sisting of four leaves, themselves pinnated, uniting 

 upon a common footstalk. At the approach of 

 night, the leaflets all fold together : the same takes 

 place with the partial leaves ; and, finally, the 

 common footstalk bends towards the stem ; at sun- 

 rise, the leaves gradually unfold, and recover their 

 usual state ; so far, this is evidently the effect of 

 light ; but the same phenomena take place on touch- 

 ing the plant roughly, only that it recovers itself in 

 a short period. All these motions are independent 

 of each other ; and it is possible to touch a branch 

 so gently that it shall shrink without the leaves 

 being affected. Some other species of minosa ex- 

 hibit the same phenomena, but in a less striking 

 degree. 



SENSUALISM. See Philosophy, division French 

 Philosophy. 



SEPIA, in natural history; the cuttle-fish, of 

 which the generic character is as follows: The 

 body is fleshy, receiving the breast in a sheath, 

 with a tubular aperture at its base; it has eight 

 arms beset with numerous warts or suckers, and in 

 most species two pedunculated tentacula: the 

 head is short ; the eyes large ; the mouth resembling 

 a parrot's beak. These animals inhabit various 

 seas, and in hot climates some of them grow to an 

 enormous size. They are armed with a dreadful 

 apparatus of holders, furnished with suckers, by 

 which they fasten upon their prey and convey it to 

 their mouths. They have the power of squirting 

 out a black fluid resembling ink, and which is said 

 ro be an ingredient in the composition of Indian 

 Ink. The bone in the back is converted into 

 pounce. The eggs are deposited upon sea-weed, 

 and resemble a bunch of grapes. At the moment 

 when the female deposits them, they are white; 

 but the males pass over them to impregnate them, 

 and they then become black. They are round, with 

 a little point at the end, and in each of them is en- 



closed a living cuttle-fish, surrounded by a gelatinous 

 fluid. The species (octopus} found in the Mediter- 

 ranean and Indian seas, sometimes grows to a vast 

 size: the arms are said to be eight or nine fathoms 

 long. The Indians carry hatchets in their boats to 

 cut off the arms, should the creature attempt to 

 fasten upon them under the water. The arms of 

 this species taper to a point, and are joined at the 

 base by a membrane or web, and covered within 

 with two rows of alternate suckers. When opened, 

 this animal is said to exhibit so brilliant a light as 

 to illuminate a large room. 



SEPOYS, OR SIPOYS (from sip, bow, or arrow, 

 the original weapon of the Hindoo soldier); the 

 name given in India to the forces composed of na- 

 tives, disciplined after the European manner. The 

 French were the first to see that the transportation 

 of troops from Europe to their Indian colonies 

 would be too expensive, and that Europeans would 

 perish in great numbers by the exposure at sea and 

 in the climate of India. They therefore took 

 Hindoos into pay, and the English adopted the same 

 policy. The East India company at present has a 

 native force of nearly 200,000 men. There are 

 several regiments of cavalry, and some companies 

 of artillery composed of native troops. The pay of 

 the sepoys is only fourteen shillings per month. 

 Their dress is a red jacket, with a white cotton 

 vest underneath, trowsers reaching only about half 

 way down the thighs, and a light turban. Though 

 not generally equal in courage and dexterity to 

 European soldiers, they are hardy, and capable of 

 enduring much, and very temperate in their food. 



SEPTEMBER (from the Latin Septimus, seventh); 

 the ninth month of our year, but the seventh of 

 the old Roman year, which began in March. See 

 Calendar, and Epoch. 



SEPTEMBRISEURS; the name given to the 

 authors and agents of the horrible massacre of 

 prisoners, in Paris, on the second and third of 

 September, 1792. See France, History of. 



SEPTENNIAL ELECTIONS. The members 

 of the British house of commons are elected for 

 seven years, as were those of the French chamber 

 of deputies before the revolution in July, 1830. 

 The period of seven years was introduced into 

 England, with a reservation of the king's right to 

 dissolve the house at his pleasure, and order a new 

 election, under the administration of Sir Robert 

 Walpole, in 1716; and into France in 1824, under 

 count Villele. This innovation was a slighter 

 attack upon the constitution of England than of 

 France. In England, it had always been the 

 custom to elect the whole house of commons at 

 he same time. In France, the fifth part of the 

 ihamber of deputies had, for many years, been 

 enewed annually. In the former country, the 

 xisting state of things depended on a particular 

 aw; in the latter, the constitution had established 

 he period of five years, and the partial renewal of 

 he chamber of electors. The septennial election 

 if the British house of commons was proposed in 

 he house of lords, April 10, 1716, by the duke of 

 )evonshire, on the ground that the election for 

 hree years, which had been practised till then, not 

 mly gave too frequent occasion for the great 

 xpenses of an election, but also too often pro- 

 luced party excitements, and afforded frequent 

 >pportunities for the intrigues of the Papists and 

 acobites, who then threatened the tranquillity of 

 he state, by means of their connexion with France, 

 ,nd had been with difficulty subdued, when the 



