S H A 



S H A 



qualities, but it has lately fallen into difrepute. Barracks 

 for the accommodation of the Chinefe and Lafcar failors, 

 during their Itay in England, have been recently ere£ted 

 here, and frequently lodge upwards of a thoufand perfons. 

 According to the parliaraentary returns of iSll, Shadwell 

 parifh contains 1694 houfes, and 9855 inhabitants. Lyfons' 

 Environsof London, 4to. 1795. Supplement, iSi I. Stow's 

 Hiftoi-y of London, folio. 



SHADWICKS, a town of America, in North Caro- 

 lina ; 10 miles W.S.W. of Hillfborout^h. 



SHAFEITES, in the Hyhry of Mahometamfm, the 

 followers of Mohammed Ebn Edris al Shafei, the author 

 of the third orthodox feft, who were formerly fpread into 

 Mawara'lnahr, and other parts eaftward, but are now 

 chiefly of Arabia. Al Shn.fei was born either at Gaza or 

 Afcalon, in Paleltine, in the year of the Hegira 150, on 

 the fame day in which, as fome fay, Abu Hanifa, the 

 founder of the Hanefites, the firlt of the four orthodox 

 fefts, died ; and was carried to Mecca at two years of age, 

 where he was educated. He died in 204, in Egypt, 

 whither he went about live years before, though Abulfeda 

 fays he lived 58 years. This doclor was very highly 

 efteemed for liis excellency in all parts of learning, infomuch 

 that his contemporary, Ebn Henbel, ufed to fay that he 

 was as the fun to the world, and as health to the body. 

 Al Shafei is faid to have been the firll who difcourfed of 

 jurifprudence, and methodized that fcience ; and accord- 

 ingly it was wittily faid of him, that the relators of the 

 traditiojis of Mahomet were afleep, till Al Shafei came and 

 awoke them. He was a great enemy to the fcholaltic 

 divines. It is faid of him, that he ufed to divide the nigiit 

 into three parts ; one for lludy, another for prayer, and the 

 third for fleep. It is alfo related of him, that he never fo 

 much as once fwore by God, either to confirm a truth, or 

 to affert a falfehood ; and that being once allied his opinion, 

 he remained filent for fome time ; and when the meaning of 

 his filence was demanded, he anfwered, " I am confidering 

 firll whether it be better to fpeak or to hold my tongue." 

 The following faying is alfo recorded of him, " Whoever 

 pretends to love the world and its creator at the fame time 

 is a liar." Sale's Koran, Int. 



SHAPE RS, in Geography, a town of Pennfylvania ; 

 48 miles N.E. of Eafton. 



SHAFT, in Building. T\ie JJjaft of a column is the 

 body of it ; thus called from its llraightnefs ; but by ar- 

 cbitefts more frequently the fujl. See the dimenfions under 

 Column-. 



Shaft is alfo ufed for the fpire of a church-fteeple ; and 

 for the (hank or tunnel of a chimney. 



Shaft, or Tunnel-Pit, is the well through which the 

 ftufF, excavated from a tunnel, is drawn up to the fur- 

 face. 



Shaft of a Mine, is the hollow entrance or paflage into 

 a mine, funk or dug to come at the ore. 



In the tin-mines, after this is funk about a fathom, 

 they leave a little, long, fquare place, which is called a 

 fhamble. 



Shafts are funk fome ten, fome twenty fathoms deep into 

 the earth, more or lefs. Of thefe fliafts, there is the land- 

 ing or working-lhatt, where they bring up the work or ore 

 to the furface ; but if it be worked by a horfe engine or 

 whim, it is called a whim-fliaft ; and where the water is 

 drawn out of the mine, it is indifferently named an engine- 

 (haft, or the rod-fhaft. See Mine and Quarry. 



Shaft, in Agriculture, a name provincially applied to a 

 handle of a tool ; as a fpade, fork, &c. 



jShaFTS of Carls and Waggons, the parts or poles be- 



tween which the thill-horfes draw. The manner in wliich I 

 the fore-horfes are attached to thefe (hafts, when there arc 

 more than the thill-horfes in the team=, is a matter of great 

 confequence ; as the weight or preffure on them is more or 

 lefs, according to its nature, and the way in which it is 

 performed. See T Hihh-I/orfes and Waggon. 



SnAFT-Z)/v3i«, that fort which is effected by ca-'rying a I 

 fort of fhaft or pit down to the porous llratum below, and 

 wliich IS in ufe where a luperticial delcent cannot be had 

 for the coUefted waters, and an open ftratum lies beneath 

 the fubfoil, ready to receive it. A communication between 

 them becomes here of high advantage, as the colt and at- 

 tention of raifing the water by machinery may thereby be 

 avoided. In cafes of this kind, Mr. Marfhall advifes the 

 drainer to afcertain the loweil point of the fcite to be im- 

 proved ; and there, fays he, fmk a (haft down, and into, 

 the receiving ftratum, and fill it up to within a few feet of 

 the furface, with rough Hones, the roots of trees, or other 

 (ipen materials ; and, on the top of thefe, form a filter, 

 with heath and gravel, or other lubltances, that will pre- 

 vent earthy matter, or water in a foul (late, from entering 

 the (haft : and to this filter lead the collefted waters. And 

 that where the water is colletled by the means of covered 

 drains, and where the filter alio has a covering placed over 

 it, the entire procefs will be free from external injury j and 

 a work of tliis kind may remain unimpaired for ages. But 

 even if the waters were collefted by open drains, and the 

 filter were fuffered to remain in a ft ate of negleft, until the 

 (haft, in procefs of time, fhould become defeftive, the re- 

 medy would be eafy. Embrace, fays he, a dry feafon to 

 re-open the fhaft, and to cleanfe it, and the materials with 

 which it may be filled, from their impurities ; and thus 

 rellore it, at a fmall expence, to its original (late of per- 

 feftion. It is further llated alfo, that if the fcite of im- 

 provement be liable to any other furface-water, than what 

 (alls on its own area, fuch water ought to be conducted 

 away from it fiiperficially, by cutting it off at fuch a height 

 as will gain a fufficient fall. And that where the quantity 

 of water, which defcends into it fubterraneoufiy, (or would 

 defccnd, if a free paffage were opened for it,) (hould be 

 found to be too copious to be readily difcharged by a 

 fliaft-drain, in the manner here piopofed, proper efforts 

 (hould be ufed to cut off the fupply, or as much of it as 

 may be, by a perforated trench or otherwife, at a fufficient 

 height to be able to convey it away fuperficially ; and with 

 a fufficient fall, to prevent its entering the area to be im- 

 proved ; which will thus have only its own fuperfluous 

 waters to difcharge by the fhaft. He is defirous to clear 

 the way which leads to this valuable improvement, as he is 

 convinced that there are many inftances in which it might 

 be applied with great profit. Many of the low, flat-lying, 

 moory vallies of Norfolk, from whofe bafcs fuperficial 

 drains would be difficult to make, have for their lubftruc- 

 tures, it is probable, he fays, infatiable depths of fand ; 

 and that, in every diflridt of the ifland, fuch objedls as are 

 proper for this practice may be found. 



SHAFTESBURY, Earl of, in Biography. See Cooper. 



SHAFTSBURY, or Shaftesbury, in Geography, a 

 borough and market-town in the hundred of LTpwimborne, 

 Shalton divifion of the county of Dorfet, England, is 

 at the diftance of 28 miles N.N.E. from Dor- 

 and loi miles W.S.W. from London. Concern- 

 origin of this town much difference of opinion 

 While fome authors afcribe its foundation to 

 Cicuber, Lud, or CafTibelan, fuppofed kings of the Bri. 

 tons, many years previous to the birth of Chrift ; others 

 limit its antiquity to the reign of Alfred. This lail opinion 



is 



fituated 

 chefter, 

 ing the 

 prevails. 



