S H A 



S H A 



the mill, they underojo a particukr preparation called 

 rnmalling ; the moft deUcate and difficult of all the others. 

 It confills in this, that, as foon as brought from the mill, 

 they are Iteeped in a fit lixivium, taken out, itretched 

 on a round wooden leg, and the hair is fcrapcd off with 

 the knifej this makes them fmooth, and, in working, to 

 caft a kind of fine knap. The difficulty is in fcraping them 

 evenly. 



SHAMOKIN, in Geography, a town of Pennfylvania, 

 in Northumberknd county, containing 2027 inhabitants. 



Shamokin Creek, a river of Pennfylvania, which runs 

 into the Sufquehaiina. N. lat. 40'' 51'. W. long. 76° 53'. 



SHAMZANGl, a town of Perfia, in the province of 

 Lariftan 



SHANCORl, a town of Perfian Armenia; 1 2 miles 

 W.N.W. of Kanja. 



SHANDECAN, Big, a town of New York, in the 

 county of UUter, 14 miles N.W. of Kinglton. 



Shandecan, Little, a town in the fame county ; 12 miles 

 N.W. of Kinglton. 



SHANDYMUNGULUM, a town of Hindooltan, in 

 Baramaul ; 8 miles E. of Namacul. 



SHANEDI, atownof Nubia, on the right bank of the 

 Nile ; 45 milts S.W. of Nubia. 



SHANGOLDEN, a fmall poll-town of Ireland, in the 

 county of Limerick ; 115 miles W.S.W. from Dublin. 



SHANGRA, a country cf Africa, W. of Mocaranga. 



SHANGRAPOY, a town of Hmdooftan, in Marawar ; 

 20 miles S.S.E. of Trumi^n. 



SHANK, in Conchology, the Shanfcrit name of that 

 fpecies of (hell, which gives its name in Europe to this 

 branch of natural hiftory. French and other foreign vcriters 

 fpell the word chank. The eafy fubltitution of a hard 

 for a foft initial, has led to a fuppofition that conch may 

 by early writers have been taken from the fame fource as 

 (hank, or even derived from it. The fliank, or chank, or 

 conch, is the large buccinum, and is often feen beautifully 

 coloured like a pheafant's breaft. With the Hindoos, the 

 fhank is an objert of myllical reverence. It is feen in one 

 of the four hands of their deity Vishnu, and is one of his 

 commoncit attributes. Im.ages and piftures of him are 

 indeed dillinguilhcd more by this than by any other mark. 

 It has of courfea fabulous or mythological origin ; and we 

 accordingly find it amung the " fourteen gems" that were 

 recovered from the ocean, after a general deluge, as related 

 under the article Kurmavataka of this work, where 

 the fiiank is laid to be " a (hell conferring viftory on 

 any one wiio (liould found it." In the diftribution of the 

 precious articles, the (hell feems to have fallen to the (hare of 

 V](hnu. 



Sliells, as aroufing implements, were much ufed in early 

 Indian wars, as trumpets and drums are with us. In the 

 terrible civil wars between the Pandus, and their kinfmen 

 the Kurus, as Homerically defcribed in the Mahabarat, 

 Kriflina ufed a (hell named Panchajanya, obtained in the 

 manner related under our article Kasya, from a fea- 

 monllcr named Sanhafura, which fee. Each chief in the 

 wars alluded to bore a (hell, to which, like thefwcrds of our 

 chivalrous knights, dittindt and fignificant names are given. 

 In the portion of the Mahabarat tranflated by Mr. Wilkins, 

 called Bhagavat Gita, the following paffage occurs. " The 

 ancient cliief, and brother of the grand (ire of the Kurus, 

 then (lioutiiig with a voice like a roaring lion, blew his (hell 

 to raife the ipirit of the Kuru chief ; and inllantly innumer- 

 able (licUs, and other warhke inflruments, rcfounded on all 

 fides, — the clangour was excelfive. Kri(lina and Arjun, 

 (landing in a fplendid chariot drawn by white horfes. 

 Vol, XXXII. 



founded their (hells of celeftial form ; that blown by Kri{hna 

 was named Panchajanya ; Arju'.'s, Devadata. Bhim, of 

 dreadful deeds, blew his capacious (hell Powndra ; and 

 Yudilhtira, the royal fon of Koonti, founded Ananta-Vijaya. 

 Nakrl and Sahadeva blew their (hells alfo, the one called 

 Sugu(ha, the other Manipu(hpaka ; fo that their (hrill 

 founding voices pierced the hearts of the Kuru's, and re- 

 echoed with a dreadful noife from heaven to earth." P. 20. 



The (hells in quellion are articles of commerce in India, 

 to no iiiconfiderable extent. A chank fi(hery on the ifland 

 of Ceylon is noticed by Mr. Cordiner. It is in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Manaar, (fee Manaar,) and yields, Mr. Cor- 

 diner fays, a confiderab'e revenue to government. The 

 (hells, he fays, are brought from the depth cf two fathoms 

 by divers, who in a calm day can, from a boat, fee them 

 crawling at the bottom. Such as are of a fpiral form are 

 chiefly exported to Bengal, where thev are fawed into ringi 

 of various fizes, and worn on the arms, legs, fingers, and 

 toes of the Hindoos, both male and female. A chank 

 opening to the right, that is with its fpiral line contrary to 

 its ufual diredlion, is rarely met with, and is highly valued 

 by myftics and zealots. They always fell, Mr. Cordiner 

 fays, for their weight in gold. Hillory of Ceylon, vol. ii. 

 p. 6. 



Univalves of the fort here alluded to, called heterojlrophous 

 byconchologiils, are very rarelyof any fpecies, and are looked 

 on with admiration in all countries ; but with the enthu- 

 fiaftic Hindoo in a degree unequalled. A Yogi, or Saniafli 

 of the Vaiihnava fe£l, deems himfelf extremely happy in fuch 

 an acquifition. The (liell in quedion is frequently leen in the 

 hands of itinerant holy beggars, and it is founded in fome 

 of the temples and rehgious ceremonies of the Hindoos. 



Shank cf an Anchor, on board a Sh'ip. See Anchor. 



Shank of a Horfe, in the Manege, the name of that part 

 of the fore-leg which is between the knee and the fetlock, 

 or paftern joint. The larger and broader the (hank is the 

 better. It is known to be fo, by the back finew being at a 

 diftance from the bone, or well feparated from it, and hav. 

 ing no kind of fwelling betwixt it and the bone, which may 

 caufe the leg to appear round. 



Shank, or Shank-painter, in a Ship, is a (hort chain fat- 

 tened under the foremall-flirouds, by a bolt, to the (hip's 

 fides, having at the other end a rope fadened to it. On 

 this fliank-painter the whole weight of the aft-part of the 

 anchor refts, when it lies by the (liip's fide. The rope by 

 which it is hauled up, is made fall about a timber-head. See 

 Painter. 



Shank, Sheep, a fort of knot made on backftays, &c. to 

 (horten them. 



SHANKER, m Medicine. Sec Chankre. 



SH ANKLIN Chine, in Geography, a ledge of rocks on 

 the E. coalt of the I(le of Wight, N. of Ludcomb Chine. 



SHANMUKA, a name of a celebrated hero in Hindoo 

 Mythology, more commonly called Kartikya ; which fee. 

 The name Shanmuka means with fix mouths or faces, he 

 being fo reprcfcnted ; the rcafon of which is given under 

 the article referred to. See alfo StsHTi-MAxniYA, another 

 of his names. 



SHANNON, in Geography, the chief river of Ireland, 

 and the largcd in any ifland in the world.. The name is fup- 

 pofed to be derived from the Irilh worda Jhan, old, and 

 avon, a river. Other derivations, however, are given, all of 

 which (eem equally fanciful and uncertain ; as the names of 

 rivers are in general more ancient than even the names of 

 the countries through which they flow. Ptolemy calU 

 the Shannon Senus ; Orofius, Scena ; and .£thicus, Secana. 

 It i? called by Giraldus Camhrenfis Flumen Seneufe ; who 

 3 D alfo 



