SHE 



SHE 



which occur in learning the Englifli Tongue." ^. " A 

 Courfe of Leftures on Elocution." 6. " The Life of 

 Swift," prefixed to an edition of his works, edited by Mr. 

 Sheridan. 7. " Elements of Englilh." His wife Frances, 

 wliofe maiden name was Chamberlaine, was a very in- 

 genious woman, and was author of a novel, entitled 

 " Sidney Biddulph ;" a moral romance, entitled " Nour- 

 jahad ;" " The Difcovery," a comedy ; and another, en- 

 titled " The Dupe." She died at Blois, in 1767. 



Sheridan, the late Mrs., was daughter of the excellent 

 mufician, Mr. Linley, fo well known at Bath, by his pro- 

 feffional merit as a mafter, by the beauty and talents of his 

 family, and by his vocal compofitions, particularly his 

 Elegies. If this were a place to celebrate the beauty and 

 fafcinating manners of Mrs. Sheridan, we could dwell upon 

 them as long as on her voice and mufical talents ; but to 

 thefe we muft confine ourfelves. There was a brilhancy, a 

 fpirit, and a mellifluous Iwectnefs in the tone of her voice, 

 which inftantly penetrated the hearts of her hearers, as much 

 as her angelic looks delighted their eyes. Her fhake was 

 perfeft, her intonation truth itfelf, and the agility of her 

 throat equal to any difficulty and rapidity that was pleafing. 

 But in Handel's pathetic iongs, in Purcell's " Mad Befs," 

 in the upper part of fcrious glees, or whatever vocal mufic 

 had impaffioned words to exprefs, fhe was fure to make 

 them felt by every hearer poffefled of intelligence and 

 fenfibility. 



She knew mufic fo well, that (he was fure to do juftice to 

 every kind of Italian compofition, as much as a foreigner 

 ever did to a language not her own ; though the energy and 

 accent given by the natives of Italy, particularly in recita- 

 tive, is ever comparatively deficient in the bell fingers of all 

 other countries ; as nothing but a long refidence, early in 

 life, in a foreign country, can acquire the correft pronunci- 

 ation of its mufic, any more than of its language. It was 

 obferved by Sacchini, who heard Mifs Linley ling at Ox- 

 ford for the laft time, that if (he had happened to have been 

 born in Italy, (he would have been as much fuperior to 

 all Itahan fingers, as (he was then to thofe of her own 

 country. 



SHERIF, in the Egyptian Orders, the relations of Ma- 

 homet, the fame tribe of pcrfons called emir by the 

 Turks. 



The word is Perfian, and fignifics great or nolle; and 

 thefe perfons have the privilege of being exempt from ap- 

 pearing before any judge but their own head ; and if any of 

 the military orders are obliged to punilh them for any mif- 

 demeanor, they firlt take off their green turban, in refpecl 

 to their charader ; and the fame is done even when they are 

 puni(hed by their own magilirate. 



The (herif, Iherriflfe, or fcherif of Mecca, is the title of 

 the defcendants of Mahomet by Haffan ibn Ali. Al- 

 though this branch of the polterity of Mahomet has never 

 attained to the dignities of caliph or imam, it appears to 

 have always enjoyed the fovereignty over molt of the cities 

 in the Arabian province of Hedsjas. The family of Ali- 

 Bunemi, being one branch of the defcendants of Hallan ibn 

 Ah, and coafilling of at leaft 300 individuals, enjoys the fole 

 right to the throne of Mecca. This family is hkewife fub- 

 divided into two fubordinate branches, of which fometimes 

 the one, fometimes the other, has given fovereigns to Mecca 

 and Medina, when thefe were feparate ftates ; but the 

 Turkifh fultan is indifferent about the order of fuccefiion in 

 the family, rather wifhing to favour the Itrongell, that he 

 may weaken them all. As the order of fucceffion is not 

 abfolutely fixed, and the Ihcrriffes may all afpire alike to 

 the fovereign power, this uncertainty of right, aided by the 

 intrigues of the Turkifli officers, occafion frequent revolu- 



tions. The grand fherriffe is feldom able to maintain bini« 

 felf on the throne ; and it ftill feldomer happens, that his 

 reign is not difturbed by the revolt of his nearell relations. 

 The dominions of the (herrilfe comprehend the cities of 

 Mecca, Medina, Jambo, Taaif, Sadie, Ghunfude, Hali, 

 and thirteen other lels confiderable, all fituated in Hedsjas. 

 As thefe dominions are neither extenfive nor opulent, the 

 revenue of their fovereign cannot be confiderable. He finds 

 a rich refource, however, in the imports levied on pilgrims, 

 and in the gratuities offered him by Mufiulman monarchs. 

 Every pilgrim pays a tax of from 10 to 100 crowns, in pro- 

 portion to his ability. The Grand Mogul remits annually 

 60,000 rupees to the fherriffe, by an affignment on the go- 

 vernment of Surat ; but fince the Englifh have made them- 

 fclves mailers of this city, and the temtory belonging to it, 

 the nabob of Surat has no longer been able to pay the fum. 

 The power of the (herriffe extends not to fpiritual matters ; 

 thefe are entirely managed by the heads of the clergy of 

 dift'erent fefts, who are refident at Mecca. Rigid Mufful- 

 niauE, fuch as the Turks, are not very favourable in their 

 fentiments of the flierriffes, but fufpetl tlieir orthodoxy, 

 and look upon them as tacitly attached to the tolerant feA 

 of the Zeidi. See Schi;iuf. 



SHERIFF, or SiiiRE-KEVE, an officer in each county of 

 England, of very great antiquity ; his name being derived 

 from the two Saxon wovA^fcire, province orjllre ; or rather 

 from fdran, to divide, znii gere/a, grave, reve, or prefeS ; the 

 fheriff being denominated from the firft divifion of the king- 

 dom into counties. 



He is called in Latin vice-comes, as being the deputy of 

 the earl or comes, to whom the cuftody of the (hire is faid 

 to have been committed at the firfl divifion of this kingdom 

 into counties : but the earls being afterwards unable, by 

 reafon of their high employments, and attendance on the 

 king's perfon, to tranfadl the bufinefs of the county, the 

 labour was committed to the fiierifF ; who now performs all 

 the king's bufinefs in the county ; and though he be flill 

 called vices-comes, yet he is entirely independent of, and not 

 fubjetl to, the earl : the king, by his letters patent, commit- 

 ting cujlodlam comitatus to the fheriff. 



Sheriffs were formerly chofen by the inhabitants of the 

 feveral counties ; in confirmation of which, it was ordained 

 by 28 Edw. 1. c. 8. that the people fhould have elefkion of 

 fheriffs in every (hire, where the (heriflalty ij not of inherit- 

 ance ; for anciently in fome counties the fheriffs were here- 

 ditary, as judge Blackflone apprehends they were in Scot- 

 land, till tlie llatute 20 Geo. II. c. 43. and ilill continue in 

 the county of Weflmoreland to this day : fhe city of London 

 having alfo the inheritance of the flieriffalty of Middlcfex 

 veiled in their body by charter. This election, fays the 

 fame author, was, in all probability, not abfolutely veiled 

 in the commons, but required the royal approbation. For 

 in the Gothic conltitution, the judges of their county- 

 courts (which office is executed by our (heriff ) were elected 

 by the people, but confirmed by the king ; and the form of 

 their eleftion was thus managed : the people, or Incolii tir- 

 rltorll, chofe twelve eletlors, and they nominated tliree pcr- 

 (ons, ex qulbus rex unum corjirmabat. But with us in Eng- 

 land, thefe popular eleftions growinj^ tumultuous, were 

 put an end to by the (latute 9 Edw. II. ft. 2, which enact- 

 ed, that the (lierifTs fhould from thenceforth be afiigned by 

 the chancellor, treafurer, and the judges, as being perfons 

 in whom the fame truft might with confidence be repofed. 

 By ftatutcs 14 Edw. III. c. 7, 23 Hen. VI. c. 8, and 

 21 Hen. VIII. c. 20, the chancellor, treafurer, prefidentof 

 the king's council, chief jutticcs, and chief baron, are to make 

 this eledlion on the morrow of All-Souls in the exchequer :- 

 and the king's letters patent, appointing the new fheriffs, 



2 ufed 



