S I L 



in its turn falls into the Mino ; its courfe is thirty-three 

 leagues. 



SiL, in Cmials, the bottom timber of fluices, lock-gates, 

 Sec. 



SiL, in Natural Hijlory, a name given by the ancients to 

 a red ochre, of which they had three diitinft kinds, the_// 

 fyr'tcum, Jil afticum, and Ji/ marmorofum ; all of wliich are to 

 be had at this time, and all very valuable paints. 



SiL Syrkuni is a fubrtance well known among the painters 

 of the prefeHt age, though not by name, being the red 

 ochre, commonly ufed for a purple colour in their coarfer 

 works ; though it is capable of yielding, by proper manage- 

 ment, a colour fit for their fineft. It is very heavy, and of 

 a fine ftrong red, with fome tendency to purple, of a loofe 

 friable textare, and very rough and duily furface. It 

 adheres firmly to the tongue, is fomewhat foft to the touch, 

 crumbles eafily to pieces between the fingers, and ftains the 

 hands very much. It melts freely in the mouth, and has 

 a Itrongly altvingent talte. It burns to a much paler 

 colour, and makes no efFervcfcence with aqua fortis. Thefe 

 are the charafters by which this is diilinguifhed from all 

 the other red earths. It is dug in many parts of England, 

 and is fent to London in great quantities. Hill. 



SiL Atticum is the purple ochre, called in later times 

 almagra. 



SiL Marmurnjum is alfo a fubftance in fomc degree 

 known in the world at this time. It fometimes falls into 

 the hands of our painters, who call it Indian ftone-red, but 

 it has many other valuable qualities extremely worth en- 

 quiring into. It is the hardell and driell of all the ochres, 

 and while in the ftratum appears abfolutely ftony, forming 

 thin, flat, regular lirata, and is fo hard, that it is not to be 

 dug without the pick-axe ; it is alfo of an obfcurely and 

 irregularly laminated ftrufture, and naturally breaks into 

 flat pieces. It is of a fine purplifli-red, and very heavy, 

 and contains a multitude of fragments of a fine lead-ore, 

 which are bright and blueilh, and makes a very pretty 

 appearance, and befide thefe has always among it a fmall 

 quantity of pure native cinnabar : both thefe fubftances 

 are fo nicely mixed with it, that it is fcarcely poflible to 

 break off a piece of an inch fquare from any part of the 

 Urata that has not more or lefs of both in it. It is of a 

 dully furface, and rough to the touch, and adheres very 

 firmly to the tongue, and Itains the hands. It is of a very 

 auftere and aflringent talle, and makes no effervefcence 

 with acids. There are confiderable lirata of it on the 

 borders of China, and it is much ufed as a paint in the 

 Eall Indies. There is fome of it at times brought over 

 to us, but not enough to make it a regularly marketable 

 commodity. Befide its ufe as a paint, it is worth enquiring 

 into on account of the cinnabar it contains ; three ounces 

 of it having yielded, on trial, two drachms and a fcruple of 

 pwre quickfilver. Hill. 



SIL A, in Ancient Geography, a forell of Italy, in Brutium, 

 N. of the town of Rhegium, occupying part of tin- Apen- 

 nines. Strabo. — Alfo, a town fitualed at a confiderable 

 dillance from Japygia. 



SILACH, a word ufed by medical authors for a dif- 

 order uf the eye-lid, confilting in a preternatural thicknefs 

 of it, or a fwelling without inflammation. 



.SILADING, in Geography, a fmall ifland in the Eall 

 Indian fca, near the N. coait of Celebes. N. lat. i" 21'. 

 E. long. 124^ 25'. 



SILjiE, in Ancient Geography, a town fituated in the 

 interior of Arabia Felix. Ptol. 



SILAH-ETCHAUK, in Geography, a town of Bengal ; 

 25 miles N.W. of Ramgur. 



Vol. XXXII. 



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SILAI, a town of Hungary ; 32 miles S. of Zatmar. 



SILAMBOE, a town on the S. coaft of the ifland of 

 Java. S. lat. 7° 33'. E. long. 107'^ 15'. 



SILANDAM, in Ancient Geography, a town of Afia 

 Minor, in Lycia. 



SILARUS*, a river of Italy, which commenced in the 

 territory of the Hirpini, feparated the Picentini from 

 Lucania, and difcharged itfelf into the fea near Poellum. 

 Strabo fays, that this river petrified the plants that were 

 thrown into it, without dellroying their colour or their 

 form. — Alfo, a mountain of Italy, in Lucania. 



SILAS, a river of India, which fprung from a fountain 

 of the fame name, and ran into the country of the Silaeans. 

 according to Arrian. 



SILATUM, a word ufed by the ancient Romans to 

 exprefs a morning's draught of wine. This was ufually of 

 a wine medicated with the plant fili, or fefeli, and thence 

 had its name. It has always been the cudom to medicate 

 the morning draughts of any llrong liquor ; we do it with 

 wormwood, or the common bitter tinfture ; the Indians 

 with ginger. 



SILAVENGO, in Geography, a town of Italy, in the 

 Novarefe ; 10 miles N.W. of Novara. 



SILAUM, in Botany, a name ufed by fome authors for 

 the faxifraga pratenfis, or common meadow faxifrage. 



SILAUNA, in Geography, a town of European Turkey, 

 in Bulgaria ; 40 miles W. of Nicopoli. 



SILBACH, a village of Wellphalia, in which is found 

 lead-ore mixed with filver ; 12 miles S. of Brilon. 



SILBE, a town of Africa, in the country of the 

 Foolahs, on the Senegal. N. lat. 17° 5'. 



SILBERBACH, a town of Prullia, in the province of 

 Obcrland ; 6 miles W. of Liebftadt. 



SILBERBERG, a mine-town of Silelia, belonging to 

 the principality of Brieg, but infulated in that of ^funlter- 

 berg. N. lat. 50° 24'. E. long. 16^ 26'. 



SILBEREGG, a town of the duchy of Carinthia ; 2 

 miles N.W. of Ebernllein. 



SILBERMANN, Johann Andreas, in Biography, the 

 molt eminent and renowned organ-builder and maker of 

 keyed-inllruments in Germany. He was born at Stralburg in 

 17 1 2, and the firit of a numerous and eminent family of tnat 

 name, who have inherited his profeflional abilities and repu- 

 tation. There is, in Gerber's Continuation of Walther's 

 Mufieal Lexicon, a lill of their feveral names and work* ; 

 but old Silbermanii was the Father Smith of Germany. 

 His inftruments are prized above all others for workman- 

 (hip and tone. The Bach family have been always partial, 

 not only to Silbermaan's organs, but harpfichords and 

 clavichords. When we heard Emanuel Bach perform at 

 Hamburgh, it was always on a favourite Silbermann clavi- 

 chord ; piano fortes were not then brought to great per- 

 feftion any whore ; but fince that time we find that John 

 Henry Silbermann is much celebrated for his piano fortes. 



SILBERSCHLAG, Joil\ I.sAiah, a German mathe- 

 matician and mechanilt, was born in 1721. He Itudied at 

 the college Klolterberge, near Magdeburg, and afterwards 

 went through a courle of theology at Halle, from which 

 place he returned to the college at which he had been be- 

 fore, where he taught natural philofophy and mathematics 

 for nine years. After this he became paftar of one of the 

 churches at Berlin, and reAor of the royal fcliool. He 

 was a member of tin- /Xcademy of Sciences in that city ; 

 and, befides writing various works on mechanical and ma- 

 thematical fubjed-., conltnifled a great mauy machines, 

 iiillruinents, and models, for the ufe of the Undents in the 

 feminary which had been pLiccd under his care. He died 

 4T m 



