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in November 1791. He left behind him a great number 

 of works, among which are, " A Treatife on the warhke 

 Machines of the Ancients ;" " Letters on the Northern 

 Lights ;" " A Treatife on Hydraulic Architedlure ;" 

 " The Chronology of the World rcdified by the Scriptures." 

 Gen. Biog. 



SILBERSTRASS, in Geography, a town of Saxony, 

 in the circle of Erzgebirg ; 4 miles S.S.E. of Zwickau. 



SILBIUM, in Jncient Geography, a tov/n of Italy, in 

 Japygia. — Alfo, a town of Ala, in Greater Phrygia. 



SILBODAL, in Geography, a town of Sweden, in the 

 province of Warmeland ; 35 miles W. of Carlfladt. 



SILBOJOCK, a town of Sweden, in the Lapmark of 

 Pitea ; 12 miles N. of Niarg. 



SILBURY Hill, one of the largeft barrows or tu- 

 muli in England, and probably in the world, is fituated on 

 the Marlborough Downs, about fix miles weft of the town 

 of Marlborough, in Wiltlhire. The origin, appropriation, 

 and hiftory of thi.^ extraordinary mound of earth, are alike 

 unknown to the topographer and antiquary. In the vicinity 

 of the immenfe druidical temple at Avebury, (fee AvE- 

 BURY,) it is rationally fuppcfed to have been originally con- 

 nefted with that ftrufture ; and as the molt remote anti- 

 quities of this iiland, and of the civilized world, have given 

 rife to much fabulous difl'eitation, and fanciful hypothefis, 

 fo the barrow now called Silbury Hill has been referred to 

 various tribes of people, applied to different purpofes, and 

 attributed to the moft remote origin. Dr. Stukeley was of 

 opinion that its prefent name is of Saxon derivation, and 

 fignifies " the great or marvellous hill ;" while others con- 

 tend that it is either a corruption for Sil- barrow, which they 

 tranflate " the peaceful grave ;" or of Sel-barrow, meaning 

 " the large or elevated barrow." The moft common fup- 

 pofition refpefting its nature ranks it among the fepulchral 

 clafs of monuments. Stukeley calls it the tomb of Cunedha, 

 whom he charafterizes as a celebrated Britifn king, who 

 refided at Cunetio (then fuppofed to have been Marlborough), 

 and gave his name to that town, and to the river Kennet, or 

 Kunnet. The Rev. Samuel Greathead, in a letter to Mr. 

 Britton, printed in the account of Wiltlhire, in the 15th 

 volume of the " Beauties of England and Wales," regards 

 Silbury as the burial-place of Prydain, a later king of the 

 Britons, to whom he afcribes the union of the Britifli tribes 

 under one monarchy, and the conftruftion of Avebury, as 

 a place of aflembly for the chiefs and people on great na- 

 tional occafions. Another opinion refpefting this tumulus 

 is, that it was the mount on which the Dniids lighted up 

 fires, when they wilhed to give notice to the furrounding 

 country of fome intended religious ceremonial. This view 

 of the fubjeft is of courfe confined to thofe who confider 

 Avebury as having been a druidical temple ; among whom 

 i.'! the Rev. Edward Davies, author of " Celtic Refearches," 

 and of The Mythology and Rites of the Britifii Druids." 

 To thefe opinions relative to Silbury Hill may be added a 

 third, which may be regarded as equally probable with any 

 of the conjefturcs above ftated. It is, that, hke the Tinwald 

 of the I(le of Man, and the Moote-hill of Scone, it was the 

 mount of juftice, the eminence from the fummit of which the 

 king promulgated the laws enafted in the national affemblies, 

 and on which he and his judges fat to decide all important 

 caufes, whether of a civil or criminal nature. 



Silbury Hill is fituated direftly fouth from Avebury, and 

 nearly in the centre between the extremities of the two ave- 

 nues, which extended from the temple to the diftance of a 

 mile each way. At the bafe the hill is about 560 feet in diame- 

 ter, or 1680 feet in circumference ; at the top, 105 feet diame- 

 ter, or 3 15 feet in circumference ; and it rifes 170 feet in per- 



SIL 



pendicular height. Stukeley eftiinatcs its folid contents at 

 1 3,558,809 cubic feet, and highly praifed the choice of the 

 ground, and the fymmetrical proportions of the ftrufture 

 itfelf. In digging here in 1723, a huidan ilceleton, with the 

 bit of a bridle, deer's horns, and an iron knife, were difcovered, 

 which Dr. Stukeley confidently confidered to have belonged 

 to the perfon for whom he fuppofed the mount was raifed ; 

 but the pofture of the llteleton near the furface and on a de- 

 clivity would render fuch a conclufion extremely improbable, 

 even though it were undoubted that Silbury is of fepulchral 

 origin. Stukeley's Abury, folio, 1743. Beauties of Eng- 

 land andWales, by J. Britton, F.S.A. 8vo. 1814. 



SILCHESTER, a parifli in Hamplhire, England, at 

 the northern extremity of that county, bordering on Berk- 

 (hire, contains the fcitc and ruins of an ancient Roman 

 Itation. It appears alfo to have been a city of the Belgic 

 Britons anterior to the Roman colonization of Great 

 Britain, and was called Caerfeiont, or Segont, as being the 

 chief city of the Saegontiaci. In the feventh Iter, of 

 Antoninus it is named Vindomim, and marked xxi mile* 

 from Venta-Belgarum i^Winchelter), and xv from Callevam 

 (probably Reading.) That this was a Roman ftation of 

 importance, appears evident from the various roads, or viae, 

 branching from it ; from the magnitude and conltruclion 

 of the walls, valla, and amphitheatre; and from the nume- 

 rous coins and other relics that have been found here at 

 different periods. The whole city, or ftation, was fur- 

 rounded by a fofs, with a vallum on the infide, on which a 

 wall was railed. This was conltrudled, in the ufual Roman 

 manner, with alternate layers, or rows of large flat Itones, 

 rubble ftones, and cement, alfo bricks and flints. In one 

 place this wall was twenty-four feet thick, and the fofs was 

 above 100 feet acrofs. The exterior form of this ftation i» 

 unlike any other Roman work in England, being an irre- 

 gular oftagon ; whereas thofe of Camalodunum (Colchefter), 

 Venta-Belgarum (Winchefter), Lindum (Lincoln), Londi- 

 nium (London), and almoft all others, were conitruAed in 

 the (hape of a parallelogram, with the corners rounded off. 

 The in<;lofed area of Silcheller is about one mile and a half 

 in circumference, and contains nearly one hundred acres, 

 the whole of which is appropriated to the arable and 

 pallure lands of a farm. In very dry feafons, it is eafy to 

 trace the fituation and diredtion of the Roman ftreets, two 

 of which interfefted the town, and communicated with the 

 four entrance gates, on the eaft, weft, north, and fouth 

 fides of the city. Near the centre of the area have been 

 traced the foundations of a large edifice, fuppofed to have 

 been the forum. About 150 yards from the north-eaft 

 corner of the walls, arc the banks of an amphitheatre, 

 which appears to have cont.iined five rows, or terraces for 

 fpedlators. A fmall church and a farm-houfe, with its 

 offices, are all that now remain within the ancient walls ; and 

 thus prefent an amazing gontrait to the appearance and pur- 

 fuits of former times. Now the humble and ufeful hufband- 

 man, with the humane Chriitian paftor, are the chief occu- 

 pant:; of this peaceful foot, which, in the third century, was 

 peopled with Roman foldiers, and was often the theatre 

 of remorfelefs battle.s, favage fports, and fenfelefs Pagan 

 ceremonies. A particular account of this place will be 

 found in the 6th volume of " The Beauties of England," 

 by J. Britton and E. W. Brayley. 



SILCOLU, a town of Hindooftan, in Myfore ; 8 miles 

 S.E. of Seringapatam. 



SILDA, in Ancient Geography^ a town of Africa, in 

 Mauritania Caefarienfis, according to Ptolemy. The Itine- 

 rary of Antonine places this town on the route from Toeo- 

 lofida to Tingis, between Aquae Daciex and Vofpifcanx. 



SILDE 



