S I L 



S I L 



of Herefordfhire has been fuppofed by fome to belong to 

 the Ordovices. The name of this ancient Britifli nation is 

 derived, by i'ome of our antiquaries, from coil, a wood, and 

 uris, men, becaufe they inhabited a woody country ; and 

 by others, from the Britifti words cs heull iiir, which fignify 

 brave or fierce men. Tacitus has conjetlured, with httle 

 probability, and no fufiicient evidence, that the Silures had 

 come originally from Spain, grounding the conjefture on a 

 fuppofed, or perhaps fancied refemblance between them and 

 the ancient Spaniards, in their perfons and complexions. It 

 is much more probable, that they, as well as the other an- 

 cient inhabitants of Britain, had come from fome part or 

 other of the neighbouring continent of Gaul. But from 

 whencefoever they derived their origin, they reflefted no dif- 

 honour upon it, as their pofterity have not degenerated from 

 them. The Silures were unqueftionably one of the braved of 

 the ancient Britidi nations, and defended their country and 

 their liberty againit the Romans with the mofk heroic fortitude. 

 For though they had received a dreadful defeat from Oftorius 

 Scapula, and had loll their renowned commander Caradacus, 

 they Hill continued undaunted and implacable ; and by their 

 bold and frequent attacks, they at length broke the heart of 

 the brave Ollorius. But all their efforts were at lall in vain. 

 They were repulfed by Aulas Didius, further weakened by 

 Petilius Cerealis, and at lall totally fubdued by Julius Fron- 

 tinus, in the reign of Vefpafian. As the Romans had found 

 great difficulty in fubduiiig tlie Silures, fo they took great 

 pains to keep them in fubjeftion, by building itrong forts, 

 and planting ilrong garrifons in their country. One of the 

 moft confiderable of thefe fortifications, and the capital of 

 the whole country, was Ifca Silurum, now Caerleon, on the 

 river Wifk, in Monmouthfliire. Here the fecond legion of 

 the Romans, which had contributed greatly to the reduftion 

 of the Silures, was placed in garrifon (as fome antiquaries 

 have imagined) by Julius Frontinus, to keep that people in 

 obedience. It is however certain, that this legion was very 

 early, and very long ftationed at this place. Ifca Silurum 

 was, in the Roman times, a city not only of great ftrength, 

 but alfo of great beauty and magnificence. This is evident 

 from the defcription which is given us of its rums by Gi- 

 raldus Cambrenfis, in his typography of Wales, feveral ages 

 after it had been deftroyed and abandoned. " This (Caer 

 Leion, or the city of the legion) was a very ancient city, 

 enjoying honourable privileges, and was elegantly built by 

 the Romans, with brick walls. Many veftiges of its an- 

 cient fplendour are yet remaining ; itately palaces, which 

 formerly, with their gilded tiles, difplayed the Roman gran- 

 deur. For it was firft built by the Roman nobihty, and 

 adorned with fumptuous edifices ; alfo an exceeding high 

 tower, remarkable hot-baths, ruins of ancient temples, 

 theatres encompafTcd with ftately walls, partly yet Handing. 

 Subterraneous edifices are frequently met with, not only 

 within the walls (which are about three miles in circum- 

 ference ) but alfo in the fuburbs ; as aquedufts, vaults, hy- 

 pocaufts, ftovcs, &c." This defcription of Caer-Leion 

 was compofed in the twelfth century, and therefore we have 

 no reafon to be furprifed that its very ruins are now fo en- 

 tirely deftroyed, that they are hardly difcernible. On the 

 banks of the river Wifk, befides Ifca Silurum, there ftood 

 two other Roman towns ; Burrium, now \JSli, and Goban- 

 nium, now Abergavenny. Venta Silurum, now Caer- 

 Gwent, near Chepftow, in Monmouthfliire, was alfo a con- 

 fiderable Roman town, of which there are fome faint veftiges 

 ftill remaining. Bleftum, in the thirteenth journey of An- 

 toninus, is fuppofed to have been fituated at Monmouth ; and 

 Magna, in the twelfth journey, at Kenchefter, or as others 

 think, at Ledbury, in Herefordfhire. When the Roman 



territories in Britain were divided into five provinces, the 

 greateil part of the country of the Silures was in that pro- 

 vince which was called Britannia Secunda. Henry's Hift. 

 vol. i. 



SILURUS, in Ichthyology, a genus of fifhes of the 

 order Abdominales,of which the generic charafter is as fol- 

 lows : The head is naked, large, broad, and compreffed ; 

 the mouth is fumifhed with cirri, refembling the feelers of 

 infefts ; the gepe is very large, extending almoft the whole 

 length of the head ; the lips are thick, jaws furnifhed with 

 teeth ; the tongue thick, fmooth, and very fhort ; the 

 eyes are fmall ; the gill-membrane is charafterized with from 

 four to feventeen rays ; body elongated, compreffed, with- 

 out fcales, mucous ; lateral line near the back ; the firft ray 

 of the dorfal or peftoral fins ferrate, with reverfed fpines. 

 There are twenty-eight fpecies, divided into feftions, ac- 

 cording to the number of their cirri, as follow : the fifhes 

 in feftion A have two cirri ; in feftion 'R,four ; in feftion C, 

 Jlx ; in feftion D, tight; and in feftion E, the fifhes are 

 without cirri. 



The name is of Grecian origin, and is derived from the 

 words (r£i», to mo-vs or Jhake, jnd oufct, a tail. It is given 

 to this fifh, from its remarkable quality of being almoft 

 continually moving its tail in the water. 



Seftion A. Tiuo Cirri. 



Species. 



MlLlTARls. The fpecific charafter of this is, that its 

 fecond dorfal fin is flefhy ; cirri bony, toothed. It inha- 

 bits many rivers in Afia ; feeds on fmaller fifhes, and grows 

 to a large fize. It is from twelve to eighteen inches long ; 

 the head and fore-parts are broad and deprefl'ed ; the mouth 

 is very wide ; the teeth are fmall and numerous ; the eyes are 

 large ; on each fide the head, near the iioftrils, a very ftrong 

 fubcreft, fpine, or bony procefs ; firft ray of the dorfal fin 

 excefTively large, ftrong, and fharply ferrated, both on the 

 middle part and towards the tip ; the tail flightly bilo- 

 bate, with rounded lobes. It is a native of the Indian 

 rivers. 



Inebmis. Second dorfal fin flefhy ; fins unarmed. It 

 inhabits the rivers of Surinam. This is denominated by 

 fome naturaliils the fubolivaceous filurus. It is tranfverfely 

 banded with brown fpots, with unarmed fins, and flexuous 

 lateral lines. It is about twelve inches in length ; the head it 

 bony, but fmooth, and it is deftitute of fpiny procefTes. 

 It is a native of the Indian and South American rivers. 



Seftion B. Four Cirri. 

 Species. 



AsoTus. The back of this fifh has only one fin : it in- 

 habits Afia : there are two cirri above the mouth, and two 

 beneath ; the teeth are numerous ; the dorfal fin is vnthout 

 fpinous rays ; the firft ray of the peftoral is ferrate ; the 

 anal fin is long, and connefted with the caudal. 



Chilensis. Second dorfal fin flefhy ; the tail is lanceo- 

 late : it inhabits the frefh waters of Chili : it is about tea 

 incheslong ; the body is brown ; beneath it is white. The 

 flefh is faid to be excellent. 



Bagre. Second dorfal fin flefhy ; firft ray of the dor- 

 fal and peftoral fins fetaceous. It inhabits South America. 



Callichthys. Second dorfal fin one-rayed ; a double 



row of fcales on the fides. It inhabits the fmall running 



ftreams of Europe, and when thefe are dried up, it crawls 



acrofs meadows in fearch of water : it is faid to perforate 



the fides of refervoirs, for the purpofe of making its 



efcape. 



Seftion 



