S I M 



S I M 



be fo ranged, as to make iimilar and reftangular parallel- 

 epipeds. 



Similar Animab. We have a treatife by Dr. Martin, 

 wherein he treats of the laws and proportions of the mo- 

 tions and forces of the fohds and fluids of animals, of how- 

 ever different magnitudes, which are fuppofed of fimilar 

 make and conftitution. See Traftat. de Similibus Ani- 

 malibus. 



Similar Difeafe, in Mtdicine, denotes a difeafe of fome 

 firaple, folid part of the body : as of a fibre, with regard 

 to its tenfion, or flaccidity ; of a membrane ; a nervous 

 canal, or the like. See Disease. 



Similar Parts, m Anatomy, are thofe parts of the body, 

 which, at firll fight, appear to confift of like parts, or parts 

 of tlie fame nature, texture, and formation. 



0/f thefe we ufually reckon ten, viz. tlie bones, car- 

 tilages, ligaments, membranes, fibres, nerves, arteries, veins, 

 flefh, and flvin ; each of which fee under its proper ar- 

 ticle. 



Dr. Grew, in his Anatomy of Plant?, obfevves, that thefe 

 have likewife their fimilar and organical parts. 



SIMILE, or Similitude, in Rhetoric, a comparifon of 

 two things, which, though different in other refpefts, yet 

 agree in fome one. Ae, HeJIiall be like a tree planted by the 

 ivater-fide, &c. ; fo that in every fimilitude three things 

 are requifite ; two things that are compared together ; 

 and a third, in which the hkenefs or fimilitude between 

 them confiits. 



The difference between ?ijtmile and a comparifon confifts in 

 this, that iimile properly belongs to what we call the quality 

 of the thing, and the comparifon to the quantity. 



And the difference between a metaphor and fimihtude con- 

 fifts in this, that a metaphor has not thofe figns of com- 

 parifon which are exprelled in a fimilitude. See Metaphor 

 and Parable. 



SIMILITUDE, in Arithmetic, Geemetry, &C. denotes 

 the relation of two things fimilar to each other, or which are 

 only diftinguiffiable by comprefence. 



The notion of fimihtude, which now makes fome figure 

 in geometry, &c. is owing to M. Leibnitz : it will be ren- 

 dered eafy by the following inilance. Suppofe two watches 

 perfeftly alike, the one belonging to Caius, the other to 

 Gracchus. If now Caius pull out his watch in prefence of 

 Gracchus, the latter will be furprifed, and fancy it his own ; 

 but he will perceive it different from his own, upon pulling 

 out his own ; that is, Gracchus diltinguifties Caius's watch 

 from his own by their comprefence ; or, by applying the 

 one immediately to the other. 



Euchd, and after him moft other authors, demonftrate 

 every thing in geometry from the fole principle of con- 

 gruity. Wolfius, in lieu of it, fubftitutes that of fimilitude ; 

 which, he tells us, was communicated to him by M. Leib- 

 nitz, and which he finds of very confiderable ufe in geo- 

 metry, as ferving to demonftrate many things direttly, which 

 are only demonftiable from the principle of congruity by an 

 ambages. 



SIMILOR is a name given to an alloy of red copper and 

 zinc, made in the beft proportions to imitate the colour of 

 gold. See GoLD-coloured Metal. 



SIMIRA, in 5o/an^, Aubl. Guian. 170. t. 65. Juff. 205, 

 the Guiana name of a fhrub, belonging to the natural order 

 of Rubiacea:, and the Pentandria Monogynia of the Linnsean 

 fyftem, but of whofe generic charaAers nothing has yet been 

 precifely fettled. It feems very near akin to PsYchotria, 

 or to Stepiianium ; fee thofe articles. 



SIMITAR, or Scimitar, in War, a crooked or falcated 

 fword, with a convex edge ; not now ufed 

 12 



SIMLEE, in Geogrdphy,^ town of Hindooftan, in Gu- 

 zerat ; 17 miles N. of Champaneer. 



SIMLER, Josias, in Biography, was born at Cappel, in 

 Switzerland, in the year 1530. He was minifter at Zurich, 

 and a profeilor in the fchool of that town. He wrote fe- 

 veral controverfial works againft fome of the heretical fefts, 

 as they were efteemed, and denominated by him. He taught 

 mathematics with great reputation, illuftrating his leffons ■ 

 by various machines of his own invention. Of his writings m 

 the principal were " De Helvetiorum Repwblica," which 

 contained an account of the original conftitution of the 

 Swils confederacy ; " Vallefis Defcriptio," being an ac- 

 count of the Valais, and the adjacent alps ; and an abridge- 

 ment of the Bibliotheca of Conrad Gefner, with the hfe of 

 that diftinguifliedperfon. In this laft work he has not only 

 given a good fummary of the original, but has rendered it 

 more complete, by tlie addition of a number of books. He 

 died at Zurich in 1576, at the time when he was preparing 

 a hillory of his native country. 



SIMLY, in Geography, a town of Hindooftan, in Oriffa ; 

 1 5 miles N.W. of Boad. 



SIMMEN, or SiBEN, a river of Switzerland, which 

 rifes in the mountains between the Valais and the canton 

 of Berne, and runs into the lake of Thun ; 4 miles N.N.W. 

 of Spietz. The valley through which this lake runs, and 

 which has on each fide ftupendous rocks, is called " Sim- 

 menthal," and is divided by it into the Upper and Lower. 

 The inhabitants of fome few parts of this valley fow rye, 

 oats, or wheat ; but they derive great profit from their grafs, 

 which is very rich, and they alfo breed a great number 

 of cattle, from which they make butter and cheefe. The 

 latter fort of cheefe, called " Saan" cheefe, is much ef- 

 teemed abroad, being made wholly of cream ; and of the 

 common cheefe, France and other countries purchafe con- 

 fiderable quantities. Moll of the inhabitants, inftead of 

 bread, eat the fecond fort of cheefe, with thin barley 

 cakes ; and the principal food of the commonalty is pota- 

 toes, and their drink is milk or whey. 



SIMMERN, a town of France, and principal place of a 

 diftrift, in the department of the Rhine and Mofelle, late 

 capital of a duchy of the fame name, veiled in the eledlorate 

 of the Rhine. The place contains 1469, and the canton 

 8361 inhabitants, in 31 communes. The territory of the 

 diftrift contains 1687^ kiliometres ; 26 miles S.S.W. of 

 Coblentz. — Alfo, a river of France, which paffes by Sim- 

 mern, Gemunden, &c. and runs into the Nahe ; 3 miles E. 

 of Kirn. 



SIMMIA CHUMBA, a town of Bengal ; 16 miles S. 

 of Palamow. 



SIMMONS's Island, a fmall idandon the coaft of South 

 Carohna. N. lat. 32° 38'. W. long. 80° 10'. 



SIMO, a town of Sweden, in Eaft Bothnia, on a river of 

 the fame name, which runs into tlte gulf of Bothnia ; 80 

 miles E. of Ulea. 



SIMOGU, a town of Hindooftan, in Myfore, on the 

 Tumbadra ; 93 miles W. of Seringapatam. N. lat. 13*^ 21'. 

 E. long. 75° 50'. 



SIMOJOSIKI, one of the fmaller Japanefe iflands, near 

 the S.W. coaft of Ximo. N. lat. 31° 50'. E. long. 

 132° 8'. 



SIMOIS, in Ancient and Modern Geography, a river of 

 Afia Minor, in tlie Leffer Phrygia, the fource of which was 

 in mount Ida, and which difcharged itfelf into the Xanthus, 

 or the Scamander, according to Pliny. The fource of the 

 Simois lies S.W. of Cotylus ; it flows nearly to the W., 

 traverfes a fpace of from twelve to fifteen leagues ; receives 

 the Andrius above Inchavi, and feveral other rivulets, and 



difcharges 



