S L Q 



S M A 



circle and any one of the conic feftions. He firft gave a 

 fpecimen of this method in the above work, but concealed 

 the analyfis till he publifhed the fecond edition of it in 1688. 

 An account of it is given by Montucla, in his " Hiftory of 

 the Mathematics." This author remarks, that Slufe's 

 Geometrical Mifcellanies, which appeared in this fecond 

 edition, do honour to the author, and afford a proof of the 

 great progrefs he had made in analyfis. Befides the work 

 here referred to, he wrote two letters on the fuperiority of 

 the Latin to the French language, which were tranflated 

 from the Latin to the French, and publifhed with the letters 

 of M. Le Laboureur, in wliich a contrary opinion is mam- 

 tained, under the title of " Avantages de la Langue Fran- 

 joife fur la Laiigue Latm." Slufe's Papers in the Philo- 

 fophical Tranfaftions are, I. " A (hort and eafy Method 

 of drawing Tangents to all Geomelrical Curvea," vol. vii. 

 2. " A Demonttration of the fame," vol. viii. 3. " On 

 the Optic Angle of Alhazen." 



SLUSS, or Sludge, in ylgrkuhure, a word applied to 

 mud or mire. It is fometimes written Jlu/h. 

 SLUTCH. See Sluch. 



SLUTER, Matthew, in Biography, a patrician of 

 Hamburgh, was born in that city in 1648. He iludicd 

 jurifprudence at Jena and Altdorf, and made a tour through 

 Germany and Holland. In 1673 he took the degree of 

 doftor at Roflock. He praftifed the law in the chancery 

 court of Giiftrau, and afterwards vifited France, and other 

 places, from which he returned in 1679. He continued his 

 profeffional labours in his native place, where, in 1701, he 

 became fyndic, and in two years afterwards a member of 

 the council. He died in 17 19, in the 7 2d year of his age. 

 Befides various works on jurifprudence, he was author of 

 one entitled " Sciagraphia Bibliothecx Patrum maximje," 

 which was added to the " Propylxum Hiftorise Chriltianas" 

 of his brother Severus Walter. Sluter was a curious ob- 

 ferver of the weather, and wrote an illuflration of a treatife 

 on Meteorology, pubhflied at London in 1 690, by William 

 Cock of Edinburgh. In this tra£l the author endeavours 

 to eilablifh a connedlion between the changes of the weather 

 and the heavenly bodies ; and the objeA of Sluter in his 

 illullration and commentary was to prove the truth of his 

 theory from experience. The German edition of Cock's 

 Meteorology was publifhed at Hamburgh in 1691. Our 

 author likewife publilhed trafts, entitled " Caufes of the 

 fevere Winter and continual Storms in the Years 1694 and 

 1695;" ^"<5 " Indications of the Afpefts from the Years 

 1696 to 1703." 



SLUYS, or L'EcLUSE, in Geography, a town of France, 

 and principal place of a diftrift, in the department of the 

 Efcaut. The place contains 141 5, and the canton 4479 

 inhabitants, on a territory of 925 kiliometres, in 6 com- 

 munes. This was formerly one of the beft ports on the 

 coaft of Flanders, and capable of conveniently receiving 

 500 veffels ; but it has been fo much "deteriorated, that it 

 can now accommodate only fmall veflels. Its ancient name 

 was " Lammens Vliet." It belonged to the comtes of 

 Nevers, but was obtained in exchange for Bethune of Wil- 

 liam, comte of Namur, by Philip the Hardy, duke of Bur- 

 gundy, who furrounded it with walls in 1385. In 1495 

 Philip de Cleves, lord of RaveMllein, revolted againit 

 Philip le Beau, and retired to Sluys, which was befieged by 

 Albert, duke of Saxe, and after four months it furrendcred. 

 The city having taken part with the Hollander-, was be- 

 fieged by the prince of Parma in 1587, and the Englifh 

 garrifon was compelled to furrender, but upon honourable 

 terms. Until the year 1 604 it remained in the pofllffion of 

 Spain ; but being befieged by prince Maurice of Naflau, it 



was obliged to furrender after a defence of four months. 



The town is furnilhed with fluices, by which the whole 



country may be inundated ; and hence it derives its name. 



After feveral changes of matters, the garrifon vvas fummoned 



by tlie French republicans in July 1794; and on the Z5th 



of Auguft, after a gallant defence, became prifoners of 



war ; 18 miles N.E. of Ottend. N. lat. 5 1 - 20'. E. long, 

 go J .<_ 



SLYBZE. See Slebeze. 



SLYME-HEAD, a cape on the well coaft of Ireland, 

 in that part of the county of Galway, called Ballinahmcli. 

 N. lat. 53° 24', according to Beaufort, but ^7,° 29', ac- 

 cording to Arrowfmith's late map. W. long. 10° 12'. 



SLYPE, a town of France, in the department of the 

 Lys ; 5 miles N.N.W. of Mcnin. 



SLYRET, a town of Norway, in the province of Ag- 

 gerhuus ; 80 miles N. of Chrilliania. 



SMACK, IS a fmall vellel only rigged as a fioop, or hoy, 

 and ufed in the coafting or fifhing trade ; or as a tender in 

 the king's fervice. See Sloop. 



SMALAND, or S.MOLAND, in Geography, a province 

 of Sweden, about 100 miles long and 60 broad, formerly 

 governed by its own kings ; and, for a confiderable time, in- 

 cluded in Eall Gothland, and fubjeft to the fame laws. It 

 is faid to have derived its name Smaland, i. e. fmall parcels 

 of land, from the circumitance of its having been overfpread 

 with woods and waltes, which reilridled tlie culture to a few 

 intervening fpots. Smaland is mountainous ; neverthelefs 

 fome parts are fo improved by cultivation as to be very fer- 

 tile, and its pailures in particular are excellent, and of 

 courfe profitable to the graziers. This province compre- 

 hends large forelts of beech and other trees ; and alfo filver, 

 copper, and iron mines, a great quantity of iron-ore being 

 found at the bottom of the lakes. A vein of gold-ore has 

 likewife been difcovered in Smaland. The chief employ- 

 ment of the inhabitants is agriculture, mining, and graziery. 

 The articles of trade are alfo planks, beams, malts, tar, 

 pot-afh, iron, grain, cattle, butter, cheefe, flefh, bacon, 

 tallow, hops, and fi(h. In this province are 21 lakes, and 

 its chief towns are Calmar, Wexio, and Jonkioping. 



SMALBROKE, Richard, in Biography, an Englith 

 prelate, was fellow of Magdalen college, Oxford ; and in 

 1723 he was advanced to the bilhoprie of St. David's, fronj 

 whence he was tranflated, in 1730, to Lichfield and Co- 

 ventry. He died in 1 749. He was diilinguilhed by a 

 vindication of the miracles of Chriit againft Wooliton. 



SMALCIUS, Valentine, a celebrated writer in fa- 

 vour of Unitarianifm, was born in Thuringia, and died at 

 Cracow, in Poland, in 1622. His principal work wa& 

 " A Treatife on the Divinity of Chrift," written in the 

 Latin language, and printed in 1608. 



SMALKALDEN, in Geography, a river of Germany, 

 which runs into the Werra, 12 miles W. of Smalkalden. 



Smalkalden, or SchmalkaUen, a large, thriving, and 

 populous town of Germany, in the county of Henneberg, 

 on a river of the fame name. In its vicinity are falt-pits, 

 and mines of iron and ileel. The Proteftant princes have 

 had feveral meetings in this town, preparatory to the league 

 which was concluded here in 1 53 1, and to their confirma- 

 tion of the theological articles drawn up by Luther, which 

 have given this town confiderable celebrity in ecclefiaftical 

 hiftory ; 27 miles N.N.E. of Schweinfurt. N. lat, 50^ 47'. 

 E. long. 10° 40'. 



SMALL of an Anchor, is that part of the ftiank, next. 

 under the fquare, or anchor. 



SMALL-Crfl//, in Sea-Language. See Craft. 

 Small Fruits, iu Gardening, a term applied to thofe 

 10 which 



