S M U 



S M U 



« Continuation of the Hiftory of England," taken up at 

 the Revolution, where Hume left it, and brought down to 

 the year 1765. 



At the beginning of the prefent reign, Dr. Smollet was 

 an advocate in defence of the meafures adopted by the ad- 

 minidration, at the head of which was lord Bute, and in 

 conneftion with others he publidied a weekly paper, called 

 " The Briton," which was encountered by the more famous 

 one entitled '♦ The North Briton," fet on foot by the well- 

 known John Wilkes. The rancour difplayed on both fides 

 diflolved the frienddiip which had long fubfilled between 

 thefe two political champions. Smollet, from fome do- 

 meftic affliftions, determined to vifit the continent, whither 

 he went in 1763, and he fpent two years in a tour through 

 France and Italy. After his return he publifhed, in 1766, 

 his " Travels" in thefe countries, in a ieries of letters, in 

 two vols. 8vo. which contained many lively and fenfible re- 

 marks, but which were deeply tinged with the gloomy 

 temper of mind, which rendered him diflatisfied and out of 

 humour with almoft every thing he faw. In 1769 he pub- 

 lifhed a fort of political romance, entitled " The Adventures 

 of an Atom," intended to ridicule different adminiftrations, 

 but efpecially that of the earl of Chatham. 



Increafing ill-health induced him, in the year 1770, to 

 pay another vifit to Italy, accompanied by his wife, and 

 during his lad voyage he wrote his laft novel, " The Expedi- 

 dition of Humphry Clinker," which fome critics regard at 

 the bed of all his novels. He died in the neighbourhood 

 of Leghorn, in October 1 771, in the fifty-firit year of his 

 age. " Dr. Smollet," fays the author of the article in the 

 General Biography, " was undoubtedly a man of talents 

 and great variety of powers, though he did not attain the 

 highed rank in any thing. He is bed known as a novelid, 

 and they who read thofe conipofitions for amufement only, 

 without much nicety of taile, feldom fail of being enter- 

 tained by him. Yet his portraits are often caricatures, his 

 fcenes of humour coarfc and extravagant, and his jeds bor- 

 rowed. As an hidorian, he has attained more credit for the 

 elegance and animation of his dyle, than for the higher 

 qualities of judgment, accuracy, and impartiality ; and though 

 his continuation is annexed to Hume's Hidory, the two 

 writers will bear no comparifon." His poetic powers were 

 confiderable. His " Tear<^ of Scotland," " Ode to Leven 

 Water," and fome other fliort pieces, are polifhed, tender, 

 and piiTturefque. His " Ode to Independence" is a loftier 

 flight, and has perhaps few fuperiors in the lyric drain. His 

 fatircs are vigorous, but violent and difguding. 



SMOLNITZ, in Geograjihy, a town of Bohemia, in the 

 circle of J>clilan ; 12 miles W.N.W. of Schlan. 



SMORGONIE, a town of Ruffian Lithuania, in the 

 p.ilatinate of Wilna. 



SMORZATO, in Ilalian Miific, for the violin family, 

 implies that the bow fliould be drawn or prciled to its full 

 length, not witli tlie fame force throughout, but lighter by 

 degrees, till fcareely any found is heard. This term feems 

 now fuperleded by illm'mucndo and pcrJcndqfi. 



SMOSTRIE, in Geography, a town of Poland, in Po- 

 dolia ; 15 miles N. of Kaminiec. 



SMOTHER-FI^Y, in /tgrkullure, a provincial term ap- 

 plied to the bean aphis. 



SMOTRZICZ, in Geography, a river of Poland, which 

 runs into the Dniedcr, 8 miles S. of Kaminiec. 



SMRDOW, a town of Bohemia, in the circle of Czaf- 

 lau ; 9 miles S. of Czaflau. 



SMUGGLING, a cant term for the runnin;^ of goods, 

 or the oflence of importing them without paying the duties 



Vol., XXXIII. 



impofed thereon by the laws of the cujlom and excife. See 

 each of thefe articles. 



This is redrained by a great variety of datutes, which 

 inflidl pecuniary penalties, and feizure of the goods, for 

 clandedine fmuggling ; and affix the guilt of felony, with 

 tranfportation for feven years, upon more open, daring, and 

 avowed praftices : but the laft of them (19 Geo. II. c. 34.) 

 is for this purpofe injlar omnium ; for it makes all forcible 

 afts of fmuggling, carried on in defiance of the laws, or 

 even in difguife to evade them, felony without benefit of 

 clergy. For the chief provifions of this att, which was at 

 fird temporary, but made perpetual by 43 Geo. III. c. 15, 

 fee Customs. 



SMUSH-POT, amongd Palntert, is the vedel into which 

 they rub off the paint from the pencils, and put the fcrap- 

 ings of the pallet. 



SMUT, or UsTlLAGO, in /IgrtcuUure, a difeafe in corn, 

 and which, according to M. Duliamel, exhibits the follow- 

 ing marks or appearances. I. This didemper dedroys en- 

 tirely the germ and fubdance of the grain. 2. It affefts 

 not only the ear, but alfo, in fome degree, the whole plant, 

 when it has made a great progrefs. 3. It very feldom hap- 

 pens, but that when one fialk is fmutty, all the ears of the 

 other dalks from the fame root are fo too. 4. So early as 

 in March or April, upon opening carefully the hood or 

 blades which cover the ear, and examining the young ear, 

 then not above the fixth part of an inch in length ; and 

 almoll clofe to the roots, he found this embryo already 

 black, and attacked with this didemper. Perhaps it may 

 not always feize the plant fo early. 5. When the didem- 

 pered ear comes out of its covering formed by the blades, it 

 looks lank and meagre : the common, and immediate cover- 

 ings of the grains, are in this cafe fo very (light and thin, 

 that the black powder is feen through them : and from this 

 time nothing is found in lieu of grain, but a black powder, 

 which has a fetid fmell, and no confidency. As this pow- 

 der, of wiiich the condituent particles have but very little 

 cohefion, and of which the coverings are dedroyed, is 

 eafily blown off by wind, or wafhed away by rain ; the huf- 

 bandman, in houfing thefe plants, houfes only fkeletons of 

 the ears. If any impreffion of this powder remains, it is 

 eafily taken off by fifting ; but he has not experienced it to 

 be contagious, like that of burnt grain. And Mr. Tillet, 

 it is remarked, has obferved that thefe corrupted cars are 

 often found to be vitiated even in the hood, though this lad 

 looks as green and perfeft as if nothintr ailed the corn 

 within. The upper part of the dalk of a fmutty plant is 

 not commonly quite ilraight, from within about half an 

 inch below the ear. If fuch a dalk is fqueozed there, it 

 fcarcely yields at all to the preffure. If it be cut afunder 

 at about a fixth part, or a quarter of an inch below the ear, 

 it will be found to be almod entirely filled with pith, in 

 fuch a manner that only a very fmall opening can be per- 

 ceived in the heart of the dalk, indead of the large pipe 

 that is in healthy denif. He concludes from hence, that 

 the circulation of the juices is obdruAed in the upper part 

 of the dalks of fmutty plants. Bearded wheat is apt to 

 be fmutty, as well as that which is not bearded ; but 

 neither Mr. Tillet nor he ever met with a fmutty ear of 

 rye. 



And in refpeit to the caufcs of fmut, it is obferved, that 

 the fmuttinefs of corn cannot be owing to a want of fecun- 

 dation, as many have hitherto millakcnly imagined, fince it 

 aflefts and delhoys the organs of both (exes, long before 

 the time of tiiat fecundation : — that it cannot be imputed 

 to the fettling uf wet upon the cars, or to fogs, or to a 

 violent impreflion of the fun ; fince we have fccu the ears 

 B b fmutty 



