S P I 



SPILE, in Ship-Building, a plug made of fir to fill up 

 holes, where nails have been driven, to prevent leaking, &c. 

 Spile, in Rural Economy, a piece of wood fliarpened at 

 the point, and drove down into the ground, on the fides of 

 rivers, or other places, for the purpofe of prolefting their 

 banks, or other parts, againft the deitruftive violence of the 

 waters. They (hould be well proportioned for the purpofe, 

 and be very firmly driven down by proper machinery. 



But in whatever way, or however firmly, fpiles may be 

 driven down into the ground, they never form a good or 

 fecure defence againft the force of river-currents. The 

 only method of completely effedting this is now well under- 

 ftood to be that of making the banks to (helve, or flope 

 well backward from the rivers, and throwing the force of 

 fuch ilreams in new, contrary, or otlier direftions than thofe 

 to which they have been accuftomed. In thefe ways much 

 is not unfrequently accomplifhed, without any great deal of 

 labour, trouble, or cxpence in any manner. 



Spii.e is alfo a term provincially ufed to fignify the vent- 

 peg of a caflv. 



SPILEMBERGO, in Geography, a town of Italy, in 

 Friuli, on the Tajamento ; 14 miles W. of Udina. 



SPILINGS, in Ship- Building, the dimenfions taken from 

 iule-ftaff, a mould's edge, or Itraight line, to trim or fay 

 .^nc piece to another. 



SPILKEVY, in Geography, a town of Norway, in the 

 province of Drontheim ; 88 miles S.W. of Romidal. 



SPILL, To, in Sea-Language, is to difcharge the wind 

 out of the cavity or belly of a fail, when it is drawn up in 

 the brails, in order to furl or reef it. This is performed 

 either by collefting the fail together, or by bracing its edge 

 to the wind, fo as to fhiver or be laid aback. Falconer. 



SPILLING-LlNES, in a Ship, certain ropes fixed oc- 

 cafionally to the main-fail, and fore-fail, in tempeftuous 

 weather, for raifing or furling them more conveniently. 

 They arc parted through blocks above the yard, and thence 

 loading down before the fail, come under its bottom, and 

 rttiirn upwards behind it to the yard, where they are faf- 

 tened ; fo that tlie iail by this effort is clofely and immove- 

 ably confined to the yard. Falconer. 



SPILOMA, in Botany, fo called by Acharius, from 

 tnriXwy.a., a /lain, or fpot, in allufion to the appearance of 

 the fruftification. — Ach. Meth. 9. Lichenogr. 23. t. i. 

 f. I. Syn. I. Sm. Engl. Bot. v. 29. 2075. — Clafs and 

 order, Cryptogamia Algs. Nat. Ord. Algx, Lichenes. 



Ed. Ch. Receptacles fhapelefs, without a border, haiiy 

 and powdery, in an uninterrupted cruft. 



This minute and obfcure genus of the Lichen tribe has 

 long been overlooked, or confounded with other things. 

 The fpccies, which are fixteen in Acharius's recently pub- 

 liflied Synopfis, arc found either on old wood, the bark cf 

 trees, or on rocks and walls. Thirteen are figured and 

 defcribcd in Engl. Bot. v. 29 — 36. Some of thefc, as S. 

 Vitiligo, t. 2075, looks to the naked eye like a little grey 

 duit, fcattered over the pales on which it grows, and ilain- 

 ing the finger when touched. Others refemble crultaceous 

 Lichens, particularly Lecidcic ; but are diftinguifhed by 

 their black powder, which comes off with a touch ; as S. 

 ler/lcolor, t. 2076, and variolo/um, t. 2077, both found on 

 old trees. S. auratum, t. 2078, is dill more remarkable for 

 the internal orange-colour of its receptacles, which becomes 

 vifible whenever they are rubbed or broken. 



SPILSBY, in Geography, a market-town in the eaft 

 divifioii of the foke of Bolmgbroke, parts of Lindfey, in 

 the county of Lincoln, England, is fituatcd on an eminence, 

 overlooking to the foutli a large traft of marfh and fen land, 

 whwh is bounded by Bollon Deeps and the German ocean. 



S P I 



Spiliby is the chief town in the fouthern part of Lindfey 

 divifion, and is 31 miles E. from Lincoln, and 134 miles 

 N. from London. It confifts principally of four ftreets 

 uniting at the market-place, which forms a fpacious fquare, 

 interfefted in the centre by a row of houfes, with the mar- 

 ket-crofs at the eaft end, and the town-hall at the weft. 

 The markct-crofs confifts of a plain oftagonal ftiaft, with a 

 quadrangular bale ; the whole elevated on five fteps. The 

 town-hall, a plain brick building, ftanding on arches, was 

 built in 1764, on the fcite of the old hall, which, being in 

 a ruinous ftate, had been taken down. The general quar- 

 tcr-fellions of the peace, for the fouthern divifion of the 

 parts of Lindfey, have been holden here for upwards of an 

 hundred years. The pariih-church, fituatfd on the weft 

 fide of the town, is an irregular building, confifting of north 

 and fouth aides, the latter of mnch larger extent than the 

 reft of the edifice. A chapel occupies the extremity of the 

 body of the cluirch, in which are fome ancient monuments, 

 belonging to the families of Bcke, Willoughby, and Bertie. 

 At the weft end of the church is an embattled tower, of a 

 more modern date than the other parts of the ftruftnrc, and 

 probably erefted about the time of Henry VII. Here is a 

 fmall free-fchool, fupported by the rents of certain tenements 

 bequeathed for that purpofe ; and a Sunday fchool, recently 

 eftablidied, promifes to be of great advantage to the lower 

 dalles of the people. A weekly market is held on Mon- 

 days, and three fairs annually. The population return of 

 the year 181 1 ftates the number of houfes to be 230, oc- 

 cupied by 963 perfons. 



At Ereft)y, two miles from Spilfby, was formerly a man- 

 fion, noticed by Leland, belonging to the Bekes and to the 

 Willoughbys. It was taken down, and another built on 

 the fcite, which was deftroyed by fire : a ftately avenue of 

 trees leads to the fcite. The place is now abandoned for 

 the more fplendid domain of Grimfthorpe. Erefby was a 

 grant from William the Conqueror to Walter Beke. It 

 was podeired fucceflively by the Bekes, Willoughbys, and 

 Berties, till the year 1778, when, with the manor of 

 Spilftjy, it became the property of fir Peter Burrell, now 

 lord Gwydir, by his marriage with lady Willoughby, 

 daughter and coheirefs of the duke of Ancafter. Beauties 

 of England and Wales, vol. ix. Lincolnftiire, by .1. Brit- 

 ton, F.S.A. 



SPIN Hay, To, in Military Language, is to twift it up 

 in very hard ropes, for an expedition : fo that it may be the 

 lefs bulky for the cavalry to carry behind them. 



SPINA, in Botany and Vegetable Phy/iology, a thorn ori- 

 ginating from the fubllance of the wood itfelf. (SeeFoL- 

 cuA.) Linnxu.i remarks that a thorn is liable to dilappear 

 by culture, or richnefs of foil, as in the pear-tree. Hence 

 he fpcaks of fuch plants as becoming tame by the influence 

 of good treatment ; whereas prickles, aculei, featcd in the 

 bark, are not affedled by fimilar caufes. The reafon is well 

 explained by Willdenow, who juftly confiders thorns as of 

 the nature of abortive branches, ftunlcd in tlieir growtli for 

 want of nouriftimcnt. 



Spina, in Geography, a town of France, in the department 

 of the Tanaro ; 9 miles S.W. of Acqui. 



Spina Bifida, Cloven fpine, in Surgery, frequently named 

 :ilfo Hydrorachilii, is a tumour for the nioft part fituated on 

 the fpines of young children, commonly on the lumbar ver- 

 tebrx ; occafionally on the dorfal or cervical ones ; and 

 fometimcs, though lefs frequently, on the os facrum. 



A tumour of a fimilar nature is now and then obferved 

 upon the head. Richter's Chirurg. Bibliothck, 9 band, 

 p. 186. 



In cafes of fpina bifida, the fwcUing is foft, and may be 



gradually 



