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other matters, as are in a reduced earthy condition. And 

 the term is alfo fometimes applied to it when ufed in takmg 

 up grain for the purpofe of havnig it cleaned or removed 

 into another fituation. 



SPIT A L, in Geography, a town of Aullria ; 6 miles fc.. 



of Steyr AHo, a town of Spain, in Catalonia, near the 



coailof the Mediterranean ; 22 miles N.E. of Tortofa.— 

 Alfo, a town of the duchy of Stiria ; 5 miles E. of Muert- 

 zenfchlag.— Alfo, 3 town of the duchy of Carinthia, on the 

 Lifer, about a mile from the Drave; 8 miles E. of Saxen- 

 burg. 



SPITHEAD, a fpacious reach in the Britilh Channel, 

 about mid-way between the fouthern coaft of Hampfhire 

 and the Ifle of Wight. It direAly faces the mouth of Portf. 

 mouth harbour, and is frequently occupied by men-of-war 

 and frigates at anchor. Sometimes a fleet of (hips is italioned 

 here. It is laid that 1000 fail of veilels may anchor at one 

 time with fecurity. The depth of water, at low tide, is 

 10, II, 13, 14, 15, and 16 fathoms. This place is me- 

 morable for the (hipwieck of the Royal George, of 100 

 guns, in Augult 1782. At that time the vefTel was occu- 

 pied by more than 400 men and 200 women, and was hove 

 on one fide, for the purpofe of repairing her keel. Not 

 anticipating danger, the failors had negleflted to lafh down 

 her lower deck ports, and a fudden fquall coming on, (he 

 was thrown with her broad-fide on the water. The hole was 

 (illed in a few minutes, and every thing was carried to the 

 bottom. Admiral Kempenfelt, with all the crew and vifi- 

 tors, perifhed ; for there was no time for boats to afford af- 

 fiftance. Many attempts have been made to raife this velTel, 

 but without fuccefs ; although many articles have been ob- 

 tained from the cabins, &c. Some of the malts continued 

 to be feen above water for many years after the accident. 



Spithead Creel, a river of the wellern territory of Ame- 

 rica, which runs into the Ohio, N. lat. 39° 56'. W. long. 

 80° 46'. 



SPlTTER, among Spertfmen, a red male deer near two 

 years old, whofe horns begin to grow up (harp and fpit- 

 wife. 



It is otherwife called a brocket and pricket. 

 SPITTLE. See Saliva and Sputum. 

 Spittle, a corruption of the word hofpital. 

 Spittle, in jigriculture, the name of a fpaddle or fmall 

 lort of fpade. See Spade. 



SPITTLING, a term applied to an operation performed 

 in the cultivation of teafle crops, in which the workman, with 

 a tool of the fpittle, ihoe, or fmall fpade kind, turns over 

 the furface-mould between every plant in a careful manner, 

 in the (irft fummer feafon after planting, when the plants 

 have acquired fome degree of growth. By this means they 

 are kept perfectly clean from weeds, and their growth pro- 

 moted as much as poflible. 



The work commonly cofts about a guinea and a half the 

 acre and drink, in moll diilrifts where this fort of cultiva- 

 tion is carried on. See Teasle. 



SPITZ, in Geography, a town of Auftria, on the Da- 

 nube ; 10 miles above Krems. — Alfo, a town of Bohemia, 

 in the circle of Leitmeritz ; 9 miles N.E. of Kamnitz. 



SPITZBERG, a confiderable mountain of Silefia, in 

 the principality of Liegnitz. 



SPITZ BERGEN, or Spitsbergen. See Eq/2 Green- 

 land. 



SPITZEBACH, a river of Germany, which runs into 

 the Eltzach, near Ober Winden. 



SPIZ A, in Urnilhology, a name by which the ancient na- 

 turalills called the chaffinch. 



SPLA-BoARDs, in Ship-Building, boards or planks fixed 

 4 



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to an obtufe angle in the light-room, to throw the light ixAo 



the magazine. 



SPLACHNUM, in Botany, a name adopted by Montin 

 and Linnaeus from Diofcorides, whofe irr>.y.x;-m is fyno- 

 iiimous witii his /S^uow, and belongs to the MofTcs in general, 

 or rather perhaps Lichens, which grow upon trees. This 

 name becomes peculiarly appropriate, when we advert to its 

 identity with o-vXayxv-., the Greek appellation of the prin- 

 cipal vifcera, the heart, lungs, &c. ; becaufe the eflential 

 charafter of the genus before us confifts in a peculiar flelhy 

 glandular organ, fupporting the capfule ; whence its Eng- 

 lilh name, Gland-mofs. — Montin Dilf. 7. Linn. Am. Acad. 

 v. 2. 270. t. 3. Gen. 563. Schreb. 7J9. Hedw. Fund. 

 v. 2. 8S. t. 7. f. 33. Sp. Mufc. 51. Sm. Fl. Brit. n6g. 

 Turn. Mufc. Hib. 15. Swartz Mufc. Suec. 22. JulT. 11. 

 I.,amarck Illuftr. t. 874. — Clafs and order, Cryptogamia 

 Mufci. Nat. Ord. Mufci. 



Ed. Ch. Capfule cylindrical, placed on a fielhy recep- 

 tacle. Fringe (imple, of fixteen teeth, (landing in pairs. 



This genus is one of the molt remarkable of its tribe for 

 (ize and beauty, as well as for fingularity Twelve fpecies 

 are defined in Hedwig's Sp. Mufc. ; thirteen in the Fl. Brit. 

 fix of the latter not being known to Hedwig. Linnxus, in 

 the original account of the genus, defcribcs but two, which 

 are far the mod extraordinary, natives of the moll northern 

 part of Europe, and not found in Britain. We (hall de- 

 scribe thefe, with a few of the others bed worth notice. 



5. mnioides. Green Tapering Gland-mofs. Linn. Fil. 

 Meth. Mufc. 26. Hedw. Sp. Mufc. 51. Crypt, v. 2. 35. 

 t. II. Fl. Brit. n. I. Engl. Bot. t. 1589. — Receptacle 

 inverfely conical, green. Leaves elliptic-lanceolate, bearded, 

 entire. — Native of moill alpine fituations in Scotland, Wales, 

 and other parts of Europe, generally, in Wales, growing 

 on the dung of foxes and badgers, according to Mr. Grif- 

 fith's remarlis. This is one of the fmaller fpecies, refcm- 

 bling fome common Bryutn ; its leafy jQems about an inch 

 high ; ks fruit-Jla/is rather more. The capfule is cylindrical, 

 brown, with a blunt lid. Its fhort green receptacle at the 

 bafe might almoll be overlooked, as a fwelling of the 

 dalk. 



6. fpharicum. Green Globular Gland-mofs. Linn. Fil. 

 Meth. Mufc. 33. t. I. f. I. Hedw. Sp. Mufc. 55. Crypt, 

 v. 2. 46. t. 16. Fl. Brit. n. 8. Engl. Bot. t. 785.— Re- 

 ceptacle globular, green. Leaves ovato-lanceolate, pointed, 

 entire. Fruit-ftalk capillary. — Native of alpine fituations 

 in Lapland, Germany, Carniola, Scotland, &c. ufually on 

 cow-dung. Dr. F. Buchanan firit met with it at Leney 

 near Stirling, in 1782. This forms green tufts, each plant 

 beinij finiple, apparently annual, about half an inch high in 

 the \e?iiy Jlem, which terminates in a ilarry blojfom. Some of 

 thefe bloiioms are moil perfeAly male, others female. The 

 latter produce each an elegant (lender wavy \zvia-^ fruit flalk, 

 from one and a half to three or four inches high, bearing a 

 green, nearly globofe, fmooth receptacle, much larger and 

 thicker than the little brown cylindrical capfule, bordered 

 with clqht pair of fpreading brown teeth. 



S. gracile, Dickf. Crypt, fafc. 4. 3. t. 10. f. 5. Fl. Brit, 

 n. 9. Engl. Bot. t. 1921, is fuppofed by Mr. Turner to 

 be a variety of the lalt, rather Imaller, with ferrated poists 

 to the leaves, and a brown receptacle. 



S. ampullaceum. Purple Gland-mofs. Linn. Sp. PI. 1572. 

 Hedw. Sp. Mufc. 55. Crypt, v. 2 41. t. 14. Fl. Brit, 

 n. 10. Engl. Bot. t. 144. Fl. Dan. t. 822. (S. n. 3; 

 Linn. Am. Acad. v. 2. 280. Bryum ampullaceum, foliis 

 thymi pellucidis, coilo ftritliore ; Dill. Mufc. 343. t. 44. 

 f. 3.) — Receptacle inverfely conical, ob uie, grceni(h-pur- 

 ple, thrice as thick as the capfule. Leaves lanceolate, acute, 



ferrated. 



