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the Mattapony and Rappahannock river?. It contains 

 13,296 inhabitants, of whom 7135 are flaves. At the 

 court-houfe is a poll-office; 78 miles from Walhington. 



SPOTTED Island, an ifland in the North Atlantic 

 ocean, on the eall coaft of Labrador. N. lat. 53° 30'. 

 W. long. 55° 20'. 



SPOTTING, Finger, known alfo by the name of 

 Brocading, in ttie ManufaSure of fanciful ornamented Cloths, 

 is a very beautiful, though rather expeniive, mode of inter- 

 weaving flowers, either of the fame or different colours, 

 with various kmds of grounds. Of its primary origin we 

 are totally unacquainted, as we find it praftifcd alike, and 

 with little variation of apparent effcft, in the filks of Europe 

 and the muflins of India. It is probable that the whole 

 range of fanciful cloths, with which we are acquainted, are 

 originally Afiatic ; and that the knowledge of them has 

 gradually reached Europe, at various times, and through 

 various channels. In fpots wrought with the (huttle, the 

 flowers being at intervals, and the woof pafled acrofs the 

 whole fabric, what palTes between the flowers, and is not 

 interwoven with the fabric, mu!l be cut away, when the 

 cloth is taken from the loom, and before it undergoes the 

 fucceeding procefles of bleaching and dreffing. Some 

 fpecimens of brocaded muilins have been occafionally 

 brought from India, which are entirely effefted by a con- 

 tinued and patient exercife of manual labour truly aitonifh- 

 ing. The low price of labour paid tn the natives of that 

 country may produce thtfe figured muflins, at prices accef- 

 fible to the opulent natives, and to the more wealthy claffes 

 of the European fettlers. In this country, even at the molt 

 reduced prices, capable of affording to the operative the 

 mod penurious and fcanty fubfittence, they could not be 

 afforded under four or five guineas per yard ; a fum im- 

 menfely beyond what could be expedled for a commodity 

 fo flimfy and perifhable as a mudin diefs. 



In finger-flowers, or brocaded muflins, the draught 

 through the heddlcs is generally fuccellive from the back to 

 the front, as in moit kinds of fanciful weaving. The 

 trcddles are moved by the feet, as in the common proceffes, 

 for forming the plain ground or fabric of the work. For 

 the flowers or raifed part, thofe leaves which require to be 

 raifed are moll commonly pulled by cords above the weaver's 

 head, as in the diaper and patent draw-loom ; and, like 

 them, fecured by a knot upon the cord, being fixed in a 

 notch in the board. The weaver then proceeds to pafs the 

 fubilance, which is to form the flowers, through the warp ; 

 each end being feparated from, and independent of, all the 

 others. In this he is generally aflilted by a boy, who fits at 

 the loom along with him, and who manages one fide of the 

 web, while the weaver is employed on the other. From 

 this tedious and laborious operation beinij done entirely by 

 the fore-finger, the appellation Jlnger-fioiver is derived. 

 Our limits will not allow of a very lengthened detail, nor 

 would it be of any effential fervice ; for, from the caufes 

 already aHignud, there is no ])robability of its ever becoming 

 an article of extcnfive manufacture in this country. 



SPOTTISWOODE, John, in Biography, a prelate 

 and ccckfiiillical hilforiati of Scotland, defcended from an 

 ancient family in that country, was born in 1565. His 

 father, who was a minider of Calder, lent liim to the uni- 

 verfity of Glafgow to be educated for the church ; and his 

 proficiency in his fhidics was fuch, that at the age of 

 eigliteen he was thought to be qualified to be his father's 

 futceffor. When Lodowick, duke of Lenox, was fent, in 

 1601, on an embafly to France, for the purpofc of con- 

 firming the ancient amity between the two countries, 

 Spotiilwoode, with the hope of conciliating the two na- 



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tions, accompanied him as chaplain, and returned writh hira 

 to England. His reputation was at that time fo high, that, 

 on the acccflion of king James to the crown of England in 

 1603, he was one of tlie perfons appointed to attend his 

 majefly to his newly acquired kingdom ; and in the fame 

 year he was promoted to the archbifliopric of Glafgow, and 

 nominated a privy counlellor for Scotlai d. It was the 

 favourite object of James to aflimdate as much as pofliblc 

 the church of Scotland to the model of that of England ; 

 and archbilhop Spottifwoode was very eager in promoting 

 this intention, and is laid to have made fifty journies to 

 London on that account. Having held the lee of Glafgow 

 eleven years, he was tranflated, in 1615, to that of St. 

 Andrews, the metropolitan of Scotland ; and he prefided 

 at various allemblies for the reltoration of the epifcopal 

 form of government. He continued in high favour with 

 king James during his whole reign ; and Cliarles I., after 

 his accellion, was crowned by him in the abbey church of 

 Holy rood Houfe. In 1635 he was appointed chancellor 

 of Scotland. When the civil commotions broke out in that 

 country in 1639, the archbifhop withdrew to England, 

 where he died, and was interred in Weilminller Abbey. 

 He was author of " A Hittory of the Church of Scot- 

 land," beginning with the year 203, and continued to the 

 end of the reign of James VI., which was publifhed in 

 London in 1655. This work was undertaken at the com- 

 mand of king James, who, when Spottifwoode told him 

 fome paliages might bear bard on the memory of his mother, 

 faid, " Write tlie truth, and fpare not." Spottifwoode 

 was author of " Refutatio Libelli de Regimhie Ecclefiz 

 Scoticans," written in defence of the eccleiiallical eilablifh- 

 ment of Scotland. 



SPOULT, in Rural Economy, a word fignifying brittle, 

 as applied to wood, &c. 



SPOUT, the name of a trunk for conveying water from 

 off the roofs of buildings, which (hould always be attached 

 to thofe of the farm.-kind. Spouts on fuch buildings are 

 not only ufeful for freeing tiiem of water, but in coUefting 

 it for the purpofe of the live-llock, &c. 



Spout, or Water-fpoul, in Natural Hiflory, an extra- 

 ordinary meteor, or appearance, at lea, and fometimes on 

 land, very dangerous to fhips, &c. oftenell obferved in hot» 

 dry weather ; and called by the Latins typho, anAJipho ; by 

 the French, tronipe, &c. 



Its fird appearance is in form of a deep cloud, the upper 

 part of which is white, and the lower black. From the 

 lower part of this cloud there hangs, or rather falls down, 

 what we properly call the f pout, in manner of a conical tube, 

 biggefl at top. Under this tube is always a great boiling 

 and flying up of the water of the lea, as in a jet d'eau. 

 For fome yards above the furface of the fea, the water 

 Hands as a column, or pillar ; from the extremity of which 

 it fpreads, and goes off, as in a knidof fmoke. Frequently 

 the cone defcends fo low, as to touch tlie middle of tbii 

 column, and continue fiir fome time contiguous to it ; though 

 fometimes it only points to it, at fome diltaiice, either lu a 

 perpendicular, or in an obliq.ie line. 



Frequently it is Icarcely diltinguilliablc, whether the cone 

 or the column appear the firit, both appearing all ot a fuddcn 

 againll e.ich oilier. But Idnietimes the wa'er bnils up from 

 the fea to a great height, with.iit any appearance of a fpout 

 pointing to it, either perpendicularly or ob';c|!iely. Lidirod, 

 generally, the boiling or fl -ing up of the water :.,is the 

 priority, this always precedng its being fornnd into a co- 

 lumn. Generally the cone does -'oX. apiK.ir liollow till to- 

 wards the end, when the fea-water is violently thrown up 

 along Jlb middle, as fraokc up a chimney : loon alter this the 



Ipout, 



