S T A 
S T A 
69 8 
hold it m but little dread, since they bathe 
without apprehension in places known to be 
infested by it. This fish is said to produce 
about ten or fourteen young at a birth. See 
.Plate Nat. Hist. fig. 375. 
7. Squalus pristis. Saw-snouted shark. The 
saw-fish is a large species of shark, growing 
to the length of fifteen feet or more : the head 
is slightly flattened at the top, and is produced 
in front into a very long, flat, straight, and 
slightly tapering bony snout, covered, like 
the rest of the animal, by minute scales: 
along the edges project a great number of 
very strong, large, slightly flattened, and very 
sharp-pointed toothlike processes; the mouth, 
as in other sharks, is placed beneath, and is 
furnished on the edges of the jaws with seve- 
ral rows of small and somewhat blunt teeth, 
paving the lips, as in some of the rays. The 
habit of the fish is rather slender; the body 
convex above, and somewhat flattened be- 
neath ; the dorsal fins placed as in the squalus 
acanthias and several others. The saw-fish 
is an inhabitant of the Mediterranean and 
.northern seas, and was known to the ancient 
writers by the title of pristis. In the embryo 
animal the edges of the snout are observed to 
be nearly smooth, or but slightly undulated 
by the projection of the incipient teeth or 
processes, which are supposed to be of very- 
quick growth. 
SQUARE. See Geometry. 
Square number, the product of a num- 
ber multiplied into itself. 
Square, in ihe military art, a particular 
formation into which troops are thrown on 
critical occasions; particularly to resist the 
charge of cavalry. 
Square, solid, is a body of foot, where 
both ranks and riles are equal. It was former- 
ly held in great esteem ; but when the prince 
of Nassau introduced the hollow square, this 
was soon neglected. 
Square, hollow, is a body of foot drawn 
up, with an empty space in the centre, for 
the colours, drums, and baggage, facing every 
way to resist the charge of the horse. 
Square, oblong, a square which is not at 
right angles, but represents the figure of an 
oblong, whose sides are unequal. Thus as 
eight companies of equal numbers would form 
a perfect square, ten make an oblong. 
Square, perfect, a square whose sides are 
equal and at right angles. The perfect square, 
in the formation of troops, seems best calcu- 
lated for military movements and arange- 
ments. Battalions, for instance, which are 
composed of eight companies, with one hun- 
dred rank and tile in each, are equal to every 
species of disposition. It is upon this principle, 
we presume, that the French have distributed 
their infantry. British regiments, on the con- 
trary, consist of ten companies, and are so 
composed that no square of this kind can be 
formed. This is manifestly a defect in our 
system. it is indeed remedied by the gre- 
nadier and light infantry companies being oc- 
casionally detached, or cast into separate bat- 
talions ; so that the remaining companies, by 
being told off, are brought to eight equal 
parts. 
Square root. See Algebra, and Arith- 
metic. 
SQUIRREL. See Sciurus. 
STACHYS, a genus of plants belonging 
to the class of didynamia, and order of gynv 
iiospermia ; and ija . the natural system ’ ar- 
5 T A 
ranged under the 42d order, verticillata\ The 
upper lip of the corolla is arched, the lower 
lip reflexed, and the larger intermediate laci- 
nia is marginated. The stamina, after shed- 
ding the farina, are bent towards the sides. 
There are 24 species. Four only are natives 
of Britain; viz. 1. Sylvatica, hedge-nettle. 
The plant is hairy all over, erect, a yard high, 
and branched. 'I he whole plant has a strong 
fetid smell. It grows commonly in woods and 
shady places, and flowers in July or August. 
It will dye yellow. 2. Palustris, clown’s all- 
heal. The roots are white and tuberous. 
The stalk is branched at the bottom, and two 
or three feet high. The flowers are red or 
purple. This plant has a fetid smell and bitter 
taste, and is reckoned a good vulnerary. It 
grows on the sides of rivers and lakes, in low 
moist grounds, and sometimes in corn-fields. 
3. Germanica, base horehound. The stem 
is downy, and about two feet high. The leaves 
are white, downy, wrinkled, and indented. 
The flowers are white, purplish within, and 
grow in multiflorous ,whorls. It grows in 
England. 4. Arvensis, corn-stachys, petty 
iromvort, or all-heal. T he stalk is ten or 
twelve inches high, square, branched, and 
hairy. It is frequent in corn-fields, and grows 
from June to August. 
STADIUM, an antient Greek long mea- 
sure, about a furlong. 
ST/EH ELINA, a genus of plants belong- 
ing to the class of syngenesia, and order of 
polygamia aequalis ; and in the natural system 
arranged under the 49th order, composite. 
The receptacle is paleaceous, the chaff being 
very short; the pappus is branchy, and the 
antherae caudated. There are 10 species, the 
gnaphaloides, dubia, arborescens, fruticosa, 
ilicifolia, eorymbosa, chanisepeuce, imbricata, 
spinosa, and hastila. 
STAG. See Cervus. 
Stag-beetle. See Lucanus. 
STALACTITE, oi-Stalactagnia, stony 
concretions resembling icicles, in natural, his- 
tory, or crystalline spars formed into oblong, 
conical, round, or irregular bodies, composed 
of various crusts, and u uallv found hanging in 
form of icicles from the roofs of grottoes, & c. 
See Spar. 
Of this class there are various species: as 
the hard, white stalactite ; the white, shattery 
stalactite; and the yellow, shattery, crystal- 
line stalactite. See Plate Nat. Hist. fig. 384. 
STALAGMITIS, a genus of the moncecia 
order, in the polygamia class of plants; and 
in the natural method ranking under the 38lli 
order, tricoccse. The calyx is either quadri- 
phyllous or hexaphyllous ; the corolla consists 
of four or of six petals ; the receptacle is fleshy, 
and somewhat square-shaped; the filaments 
ab >ut30. In the hermaphrodite flower the 
stylus is short, thick, and erect; the fruit is a 
berry of a globular shape, unilocular, and 
browned with the stylus and stigma : they con- 
tain three oblong jointed triangular seed's. Of 
this there is only one species, viz. the carnbo- 
gioides, a native of the East Indies and of the 
warmer parts of America. From this plant is 
obtained tiie gutta cambogia, or gum gamboge 
of the shops. See Gum resins, and Gam- 
boge. 
Till very lately botanists were at a loss for 
the true nature of the plant which yields this 
gum. Koenig, a native of Ireland, and an ex- 
cellent botanist, travelled over a great part of 
India, and collected a great number of new 
plants, and among the rest the stalagmite/ 
These he bequeathed to sir Joseph Banks. 
STALK. See Botany. 
S TAMINA. See Botany. 
Stamina, in the animal body, are defined 
to be those simple original parts, which ex- 
isted first in the embryo. See Physio- 
logy. 
STAMP DUTIES, a branch of the pub- 
lic revenue, raised by requiring, that all deeds 
or documents, in order to be valid, shall be 
written on paper or parchment bearing a 
public mark or seal, for which a tax is paid. 
Stamp-duties are said to have originated 
in Holland, and were introduced into Eng- 
land in 1671, by “ an act for laying imposi- 
tions on proceedings at law these duties 
were very numerous, and were at first grant- 
ed for nine years ; they were afterwards con- 
tinued for three years from 1680, when, in 
consequence of the unfortunate jealousies be- 
tween the crown and parliament, they were 
suffered to expire. It was not long, how- 
ever, before the necessities of the govern- 
ment caused this mode of taxation to be 
again resorted to as a source of revenue more 
to be depended on than some of the taxes 
which then existed; an act was accordingly 
passed in 1694, for imposing several duties 
upon vellum, parchment, and paper, which 
may be considered as the commencement of 
the present stamp-office, as a particular set 
of commissioners were then appointed for 
managing the duties ; and about four years 
after, several new duties were granted, to 
continue for ever, to which numerous addi- 
tions have at different times been since 
made. 
The total gross produce of the stamp-du- 
ties, in the year 1713, was 107,779k, the 
charges of management of which amounted 
to 14,296k, leaving a nett produce of only 
93,483k In 1723, the nett produce had in- 
creased to 130,409k ; and it seldom exceed- 
ed this amount till 1757, when some new 
stamp-duties were imposed, by which the 
total nett amount of this revenue was in- 
creased to 267,725 k: in 1766 it amounted 
to 285,266k ; and no material additions were 
made till towards the conclusion of the Ame- 
rican war. In 1782, a duty was imposed on 
fire-insurances, which, though not actually 
collected by means of stamps, was classed 
with the stamp-duties. In 1784, additional 
duties were laid on gold and silver plate. In 
1785, duties were laid on post-horses, quack 
medicines, game-licences, attorneys’ licences, 
and pawnbrokers ; all of which were deemed 
stamp-duties, and considerably augmented 
the annual amount. But a far greater in- 
crease took place in the course of the war 
which began in 1793, during which new 
stamp-duties were imposed on receipts, bills 
of exchange, attorneys’ articles, sea-insur- 
ances, licences to wear hair-powder, horse- 
dealers’ licences, legacies, hats, stage-coaches, 
deeds, armorial bearings, smalt notes, medi- 
cines, and several other articles, which soon 
increased this branch of the revenue to more- 
than double its form r amount; and it is a 
mode of taxation which it is in general so 
difficult to evade, and is attended with such 
a comparatively small expence in collecting, 
that there can be little doubt that it will 
be extended as far as possible. 
Total gross produce of the stamp-duties of 
