SHI 
*ije Nomans, was called by the Englisfh 
name of shilling ; and the Saxon shilling of 
4 pence took a Norman name, and was 
called the groat, or great coin, because it 
was the largest English coin then known in 
England. From this time the shilling un- 
derwent many alterations. In the time of 
Edward I. the pound troy was the same as 
the pound sterling of silver, consisting of 20 
shillings ; so tliat the shilling weighed the 
..20th part of a pound, or more than half an 
ounce troy. But some are of opinion there 
were no coins of this denomination till 
Henry VII., in the year 1504, first coined 
silver pieces of 12 pence value, which we 
call shillings. Since the reign of Elizabeth 
a shilling weighs the 62d part of a pound 
troy, or 3 dwts. 20|f grs., the pound weight 
of silver making 62 shillings. And hence 
the ounce of silver is worth 5s. 2d. or 5i 
shillings. 
SHINGLES, in building, small pieces of 
wood, or quartered oaken boards, sawn to 
a certain scantling, or, as is more usual, 
cleft to about an inch thick at one end, and 
made like wedges four or five inches broad, 
and eight or nine inches long. Shingles are 
also used instead of tiles or slates, especially 
for churches and steeples. However, this 
covering is dear ; yet where tiles arg very 
scarce, and a light covering is required, it 
is preferable to thatch ; and where they are 
made of good oak, cleFt, and not sawed, 
and well seasoned in water and the sun, 
they make a sure, light, and durable cover- ' 
ing. The building is first to be covered all 
over with boards, and the shingks nailed 
upon tliem. 
SHIP building. The man of science and 
the practical shipwright have long lamented, 
that in the theory of the art of ship-building 
there are so few fixed and positive princi- 
ples established by demonstration, or con- 
firmed by practice j thus the artist being 
left to the exercise of his own opinion in 
general, resists theoretical ■ propositions, 
however speciously found, so hard has it 
ever been found to overcome habitual pre- 
judices. 
The great neglect of the theory of ship- 
building is much to be deplored in a coun- 
try like this, where the practical part is so 
well understood and executed. Mathema- 
tics, engineering, and civil or house archi- 
tect, are sciences nourished and taught in 
our universities and other schools, 'and 
however superior scholars may arrive in 
those arts, and celebrated for their abilities, 
show them shipping draughts, or talk to them 
of the science of ship building, and they ap- 
SHI 
pear as much at a loss as though they had 
never heard of such an art ; nevertheless, it 
may be but justice to add, that some men of 
different professions have felt themselves 
interested in its progress to perfection, and 
lately we have seen the endeavours of men 
conversant in the practical parts of ship- 
building, publishing their ideas, and this in 
hopes that gentlemen of more scientific 
abilities may be induced to add to their la- 
bours, and make the theory of ship-building 
much more familiar in this country, as few, 
very few, professional shipwrights have hi- 
therto had it in their power to employ their 
talents to improve this science by theory. 
Ships are bodies, which when to be put in 
motion, have water for their resisting force, 
and a contrary element, as air or wind, for 
their impelling force, therefore the theorist 
and practical ship-builder should ever keep 
particularly in view to improve himself in 
the knowledge of floating bodies, and endea- 
vour to gain a complete knowledge of the 
resistance of fluids, add to this aerostatics 
and mathematics in general. Thus taught, 
the man of practice would, though cau- 
tiously, add the speculation of the theorist, 
as there is a great deal to be risked, and 
much to be suffered ; but could the ideas of 
the theorist and the man of practice be as- 
similated and well weighed togetlier, much 
benefit to the art of ship-building might be 
acquired, and their most useful ideas be re- 
duced to the test of experiment. 
When experience favours theory, then we 
arrive at the desired point; but the dif- 
ficulty and expense of accurately making a 
sufficient number of experiments, is a great 
hindrance to its assumption, and has greatly 
hindered that de.sired knowledge in this 
branch of science. Notwithstanding these 
obstacles, many opportunities offer of in- 
troducing well digested theory, though cau- 
tiously and by degrees, into the many va- 
rious ships and vessels building in this king- 
dom, and thus vve would hope, by the 
united efforts of the theorist, ship-builder 
and mariner, who should carefully notice 
and report every observation in his power 
of the vessel acting in her various situations, 
thus the different results being accurately 
stated, desirable data may be reasonably 
established. 
It is well known thatbodies of any mag- 
nitude could not be built or put together 
without designs or drawings on convenient 
scales, particularly that complex machine a 
ship, therefore an accurate delineation of 
the whole vessel, with respect to its various 
lengths, heigh ths, breadths, and depths, is 
