sno 
Continent, and sntFers no alteration from 
the neighbourhood of the sea, except that it 
is rendered tit for the growth of some 
plants, and wholly unfit for that of others, 
by the saline steams and impregnations ; 
and it is scarcely to be conceived by any, but 
those who have observed it, how far on 
land the effects of the sea read), so as to 
make the earth proper for plants, which 
will not grow without this influence ; there 
being sevd'al plants frequently found on 
high hills, and dry places, at three, four, and 
more miles from the sea, vidiich yet would 
not grow, unless in the neighbourhood of it, 
nor will ever be found elsewhere. The se- 
cond part or portion of the shore is much 
more affected by the sea than the former, 
being frequently washed and beaten by it. 
Its productions are rendered salt by the 
water, and it is covered with sand, or with 
the' fragments of shells inform of sand, and in 
some places with a tartarous matter depo- 
sited from the water; the colour of this 
whole extent of ground is usually dusky and 
dull, especially where there are rocks and 
stones, and these covered with a slimy mat- 
ter. The third part of the shore is more af- 
fected by the sea than either of the others, 
and is covered with an uniform crust of the 
true nature of the bottom of the sea, ex- 
cept that plants and animals have their resi- 
dence in it ; and the decayed parts of these 
alter it a little. 
SHORL, in mineralogy, occurs com- 
monly in granite, gneiss, and other simitar 
rocks ; often in mass, but very frequently 
crystallized. The primitive form of its 
crystals is an obtuse rhomboid, the solid 
angle at the summit of which is 139’, having 
rhomboid faces, with angles of 114’ 12' and 
65“ 48' : but it usually occurs in three, six, 
eight, nine, or twelve sided prisms, termi- 
nated by four or five-sided summits, va- 
riously truncated. , 
SiioRL, black. Colour black. Found in 
mass, disseminated and crystallized. Crys- 
tals three-sided prisms, having their lateral 
edges truncated. Sometimes terminating 
in a pyramid. It becomes electric by heat. 
When heated to redness, its colour becomes 
browhiishred; and at 127“Wedgewood,itis 
converted into a brownish compact enamel. 
According to Wiegleb, it is composed of 
Alumina 41.25 
Silica 34.16 
Iron 20.00 
Manganese 5.41 
100.82 
SH O 
Shorl, electric. This stone was first 
made known in Europe by specimens 
brought from Ceylon ; but it is now found 
frequently forming a part of the composition 
of mountains. It is sometimes in amor- 
phous pieces, but much more frequently 
crystallized in three or nine sided prisms, 
with four-sided summits. Colour usually 
green ; sometimes brown, red, blue. Found 
in mass, in grains, and crystallized. Crystals 
three, six, or nine-sided prisms, variously 
truncated. Its texture is foliated. Specific 
gravity 3. Colour brown, sometimes with 
a tint of green, blue, red, or yellow. When 
heated to 200’ Fahrenheit, it becomes elec- 
tric, one of the summits negatively and the 
other positively. It reddens when heated, 
and is fusible per se, with white intumes- 
cence, into a white or grey enamel. Ac- 
cording to Vauquelin, it is composed of 
Silica 40 
Alumina 39 
Oxide of iron 12 
Lime 4 
Oxide of manganese 2.5 
97.5 
Loss 2.5 
100 
SHORLITE, a stone which received its 
name from M. Klaproth, is generally found 
in oblong masses, which, when regular, are 
six-sided prisms, inserted in granite. Its 
texture is foliated. Specific gravity 3.53. 
Colour greenish or yellowish white ; some- 
times sulphur yellow. Not altered by heat. 
It is composed of 
Alumina 50 
Silica 50 
100 
SHORT -HAND, Stenography. When 
mankind had acquired a tolerable degree of 
expertness and exactness in the use of let- 
ters by the ordinary modes of writing, it 
became the study of the curious to invent 
more concise methods of denoting the same 
words or phrases. Hence sundry schemes 
of abbreviation for compendious writing 
were devised ; and the learned of different 
nations introduced them into their respec- 
tive languages, according as more skill and 
greater perfection in writing them were 
acquired. Buxtorf has written a learned 
history of Hebrew abbreviations, as a key 
to understand the Rabbinical authors. Some 
of them are the incipient letters of several 
words, joined together as one, and marked 
