SPA 
dropsies have been cured. Dr. Mead 
relates, that a dropsical patient, who, had 
taken the usual remedies, and had been tap- 
ped three times without effect, w'as cured by 
taking half a pint of the decoction of queen- 
broom tops, with a spoonful of whole mus- 
tard seed, every morning and evening. 
“An infusion of the seeds drunk freely 
(says Mr. Withering) has been known to 
produce similar happy effects ; but who- 
ever expects these effects to follow in every 
dropsical case will be greatly deceived. I 
knew them succeed in one case that was 
truly deplorable ; but out of a great num- 
ber of cases in which the medicine had a 
fair trial, this proved a single instance.” 
The flower- buds are in some countries 
pickled, and eaten as capers ; and the seeds 
have been used as a bad substitute for cof- 
fee. The branches are used for making 
besoms, and tanning leather. They are 
also used instead of thatch to cover houses. 
The old wood furnishes the cabinet-maker 
with beautiful materials for veneering. The 
tender branches are in some places mixed 
with hops for brewing, and the macerated 
bark may be manufactured into cloth. 
SPARUS, in natural history, a genus of 
fishes of the order Thoracici, Generic 
character ; teeth strong, sometimes arranged 
in a single row, and sometimes in two 
rows or more ; grinders generally convex, 
smooth, and thickly planted in the moirth 
like a species of pavement ; lips doubled ; 
gi!} covers unarmed, smooth, and scaly. 
There are forty species, but little is known 
of their habits and manners, and in some 
instances, Shaw observes, that they are con- 
founded by naturalists with the genus Labrus. 
S. auratus, or gilt-headed sparus, is found 
in the European, American, and Indian 
seas, is about fifteen inches long, and was 
admired as a great delicacy by the an- 
cients, by whom it was also consecrated to 
Venus. 
SPATHA, in botany, a sheath, a species 
of calyx which bursts lengthways, and pro- 
trudes a stalk supporting one or more flow- 
ers, which commonly have no perianthium 
or proper flower-cup. The spatlia opens 
on one side, from bottom to top, and con- 
sists either of one piece, as in the narcis- 
sus, snow drop, and the greater number of 
spathaceous plants : of two, as in the marsh 
aloe ; or of a number of scales laid over 
one another like tiles, as in the plaintain- 
tiee. 
SPATHACEiE, the name of the ninth 
order in Linnaeus’s Fragments of a Natural 
SPE 
Method, consisting of plants, the flowers of 
which are protruded from a sheath : among 
these are the allium, onion, galanthus, snow- 
drop, and narcissus daffodil. The plants of 
this order are nearly allied in habit and 
structure to the liliaceous plants, from 
which they are distinguished by the spatha, 
or sheath, out of which their flowers are 
protruded. 
SPATHELIA, in botany, a genus of the 
Pentandria Trigynia class and order. Na- 
tural. order of Bicornes. Terebintacea;, 
Jussieu. Essential character: calyx five- 
leaved ; petals five ; capsule three-cornered, 
three-celled; .seeds solitary. There is only 
one species, viz. S. simplex, rhus-leaved 
spathelia, a native of Jamaica. 
SPATULiV, an instrument used by sur- 
geons and apothecaries. 
SPAYING, an operation performed on 
the females of several kinds of animals, 
to prevent any farther conception, and pro- 
mote their fattening. 
SPEAKER of the Houeetof Commons, a 
member of the house elected by a majority 
of the votes thereof, to act as chairman or 
president in putting questions, reading 
briefs or bills, keeping order, reprimanding 
the refractory, adjourning the house, &c. 
The first thing done by the commons, upon 
the first meeting of a parliament, is to 
choose a Sp.-'aker, who is to be approved of 
by the king, and who, upon his admission, 
begs his Majesty that the commons, during 
their sitting, may have free access to his 
Majesty, freedom of speech in their own 
house, and security from arrests. The 
Speaker is not allowed to persuade or dis- 
suade in passing a bill, but only to make a 
short and plain narrative; nor to vote un- 
less the house be equally divided. 
SPECIES, in logic, a relative term, ex- 
pressing an idea which is comprised under 
some general one, called a genus. The 
idea of a species is formed, by adding a 
new idea to the genus ; thus if the genus be 
a circumscribed space, and we suppose this 
circumscription to be by lines, we shall ob- 
tain the notion of that species of figures 
which are called plain figures; but if we 
conceive the circumscription to be by sur- 
faces, we get an idea of the species of solid 
figures. This superadded idea is called the 
specific dilference, not only as it serves to 
distinguish the species from the genus ; but 
because being different 'in all the several 
subdivisions, we thereby also distinguish the 
species one from another : and as this super- 
added conception completes the notion of 
