STR 
STR 
the wale-knot stops it, so that it cannot slip the justices of the peace are impowered to 
away faster than is necessary. command the constables near the sea coast, 
STORAX. See Resin. assistance, in ord^r to preserve the 
STORES. If any person who has the ** possible, 
charge or custody of any of the King’s ar- STRATA, in natural history, the several 
mour, ordnance, ammunition, shot, powder, beds or layers of different matters whereof 
or habiliments of war, or of any victuals for the earth is composed. The strata, where- 
victualling the navy, shall, to hinder his of the earth is composed, are so veiy dif- 
JVIajesty’s .service, embezzle, purloin, or con- feient in diffeient countries, that it is im- 
vey away the same to the value of twenty- possible to say any thing concerning them, 
shillings ; or shall steal or embezzle any of that may be generally applicable : and, in- 
his Majesty's sails, cordage, or any ojher of deed the depths to which we can penetrate 
his naval stores, to the value of twenty shil- are so small, that only a very few can he 
lings, he shall be adjudged guilty of felony 
without benefit of clergy. 22 Charles II. 
c. 5. The treasurer, comptroller, surveyor, 
clerk of the acts, or any commissioner of the 
navy, may act as justices in causing the offen- 
der to be apprehended, committed, and pro- 
secuted for the same. 9 George III. c. 30. 
If any person shall wilfully and maliciously 
set on fire, burn, or destroy any of his 
Majesty’s military, naval, or victualling 
stores, or other amnwinition of war, or any 
place, where any such stores or ammunition 
shall be kept; he and his abettors shall be 
guilty of felony without benefit of clergy. 
12 George III. c. 24. None but the con- 
tractors with the commissioners of the navy 
shall make any stores of war, naval stores, 
with the marks commonly used to his Ma- 
jesty’s stores, upon pain of forfeiting two 
hundred pounds. And persons in whose 
custody such' stores shall be found con- 
cealed, are liable to the same penalty. 
Satute 9 and 10 William III. c. 41. 
Justices may mitigate the penalty of con- 
cealing stores ; statute 9 George I. c. 8. 
Justices of assize and quarter-sessions may 
hear and determine offences relating to 
stores ; statute 17 George II. c. 40. 
STORK. See Ardea. 
STOWAGE, in naval affairs, the gene- 
ral disposition of the several materials con- 
tained in a ship’s hold, with regard to theif 
figure, magnitude, or solidity. 
STRAKE^, in the sea language, signify 
the uniform ranges of planks on the bottom, 
decks, and sides of ships; and the garboard 
strake is that next the keel. 
STRAND, signifies any shore of the 
sea, or bank of a great river ; hence an im- 
munity from paying customs on goods or 
vessels, was anciently expressed by strand 
and stream. 
STRANDED, among seamen, is said of 
a ship that is driven ashore by a tempest, 
or runs on ground through ill steerage, and 
so perishes. Where any vessel is stranded, 
known to us at any rate ; those that lie near 
the centre, or even a great way from it, 
being for ever hid. One reason why we 
cannot penetrate to any great depth is, 
that as we go down, the air becomes foul, 
loaded with pernicious vapours, inflamma- 
ble air, fixed air, &c. wliich destroy the 
miners, and there is no possibility of going 
on. In many places, however, these va-' 
pours become pernicious much sooner than 
in others, particularly where sulphureous 
minerals abound, as in mines of metal, coal, 
&c. But however great differences there 
may be among the under strata, the upper 
one is in some respects the same all over 
the globe, at least in this respect, that it is 
fit for the support of vegetables, which the 
others are not, without long exposure to 
the air. Properly speaking, indeed, the 
upper stratum of the earth all round is com- 
posed of the pure vegetable mould, though 
in many places it is mixed with large quan- 
tities of other strata, as clay, sand, gravel, 
&c. and hence proceed the differences of 
soils, so well known to those who practise 
agriculture. It has been supposed by some 
naturalists, that the different strata, of which 
the earth is composed, were originally form- 
ed at the creation, and have continued in a 
manner immutable ever since : but this can- 
not possibly have been the case, since we 
find that many of the strata are strangely 
intermixed with each other ; the bones of 
animals, both marine and terrestrial, are fre- 
quently found at great depths in the earth ; 
beds of oyster shells are found of immense 
extent in several countries ; and concerning 
these and other shell-fish, it is remarkable, 
that they are generally found much further 
from the surface than the bones or teeth 
either of marine or terrestrial animals. 
Neither are the shells or other remains of 
fish found in those countries adjoining to 
the seas w'here they grow naturally, but in 
the most distant regions. Mr. Whitehurst, 
in his Inquiry into the Original State ifnd 
