SUP 
them with the naked eyes, and millions with 
the help of telescopes; and, at the same 
time, the same analogical reasoning still re- 
mains in full force with regard to the planets 
which these suns may support. See Philo- 
sophical Ttansactions, and Young’s Natural 
Philosophy. 
We shall conclude this article, with some 
particulars respecting the sun, by Sir Isaac 
Newton. 1. 'That the density of the sun’s 
heat, which is proportional to his light, is 
7 times as great in Mercury as with us, and 
that water there would be all carried otf in 
the shape of steam, for, he found, by expe- 
riments with the thermometer, that a heat 
seven times greater than that of the sun’s 
beams in summer will serve to make water 
boil. g. That the quantity of matter in the 
sun is to that in Jupiter nearly as 1100 to 1, 
and that the distance of that planet from the 
sun is in the same ratio to the sun’s semidia- 
meter; consequently, that the centre of 
gravity of the sun and Jupiter is nearly in 
the superficies of the sun. 3. That the 
quantity of matter in the sun is to that in 
Saturn as 2360 to 1, and that the distance 
of Saturn from the sun is in a ratio but lit- 
tle less than that of the sun’s semidiameter. 
And hence the common centre of gravity of 
Saturn and the sun is a little within the sun. 
4. By the same method of calculation it 
will be found, that the common centre of 
gravity of all the planets cannot be more 
than the length of the solar diameter distant 
from the centre of the sun. 5. The sun’s 
diameter is equal to 100 diameters of the 
earth, and therefore its magnitude must 
exceed that of the earth one million of 
times. 6. If 360 degrees (the whole eclip- 
tic) be divided by the quantity of the solar 
year, it will give 59' 8 which therefore is 
the medium quantity of the sun’s apparent 
daily motion ; hence his horary motion is 
equal to 2' 27". By this method the tables 
of the sun’s mean motion are constructed as 
found in astronomical books. 
SUPERCARGO, a person employed by 
merchants to go a voyage, and oversee 
their cargo or lading, and dispose of it to 
the best advantage. 
SUPERFICIES, or Surface, in geo- 
metry, a magnitude considered as having 
two dimensions; or extended in length 
and breadth, but without thickness or 
depth. In bodies, the superficies is all 
that presents itself to the eye. A super- 
ficies is chiefly considered as the external 
part of a solid. When we speak of a sur- 
face simply, and without any regard to 
SUP 
body, we usually call it figure. The seve- 
ral kinds of superficies are as follow : recti- 
linear superficies, that comprehended be- 
tween right lines ; curvilinear superficies, 
that comprehended between curve lines ; 
plane superficies, is that which has no ine- 
quality, but lies evenly between its boun- 
dary lines ; convex superficies, is the exte- 
rior part of a spherical, or spheroidical 
body ; and a concave superficies, is the 
interna) part of an orbicular or spheroidical 
body. 
The measure or quantity of a superficies, 
or surface, is called the area thereof. 
The finding of this measure, or area, is 
called the quadrature thereof. 
To measure the surfaces of the several 
kinds of bodies, as sphere^, cubes, paralel- 
lopipeds, pyramids, prisms, cones, £cc. 
Superficies, line of, a line usually found 
on the sector, and Gunter’s scale, the de- 
scription and use whereof, see under Sec- 
tor and Gunter’s scale, 
SUPERLATIVE, in grammar, one of 
the tliree degrees of comparison, being that 
inflection of nouns adjective that serves to 
augment and heighten their signification, 
and shows the quality of the thing denoted 
to be in the highest degree. 
SUPERNUMERARY, something over 
and above a fixed number. In several of 
the offices are supernumerary clerks, to be 
ready on extraordinary occasions. There 
are also supernumerary surveyors of the 
excise, to be ready to supply vacancies 
when they fall ; these hive but half pay. 
SUPERSEDEAS, a writ that lies in a 
great many cases, and signifies, in general, a 
command to stay proceedings, on good 
cause shown, wliich ought ofhervvise to 
proceed. By a supersedeas, the doing of 
a thing which might otherwise have been 
lawfully dene, is prevented ; or a thing that 
has been done, is (notwithstanding it was 
done in a due course of law) thereby made 
void. A supersedeas is either expressed or 
implied; an express supersedeas is some- 
times by writ, sometimes without a writ ; 
where it is by writ, some person to whom 
the writ is directed, is thereby commanded 
to forbear the doing something therein 
mentioned ; or if the thing has been already 
done, to revoke, as that can be done, the 
act. 
A person is superseded out of prison, 
when, by the practice of the court, the 
plaintiflF has omitted to proceed in due time 
against him. 
