798 
SCILLY ISLANDS. 
raerous, small, blue. Pedicels scattered, filiform, blue, 
three times as long as the flowers.—Native of the island of 
Madeira. 
15. Scilla lingulata, or tongue-leaved squill.—Leaves 
lanceolate flat, raceme dense, conical, bractes awl-shaped 
equalling the pedicels. Bulb ovate, coated, solid. Leaves 
five to seven, acute, involved in a membranaceous sheath 
at the base. Scape slender, erect. Raceme short, ovate. 
Flowers on filiform pedicels, equal to the flowers.—Native 
of Barbary, infields: flowering in winter. 
16. Scilla villosa, or villose-leaved squill.—Leaves lan¬ 
ceolate, flat, villose, flowers corymbed. Bulb ovate, solid, 
coated. Leaves spreading in a ring, unequal obtuse or acute. 
Scape erect. Pedicels filiform.—Native of Barbary, in 
sands near Kerwan: flowering in winter. 
17. Scilla obtusifolia, or blunt-leaved squill.—Scape la¬ 
teral, leaves tongue-shaped, waved, flowersracemecl without 
bractes. Bulb ovate, solid. Scapes often two, slender, 
round, simple, erect. Flowers like those of Scilla autum¬ 
nal is, on filiform pedicels three times as long as the flowers. 
—Native of Barbary near La Calle. 
IS. Scilla parviflora, or small-flowered squill.—Leaves 
linear-lanceolate, acute, smooth, shorter than the scape, 
flowers racemed crowded, bractes very short. Bulb ovate, 
solid, with the outer coat brown and membranaceous. 
Leaves four to six, very finely striated. Scape slender, erect, 
often twice as long as the leaves, quite simple. Flowers 
like those of Scilla autumnalis, on filiform pedicels twice 
or thrice the length of the flower spreading out horizontally. 
—Native of Barbary, in fields about Algiers: flowering in 
winter. 
19. Scilla undulata, or waved-leaved squill.—Leaves lan¬ 
ceolate, waved, flowers loosely racemed, bractes very short. 
Bulb ovate, compact, with the outer coats membrana¬ 
ceous and separating.—Very common in Barbary, on barren 
hills about Tunis, Constantine, Algiers, &c.: flowering in 
autumn and at the beginning of winter. 
20. Scilla autumnalis, or autumnal squill.—Leaves linear, 
flowers corymbed-racemed, peduncles without bractes, as¬ 
cending, length of the flowers. Bulla ovate-roundish, coated, 
whitish.—Native of France, Spain, Italy, Barbary and 
England. 
The autumnal squill, or Starry hyacinth, as our old 
writers call it, is not very uncommon in dry pastures, in the 
southern and western parts of England. 
21. Scilla anthericoides, or anthericum-like squill.— 
Raceme long, bractes awl-shaped, pedicels shorter than 
the corolla.—Bulb ovate, coated. Flowers loosely racemed, 
on filiform pedicels a little shorter than the corolla.—Native 
of Barbary, near La Calle: flowering in autumn and winter. 
22. Scilla unifolia, or one-leaved squill.—Leaf subcylin- 
drical subspiked at the side.—Native of Portugal, 
Propagation and Culture. —1. The officinal squill grow¬ 
ing on sea shores, and in ditches where the salt water flows 
in with the tide, in the warm parts of Europe, cannot be 
propagated in gardens, the frost in winter always destroying 
the roots, and for want of salt water they do not thrive in 
summer. Sometimes the roots put out stems and produce 
flowers as they lie in the druggists’ shops. 
The other species are mostly hardy, and may be propa¬ 
gated by seeds or offsets. 
SCILLONEORTE [2/«XXav 'Eo_p7ij, Gr.], in Antiquity, 
the festival of sea-onions. It was observed in Sicily. The 
chief part of it was a combat, in which youths beat one 
another with sea-onions. He that obtained the victory was 
rewarded by the gymnasiarch with a bull. 
SCILLY ISLANDS, a group of islands, situated at the 
western extremity of the English channel, about 30 miles 
westward of the Land’s End, and included in, or belonging 
to, the county of Cornwall. In fine weather they are easily 
discernible from the coast of Cornwall, appearing like a clus¬ 
ter of cliffs, or fragments of ruined castles, round which 
rolls the vast Atlantic. The principal mode of conveyance 
to these islands, is in vessels that sail from the port of Pen¬ 
zance. In good weather, the passage, a distance of 14 
leagues, is generally accomplished in four or five hours; but 
it is rendered dangerous by numerous ledges of rock, one 
of which, called the Gulph or Waif, situated about mid-way, 
has been the occasion of many shipwrecks. The islands are 
numerous; but six only of them are inhabited, viz., St. 
Mary’s, Trc-cau, St. Martin’s, St. Agnes, Sampson, and 
Brehar. The climate here is mild and healthy, the extremes 
of winter and summer being moderated and equalized by 
the influence of the sea breezes. The views from these islands 
are in general extremely picturesque, and greatly diversified 
by the various vessels that are continually navigating the 
contiguous channels, or the more distant ocean. The in¬ 
habitants are chiefly engaged in agriculture, in fishing, and 
in the manufacture of kelp. Cattle are fed in most of the 
islands; but they are neither numerous, nor remarkable for 
size. The crops of corn principally raised are barley, pease, 
and oats, with a small proportion of wheat. A few acres 
arc sown with pillis; and potatoes are grownin-great quan¬ 
tities, especially in St. Mary’s. The manufacture of kelp 
was first introduced here by a Mr. Nauce, in 1684, who 
taught the inhabitants the process, and whose memory is 
still revered by them on this account. The civil government 
of the Scilly Islands is not vested in any properly constituted 
authority. Persons accused of felonies are sent to Cornwall, 
to be tried at the county assizes; but all minor crimes and 
civil suits are cognizable by a court delegated by the lord 
proprietor, who derives his authority for exercising this civil 
jurisdiction, solely from a patent granted by king William. 
Ilis court consists of 15 of the principal inhabitants of 
Hcughtown, in St. Mary’s, and sits mostly there for the 
decision of causes. Vacancies are supplied by election; but 
the whole may be dissolved at any time by the lord pro¬ 
prietor. The number of inhabitants in all the islands is 
about 2000, of which the greater proportion are in St. 
Mary’s. This is the largest, the most important, and best 
cultivated of the whole group. It possesses three towns, a 
pier, a garrison, custom-house, and other public buildings. 
Its length is about 2| miles, and its circumference between 9 
and 10 miles. The hills on it are rocky; they rise in some 
places to a considerable elevation, and are said to abound 
with metallic ores. The entrance into the sound is skirted 
by numerous small isles, covered with verdure to the water’s 
edge, or are occasionally surrounded by bold assemblages of 
rocks, which in some places have a sublime, and in others a 
very grotesque appearance. St. Mary’s contains about 1270 
inhabitants. The principal settlement on, or the capital 
of, this island, is Newtown, or Heughtown, where nearly 
half the inhabitants of the island reside. It is situated on 
the low land of the isthmus that joins the main part of the 
island to the high ground of the garrison, and consists of 
one long street, intersected by two others of less extent. 
Here is the custom-house, to which belong a collector, a 
surveyor, and six other officers; also a council-house, and 
a prison. At the west end of the town is the pier, which 
was rebuilt by the earl of Godolphin, about the year 1750. 
It is 430 feet in length, and is calculated to receive and pro¬ 
tect vessels of 150 tons burden. In the vicinity are the re¬ 
mains of an old' fortress, with a mount, and likewise the 
ruins of several block-houses and batteries, supposed to have 
been constructed during the civil wars. The church stands 
about a mile from the town ; and about a quarter of a mile 
farther along the shore is Old Town, formerly the principal 
place in the island. Adjoining this, on an eminence, are 
some vestiges of Old Town castle mentioned by Lleland. 
Giant’s Castle bay, to flic eastward, derives its name from 
an earthen-bank so called, which is ascribed to the Danes. 
Near it is one of those curiosities called rocking-stones; and 
the remains of Driuidical monuments, consisting of circu¬ 
lar stories, with sepulchral barrows, are found in different 
parts of the island. On the western side of the island are 
the barracks and several batteries ; here is also the .king’s 
Star-castle, so called from its figure projecting every way, 
like rays from a star. It commands an extensive prospect of 
the 
