S E R 
S E R 
compelling Hyder to pay sums of money. In the 
month of February 1792, it was invested by the British and 
allied armies, under the command of lord Cornwallis, 
amounting, with their followers, to the immense number of 
400,000 men. Terrified by such a host, and dispirited by 
a defeat, Tippoo Sultan relinquished half his dominions, 
and paid the sum of three and a half millions sterling to the 
conquerors. In the year 1790, a war having again broken 
out between the British and Mysore, Seringapatam was 
again invested by the British and Nizam’s forces, on the 14th 
of April, and was stormed about two o’clock in the after¬ 
noon of the 4th of May. On this occasion, Tippoo Sultan, 
and nearly 8000 of his followers, are reported to have fallen, 
and the whole of his family and treasures were taken by the 
conquerors. Previous to the siege, the city and island are 
said to have contained 150,000 inhabitants, including the 
garrison ; but in the following year, the number of inhabi¬ 
tants were reduced to less than 32,000. Seringapatam has 
of course declined exceedingly in consequence; and having 
proved unhealthy to the European part of the garrison, it has 
been in contemplation to demolish the fortifications, as the 
province contains several places of greater strength. By the 
treaty made with the allied powers, Seringapatam became 
the property of the British, and is now protected by a 
strong garrison, and is the residence of a judge, collector, &c. 
Besides the city, the island contains a very celebrated temple, 
dedicated to Vishnu, and a handsome garden called the Loll 
Bang, in which are deposited the remains of Hyder Aly 
and his son Tippoo Sultan, under a handsome mausoleum, 
which is kept in repair at the expense of the Madras govern¬ 
ment. Further information respecting Seringapatam, may 
be found in the article Mysore. Lat. 12. 26. N. long. 76. 
51. E. 
SERINGHAM, an island of the district of Trichinopoly, 
in the south of India. It is situated on the river Cavery, and 
is celebrated on account of its Hindoo temples, the largest of 
wluch is situated about a mile from the western extremity of 
the island, and is surrounded by seven square inclosures 
built of brick. These inclosures are at the distance of 350 
feet from each other, and have each four gates opposite the 
cardinal points. The outward wall is nearly four miles in 
circumference, and its gateway to the south is ornamented 
with pillars, several of which are single stones, 33 feet long, 
and 5 in diameter. The temple is built in the Egyptian 
style, and is dedicated to Vishnu ; but the British pay such 
defer^rce to the superstition of the attendant Brahmins, that 
no European has yet entered it. Pilgrims from all parts of 
India resort to this place for absolution from their sins; 
and as a considerable tax is levied upon them, this fund, 
besides supporting a great number of Brahmins, dancing 
girls, &c., yields a considerable and fair revenue to govern¬ 
ment. In the year 1751, during the siege of Trichinopoly, 
the French and their allies took possession of the island of 
Seringham ; but they neither profaned, nor in any manner 
injured the temple. Early in the following year, the whole 
of the French forces were captured in the island by the 
British, under Major Lawrence, who also respected the rites 
and superstitions of the Hindoos. This island is situated in 
the middle of the river Cavery, half a mile north of the for¬ 
tress of Trichinopoly. 
SERINHAIM, a small river of Brazil, in the province 
of Todos Santos, which runs east, and enters the Atlantic. 
SERINO, a town of Italy, in the central part of the 
kingdom of Naples, in the Principato Ultra, with 7500 
inhabitants. Here are the remains of an ancient aqueduct, 
and in the neighbourhood the ruins of the Roman town of 
Sebastia; 12 miles north-by-east of Salerno. 
SERINPALE, a small town of Western Africa, on the 
Senegal, in an island formed by two branches of that river; 
80 miles north-east of St. Louis. 
SERINZA, a settlement of New Granada, in the province 
of Tunja, peopled by 100 Indians and a few whites. There 
is another settlement of the same name in this province, con¬ 
taining 300 housekeepers. 
47 
SERIO, a river of Austrian Italy, in the Milanese, which 
rises on the borders of the Vatteline, flows through the 
Bergamasco, and falls into the Adda. 
SERIO, a small town of Austrian Italy, in the Milanese, 
district of Bergamo, on the lake of Serio. 
SERIOLA [a little vessel, jar or pot], in Botany, a genus 
of the class syngenesia, order polygamia sequalis, natural 
order of compositae semiflosculosae, cichoraceae (Juss ).— 
Generic Character. Calyx common, simple: leaflets linear, 
almost equal, erect. Corolla compound, imbricate, uniform. 
Corollets hermaphrodite, equal, numerous. Proper one-pe- 
talled, ligulate, linear, truncate, five-toothed. Stamina: 
filaments five, capillary, very short. Anther cylindrical, 
tubulous. Pistil: germ ovate. Style filiform, length of the 
stamens. Stigmas two, reflex. Pericarp none. Calyx un¬ 
changed. Seeds oblong, length of the calyx. Pappus ca¬ 
pillary, stipitate; with ten rays, hairy at the sides. Recep¬ 
tacle chaffy, length of the calyx, deciduous .—Essential 
Character . Calyx simple. Pappus subplumose. Recep¬ 
tacle chaffy. 
1. Seriola laevigata, or smooth seriola.—Smoothish, leaves 
obovate, toothed. Roots perennial, long, twisted, the thick¬ 
ness of the little finger, covered at top with brown scales 
from the withered petioles,/—Native of the island of Candia, 
and of Barbary, in the clefts of rocks. 
2. Seriola aethnensis, or rough seriola.—Hispid, leaves 
obovate, somewhat toothed. Root annual.—Native of Italy, 
and of Barbary near Mascar. 
3. Seriola Cretensis, or Cretan seriola.— Rough-haired, 
with runcinate leaves.—Native of the island of Candia or 
Crete. 
4. Seriola urens, or stinging seriola.—Stinging, leaves 
toothed, stem branched.—Native of Sicily and other parts of 
the south of Europe. . 
SERIOUS, adj. [serieux, Fr.; serius, Lat.] Grave; 
solemn.—Important; weighty; not trifling.—Til hence to 
London on a serious matter. Skakspeare. 
There’s nothing serious in mortality; 
All is but toys. Shakspeare. 
SERIOUSLY, ado. Gravely; solemnly; in earnest; 
without levity. 
All laugh’d to find 
Unthinking plainness so o’erspread thy mind 
That thou could’st seriously persuade the crowd 
To keep their oaths, and to believe a God. Dryden. 
SERIOUSNESS, s. Gravity; solemnity; earnest atten¬ 
tion.—The youth was received at the door by a servant, who 
then conducted him with great silence and seriousness to a 
long gallery, which was darkened at noon-day. Addison. 
SERIPHIUM [Seye^iov of Dioscorides], in Botany, a 
genus of the class syngenesia, order polygamia segregata, 
natural order of compositae nucamentaceae, corymbiferae 
(Juss .)—Generic Character. Calyx : outer perianth of five 
roundish, imbricate, tomentose leaflets. Inner of five erect, 
acuminate, awl-shaped, very smooth, scariose leaflets, twice 
as long as the others; one-flowered. Corolla one-petalled, 
funnel-form, shorter than the inner calyx; border five¬ 
toothed. Stamina: filaments five, capillary. Anther cy¬ 
lindrical. Pistil: germ inferior to the corollet, superior to 
the calyx. Style filiform. Stigma sub-bifid. Pericarp 
none. Calyx unchanged, closed. Seed solitary, oblong.— 
Essential Character. Calyx imbricate. . Corolla one-pe¬ 
talled, regular. Seed one, oblong,- below the corolla. 
1. Seriphium cinereum, or heath-leaved seriphium.—■ 
Flowers whorl-spiked, one-flowered, leaves spreading. 
Branches in whorls. 
2. Seriphium plumosum.—Flowers in spikes, six-flowered, 
leaves granulate-ovate. 
3. Seriphium fuscuin, or brown seriphium.—Flowers ca¬ 
pitate, one-flowered, leaves imbricate. 
4. Seriphium ambiguum, or doubtful seriphium.—Flowers 
in spikes, three-flowered, leaves linear.—All the species are 
natives of the Cape of Good Hope. 
SERIPIIOS, 
