SHE 
.SHE 
wrested sentences are the bladders which bear him up, and he 
sinks downright, when he once pretends to swim about 
them. Jltterbury . 
SHEER, adv. Clean; quick; at once. Not now in use. 
Thrown by angry Jove 
Sheer o’er the crystal battlements; from morn 
To noon he fell, from noon to dewy eve, 
A summer’s day; and with the setting sun, 
Drop’d from the zenith, like a falling star. 
On Lemnos. 
Milton. 
Due entrance he disdain’d, and in contempt 
At one slight bound high overleap’d all bound 
Of hill or highest wall, and sheer within 
Lights on his feet. 
Milton. 
To SHEER, ». a. See Shear. 
I keep my birth-day: send me Phillis home 
At sheering- time. 
Dry den. 
SHEER, in Ship-Building, the fore and aft curve or hang 
of a ship’s sides or decks. 
SHEER-DRAUGHT, the plan of elevation of a ship, on 
which is described the out-board works, as the sheer-rails, 
wales, ports, drifts, head, quarter, post, and stern, &c. The 
hang or sheer of each deck inside, the height of the water- 
lines, &c. 
SHEER-HOOKS, are large iron hooks used when a ship 
designs to board another. 
SHEER-HULK, is an old ship of war of 74 guns, cut 
down to the lower deck, or nearly so, and fitted up so as to 
fix or take out the lower masts of ships in the royal navy, as 
occasion requires. 
S HEER-STRAKE, the upper strake or strakes on the 
topside in midships. It forms the chief strength of the top¬ 
side, and is therefore thicker, and continued the whole length 
parallel to the top timber-line and scarfs at the butts between 
the drifts. 
SHEER-WALES, those strakes of thick stuff in the top¬ 
side of three-decked ships, which are wrought between the 
middle and lower deck ports. Sometimes they are called 
middle-wales. 
To SHEAR OFF, v. n. To steal away; to slip off clan¬ 
destinely. 
SHEERGOTTA, a town of Hindostan, province of 
Bahar. It stands at the foot of a steep and narrow pass cut 
through the Ramgur hills, being part of the great military 
road leading from Calcutta to Benares. It takes its name 
from the number of tigers which formerly infested this route. 
Lat. 24. 32. N. long. 84. 55. E. 
SHEERGUR. There are several towns of this name in 
Hindostan, which signfies the resort of tigers. 
SHEERHORN, a very lofty mountain of the Swiss can¬ 
ton of Uri; 10 miles south-east of Altorf. It rises to the height 
of 10,700 feet, and at the top is divided into two parts, 
from which it probably derives its name. It is covered with 
glaciers of great extent. Lat. 46. 49. 50. N. long. 8. 40. 
5.E. 
SHEERING, or Shearing, in Sea Language, a term 
used for the motion of a ship, when she deviates from the 
line of the course, either to the right or left.—To sheer off, 
is to remove to a greater distance. 
SHEERING, a parish of England, in Essex; 8 miles 
from Epping. 
SHEE'RLY, adv. At once; quite; absolutely. Unused. 
Search through all the memories of mankind, 
And find me such a friend; he has outdone all, 
Outstript them sheerly. Beau?n. and FI. 
SHEERNESS, a market town of England, and sea-port, 
in the county of Kent, situated on the isle of Sheppey, at 
the mouth of the river Medway, and noted for its strong 
and commanding fortress. This work was begun in the 
reign of Charles II. when it was deemed advisable to form a 
fort here, to protect the entrance of the river. Subsequent 
to this, the Dutch attacked this point, destroyed the fortifica¬ 
tions, and sailed with their fleet up the Medway, as far as 
VOL.XXII1. No. 1557. 
109 
Upnor castle. The spot, however, being deemed of im¬ 
portance, government after this directed some strong works 
to be formed here. A regular fortress was soon constructed, 
and mounted with a line of large and heavy cannon; several 
smaller forts, being at the same time built at different stations, 
on the banks of the river. Since that period, the fort has 
been greatly enlarged and strengthened, new works have 
been added, and such improvements made as to command 
effectually the entrance of the river. It now also con¬ 
stitutes a regular garrison commanded by a governor, 
lieutenant-governor, a fort major, and other inferior 
officers. The ordnance establishment is under the con- 
troul of a store-keeper, a clerk of the cheque, and a clerk 
of the survey. Adjoining the fort is the king’s yard or 
dock, which is chiefly used for repairing ships that have 
been slightly damaged. A resident commissioner, with two 
clerks, a master ship-wright, and other officers, with 
labourers, are stationed here. A modern chapel has been 
erected at Sheerness, at the expense of government: but the 
town is subordinate in ecclesiastical rites and privileges, to 
the parish church of Minster. Several old ships of war have 
been stationed on the shore as breakwaters; their hulls are 
occupied by 70 or 80 families; and the chimnies, being 
raised of brick from the lower gun decks, they have alto¬ 
gether a very singular appearance. The fort and inhabitants 
of the town having for a long period experienced a great 
scarcity of fresh water, the chief supply being brought from 
Chatham, it was at length determined by the board of ord¬ 
nance, to attempt to sink a well within the fort. This 
work was attended with many difficulties, but was at last 
completely successful, and furnishes at the same time a 
curious fact in the natural history of springs, and of the 
mineral strata of the earth. Having dug to the vast depth 
of 328 feet, the augur with which the workmen were boring 
suddenly dropt down, and the water immediately rushed up 
with such violence, that the men could hardly be drawn up 
in time to escape with their lives. In a few days, it stood 
within eight feet of the top, and has ever since produced a 
constant supply. The quality of the water is fine and soft; 
and it supplies not only the garrison and inhabitants, but 
also the shipping in the Medway. By the return of 1811, 
Sheerness contained 134 inhabited houses, and 96 uninhabit¬ 
ed, with 1685 inhabitants, including the convicts in the 
hulks, but independent of the garrison. Market on Satur¬ 
day ; 3 miles north of Queenborough, and 46 east of Lon¬ 
don. Lat. 51.26. N. long. 0. 46. E. 
SHEERPORE. There are several towns of this name, 
which signifies abounding with tigers, in Hindostan. 
SHEERS, s. See Shears. : 
SHEERS, in Ship-Building, are two masts or spars, set 
across at the upper end of each other, and there lashed to¬ 
gether with tackles depending from the intersection; and 
they are kept upright by guys extending each way from the 
heads. By this contrivance very heavy bodies are raised, 
such as the stem, stern, stern-frame, and the frame-timbers of 
ships: likewise ships are masted by sheers, or have their 
masts taken out where there is no sheer-hulk. 
SHEET, s. [pceac, pcec, pcye, Sax. (sicut Angl. sheet,) 
proprie est lodix, vel linteum planum atque expansum : 
postea tamen translata est vox ad plures alias res in latum 
effusas ; ut, a sheet of lead, paper, &c. Lye, edit. Man¬ 
ning. Sheet, (whether a sheet for a bed, a sheet of water, 
a sheet of lightning, a sheet anchor, &c.) is the participle 
pceat of pcyCan, to cast forth, to throw out. Horne 
Tooke.] A broad and large piece of linen.—-He saw heaven 
opened, and a vessel descending unto him, as a great sheet, 
knit at the four corners. Acts .—'The linen of a bed. 
If I die before thee, shroud me 
In one of these same sheets. Shakspeare. 
[ Ecoutes , Fr. echoten, Dutch.] In a ship are ropes bent 
to the clews of the sails, which serve in all the lower sails to 
hale or round off the clew of the sail; but in topsails they 
draw the sail close to the yard arms. Diet .—The little 
word behind the back, and undoing whisper, like pulling 
2 F off 
