S H E 
iage roclc. There are several varieties of schist, which answer 
for roofing-slate. A copper mine was formerly worked at 
Sandlodge, near the southern extremity of the Mainland; but 
■from the expense exceeding the returns, the undertaking was 
necessarily discontinued. At Dunrossness there is a thick 
"bed of iron-pyrites, and another of micaceous iron-ore. 
Bog iron-ore abounds over the whole of the country. Very 
recently the chromate of iron has been found in Unst. This 
rare and valuable substance has been usually obtained at a 
considerable expense from America. It is employed by the 
manufacturing chemists of London and elsewhere, for the 
purpose of extracting the chrome, which forms the principal 
ingredient in a yellow pigment used by coach-makers and 
house-painters. At Unst and at Fetlar there are slight indi¬ 
cations of copper. In other parts of the islands several beau¬ 
tiful minerals are procured; among these are cyanite, acty- 
nolite, asbestos, amianthus, some varieties of garnet, stea¬ 
tite, chlorite and magnetic iron, staurolite and epidote; but 
the most curious of these is the native hydrate of magnesia, 
hitherto observed only at New Jersey. Porcelain-earth is 
found at Fetlar, Unst, and on the Mainland, but whether 
so pure as to deserve an introduction among the potteries, 
remains yet to be determined. There are two towns, viz., 
Lerwick and Scalloway; the latter is, however, by far the 
most ancient, and was formerly the capital. Near it are the 
remains of the large castle of the earls of Orkney and Shet¬ 
land, bearing the date 1600, with a Latin inscription over 
the principal door. Near Lerwick is Fort Charlotte, garri¬ 
soned by a company of invalids. The most remarkable 
antiquities are the small round castles, named Pictish Burghs, 
which are disposed along the whole of the coasts. It has 
been a matter of dispute from whence the first inhabitants 
of these islands came. The history of the country becomes 
more certain from the 9th century. Shetland was then peo¬ 
pled by a number of Norwegians, who had fled to it for 
refuge, after they had been defeated by Harold Harfagre, the 
usurper of the crown of Norway. These exiles then retorted 
upon the monarch, by numerous piracies on the coasts of 
his kingdom. Accordingly, Harold fitted out a powerful 
fleet without delay, and landed on the island of Fetlar; but 
as he could not there procure safe anchorage for his fleet, he 
sailed to the island of Unst, to a bay which still retains his 
his name, being called Harold’s Wick. Harold made an 
easy conquest of these islands; and they became tributary to 
the crown of Norway till the end of the 15th century. They 
were ceded to the crown of Scotland, in lieu of dowry, when 
the princess of Norway was married to King James III. (as 
mentioned under the article Scotland.) Shetland unites 
with Orkney in forming a stewartry, which sends one mem¬ 
ber to parliament. The whole country is divided into 12 
parishes. See Scotland. 
SHETUCKET, a river of the United States, in Connec¬ 
ticut, which joins the Yantic at Norwich, to form the 
Thames. 
SHEVAGUNGA, a town of the south of India, province 
of the Carnatic, and district of Little Marawar. The go¬ 
vernment of this town and adjoining country had, according 
to the Nair custom, been from time immemorial in the hands 
of a female, styled the Ranny, till about the middle of the 
last century, when two brothers named Murdoo, of low 
birth, usurped the power, first under the title of Dewan, or 
ministers, but subsequently assuming that of rajah. They 
were expelled by the nabob of Arcot, but afterwards, 
through bribery, restored to their powers. Again proving 
refractory, they were attacked by a British detachment, and 
defended themselves in the fortress of Callarcoil, for five 
months. It was at length taken by storm, and the usurpers 
hanged. Of the old Shevagunga family there remained no 
lineal heir; the place was therefore given to a female, a re¬ 
lation of the late Ranny’s, and the tribute continued at the 
former sum of 50,000 pagodas, each pagoda being in value 
8s. 4d. Lat. 9. 54. N. long. 78. 30. E. 
SHEVAGUNGA, a town of the south of India, province 
of Mysore. Lat. 13. 6. N. long. 77. 13. E. 
SHE 127 
SHEVAGURRY, a town of the south of India, district of 
Tinnevelly. Lat. 9. 23. N. long. 77. 32. E. 
SHEVELPATORE, a town of the south of India, pro¬ 
vince of the Carnatic, and district of Tinnevelly. This was 
a place of considerable consequence in former times, but is 
now of little importance. Lat. 9. 31. N. long. 77. 43. E. 
—There are several other inconsiderable places of this name 
in India. 
SHEVINGTON, a township of England, in Lancashire; 
2J miles north-west of Wigan. Population 726. 
SHEVIOCK, a parish of England, in Cornwall; 2 miles 
South-by.east of St. German’s. Population 428. 
' SHEVOCK, a small rivulet of Scotland, in Aberdeenshire, 
which joins the Gadie near its confluence with the Ury. 
SHEW. See Show. 
To SHEW. See to To Shew. 
SIIEW-BREAD, “ bread of faces, or of the faces.” 
This denomination was given to the loaves of bread, which 
the priest of the week placed every Sabbath-day on the 
golden table in the sanctuary, before the Lord. 
SHEWER, s. One who sheweth or teacheth what is to 
be done. 
‘ SHIAB, a town of Hedsjas, in Arabia; 84 miles south¬ 
east of Calaat el Moilah. 
' SHIANSHIA, a village of Lower Egypt; 45 miles north- 
north-east of Cairo. 
SHIANT ISLANDS, a cluster of small islands among the 
Western islands of Scotland ; about 6 miles from the south¬ 
east coast of Lewis, Lat. 57. 53. N. long. 6. 20. W. 
SHIBBOLETH, or Sibboleth, a Hebrew word, which 
signified spica, or an ear of corn. It was used by way of 
distinguishing the Ephraimites from the men of Gilead. For 
the latter having killed a great number of the former, set 
guards at all the passes of Jordan ; and when an Ephraimite, 
who had escaped, came to the water-side, and desired to pass 
over, they asked him if he was not an Ephraimite ? If he 
sajd no, they bade him pronounce Shibboleth. But he pro¬ 
nouncing it Sibboleth, according to the manner of the 
Ephraimites, and thus not enunciating the first letter, was 
killed on the spot: on this occasion, 42,000 Ephraimites 
were killed. By thus not distinguishing between the w and 
the vl, the schin and the sin, they exposed themselves to 
this massacre: hence the terms have been used to denote the 
trivial grounds on which contending parties, particularly in 
theological disputes, often differ, and proceed to think ill of, 
and actually to persecute, one another. 
SHIBKAH, an extensive plain of saltish ground in the 
southern part of the province of Tlemsan, in Algiers. It is 
inhabited by the Arab tribes called Ammer. 
SHIDE, s. [pcibe, Sax. scindula; probably from 
pceaban, to divide; sc/ieiden. Germ, and scheyden, Teut. 
the same.] A piece split off, spoken of wood, a cleft shide. 
— Gloucestershire, according to Grose. In some places 
it also means a small solid piece of wood, a billet; not a 
slip or splinter. 
SHIEL, Loch, a lake of Scotland, in Inverness-shire, 
about 10 miles long and 2 broad, which discharges itself 
into the western sea by the river Shiel. There is a small 
island in it called Finan, on which are the ruins of a church 
dedicated to St. Finan. 
SHIELD, s. Qcylb, Sax.] A buckler; a broad piece of 
defensive armour held on the left arm to ward off blows. 
Now put your shields before your hearts, and fight 
With hearts more proof than shields. Shakspeare. 
Defence; protection.—One that gives protection or se¬ 
curity. 
The terror of the Trojan field, 
The Grecian honour, ornament, and shield. 
High on a pile th’ unconquer’d chief is plac’d. Dryden. 
The shield was that part of the ancient armour on which 
the persons of distinction in the field of battle always had 
their arms painted; and most of the words used at this time 
to express the space that holds the arms of families, are de¬ 
rived 
