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uses the word as an adverb, he ever uses it as an adjective; 
and imagines that Dr. Johnson was misled by the explana¬ 
tory word sure in some glossaries to Spenser, where it was 
certainly intended for the adverb. The impropriety of this 
assertion will be obvious by referring to sicker , the same 
word; which is Spenser’s adjective, which in older writers 
is siker, and is common enough, though Mr. Mason knew 
not an instance of it as an adjective.—[They] holden the 
siker way. Chaucer. —A lord is sykcr that hath a true ad¬ 
vocate. Lib. Fest. 
SI'KERNESS, s. Sureness; safety. —See Sickerness. 
Brotelnesse 
They finden, when they wenen sikernesse. Chaucer. 
SIKEVI, a small sea-port of Circassia, on the Black Sea; 
30 miles south east of Anapa. 
SIKHS, or Seiks, an appellation formed of the Sanscrit 
term Sikh, or Sicsha, denoting a disciple or devoted follower, 
and in the Panjabi corrupted into Sikh, which is applicable 
to any person that follows a particular teacher. See Hin- 
dostan. 
SIKI, a town of Caramania, in Asiatic Turkey, on the 
Draganto; 27 miles west of Selef keh. 
SIKIANG, or West River, a river of China, which 
rises near Fong-tcheou, in Quang-tong, and falls into the 
sea to the south of Canton. 
SIKIATSKOI, a village of Asiatic Russia, on the Lena; 
140 miles north of Gigansk. 
SIKINO, a small island of the Grecian Archipelago, be¬ 
tween Polyandro and Nio. It was long famous for its wine, 
and at present produces wheat, figs, and some cotton. Its 
petty capital, also called Sikino, is situated on a rock over¬ 
hanging the sea, Lat. 36. 43. N. long. 25. 10. E. 
SIKINO, the ancient CEuoe, a small island of the Gre¬ 
cian Archipelago. It it hilly, but contains several fruitful 
valleys, producing both pasturage and fruit of different 
kinds. It has a small town of the same name, with a har¬ 
bour, and 900 Greek inhabitants; 18 miles south of Paros. 
SIKKE. See Sigg. 
S1KLOS, a market town of the south-west of Hungary. 
It is remarkable chiefly for the wine produced in the envi¬ 
rons. Here are also marble quarries and a mineral spring; 
16 miles south-by-east of Funfkirc’nen, and 118 south of 
Pest. 
SIKOVOE, a small island in the Eastern Seas. Lat. 7. 
12. S. long. 131. 51. E. 
SIKSO. See Sziksco. 
SIL, in Natural History, a name given by the ancients to 
a red ochre, of which they had three distinct kinds, the sil 
syncum, sil atticum, and sil marmorosum ; all of which 
are to be had at this time, and all very valuable paints. 
SIL, a small but rapid river of Switzerland, which rises in 
the canton of Schweitz, and falls into the Limmat near Zu¬ 
rich. 
SIL, a river in the north-west of Spain, which rises in the 
province of Asturias, and joins the Minho in Galicia. It 
yields occasionally grains of gold; and the Romans, in or¬ 
der the more easily to obtain them, dug a new passage for 
the river through the mountains of Laronco or Furado, in 
Galicia, by which it still flows. 
SILA. See Geil. 
SILACH, a word used by old medical authors for a dis¬ 
order of the eye-ltd, consisting in a preternatural thickness 
of it, or a swelling without inflammation. 
SILADING, a small island in the Eastern Seas, near the 
north coast of Celebes. Lat. 1. 21. N. long. 124. 25. E. 
SILA I, an abundant river of Quito, which enters the 
Cahuapana to join the Amazons. 
SILAKANI, a small sea-port of Madagascar, the inhabit¬ 
ants of which are mild and tractable; 30 miles south-east of 
Mouzangaie. 
SILAMBOE, a town on the south coast of the island of 
Java. Lat. 7. 33. S. long. 107. 15. E. 
S1LANCHI, a river of Quito, in the province of Esme- 
S I L 
raldas, which, after a winding course, joins the Caoni, with 
which it enters the river Blanco by the north part, in lat. 
9. S. 
SILAO, a settlement of Mexico, in the province of Me- 
choacan, containing 1000 families of Indians, Spaniards, 
mestizoes and mulattoes. 
S1LARO, a small river in the east of Italy, in the district 
of Ravenna, which falls into an arm of the Reno. 
S1LATUM, a word used by the ancient Romans to 
express a morning’s draught of wine. This was usually of 
a wine medicated with the plant sili, or seseli, and thence 
had its name. It has always been the custom to medicate 
the morning draughts of any strong liquor; we do it with 
wormwood, or the common bitter tincture; the Indians with 
ginger. 
SILAVENGA, a small town in the east of the continen¬ 
tal Sardinian states, on the river Sesia; 10 miles north-west 
of Novara. 
SILAUM, in Botany, a name used by some authors for 
the saxifraga pratensis, or common meadow saxifrage. 
SILBE, a village of Western Africa, on the Senegal, in 
the country of the Foulahs. Lat. 17. 5. N. 
SILBERBERG, a small town of Prussian Silesia. It 
stands on a hill, contains 1600 inhabitants, and took its- 
name from a mine of lead and silver in the neighbourhood, 
the working of which is now relinquished. In 1777, a 
strong fortress was erected here, which includes six eleva¬ 
tions, and is capable of containing 5000 men; 11 miles 
north of Glatz, and 40 south-south-west of Breslau. 
SILBERSCHLAG (John Isaiah), a German mathema¬ 
tician and mechanist, was bom in 1721. He studied at the 
col lege of Klosterberge, near Magdeburg, and afterwards went 
through a course of theology at Halle, from which place he 
returned to the college at which he had been before, w'here 
he taught natural philosophy and mathematics for nine 
years. After this he became pastor of one of the churches 
at Berlin, and rector of the royal school. He was a member 
of the Academy of Sciences in that city; and, besides 
writing various works on mechanical and mathematical 
subjects, constructed a great many machines, instruments, 
and models, for the use of the students in the seminary which 
had been placed under his care. He died in November 
1791. He left behind him a great number of works, 
among which are, “ A Treatise on the warlike Machines 
of the Ancients,” “ Letters on the Northern Lights;” 
“ A Treatise on Hydraulic Architecture;” “ The Chro¬ 
nology of the World rectified by the Scriptures.” Gen . 
Biog. 
SILBERSTRASSE, a large village of Germany, in Sax¬ 
ony, on tbeMulda; 4 miles south-south-east of Zwickau. 
It has a beautiful bridge across the Mulda. 
SILBURY HILL, one of the largest barrows or tumuli 
in England, and probably in the world, is situated on the 
Marlborough Downs, about six miles west of the town 
of Marlborough, in Wiltshire. The origin, appropriation, 
and history of this extraordinary mound of earth, are alike 
unknown to the topographer and antiquary. In the vi¬ 
cinity of the immense druidical temple at Avebury. 
It is rationally supposed to have been originally con¬ 
nected with that slructure: and as the most remote anti¬ 
quities of this island, and of the civilized world, have given 
rise to much fabulous dissertation, and fanciful hypothesis, 
so the barrow now called Silbury Hill has been referred to 
various tribes of .people, applied to different purposes, and 
attributed to the most remote origin. Dr. Stukeley w'as of 
opinion that its present name is of Saxon derivation, and 
signifies “ the great or marvellous hill;” while others con¬ 
tend that it is either a corruption for Sil-barrow, which they 
translate “ the peaceful grave ;” or of Sel barrow, meaning 
“ the large or elevated barrow.” The most common sup¬ 
position respecting its nature ranks it among the sepulchral 
class of monuments. Stukeley calls it the tomb of Cunedha, 
whom he characterizes as a celebrated British king, who 
resided at Cunetio (then supposed to have been Marl¬ 
borough),, 
