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nearly 20 churches and chapels, besides two cathedrals, and 
places of worship for Lutherans and Catholics. Smolensko 
is a bishop’s see, has a seminary for priests, and a gymnasium 
or high school. It has also a military and trade’s school, a 
foundling-hospital, and a consistory. The manufactures are 
linen, leather, soap, and hats; and there is a pretty active 
trade in corn and hemp; also wood, honey, wax, and furs, 
with Riga, and, to a smaller extent, with Dantzic and the 
Ukraine. Prince Potemkin, the favourite and general of 
Catherine II. was a native of this town; 225 miles west- 
south-west of Moscow, and 350 south-by-east of St. Peters- 
burgh. Lat. 54. 50. N. long. 31. 56. 36. E. 
SMOLLET (Tobias), a writer of considerable reputation, 
was born, in 1720, at Dalquhurn, in Dumbartonshire. After 
a common education, he was put apprentice to a surgeon in 
Glasgow, and at the same time he availed himself of the 
opportunity of attending medical lectures at the university. 
At this early period he composed a tragedy. In his nine¬ 
teenth year he quitted Scotland for London, where he quickly 
obtained the situation of surgeon’s mate in the navy. He 
sailed in the expedition fitted out against Carthagena, under 
Admiral Vernon and General Wentworth; and during the 
voyage he displayed his powers of observation, as well as 
his satirical turn, by the account he drew up of that ill- 
conducted and unsuccessful enterprize. He was soon dis¬ 
gusted with the service in which he had engaged, and 
quitted it in the West Indies. It had, however, been of 
great service, by introducing him to that acquaintance with 
the manners and language of sailors, of which he made the 
most amusing exhibitions in his novels. The savage cruelties 
used by the king’s troops after the battle of Culloden called 
forth Smollet’s warmest feelings, and occasioned his poem 
entitled, “The Tears of Scotland,” which placed the author 
high in the rank of minor poets. It was followed by two 
satires, a species of composition to which the natural irrita¬ 
bility of his temper gave him a propensity. He married in 
1747, a lady, with whom he expected a good fortune, of 
which, however, he received very little, and the expensive 
style in which he set out in life brought him very soon 
into serious difficulties. In this emergency he had recourse 
to his pen, and in 1748 he produced his first novel, entitled, 
“ Roderick Random',” which had no doubt strong allusions 
to his own history, and became extremely popular. A 
Trip to Paris, in 1750, enlarged his knowledge of the world, 
and gave rise to his “ Adveutures of Peregrine Pickle,” in 
which he exerted all the powers of humorous invention and 
delineation, though often at the expense of delicacy and 
morality. He now determined to pursue his profession, and 
commenced physician at Bath, but he met with so little 
success that he soon abandoned it, and resumed writing as 
a profession. His next publication was “ Adveutures of 
Ferdinand Count Fathom,” which was followed by a new 
translation of Don Quixote. In 1756, he undertook the 
management of a new Review, under the title of the “ Cri¬ 
tical,” which, after undergoing a number of changes, existed 
till very lately. His satirical and acrimonious spirit soon broke 
out in this journal, and involved him in a quarrel with Ad¬ 
miral Knowles, on whose conduct in the expedition to 
Rochefort he had spoken with great severity. Smollet was 
prosecuted and convicted of a libel, and suffered the punish¬ 
ment of the law, viz., fine and imprisonment. 
After this he wrote for the theatre an after-piece, entitled, 
“The Reprisal, or the Tars of Old England:” this was 
acted at Drury-lane in 1757; and in the following year he 
published a hastily written “ History of England, from 
the Descent of Julius Caesar to the Treaty of Aix-la-Cha- 
pelle,” in two vols. 4to. About the same period he pub¬ 
lished a novel, entitled, “ The Adventures of Sir Launcelot 
Greaves,” and he is supposed to have written the histories 
of France, Italy and Germany, in the modern part of 
the Universal History. In 1761, he began to publish his 
“ Continuation of the History of England,” taken up at 
the Revolution, where Hume left it, and brought down to 
the year 1765. 
At the beginning of the present reign, Dr. Smollet was 
S M O 
an advocate in defence of the measures adopted by the ad¬ 
ministration, at the head of which was Lord Bute, and in 
connection with others he published a weekly paper, called 
“ The Briton,” which was encountered by the more famous 
one entitled, “ The North Briton,” set on foot by the well- 
known John Wilkes. The rancour displayed on both sides 
dissolved the friendship which had long subsisted between 
these two political champions. Smollet, from some domes¬ 
tic afflictions, determined to visit the continent, whither 
he went in 1763, and he spent two years in a tour through 
France and Italy. After his return, he published, in 1766, 
his “ Travels” in these countries, in a series of letters, in 
two vols. 8vo., which contained many lively and sensible 
remarks, but which were deeply tinged with the gloomy 
temper of mind, which rendered him dissatisfied and out of 
humour with almost every thing he saw. In 1769 he pub¬ 
lished a sort of political romance, entitled, “The Adventures 
of an Atom,” intended to ridicule different administrations, 
but especially that of the Earl of Chatham. 
Increasing ill-health induced him, in the year 1770, to 
pay another visit to Italy, accompanied by his wife, and 
during his last voyage he wrote his last novel, “ The Expedi¬ 
tion of Humphry Clinker,” which some critics regard as 
the best of all his novels. He died in the neighbourhood 
of Leghorn, in October, 1771, in the fifty-first year of his 
age. “ Dr. Smollet,” says the author of the article in the 
General Biography, “ was undoubtedly a man of talents 
and great variety of powers, though he did not attain the 
highest rank in any thing. He is best known as a novelist, 
and they who read those compositions for amusement only, 
without much nicety of taste, seldom fail of being enter¬ 
tained by him. Yet his portraits are often caricatures, his 
scenes of humour coarse and extravagant, and his jests bor¬ 
rowed. As an historian, he has attained more credit for the 
elegance and animation of his style, than for the higher 
qualities of judgment, accuracy and impartiality; and though 
his continuation is annexed to Hume’s History, the two 
writers will bear no comparison.” His poetic powers were 
considerable. His “ Tears of Scotland,” “ Ode to Leven 
Water,” and some other short pieces, are polished, tender, 
and picturesque. His “ Ode to Independence” is a loftier 
flight, and has perhaps few superiors in the lyric strain.” His 
satires are vigorous, but violent and disgusting. 
To SMOOR, or Smore, v. a. [pmopan. Sax., smooren, 
Teut.] To suffocate; to smother. Used in Lancashire and 
Westmoreland.—Thou fast bound ball of smoring dark¬ 
ness. More. 
SMOOTH, ad). [pneS, pnoeS, Saxon; nvwyth, Welsh.] 
Even on the surface; not rough; level; having no as¬ 
perities. 
Nor box nor limes, without their use, 
Nwoof/j-grain’d, and proper for the turner’s trade: 
Which curious hands may carve, and steel with ease invade. 
Dry den. 
Evenly spread; glossy. 
He for the promis’d journey bids prepare 
The smooth- hair’d horses, and the rapid car. Pope. 
Equal in pace; without starts or obstruction. 
The fair-hair’d queen of love 
Descends sjnooth -gliding from the courts above. Pope. 
Gently flowing. 
Smooth Adonis from his rock 
Ran purple to the sea. Milton. 
Voluble; not harsh; soft. 
When sage Minerva rose. 
From her sweet lips smooth elocution flows. Gay. 
Bland ; mild ; adulatory. 
The subtle fiend, 
Though inly stung with anger and disdain, 
Dissembled, and this answer smooth return’d. Milton. 
SMOOTH, s. That which is smooth.—The smooth of 
his neck. Gen. 
To 
