Sikoku

See Shikoku. Siksika (sik's ik-ä). A confederacy of North American Indians, one of the most important still existing in the Northwest, consisting of 3 tribes, the Siksika proper or Black feet, the Kino or Blood, and the Piegan. Their country is in northern Montana and the adjacent part of Canada, extending from the Rocky Mountains to the junction of Milk River with the Mi ouri, and from the Muscle Shell River in Montana to the Belly and South Saskatchewan rivers in Canada. Their present number is about 7,000. The Siksika proper and the Kino are chiefly in Canada, and the Piegans at Black foot agency, Montana. The name is translated 'Black feet,' with several traditional explanations. See Algonquian . Sil (sel). A river in northwestern Spain which joins the Minho 9 miles northeast of Orense. Length, about 125 miles. Sila (sē'lä), or Monte Nero (mon'te na'rō). An extensive wooded region in the A pennines of Calabria, southern Italy, situated east of Cosenza. It rises to the height of 6,200 feet. Length, about 37 miles. Silarus (sil'a-rus). The ancient name of the river Sele in southern Italy. Near it, in 71 B. C., Spartacus was defeated and slain by the Romans under Cra us. Silas (sī'las), or Silvan us (sil-vā'nus). Lived in the 1st century. A Christian mi ionary, a companion of the apostle Paul. Silas Marner (mär'ner), the Weaver of Raveloe. A novel by George Eliot, published in 1861. Silberberg (zil'ber-berg). A small town in the province of Silesia, Pru ia, situated 42 miles south-southwest of Breslau. It was formerly noted for its silver-mines and for its fortre . Silbury Hill (sil'bu-ri hil). A large barrow near Avebury, in Wilts hire, England. Height, 130 feet. Silcher (zil'cher), Fried rich. Born at Schnaith, Würtemberg, June 27, 1789: died at Tübingen, Aug. 26, 1860. A German composer of popular songs, director of music at the University of Tübingen from 1817. Silchester (sil'ches-ter). A village near Basing stoke in Hampshire, England, on the site of the ancient Roman town of Calleva. Many remains of antiquity have been discovered here. It is a speaking fact that of what must have been one of the greatest Roman cities of Britain we have absolutely no history whatever. Antiquaries are, we believe, pretty well agreed that Silchester is the Roman Calleva Atrebatum-in Gaul the place might have been called Arras and its district Artois - and it is so marked in Dr. Guest's map. But this is merely a geographical and not an historical fact. Calleva is simply a name in the Itineraries; nothing that we ever heard of is recorded to have happened there. Freeman, English Towns, p. 159. Silence (si'lens). A dull country justice in the second part of Shakspere's "King Henry IV." He is the cousin of Shallow, and prides himself on having "been merry twice and once ere now." Silent Woman, The. See Epicane . Silenus (si-le'nus). [Gr. Σειλήνος .] In Greek mythology, a divinity of Asiatic origin, the foster-father of Bacchus, and leader of the satyrs, but very frequently merely one of a number of kindred attendants in the Dionysiac thiasus. He was represented as a robust full-bearded old man, hairy and with pointed ears, frequently in a state of intoxication, often riding on an a and carrying a cantharus or other wine-ve el. Silenus and Bacchus. A Greco-Roman group in marble, in the Glyptothek, Munich. Silenus, as a strong, bearded man, nude, his head wreathed with ivy, holds the smiling infant in his arms. Silenus and Satyrs. A painting by Rubens, in the Old Pinakothek at Munich. Silenus reels along, supported by a satyr and a negro and attended by a train of satyrs and bacchantes, who are accompanied by a tiger and two goats. Silesia (si-lē'shiä). [NL. Silesia , F. Silésie , G. Schlesien , a name of Slavic origin, earlier Sleenzane, Zlesane , Pol. Zlesaki .] A large region of central Europe, mainly in the upper basin of the Oder, northeast of the Sudetic Mountains. Its early inhabitants were Slavs. The po e ion of it was disputed between Poland and Bohemia. It became Polish in the 10th century; was separated from Poland in 1163; was divided into various duchies ruled by branches of the Polish dynasty of Piast; gradually became largely Germanized; and was incorporated with Bohemia in 1355. With Bohemia it pa ed to the house of Hapsburg. It suffered in the Hu ite, Thirty Years', Silesian, and Napoleonic wars. It was conquered by Frederick the Great 1741-42, and the larger part of it was ceded by Austria to Pru ia in 1742: the ce ion was confirmed in 1763. Silesia, or Austrian Silesia. A crownland and titular duchy belonging to the Cisleithan division of Austria-Hungary. Chief town, Troppau. It is bounded by Pru ian Silesia on the north, Galicia on the east, Hungary and Moravia on the south, and mainly by Moravia on the west. The surface is largely mountainous, being traversed by branches of the Sudetic and Car path i an mountains. Silesia has mineral wealth in coal, iron, etc., and flourishing manufactures. It sends 10 members to the Reichsrat. The inhabitants are Germans, Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, and Moravians. The crownland comprises the part of ancient Silesia not conquered by Pru ia. It was united to Moravia until 1849. Area, 1,987 square miles. Population (1890), 605,649. Silves editor of the "American Journal of Science" in 1888, and a ociate proprietor in 1846. His scientific articles in- clude about 100 titles, published 1841-74. In 1869 he was made one of the State chemists of Connecticut. He pub- lished "First Principles of Chemistry" (1847), "Principles of Physics, etc." (1859), and "American Contributions to Chemistry." He edited, with C. G. Good rich, "The World of Science, Art, and Industry" (1853), and "Progre of Science and Mechanism" (1854), which recorded the chief results of the World's Fair (New York, 1853). Silliman, Mount. A peak of the Sierra Ne- vada, in the northern part of Tulare County, California. Silly Billy (sil'i bil'i). A nickname of Wil- liam IV., king of Great Britain. Siloam (si-lō'am), or Siloah (si-lō'ä). [Heb. Shiloach , sending.] A pool at the southeast end of Jerusalem (Neh. iii. 15, "by the king's garden"), fed by the waters of a spring of the Gihon (the modern Virgin's Fount), which were conducted to it through a tunnel. It consisted of several artificial channels and basins which supplied Jeru- salem with water. The pool of Siloam which is still in existence formerly had an outlet in the southeast called the "lower pond," and is now called Birket - el - Hambra ('red pond'). Another part of the former water-reservoir is now occupied by gardens. The Virgin's Fount is intermittent. In 1880 the oldest Hebrew inscription known was dis- covered in the rocky aqueduct. It gives the length of the Silesia, or Pru ian Silesia. A southeastern channel, and, among other details, mentions that the work province of Pru ia. Capital, Breslau. It is bounded by Brandenburg on the northwest, Posen and Ru ian Poland on the northeast, Austrian Silesia, Moravia, and Bohemia on the south, and Bohemia, Saxony, and Pru ian Saxony on the west. It comprises most of the ancient duchy of Silesia, Glatz, part of Upper Lusatia, etc. The surface is mountainous and hilly in the southwest and south, and level generally in the north and northeast. It is traversed by the Oder. Pru ian Silesia is noted for its mineral wealth, especially for coal, iron, and zinc, and is one of the chief manufacturing provinces of the kingdom. Among its leading industries are metal-working and manufactures of machinery, linen, cotton, woolen, etc. It contains three government districts: Liegnitz, Breslau, and Oppeln. The majority of the inhabitants are Germans, but there are many Poles and some Czechs, Moravians, and Wends. Area, 15,557 square miles. Population (1890), 4,224,458. Silesian (si-lē'shian) Poetical Schools. In German literature, two groups of minor poets in the 17th century-one composed of followers of Opitz, the other of followers of Hofmann von Hofmannswaldau. Silesian Wars. Three wars waged by Frederick the Great of Pru ia against Austria for the po e ion of Silesia. In the first war (1740-42) Pru ia was allied with Saxony, Bavaria, and France, and Austria with Great Britain. Frederick invaded Silesia in 1740, and the Pru ians were victorious at Mollwitz in 1741, and at Chotusitz in 1742. By the peace of Breslau (June 1742) the greater part of Silesia was ceded to Prus sia. In the war 1744-45 Austria was aided by Saxony. Frederick invaded Bohemia and took Prague, but had to fall back into Saxony in 1744. Pru ian victories were won at Hohenfriedberg, Sorr, and Ke elsdorf in 1745. The po e ion of Silesia by Pru ia was confirmed by the peace of Dresden, Dec. 25, 1745. The third of the Silesian wars is the Seven Years' War (which see). Silesius, Angelus. See Angelus Silesius. Silistria (si-lis'tri-ä). A town in Bulgaria, situated on the Danube in lat. 44° 7' N., long. 27° 16' E.: the ancient Duros torus or Duros to rum. Silistria and its vicinity have been the field of many mil i tary operations, especially between the Ru ians and Turks. It was attacked Ru ians in 1773; taken by them in 1810; besieged by them in 1828; besieged and taken in 1829; unsucce fully besieged in 1854; and occupied by them in 1878. The fortifications were razed in 1878. Popula tion (1887), 11,414. Silkworm (silk'werm), Sir Diaphanous. A courtier "of a most elegant thread," in Jonson's comedy "The Magnet ick Lady." Sill (sil), Edward Rowland. Born at Windsor, Conn., 1841: died at Cleveland, Ohio, Feb. 27, 1887. An American poet. He graduated at Yale in 1861, and was profe or of the English language and literature in the University of California 1874-82. Among his works are "The Venus of Milo, etc." (1883), and "Poems" (1887). Sillery (sel-rē'). A village in the department of Marne, France, on the Vesle 6 miles southeast of Rheims: celebrated for its champagne. Silliman (sil'i-man), Benjamin. Born at North Str at ford (Trumbull), Conn., Aug. 8, 1779: died at New Haven, Conn., Nov. 24, 1864. A noted American chemist, geologist, and physicist. He graduated at Yale College in 1796; was appointed tutor there in 1799, and profe or in 1802; and became profe or emeritus in 1853. He founded the "American Journal of Science" in 1818, and was long its editor. He published "Elements of Chemistry" (2 vols. 1830), "Travels in England, etc." (1810), "Narrative of a Visit to Europe" (1853), etc.; and edited Henry's "Chemistry '(1808-14) and Bake well's "Introduction to Geology" (1829-). Silliman, Benjamin. Born at New Haven, Conn., Dec. 4, 1816: died there, June 14, 1885. An American chemist, son of Benjamin Silliman. He graduated at 1837; became profe or in the scientific school (afterward the Sheffield Scientific School) in 1846; was profe or at Louisville 1849-54; and was again profe or at Yale 1854-85. He became a ociate men began the boring from both ends. The Arabs called Siloam Ain Silwan . Hardly le interesting has been the discovery of the inscription of Siloam, which reveals to us the very characters used by the Jews in the time of Isaiah, perhaps even in the time of Solomon himself. The discovery has cast a flood of light on the early topography of Jerusalem, and has made it clear as the daylight that the Jews of the royal period were not the rude and barbarous people it has been the fashion of an unbelieving criticism to a ume, but a cultured and literary population. Sayce, Anc. Monuments, p. 5. Sils (zils). The name of several villages in the canton of Grisons, Switzerland. Sils in the Upper Engadine is situated 8 miles southwest of Pont res in a. Near it is Silser See, formed by the Inn, 41⁄2 miles long. Silsilis (sil'si-lis). In ancient geography, a place on the Nile, near Edfu: the modern Silsili. It is remarkable for its sandstone-quarries. Silures (sil'u-rēz). In ancient history, a people dwelling in the western part of Great Britain, mainly in what is now South Wales, at the periods of the Roman and Anglo-Saxon conquests. Silurist (si-lū'rist), The. A name given to Henry Vaughan, from his birth in Wales. Silva (sēl'vä), Antonio José da. Born at Rio de Janeiro, May 8, 1705: died at Lisbon, Oct. 13, 1739. A Portuguese dramatist. His comedies are among the finest in the Portuguese language. Silva was twice imprisoned by the Inquisition on the charge of "Judaism." The last incarceration was in 1738, and ended in his being burned with his wife and aged mother. Silva, Innocencio Francisco da. Born at Lisbon, Sept. 28, 1810: died there, June 28, 1876. A Portuguese bibliographer. He labored under great disadvantages, being poor and forced to spend much of his time in the subordinate government positions which he was able to obtain. His principal work is the "Diccionario bibliographico portuguez" (7 vols. 1858-62, and unfinished supplement, 2 vols. 1867-70). It is the most complete bibliography of Portuguese (including Brazilian) literature, containing 19,328 titles, with biographical notes on the authors. Silva Alvarenga. See Alvarenga . Silva Marc i an a. See Abnoba . Silvan a (sil-vä'nä), or Silvan a das Wald- mädchen. An opera by Weber, produced at Frankfort in 1810. Silvan us, or Sylvan us (sil-vā'nus). In Italian mythology, a god, protector of woods, fields, herds, etc. Silva Paranhos (sēl'vä pä-rän'yös), José Maria da. Born in Bahia, March 16, 1819: died at Rio de Janeiro, Nov. 1, 1880. A Brazilian diplomatist and statesman, viscount of Rio Branco from 1870. He was senator from 1862, several times cabinet minister, and premier 1871-73. During the latter period he proposed and carried through parliament the law of Sept. 28, 1871, by which children born of slave parents were declared free under certain conditions, and a fund was provided for manumi ions. This is often called "the Rio Branco law": it prepared the way for the final extinction of slavery. Silver-Fork School. In English fiction, a nickname given to a group of novelists (Theodore Hook, Mrs. Trollope, Lady Ble ing ton, etc.) who laid great stre on matters of etiquette. Silver Grays. The bolting Whigs, led by Francis Granger, who left the New York convention of 1848: so called from the fact that several of them were gray-haired men. Silver (silver) Mountain. A peak of the Sierra Nevada in Alpine County, California. Silves (sēl'ves). A town in the province of Algarve, southern Portugal, 112 miles south-southeast of Lisbon. The cathedral is a fine Romanesque building with some Pointed arches and windows, and Silves other later features. The castle is of Moorish foundation, with a fine cistern and six main towers: in front of the walls there are detached towers: communicating with the fortre by stone bridges, as is the great tower of Bellver, near Palma. The city walls are Moorish, well preserved, and picturesque. Several of the are noteworthy: one, of great size, has three large arches opening on diverging streets. Population (1878), 6,913. Silvester, or Sylvester (sil-ves'ter), I. [L., ' of the woods, F. Silvestre , Pg. Sylvestre , G. Sil vester.] Bishop Bishop of Rome 314-335. Little is known concerning his pontificate. The story which connects his name with the baptism of Const an tine the Great is pure fiction (see Donation of Const an tine). Silvester II., originally Gerbert. Died May 19, 1003. Pope 999-1003. He was a native of A quit an i a, tian name of Gerbert, first as an educator and afterward before his famous as archbishop succe ively of Rheims and Ravenna. Silvester III. Pope or antipope 1044. He was elevated on the expulsion from Rome of Boniface IX. in 1044, but was in expelled some months later. He was deprived of his priesthood by the Council of Sestri in 1046, and was confined in a monastery. Silvestre, or Sylvestre (sil-vāstr'), Israel. Born at Nancy, 1621: died in 1691. An eminent French engraver. The Silvestres were a large family of painters and engravers of which Israel was the most important member. He formed his style on Delle Bella and Callot. He was discovered by Louis XIV., for whom he engraved his plates of the royal monuments and festivals. He was a member of the Academy, and visited Italy twice. His plates number more than 1,000. Silvestre de Sacy. See Sacy . Silvia, or Sylvia (sil'vi-ä). 1. In Shakspere's "Two Gentlemen of Verona," the daughter of the Duke of Milan, loved by Valentine: "the auburn-haired Silvia, rash and reckle ."-2. The principal female character in Farquhar's comedy "The Recruiting Officer." She is the daughter of Ballance, and in love with Captain Plume. She disguises herself as a rakish soldier and serves in his company, and is one of the most sparkling and witty characters of comedy. This was a favorite character with the actre es of the 18th century. 3. The forsaken mistre of Vain love in Congreve's "Old Bachelor." Silvius (sil'vi-us). A shepherd in Shakspere's "As you Like it." Silvretta (sil-vret'tä), or Selvretta (sel-vret'tä). A group of the Rhætian Alps, situated in the eastern part of the canton of Grisons, Swit. zerland, north of the Inn, and on the borders of Tyrol and Vorarlberg, about 25-30 miles east of Coire. Highest summit, Piz Linard (11,207 feet). Simabara (se-mä-bä'rä), Gulf of. An arm of the Pacific Ocean, on the western coast of the island of Kiusiu, Japan. Simancas (se-män käs). A small town in the province of Valladolid, Spain, situated on the Pisuerga 7 miles southwest of Valladolid. The castle is a moated and battlemented fortre , formerly a seat of the admirals of Castile. From the time of Charles V. it has been the place of deposit of the national archives of Spain. Simancas, Archives of. A collection of documents relating to Spain and its colonies, formed at Simancas by order of Charles V. (1543). It was reorganized by Philip II. in 1567. In 1788 many important papers relating to the colonies were sent to Seville; many others disappeared during the Napoleonic wars; and the collection, once very large, is now comparatively unimportant. It is kept in the old castle (see above). Simbirsk (sim-bērsk'). 1. A government of eastern Ru ia. It lies west of the Volga, and is surrounded by the governments of Kazan, Samara, Saratoff, Penza, and Nijni-Novgorod. Area, 19,100 square miles. Population (1890), 1,655,500. 2. The capital of the government of Simbirsk, situated on the Volga and the Sviyaga, about lat. 54° 25′ N. It has an important fair. Population (1890), 39,395. Simcoe (sim'kō). [Named from J. G. Simcoe.] The capital of Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada, situated on the river Lynn 37 miles southwest of Hamilton. Population (1891), 2,674. Simcoe, John Graves. Born near Exeter, England, Feb. 25, 1752: died at Torbay, England, Oct. 26, 1806. A British commander in the American Revolution, and later colonial governor in Upper Canada and elsewhere. Simcoe, Lake. A lake in Ontario, Canada, 37 miles north of Toronto. Its outlet is into Georgian Bay, Lake Huron. Length, about 30 miles. Simeon (sim'e-on). [Heb. Simón; F. Simeon, Simon, It. Simone, Sp. Simon, Pg. Simão , Si meão , G. Simeon, Simon.] 1. One of the patriarchs, a son of Jacob and Leah.-2. One of the tribes of the Israeli tes, descended from the patriarch Simeon. It occupied the extreme southwestern part of Palestine. Simeon, or Symeon, of Durham. Died about IMG:content-0907.png:[blocks in formation] (pillar-saints). Simferopol (sim-fer-o'poly). The capital of the government of Taurida, Ru ia, situated in the 34° 6' E. It was formerly a Tatar seat of government, Crimea, on the Salghir, in lat. 44° 58′ N., long. tion, 41,339. and has been the capital of Taurida since 1784. Popula Simkin. A nickname for Simeon . Simla (sim'lä). 1. A district in the northern part of British India, about lat. 31° 7' N., long. 77°5′ E. Area, 102 square miles. Population (1891), 44,642.-2. The capital of the district of Simla, situated about 7,000 feet above sea level. It is noted as a sanatorium, and as the residence of many officials (including the viceroy) during the hot season. Population, with cantonment (1891), 13,836. Simme (zim'me), Greater or Great. A small river in the canton of Bern, Switzerland, which joins the Kander (tributary of the Aare) 5 miles south of Thun. Simmenthal (zim'men-täl), popularly Sie benthal (ze'ben-täl). An Alpine valley in the southwestern part of the canton of Bern, Swit zerland, traversed by the Great Simme. Simmering (sim'mer-ing). A southeastern suburb of Vienna. Simms (simz), William Gilmore. Born at Charleston, S, C., April 17, 1806: died there, June 11, 1870. An American novelist, historian, and poet. He wrote many novels, largely on Southern life, and many of them historical (Revolutionary and colonial epoch) and frontier romances. These include "The Yema ee" (1835), "Carl Werner" (1838), "Pelayo" (1839), Partisan" (18:35), and "Count Julian " (1845). His best"The Kinsman" (later called "The Scout," 1841), "The known poem is "A talant is: a Drama of the Sea" (1832). His historical works include "A History of South Carolina" (1840), "South Carolina in the Revolution" (1854), lives of Marion, Greene, etc. Simmel (sim'nel), Lambert. Born about 1472. A pretender to the throne of England, personating the Earl of Warwick. His adherents were defeated by Henry VII. at Stoke in 1487. Lambert Simnel, with his tutor, Simon the priest, fell into the king's hands, who spared their lives, and appointed the former to the office of turnspit, being eventually promoted to that of falconer, and as guardian of the king's hawks he lived and died. Lawle , Story of Ireland, p. 135. Simois (sim'ō-is). [Gr. Σιμόεις.] In ancient geography, a small river in the Troad, Asia Minor, often mentioned in the Iliad. Simon. [F. Simon, Sp. Simon, Pg. Simão , It. Simone, LL. Simon , Gr. Σίμων , prop. a Gr. name, lit. 'flat-nosed, but in part also an accommodation of the different Heb. name Shimon , Simeon. See Simeon .] See Peter . Simon (si'mon). A brother or relative of Jesus: often identified with Simon the Can a a nite. Simon. A tanner of Joppa at whose house St. Peter resided. Simon, surnamed Magus ('the Magician'). A sorcerer of Samaria, represented in Acts viii. as having been converted by Philip, and as seeking to purchase miraculous powers with money. In later accounts he is represented as the founder of a heretical sect. The legend of Doctor Faustus contains traces of the legends of Simon and Helena, his companion. Simon probably was one of that cla of adventurers which abounded at this period, or like A poll on i us of Ty ana and others at a later time, with whom the opponents of Christianity attempted to confound Jesus and his apostles. His doctrine was Oriental in its language and in its pretensions. He was the first Æon or Emanation, or rather perhaps the first manifestation, of the primal Deity. He a umed not merely the title of the Great Power or Virtue of God, but all the other appellations - the Word, the Per fection, the Paraclete, the Almighty-the whole combined cording to the statement of his enemies a beautiful pros attributes of the Deity. He had a companion, Helena, actitute, whom he found at Tyre, who became in like manner the first conception (the Ennea) of the Deity; but who, by her conjunction with matter, had been enslaved to its malignant influence, and, having fallen under the power of evil angels, had been in a constant state of transmigration, and, among other mortal bodies, had occupied that of the famous Helen of Troy.