SEA ( rte ) SEA
Winn soldiers were formerly armed. Italso signified a target. The scutum dif-fered Irom the clyptus, in as much thatthe former was oval and the latter round.That which was used amongtheGrecianswas sometimes round, at others square,and not (infrequently oval. The scutum,or buckler, which the Lacedaemonians used, was so large, that the dead andwounded were earned on it.
SEA -boat, commonly called Life-boat, a floating vessel of a particularconstruction, made lor the preservationof persons.
Sea -fight, (combat naval , Fr.) a con-test at sea, in which the ships of twoHostile, fleets come to action, and take,burn, sink, or otherwise destroy oneanother. To record the many sea-fightsin which this country has been engaged,particularly with France , Spain , and Hol land , would occupy volumes. It will besufficient for us to state, that, althoughthe majority of our military operationshave not been equal to the valour of ourtroops, our naval contests have neverfailed to answer the most sanguine ex-pectations of the country. And yet anation, once as warlike as our own uponthe ocean, was ultimately stripped or itsproud ascendancy by the over-weeningambition of her rival. In the secondnaval action which the Romans had withthe Carthaginians during the first Punicwar, there were, on both sides, upwardsof 290,000 men engaged; how triflingare modern sea-fights compared to suchengagements!
SEAL, ( sceau, Fr.) the print of acoat of arms, or some other device,made in wax, and set to any deed orwriting; also the piece of metal onwhich the arms, or cypher, is engraven.
Privy Seal, (seel secret da roi, Fr.)the King’s seal, which is first set to suchgrants as pass the great seal of England.
The Lord Privy Seal, a great officerwho keeps the King’s privy seal, and is,by office, next in dignity to the lord pre-sident of the council.
Plying Seal, (sceau volant, Fr.) animpression made with sealing-wax uponthe outside cover of a letter, under whichfresh wax may be put to close the enve-lop. This frequently happens in lettersof introduction, &c.
SEAMAN, ) a sailor capa-
Able-bodied Seaman, J ble of takingfceth helm and lead, having served more
than seven years at sea. He is ratedA. E. on board the ships of war. Thereis also another description of men ratedon board ships of war, that is between alandsman and able-bodied, and an able-bodied seamen, called an ordinary sea-man, who. is paid more than the lands-man, but not so much as the able-bodiedseaman.
SEAMS, SEYMS, in horses, are cer-tain clefts in their quarters, caused by thedryness of the toot, or by being riddenupon hard ground.
SEANCE, br. place; seat; session.
Les quatre SLy.nces des cours de judi-cature, Y\\ See Term.
To SEARCH a wound , (sonder untplate, Fr.) to probe it.
To Search u country, to examine mi-nutely ail the inlets and outlets, woods*rivers, &c. of a country through which anarmy is to advance. Ail columns oughtto be preceded by an advanced guard;hut, iu a country near the enemy, in orderto ensure the safety of it, a very strongand respectable one should be iormed,particularly if there is any reason to ima-gine the enemy are ambuscaded, or meanto attack or harass you, so as to preventthe completion of the object of yourmovement. Mons. le Comte Drum-mond de Medford, a most able tactician,has, in a treatise of cavalry publishedby him, given a plan for the distribu-tion of an advanced guard, shewing alsohow to search the country throughwhich the column has to pass.
SEARCHER, an instrument used byfounders to discover any flaws in thebore of cannon, &c. See Proof.
To SEASON, in a military sense, toaccustom; to enure. Soldiers are fre-quently sent to Gibraltar in order to beseasoned for a hot climate.
SEASONED troops, troops that havebeen accustomed to climate, and are notso liable to become the victims of any.endeinieal disorder, as raw men mustunavoidably be. The French use theword acclimater, to get accustomed toa change of climate. Hence troupetacclimaices, troops that have been sea-soned.
SEASONING of timber is the pre-paring of timber for use, which is done inthe following manner: the timber havingbeen felled, &c. it must be laid up verydry in an airy place, yet free fromextreme heat, from cold, and rain;