SCR

SEA

at the rates they can agree for, officers,with or without parties, must agree forboats at the rate as other persons doin like cases.

To SCOUR, (Battre a toute voice,l"r.) This term is frequently used toexpress the act of firing a quick and .[heavy discharge of ordnance or mus-quetry, for the purpose of dislodgingan enemy, Hence, to scour the ram-part, or the covert way. It likewisesignifies to clear, to drive away, viz. toscour the seas, ecumer U:s mers, Fr. toscour the streets, ecumer les rues; alsoto run about in a loose desultory man-ner, as to scour the country.

To SCOUR a line, is to flank it soas to see directly along it, that a mus-quet-bali, entering at one end, may flyto the other, leaving no place of se-curity.

SCOURER, the ramrod was so calledin old times. It formerly made a partin the exercise of the firelock, as,Draw forth your scourer; Return yourscourer.

SCOUTS, are generally horsemensent out before, and on the wings ofan army, at the distance of a mile ortwo, to discover the enemy, and givethe general an account of what they see.

SCRAMASAXES. According to theauthor of the Nouveau DictionnaireMilitaire, the Scramasaxes was an offen-sive weapon, made in the' shape of asword, hut not so long, Gregoire de Tours observes, in the 21st chapter ofthe fourth honk of his history, thatpredegonde caused Sigisbert , king ofAustrasia , to be assassinated by twodrunken valets, who were armed withthis weapon.

SCREW , CEscrou, Fr.J one of themechanical powers, which is defined aright cylinder cut into a furrowed spiral.Wilkins calls it a kind of wedge, thatIs multiplied or continued by a helicalrevolution about a cylinder, receivingits motion, not from any stroke, butfrom a vectis at one end of it.

Screws, in gunnery, are fastened tothe cascable of light guns and howit-zers, by means of an iron bolt, whichgoes through a socket fixed upon thecenter transom, to elevate or depressthe piece with, instead of wedges.

Screw of direction, £Fis de Point-age, Fr.) The screw of direction, used

in the artillery, is formed of a brass ho-rizontal roller, placed between the twochecks of the carriage. The trunnionsof the roller move upon two verticaliron pivots, which are fixed against theinterior sides of the cheeks. By meansof this screw 7 , the direction of pieces iseither raised, or lowered, with a regularmovement, and in the smallest space.

The screw of direction, or Vis dePointage, is equally used for howitzersas well as for heavy pieces of ordnance.It has been invented by the French , andserves in lieu of the Coins a Cremail-llre, or indented coins.

Lock Screws, small screws whichare attached to the lock of a musquet.

SCULL, (petit bateau, Fr.) A smallboat,

SCULLCAP.—See Helmet.

SCULLER, (Bateau h. un rameur,Fr.) A small boat with one man or aboy to row it.

SCURVY , ( Scorbut , Fr.) a diseaseto which soldiers and seamen are pecu-liarly exposed, from eating salted meatand drinking bad water, X-c.&c.

SCUTE or Canot, Fr. any small boatwhich is used in navigation for the ac-commodation of a ship.

SCUTUM, the Latin word for abuckler or a shield, with which the Ro-man soldiers were formerly armed.—It also signified a target. The scutumdiffered from the clypeus, in as muchthat the former was oval'and the latterround. That which was used among. the Grecians, was sometimes round, atj others square, and not unfrequentlyoval. The scutum, or buckler, whichthe Lacedienionians used, was so large,that the dead and wounded were car-ried on it.

SEA-BOAT, commonly called Life-boat, a floating vessel of a particularconstruction, made for the preservationof persons.

The new-invented lite-boat wasbuilt by Mr. Towill, of Teignmoutb,mDevonshire. It is considered by thosewho have tried experiments with it, tahe well calculated to answer the purpose it is intended for. She is buovup by eight cases, four on each side,water tight, and independent of eaother. When men are saved from, wreck and landed, the boat may return,j and some tons of goods may