SEA 547 SEC

terminate only with the voyage. This indisposition is conside-rably alleviated by a small tea-spoonful of ether, taken now andthen in a glass of water, and applying some of it to the templesand nostrils.

Seasin, in a ship, the name of a rope by which the boat ridesby the ship’s side when in harbour, &c.

SEASONS, in cosmography, certain portions or quarters of theyear, distinguished by the signs which the sun then enters, or bythe meridian-altitudes of the sun ; consequent on which are dif-ferent temperatures of the air, different works in tillage, &c. SeeHeat , and Weather. The year is divided into four seasons,Spring, Sommer, Autumn, and Winter . The beginnings andendings of each whereof, see under its proper article.

SEASONING, the first illness to which persons habituated tocolder climates are subject on their arrival in the West Indies .This seasoning, unless they live temperately, or are in aproper habit of body, (though some people are unmolested formany months,) seldom suffers them to remain long before it ap-pears in some mode or other; particularly if at first they exposethemselves in a shower of rain, or too long, in the sun, or in thenight-air; or when the body is much heated, if they drink largedraughts of cold liquors, or bathe in water; or use much exercise ;or commit excess in drinking wine or spirits; or by heating thebody or inflaming the blood ; or by subjecting themselves to anycause that may suddenly check perspiration, which at first isgenerally excessive. Some people, from a favourable state ofbody, have no seasoning. Thin people, and very young people,are most likely to escape it.

SEAT, in the manege, is the posture or situation of a horsemanspoil the saddle.

SEATER, one of the chief deities of the ancient Saxons ,reckoned by mythologists analogous to the Saturn of the Greeksand Romans. Saturday was named from this idol.

SEATON, or PORT SEATON, a sea-port-town of Scotland ,in Haddingtonshire, nine miles East of Edinburgh , and fiveN. N. W. of Haddington. Lon. 2. 54. W. Lat. 56. 0. N.

SEA-WATER, denotes the salt-water of the ocean. The saltswhich this fluid contains, are, 1. Common marine, or culinary salt,Compounded of fossil-alkali, or soda, and muriatic acid; 2. Salitedmagnesia, or a saline substance formed by the combination of mu-riatic acid with magnesian earth ; 3. A small portion of selenite, orgypsum. The quantity of saline matter obtained from the waterof the British seas, is estimated by Neumann, to be about oneounce in each pint. Sea-water is of great utility for various pur-poses. It affords an excellent manure, either sprinkled on land,or when it is mixed with putrescible matters, formed into a com-post, and distributed over the soil. In a medicinal view, Dr. Rus-Se ' (Dissertation concerning the Use of Sea-water in Diseases ofthe Glands, &c. 8vo.) states the following cases, in which thisfluid may be drunk with advantage, namely, in at! glandular ob-*'ructions, as well as in swellings of the neck, and other parts; in. cutaneous diseases; in recent obstructions of the liver and kid-1,1 es (provided the stone in the latter be not large;) in bronchocele,tumors j n ij, e wind-pipe; and, lastly, for the prevention'of the. i'ous colics, to which mariners are frequently subject. To purify>e sea-water from its saline ingredients, so as to render it fresh, is'.'object of the greatest importance to navigators; for various ac-j,. nts may happen, by which the stock of this necessary article onup-board may be split, or become corrupted. The most simpleParatus for this purpose is that invented by Dr. Irving, for whichj ) e r oceived a reward of 5000/. By this contrivance, ail stills, still-or k ’ ^ c * are rendered unnecessary ; because the common boiler*«t.e belonging to a ship, will serve as an effectual substitute :she*' to connec ' e d, a plain tube made of plate-iron or

8e ^' l ' n > that may be easily procured on board. As soon as thelid"" ater ' S P°nred into such vessel, the tube must be fit ted to thead W eovci ’ r011 nd which a piece of wet linen may be applied, toho''/ 3 * '[ ^’ e ^ er 'be mouth of the new still. When the waterorc] S * 1 ' e va P our should be suffered to pass freely for a minute, iner to clear the tube, which is then to be constantly moistened,dtstfiu!' 5 ^ a mo P dipped in the sea along its upper surface. Thedraw * n-’ s ' ,0l| bl he continued till three-fourths of the water befity J f° ’ "' ien 'he brine ought to be taken out: thus, any quan-«j;p wa t. c f niay he obtained, without the aid of any ingre-

i he utility of this expedient is obvious; and we trust that

it is, or at least will be, generally adopted on board of every shipthat is bound to a distant port.

SEBACIC ACID, the acid procured from fat. Chemistshad long suspected, that an acid could be obtained from tal-low, on account of the acrid nature of the fumes, which it emits ata high temperature; but it wasM. Grutzmacher, who first demon-strated it in a dessertation De Ossium Medalla, published in 1748.M. Rhodes mentioned it in 1753; Segner published a dissertationon it in 1754, and Crell examined its properties very fully in twodissertations, in the Phil. Trans, for 17S0 and 1782. It was calledat first Acid of Fat. It may be procured by the following process:Mix quick-lime with melted tallow, and keep the mixture lor sometime in a melting heat. Then let it cool, and wash it in a greatquantity of water. Evaporate this water, and there will be ob-tained a brown salt, which is impure Sebate of lime. Heat Ibispretty strongly in a crucible, dissolve it in water, filter it, separatethe excess by carbonic acid; then evaporate. Pure crystallizedsebate of lime is obtained. Mix ibis with sulphuric acid, and dis-til with a moderate heat. Sebacic Acid comes over. It is a liquid of an acid, sharp, bitterish taste. When concentrated, it exhalesa white smoke, which has a strong disagreeable peculiar odour,and irritates the eyes and throat. It reddens tincture of turnsole.Heat causes it to assume a yellowish colour. When distilled, ityields a brownish liquid, and whet) distilled to dryness, it leaves alittle charcoal. For its affinities, see Chemistry.

SEBASTIAN, St. a large and handsome city of South Ame-rica, in Brazil, capital of the province of Rio Janeiro . Lon. 43.11. W. Lat. 22. 54. S.

Sebastian, St. a handsome, populous, and strong town ofSpain, in the province of Guipuscoa . Lon. 1. 59.-W. Lat. 43,23. N.

SEBAT, or SHEBET, in chronology, the 5th month of thecivil year among the Jews , and the 11th of their sacred year. Itconsists of 30 days, and begins in January, and ends in Feb-ruary.

SEBATE, in chemistry, a salt formed by the union of the Se-bacic Acid with different bases, as alkalies, earths, &c. Thesesalts are soluble in water.

SEBENICO, a county of Dalmatia , extending 30 miles along,the coast . It is watered by the Kerka, or Cherca, which formstwo lakes in it, and abounds in wines, oils, &c.

Sebenico, the capital of the above county, is a strong sea-port-town , 20 miles N. of Trau, and 25 N. W. of Spalatro. Lon.16.46. E. Lat. 44. 17..N.

SEBUAJI, a sect among the ancient Samaritans , whom St. Epi-phanius accuses of changing the time expressed in the law, for thecelebration of the great annual feasts of the Jews .

SEBUM, [Lat.J fat.

SEBURiEf, or SEBURAI, a name which the Jews give to suchof their rabbins or doctors as lived and taught some time after thefinishing of the Talmud .

SEBURG, a town of France , in the department of the North,and province of French Hainault; five miles E. of Valen-ciennes .. Lon. 3. 50. E. Lat. 50. 22. N.

SECALE, Rye ; in botany, a genus of the digynia order, ardtriandria class of plants ; natural order, Gramina. Calyx a glumeof two leaves, which are opposite to one another, erect, linear,pointed, and less than the corolla; corolla consists of two valves,;the exterior of which ends in a beard. There are four species.

S. Cerkale, Common Rye , has glumes with rough fringes.It is a native of the island of Candia, was introduced into Englandmany ages ago, and is the only species of rye cultivated in this-kingdom. There are, however, two .varieties, the winter andspring rye. 1 . The winter-rve, which is larger in the grain thanthe spring-rye, is sown in autumn at the same time with wheat, andsometimes mixed.with it; but as the rye ripens sooner than thewheat, this method must be very exceptionable. II. The spring-rye is sown along with the oats, usually ripens as soon as the win-ter-rye; but tbe grain produced is liglver, and it is therefore sel-dom sown except where the autumnal crop has failed. Rye iscommonly sown on poor, dry, limestone, or sandy soils, wherewheat will not thrive. By continuing to sow it on such a soil fortwo or three years, it will at length ripen a.month earlier than thatwhich has been raised for y ears on strong cold ground. Rseis.commonly used for bread either alone or mixed with wheat. This

mixture