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SEQUIN, a gold-coin, struck at Venice , and in several partsof the Grand Stgnior’s dominions. In Turkey it is called dahab,or piece of gold, and according to Volney is in value about 6a. 3d.sterling.

SERA, a town of Hindoostan, in the Mysore ; 58 miles N. W.of Banglore, and 55 N. of Seringapatam . Lon. 9. 54. E. Lat.13. 28i'N.

SERAGLIO, [from the Persian word Serai, which signifies ahouse,] is commonly used to express the house or palace of aprince. In the sense it is frequently used at Constantinople ; thehouses of foreign ambassadors are called seraglios. But it is com*-inonly used by way of eminence for the palace of the grand signiorat Constantinople .

Seraglio of the Grand Signior, where he keeps his court,where his concubines are lodged, and where the youth are trainedup for the chief posts of the empire, is a triangle about three Italianmiles round wholly within the city, at the end of the promontoryChrysoceras, now called the Seraglio Point. The buildings runback to the top of the hill, and thence are gardens that reach tothe edge of the sea. It is inclosed with a very high and strongwall, upon which there are several watch-towers: and it lias manygates, some of which open towards the sea-side, and the rest intothe city ; but the chief gate is one of the latter, which is constantlyguarded by a company of capoochces, or porters ; and in thenight it is well guarded towards the sea. The outward appearanceis not elegant; the architecture being irregular, consisting of sepa-rate edifices in the form of pavilions and domes. The ladies ofthe seraglio are a collection of beautiful young women, chieflysent as presents from the provinces and the Greek islands, mostof them the children of Christian parents. The brave prince He-raclius for some years abolished the infamous tribute of children ofboth sexes, which Georgia formerly paid every year to the Porte.The number of women in the Harem depends on the taste of thereigning sultan. Selim had 2000, Achmet had but 300, and thelate sultan had nearly 1600. On their admission they are com-mitted to the care of old ladies, taught sewing, embroidery, music,dancing, &c. and furnished with the richest clothes and ornaments.They all sleep in separate beds, and between every fifth there is apreceptress. Their chief governess is called Katon Kiaga, orgoverness of the noble young ladies. There is no servant, for theyare obliged to wait on one another by rotation ; the last that is en-tered serves her who preceded her and herself. These ladies arescarcely ever suffered to go abroad, except when the grand signiorremoves from one place to another, when a troop of black eunuchsconveys them to the boats, which are inclosed with lattices andlinen-curtains; and when they go by land they are put into closechariots, and signals are made at certain distances, to give noticethat none approach the roads through which they march. Theboats of the harem, which carry the grand signior’s wives, aremanned with 24 rowers, and have white covered tilts, shut alter-nately by Venetian blinds. Among the emperor’s attendants area number of mutes, who act and converse by signs with greatquickness, and some dwarfs, who are exhibited for the sultan’samusement. When he permits the women to walk in the gardensof the seraglio, all people are ordered to retire, and on every sidethere is a guard of black eunuchs, with sabres in their hands,while others go their rounds to hinder any person from seeing them.If any one is found in the garden, even through ignorance or inad-vertence, he is instantly killed, and his head brought to the feet ofthe grand-signior, who rewards the guard for their vigilance. Some-times the grand signior passes into the gardens to amuse himselfwhen the women are there ; and it is then that they make use oftheir utmost efforts, by dancing, singing, seducing gestures, andamorous blandishments, to attract his affections, it is not per-mitted that the monarch should take a virgin to his bed, exceptduring the solemn festivals, and on occasion of some extraordinaryrejoicings, or the arrival of some good news. Upon such occa-sions, if the sultan chooses a new companion to his bed, he entersinto the apartment of the women, who are ranged in files by thegovernesses, to whom he speaks, and intimates the person he likesbest. As soon as the grand signior has chosen the girl that lie hasdestined to be the partner of his bed, all the others follow her tothe bath, washing her and perfuming her, and dressing her superb-ly, conducting her, singing, dancing, and rejoicing, to the bed-chamber of the grand signior, who is generally, on such occasions,

already in bed. Scarcely has the new elected favourite enteredthe chamber, introduced by the grand eunuch who is upon guard,than she kneels down, and when the sultan calls her, she creepsinto bed to him at the foot of the bed, if the sultan does not orderher, by especial grace, to approach by the side ; after a certaintime, upon a signal given by the sultan, the governess of the girls,with all her suite, enter the apartment, and take her back again,conducting her with the same ceremony to the women’s apart-ments: and if by good fortune she becomes pregnant, and is de-livered of a boy, she is called asaki sultaness, that is to say, sul-taness-mother ; for the first son she has the honour to be crowned,and she has the liberty of forming her court. Eunuchs are alsoassigned for her guard, and for her particular service. No otherladies, though delivered of boys, are either crowned or maintainedwith such costly distinction as the first; however, they have theirservice apart, and handsome appointments. After the death of thesultan, the mothers of the male-children are shut up in the oldseraglio, from whence they can never come out any more, unlessany of their sons ascend the throne.

SERAMICA, a river of South America, in Surinam , whichruns into the Atlantic, in Lon. 55. 58. W. Lat. 5. 54. N.

SERAPH, [.qtnst] a spirit of the highest rank in the hierarchyof angels ; who are thus called from their being supposed to be mostinflamed with divine love, by their nearer and more immediate at-tendance at the throne of God , and to communicate their fervourto the remoter and inferior orders. See Angel.

SERAPIAS, in botany, a genus of plants belonging to theorder diandria, and class gynandria ; natural order, Orchid ear.Nectarium egg-shaped, gibbous, with an egg-shaped lip. It ha?fourteen species.

SERAPIS, in mythology*, an Egyptian deity, who was worship-ped under various names and attributes, as the tutelary god ofEgypt in general, and as the patron of several of their principal cities.

1SERAVALLE, a town of Italy , in the department of theOlona, and duchy of Milan ; 12 miles S. of Tortona , and 24 N.of Genoa.

SERDOB, a town of Russia, in Saratov, on the Donetz ; 72miles N. W. of Saratov .

SERDOBOL, a town of Prussia, in Viborg, on lake Ladoga ;60 miles N. N. E. of Viborg.

SEREGIPPE, DO REY, a sea-port-town of Brasil , 120 milesN. E. of St. Salvador. Lon. 39. 46. W. Lat. 11 . 30. N.

SERENADE, a kind of concert given in the night by a loverto his mistress, under her window. These sometimes only consistof instrumental music, but at other times voices are added : themusic and songs composed for these occasions are also calledserenades.

SEREN E, a title of honour given to several princes and to theprincipal magistrates of republics. The king of Britain , and thechildren of the king of Spain , are called most serene.

SERERES, a nation of Africa , near Cape Verd, dispersed inseveral small republics, which unite in one body againsf a commonenemy.

SERES, a people of the Farther Asia ; bounded on the W. byScythia extra Imaum ; on the N. and E. by Terra Incognita; andon the S. by India beyond the Ganges . (Ptol.) By which limits,their country answers nearly to Calhoy or North China.

SERFANTE, SERFO, or SERPHO, an island in the GrecianArchipelago , 50 miles N. W. of Naxia, and 75 Irom the E. coastof the Morea.

SERGE, is a woollen quilted stuff, manufactured on a loomwith four treddles, after the manner of rateens, and other stuff’sthat have the whale. The goodness of serges is known by thequilting, as that of cloths by the spinning. Of serges there arevarious kinds, denominated either from the different qualitiesthereof, or from the places where they are wrought. The mostconsiderable is the London serge, now highly valued abroad, par-ticularly in France , where a manufacture is carried on with consi-derable success, under the title of serge fa$on de Londres.

SERGEANT, in war, is a noncommissioned officer in a com-pany of foot or troop of dragoons, armed with an halbert, and ap-pointed to see discipline observed, to teach the soldiers the exer-cise of their arms, to order, straiten, and form their ranks, files,&c. He receives the orders from the adjutant, which he commu-nicates to his officers. Each company generally has two sergeants.

Serjeant