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ment, in all respects, with w hites. They were to be tried by jury,as well as others; and the council was desired to allot to the blacksemployments suited to their abilities, and to afford them every op-portunity of cultivating their talents. All practicable means ofmaintaining subordination were directed to be used; and thecouncil was especially instructed to promote religion and morals,by supporting public worship and the due observance of the Sab-bath , and by die instruction of the people, and the education ofchildren. But no person was to be prevented from performing orattending religious worship in whatever place, time, or manner,he might think fit, or from peaceably inculcating his own religiousopinions. Orders were given in choosing the site of a town, toconsider health as the first object; and the first town was directedto be called Free-Town. Articles for building and cultivationwere sent out, besides the cargoes for prosecuting the company’scommerce ; and schools for reading, writing, and accounts, wereordered to be set up for the purpose of instructing the children ofsuch natives as should be willing to put them under the company’sCare. The leading object of the company w as to substitute, forthat disgraceful traffic which had too long subsisted, a fair commercewith Africa , and all the blessings which might be expected to at-tend it. Considerable advantages appeared hereby likely to resultto Great Britain , not only from our obtaining several commoditiescheaper, but also from opening a market for British manufactures.From this connection, Africa was likely to derive the still moreimportant benefits of religion, morality, and civilization. Toaccomplish these purposes, it was necessary for the company topossess a tract of land as a repository for their goods, and whichthe Africans might cultivate in peace, secure from the ravages ofthe slave-trade, it had been ascertained, beyond a doubt, thatthe climate and soil of Africa were admirably suited to the growthof sugar, spices, cotfee, cotton, indigo, rice, and every otherspecies of tropical produce. The company proposed to instructthe natives to raise these articles, and to set them the example, bya spirited cultivation, on its own account. Directions were givento the company’s commercial agent to push forward a trade, in amode prescribed, in the present produce of Africa . Measureswere taken for cultivating, on the company’s account, the mostprofitable tropical produce; and in particular, a person of longexperience in the West Indies was ordered to begin a sugar-plan-tation. A mineralogist and botanist were likew ise engaged to goout and explore the country for new articles of commerce. Everything being thus settled upon the most equitable and benevolentprinciples, the ships sailed with the British Colonist, to whom, inMarch 1792, were added 1131 blacks from Nova Scotia . Thenative chiefs being reconciled to the plan, and made to understandits beneficent tendency towards their people, the colony proceededto build Free-Town, on a dry and rather elevated spot on the S.banks of the river. It occupied between 70 and 80 acres, itslength being about one-third of a mile, and its breadth nearly thesame; and it contained nearly 400 houses, each having one-12th ofan acre annexed, on which a few vegetables were raised. Therewere nine streets running from N. W. to S. E. and three crossstreets, all 80 feet w ide, except one of 160 feet, in the middle ofwhich were all the public buildings. These consisted of a gover-nor’s house and offices; a large store-house; a large hospital; sixor eight other houses, offices, and shops, occupied by the com-pany’s servants; and a church capable of containing 800 people.The colonists at first suffered much from the rainy season, againstwhich it was not in their power to provide sufficient protection ;but at the end of it they recovered in a great measure their healthand spirits, and proceeded with alacrity to execute the variouspurposes of their settlement. To excite emulation in culture, thegovernment gave premiums to those colonists who raised thegreatest quantities of rice, yams, eddoes, cabbages, Indian corn,and cotton, respectively. To limit the excesses of the slave-trade,and gain the favour of the neighbouring chiefs, the directors in-structed the governor and council to redeem any native from theneighbourhood, who should be unjustly sold either to or by aBritish subject. The servants of the company conducted them-selves with the utmost propriety, being sober, moral, and exem-plary ; and from the labours of the clergymen were derived ser-vices highly important in every point of view. Before the end oftwo rears from the institution of the colony, order and industry

had begun to shew their effects in an increasing prosperity. Tinswoods had been cut down to the distance of about three Englishmiles all round the town. By these means the climate bad becomehealthier, and sickness had greatly abated. The fame of the co-lony had spread not only along the whole western coast of Africa ,hut also to parts far distant from the coast; embassies had been re-ceived of the most friendly nature from kings and princes severalhundred miles distant; and the native chiefs had begun to sendtheir children to the colony, with full confidence, to be taughtreading, writing, and accounts, and to be brought up in theChristian religion. In a word, it was not without grounds thatthe directors looked forward to that joyful period, when, by theinfluence of the company’s measures, the continent of Africa should he rescued from her present state of darkness and misery,and exhibit a delightful scene of light and knowledge, of civiliza-tion and order, of peaceful industry and domestic comfort. Thattheir benevolent labours may be finally crowned with success is ourearnest prayer, in which we shall, doubtless, be joined by everygood Christian .

SI FANS, or TOU-FANS, a people inhabiting the country onthe W. of Chinn. Their country is only a continued ridge ofmountains, inclosed by the rivers Iloang-lio on the N. Yaslong onthe W. and Yang-lse-kiang on the E. between 30° and 35° Lat. N.

SIFANTO, or SIP1IANTO, an island of the Archipelago , W.of Pat'oa, N. E. of Milo, and S. W. of Serpbanto ; anciently calledSiphanos. It is 36 miles in circumference. Lon. 23. 15. E. Lat.37. 9. N.

SIGjEUM, orSIGEUM, in ancient geography, a celebratedtown of Troas, on a promontory so named, near the mouth of theScamander.

S1GAN, or SINGAN, a city of China , the capital of the pro-vince of Chen-si. Lon. 108. 15. E. Lat. 34. 46. N.

SIGAULTIAN OPERATION, a method of delivery in casesof difficult labour, first practised by M. Sigault. It consists inenlarging the dimensions of the pelvis, in order to procure a safepassage to the child without injuring the mother.

SIGESBECKIA, in botany, a genus of plants belonging to theclass syngenesia, and order polygamia superflua; natural 0 order,Compositx. Receptacle paleaceous; pappus wanting; exteriorcalyx pentaphyllous, proper, spreading; radius halved. There arethree species.

S1GET, SIGETH, or ZIGAT, a town of Lower Hungary,and capital of a county of the same name. Lon. 18. 58. E. Lat.46. 17. N.

SIGlliHG, is an effort of nature, by which the lungs are putinto greater motion, and more dilated, so that the blood passesmore freely, and in greater quantity, to the left auricle, and thenceto the ventricle. Hence we learn, says Dr. Hales, how sighingincreases the force of the blood, and consequently proporlionablycheers and relieves nature, when oppressed by its too slow motion,which is the case of those who are dejected and sa,d.

SIGHT, or VISION. See Anatomy , and Orucs.

SIGMARINGEN, a town of Suabia, capital of a county sonamed, 26 miles N. of Constance, and 44 S. of Stattgard. Lon.. 9.8. E. Ferro. Lat. 48. 2.N.

SIGN, in general, is the mark or character of something absentor invisible. See Character.

Sign, among physicians, denotes some appearance in the humanbody, which serves to indicate or point out the condition of thepatient with regard to health or disease.

Sign, in algebra. See Algebra .

Sign, in astronomy. See Astronomy.

Sign-Manual, in law, is used to signify a bill, or writing, signedby the king’s own hand-writing.

SIGNALS, certain alarms or notices used to communicate intel-ligence to a distant observer. Signals are made by firing artillery')and displaying colours, lanterns, or fire-works; and these are com-bined by multiplication and repetition. Thus, like the words ofa language, they become arbitrary expressions, to which rve havepreviously annexed particular ideas; and hence they are the gene-ral sources of' intelligence throughout a naval armament,Signals ought to be distinct, with simplicity. They are simplewhen every instruction is expressed by a particular token, in or deeto avoid any mistakes arising from the Rouble purport of one sl fe*