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body on- tilt surface bf water, with a progressive undulating mo-tion. .This art is in a manner natural to man, and from its evidentutility, it has in all ages formed part of the education both of bar-barous and civilized nations. As an outline of the principles onwhich it is practised, may be a mean of saving persons accidentallyfallen into deep water, we shall give a few directions to that effect,selected from tire instructions of Dr. Franklin. First, the learnerought to walk courageously into the wafer, till the fluid reaches toJiis breast; when he must gently decline his belly towards the sur-face; the head and neck being erect; the breast pressing for-ward; the thorax being inflated, and the back bent. Next, thelegs must be withdrawn from the bottom, while they are extendedor stretched out; and the arms should be stricken forwards, cor-responding with the motion of the former. Swimming on theback is not essentially different from the method just described,excepting that, the arms are not exerted, and the progressive mo-tion is derived solely from the striking of the legs. With respectto diving, or plunging under water, Dr. F. observes, that the swim-mer must close his hands together: and, the chin being pressedupon his breast, he ought to make an exertion to bend forwardswith energy : while he continues in this position, he should movewith velocity under the water; and, when he wishes to return tothe surface, it will be sufficient to bend his head backward, in con-sequence of which he will instantaneously rise. From the naturaltimidity, or antipathy to water, which in some individuals is consti-tutional, novices in swimming have been advised to employ blad-ders or corks, for the purpose of supporting the body above thesurface; a practice which has been severely censured. Dr. F. is,however, of opinion, that such auxiliary means are useful, whilethe pupil is acquiring the mode of drawing in, and striking out,the hands; which is absolutely.necessary to a progressive motion.If a person, unacquainted with swimming, and falling accidentallyinto the water, could have presence of mind sufficient to avoidstruggling and plunging, and to let the body take this natural po-sition, he might continue long safe from drowning, till perhapsJielp would come. The subject has within the last two or threeyears been investigated in Nicholson’s Philosophical Journal,whence itjshould seem that if a person could have sufficient presenceof mind never to raise his hands above water, he could not sink.
SWINDON, a town of England, in Wiltshire , 28 miles N. ofSalisbury, and 83 W. of London . Lon. 1. 45. W. Lat. 51. 30. N.
SWINE-STONE, Lapis Suillus, or Fcetid Stone, socalled from its excessively fetid smell. The texture of this sub-stance is often earthy ; fracture splintery ; specific gravity 2.7 ;colour grey, of various shades. When scraped or pounded, itemits an urinous or garlic smell.
SW’INGING, aspecies of passive exercise, which is performedin certain contrivances, known under the name of swinging ma-chines or cars; by the undulating motiou of which the body istossed in an ascending and descending direction. Swinging greatlycontributes to health ; and has occasionally proved very service-able to persons of consumptive habits: it is likewise of consider-able advantage to sedentary individuals; but it ought not to berepeated, if it excite giddiness, headach, or other unpleasant effects.
Swing-Tree, of a waggon, is the bar fastened across the fore-guide to which the traces of the horses are fastened.
Swing-Wheel, in a royal pendulum, that wheel which drives thependulum. In a watch or balance-clock it is called the crown-wheel.
SWINTON, John, a very celebrated English antiquary, theson of John Swinton of Bexton, gent, was born in Cheshire inJ703. His parents were not affluent, as he was entered at Ox-ford as a servitor at Wadham college, in Oct. 1719. On June30, 1723. he was elected a scholar on a Cheshire foundation. InDec. .1723, he became B. A. and on Dec. 1, 1720, M. A. liewas ordamed deacon, May 30, 1725, priest, May, 28, 1727: andmade rector of St. Peter le Bailey in Oxford , in Feb. 1728. InJune 1728 he was elected a fellow of his college : but willing tosee the world, he accepted of a chaplainship to the English fac-tory at Leghorn . But as he did not enjoy his health, he went toFlorence in April 1733, whete he attended Mr. Coleman, theEnglish envoy, in Ins last moments. He returned through Ve-nice and Vienna; and visited Presburg, in Hungary . While hewas abroad, he was admitted into some foreign societies; viz. theAcademy degli Apalisti at Florence, and the Etruscan Acaderiiy ofCortona. On his return, he settled at Oxford , where he becamechaplain to the gaol. He married in 1743, and gave up his
fellowship. In 1759, he became B. D. in 1767, he was electedGustos Archivorum, and, on April 4, 1777, he died w ithout issue.His wife died in 1784, and both were buried in the chapel ofWadham college. His publications were numerous and learned.He published, 1. De Lingux Etruria: Begalis Vernacula Dissert. •4to, 19 p. Oxon. 1738. 2. A critical Essay on the Words Aai^tuu
Aatftoviov, 8vo, London , 1739- 3. De priscis Romanorum Literis ;
4to. 20 p. Ox. 1746. 4. De Primogenio Etruscorum Alphabeto;
Ox. 1746. 5. Inscriptiones Critic*; sive in binas Inscriptiones
Phccnicias, inter Rudera Cilii nit per repertas, Conjecturae. Ac-ceidit de Nummis quibusdam Samaritanis et Phceniciis; vel insoli-lampra se Literaturam ferentibus, vel in Lucem hactenus noneditis,Dissertatio, 4to. 87 p. Ox. 1750. 6. Inscriptiones Critics : sive inbinas alias Inscriptiones Phcenicias, inter Rudera Citii nuper repertasConjecturae, 40, 19p. 7. De Nummis quibusdam Samaritanis et
Phccnicii, vel insolitnin pras se Literaturam ferentibus, vel in Lucemhactenus non editis Diss. 2da, 4to. 36 p. 8. Melilia : sive de qui-nario Gentis Metilire, e Nummis vetuslis caiteroquin minimumNotx, Diss. 4to, 22 p. Ox 1750. 9. Several dissertations in thePhilos. Trans. As, A Dissertation upon a Parthian Coin ; withCharacters on the Reverse resembling those of the Palmyrenes, vol.xlix. p. 593. Remarks on a Parthian Coin, with a Greek andParthian Legend, vol. 1. p. 16. A Dissertation upon the Phceni-cian numeral Characters anciently used at Sidon , vol. 1. p. 791.In Numinum Parthicum hactenus ineditum Conjecturae, vol. li,p. 683. A Dissertation upon a Samnite Denarius, vol. lii, p. 28.An Account of a subaerated Denarius of the Plaetorian Family,with an Etruscan Inscription, vol. lxii. p. 60. Observations uponfive ancient Persian Coins, struck in Palestine or Phoenicia beforethe Dissolution of the Persian empire,” vol. lxii. p.345. 10. Apart of the Ancient Universal History, in the 6th and 7th vols. ofthat work. The particulars of this piece of literary history werecommunicated by Dr. Johnson to Mr. Nichols, in a paper printedin the Gentleman’s Magazine for Dec. 1784. The original is de-posited in the British Museum . It assigns the following divisionsof the history to Mr. Swinton: “The history of the Carthagi-nians, Numidians, Mauritanians, Gsetulians, Garamantes , Me-lano Gaetulians, Nigritac, Cyrenaica , Marmarica, the Regio Syr-tica, Turks, Tartars, ami Moguls, Indians, and Chinese ; a dis-sertation on the peopling of America , and one on the indepen-dency of the Arabs .
SWITZERLAND , or SWISSERLAND, a mountainouscountry of Europe, bounded on the N. by Suabia ; E. by Tyroland Austrian Suabia; S. by the duchy of Savoy and Italy ;and W. by France ; being about 260 miles long, and 100broad. It is divided into 13 cantons, viz. Berne, Zurich ,ScilAFFHAUSEN, BASIL , LuCEKNE, UnDERWALDEN, UrI,Schwitz, Fkiburg, Zug, Soleure , Claris, and Appenzel.See these articles. The ancient inhabitants of this country werethe Ilelvetii, who were subdued by Ca :sar B. C. 57. A. !). 395it was conquered by the Alemani, a German nation who were ex-pelled by Clovis, king of France , in 496. In 888 it became partof the kingdom of Burgundy, and was given by Rodolphtis, thelast king of that counlry, to Comad II. emperor of Germany , in1032, from which time it was a part of the empire; but in 1307the inhabitants revolted, and set up the republic of the thirteencantons, who in 1315 made their league perpetual. In 1649 theirliberty was confirmed by treaty. The climate of this country isvery various. That part of the canton of Berne, E. of the lake ofGeneva, together with the cantons of Uri, Switz, Underwalden,Claris, Appenzel, and part of the canton of Lucerne , consist ofstupendous mountains, whose tops are from 9000 to 12000 fedabove the level of the sea, consisting of craggy inaccessible rocks,of which some are quite bare, while others are always coveredw ith ice and snow. Among the mountains are many excellent m e 'dicinal and other springs, cold and warm baths, water-falls, craggyprecipices, deep narrow valleys, and caverns. They yield alsoa great variety of herbs, thickets, and bushes, in the upper parts!and in the lower, rich pastures and woods. The highest are thosein the canton of Uri. Many of the valleys are covered with lake-,,or watereil by brooks and rivers. In some of them are towns, vd'lages, woods, vineyards, and corn lands. Both on the mountain 8and in the valleys ihe air is extremely cold in winter ; but in sunt'mer it is very pleasant, cool, and refreshing, on the former, but c*'cessively hot in the latter. Sometimes it is winter on the N*side of a mountain when it is summer on the S. nay, flowers may