Sedition

The Principles of Sanitary Science and the Public Health (1902).

Sedition. Words or conduct which tend to incite rebellion against the state or nation, or bring into contempt the constitution and government, but which are not followed by an overt_act constituting treason. The Federal statutes define and provide for the punishment of seditious conspiracy as follows: 'If two or more persons in any state or territory conspire to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States, or levy war against them, or oppose by force the authority thereof; or by force to prevent, hinder or delay the execution of any law of the United States; or by force to seize, take or possess any property of the United States contrary to the authority thereof; each of them shall be punished by a fine of not less than five hundred dollars and not more than five thousand dollars, or by imprisonment with or without hard labor, for a period of not less than six months, nor more than six years, or by both such fine and imprisonment. Sedition in the army and navy may be punished by death or imprisonment in the discretion of a court-martial.

See TREASON.

Sedimentary Rocks, rocks formed by the deposition of materials previously held in suspension by water. See Rock and PETROLOGY.

Sedley, or SIDLEY, SIR CHARLES (P1639-1701), English wit and dramatic author, born at Aylesford, Kent; had great repute in his own day both as a rake (see Pepys's Diary, passim) and as a poct. Dryden makes him figure in The Essay on Dramatic Poesy under the name of Lisideius, and calls him the "Tibullus of the age.' Charles II. delighted in his conversation. He was the author of three tragedies-Antony and Cleopatra (1677), Beauty the Conqueror, or the Death of Marc Antony (1702), and The

Tyrant King of Crete (1719); and three comedies-Mulberry Garden (1668), Bellamira (1687), and The Grumbler (1719); but his fame rests chiefly on such lyrics as 'Love still has something of the sea, and Phillis is my only joy.' See Works, with Memoir, by an Eminent Hand (1722).

Sedro Wooley, city, Skagit co., Wash., 62 m. N. of Seattle, on the Skagit R., and on the Gt. N. and the N. Pac. R. Rs. It is located at the entrance of the Skagit Valley (75 m. long and 4-10 m. wide). It consists of the two towns of Sedro and Wooley united in 1898. It has a hospital, veneer and excelsior works, iron works, extensive lumber and shingle mills, creamery and dairy factories, and vinegar works. The surrounding

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district produces oats, hay, fruit, coal, iron, and cement. Sedro Wooley was first settled in 1887. Pop (1910) 2,129.

Seduction. Inducing a previously chaste female to consent to illicit sexual intercourse by strong persuasion, deception, flattery, or by any enticement which overcomes a natural reluctance on her part. It is distinguished from rape (q.v.) in that consent of the woman is secured, and force is not employed to obtain it. If the woman invites the intercourse it is not seduction. At common law a parent, the father if living, and if he is dead, the mother, has a right of action for damages against the seducer of his unmarried daughter, and a master for the seduction of his servant. The right has also been extended to all persons standing in loco parentis to an unmarried female. The theory of the action is loss of services as a result of the seduction. In most states to-day the parent is not held to strict proof of actual services by the daughter; if she was available for service and performed the slightest service it will be sufficient, and substantial damages may be awarded. Therefore, in the case of a parent the theory of loss of services is practically a fiction to-day, and the real ground of the action is the humiliation, disgrace, and mental suffering of the parent. At common law the female seduced has no right of action, but in many states by statute, if it was under promise of marriage, or if it results in the birth of a child, she is entitled to damages. In some states seduction under promise of marriage is a crime. See RAPE; consult Wharton, Criminal Law.

Sedum, a genus of hardy, fleshy, usually tufted, herbaceous plants, belonging to the order Crassulaceæ. They generally bear cymes of white or yellow flowers, and are of easy culture, lending themselves especially to wall or rock gardening. The principal species have been classified as herbaceous perennials, evergreen perennials, and annuals or biennials.

See, HORACE (1835), American engineer and naval architect, born in Philadelphia. He served an apprenticeship to the machinist trade with I. P. Morris & Co. in Philadelphia. He was afterwards employed in numerous shipbuilding works, and was largely instrumental in making the works of Wm. Cramp, & Sons the most important of the kind in the country while holding the position of engineer-superintendent. While with Wm. Cramp & Sons he designed the machinery of many war ships and fast mail steamers, and greatly furthered the adoption of triple and quadruple expansion engines. In 1889

Seed

he established a practice as consulting engineer and naval architect in New York.

In

See, THOMAS JEFFERSON JACKSON (1866), American astronomer, born near Montgomery City, Mo. He graduated from the University of Missouri, 1889, and at the University of Berlin, Germany, in 1892. In 1887-89 he had charge of the observatory in the University of Missouri. In 1891 he was a volunteer observer in the Royal Observatory, Berlin, and in 189396 organized and had charge of the department of astronomy in the University of Chicago. 1896-98 he was astronomer of the Lowell Observatory, in the City of Mexico, and in 1899 became professor of mathematics, U. S. N. In 1903 he took charge of the naval observatory on Mare Island, Cal. He has computed the orbits of many of the double stars, and investigated the diameters of many planets and satel lites. He has published several valuable star catalogues, and is author of: Die Entwickelung der Doppelstern-Systeme (1893), and Researches on the Evolution of the Stellar Systems (1896).

Seebohm, FREDERIC (1833), English writer, born at Bradford, Yorkshire; became partner in a banking firm at Hitchin. His works include The Oxford Reformers (1867), The English Vil lage Community (1883), The Tribal Custom in Anglo-Saxon Law (1902), and The Tribal System in Wales (1924).

Seed, the fertilized ovule in flowering plants. In addition to

008

2

as harmfu as too great dryness; on the other hand, a wet surface over a dry substratum is specially harmful; the whole depth of the seedbed should be equally moist. At a rule, the ground should be made firm after sowing, either by walking over it, foot by foot, or by beating it with the back of a shovel or spade. As a check upon drying influences, it is often advantageous to use screens, such as a square frame made from common laths laid at right angles in a double series, the interstices between the laths being equal in width to the laths themselves. A brush screen, consisting of a ow frame covered with boughs, is often used; the brush is often laid directly upon the ground, especially in large beds.

Seeland. See ZEELAND.

Seeley, HARRY GOVIER (1839), English geologist, was born in London. He became professor of geology at King's College, London, in 1876, and discovered the skeletons of Pareiasaurus, Cynognathus, and other reptiles in the Karroo of S. Africa. Among his works are Index to Fossil Remains of Aves (1860), Ornithosauria (1870), The Fresh-water Fishes of Europe (1886), Physical Geology and Paleontology (1884), Story of the Earth in Past Ages (1895), Dragons of the Air (1901).

Seeley, SIR JOHN ROBERT (1834-95), English historian and essayist, born in London. In 1863, he was appointed professor of Latin in University College, London, and in 1869 professor of modern history at Cambridge. In 1865 appeared anonymously his Ecce Homo, a book which deals with Christianity and its founder in a non-theological and unconventional way. Seeley's delineation of Christ's character, his conception of the early Christian church, and his exposition of the ethical code of Christianity, no less than the high literary style, the grave, reverential attitude, and the fresh, vigorous handling, made a profound impression upon believers and unbelievers alike. In 1882 Seeley followed up Ecce Homo by another book, Natural Religion; but it did not create any special stir. As a historian, Seeley's ruling aim was to bring history into close contact with national life, as in his Life and Times of Stein (1879), and Life of Napoleon (1886). His greatest success in this line was his Expansion of England (1883), treating of the development of the English realm from an insular state to a worldwide power. Seeley was a warm advocate of federation, to which his book gave a great impetus. The next important work, on which he was engaged at the time

of his death, was his Growth of British Policy (ed. by G. W. Prothero, with Memoir, 1895).

Seelye, JULIUS HAWLEY (182495), American educator, born at Bethel, Conn. He graduated (1849) at Amherst, took the divinity course at Amherst Theological Seminary, and continued his studies in German universities. He was ordained in 1853, and was pastor of the First Reformed Dutch Church at Schenectady, N. Y., until 1858. From 1858 to 1875 he was professor of mental and moral philosophy at Amherst College, and from 1875 to 1877 was an independent member of Congress from N. H., distinguishing himself by disagreeing with the verdict of the Electoral Commission. He was president of Amherst College in 1879-90. He translated Schwegler's History of Philosophy (1856), and published The Way, the Truth, the Life (1873), and Christian Missions (1875).

Seelye, LAURENS CLARK (1837), American educator, brother of Julius H. Seelye, was born at Bethel, Conn., and graduated He (1857) at Union College. studied divinity at Andover Theological Seminary and at German universities, and was ordained pastor of the North Congregational Church in Springfield, Mass., in 1863. From 1865 till 1873 he was professor of English literature and oratory at Amherst, and he became first president of Smith College in 1874, having had charge of the organization of that institution.

Segantini, GIOVANNI (185899), Italian painter, born at Arco in Tyrol. A passionate lover of nature, and a mystic, he developed an individual style in technique based on the juxtaposition of colors for purity of effect. Amongst his works are At the Watering-place (Basel Museum), The Return Home (Berlin National Gallery), Vacherie in the Engadine (Hamburg), and The Angel of Life (Budapest). See Lives by Servaes (1902), Martersteig (1904), and Villari (1905), and the Studio (August, 1897).

Segesta, or EGESTA, a city near the seacoast, in W. Sicily. It claimed to have been founded by Trojan refugees, and in time became Hellenized. In 454 B.C. it formed an alliance with Athens; and in 416 an appeal from Segesta for help in its war against Selinus led to the Sicilian expedition, so disastrous for Athens. In 410 Segesta looked to Carthage for help. and in consequence became a dependency of that state. Its chief interest at the present day is its ruined temple, the whole of the peristyle of which is in perfect preservation. Indeed, the cella, or body

of the temple, was apparently never built.

Segesvár. See SCHÄSSBURG. Segovia. (1.) Province, Spain, on N. slopes of Guadarrama Mts., in valley of Douro. Area, 2,635 sq. m. Pop. (1900) 159,243. (2.) City, cap. of prov. of same name, Spain, in N.N.w. of Madrid; very ancient, picturesque, walled city, on bold cliff over the Eresma. The striking palace stronghold (Alcazar) of the kings was burnt, but restored (1862). There are a fine 16th-century cathedral, and a splendid Roman aqueduct of 153 arches. It was formerly the toth centre of Spain, but is now decayed. Pop. (1900) 14,658.

Segovia or Wanks River, Central America, rises in the dept. of Segovia, Nicaragua. The lower half of its course is the boundary line between Nicaragua and Honduras. It is navigable for small craft for 150 m. from its entrance at Cape Gracias-á-Dios into the Caribbean Sea.

Seguin, tn., Tex., co. seat of Guadalupe co., 35 m. E.N.E. of San Antonio, on the Guadalupe R., and on the Galv., Harrisburg and San Ant. R. R. It is located in an agricultural and cotton growing region and has cotton. gins and compresses, cotton-seed oil mills, planing mills, brick and lumber yards, and flour mills. It was first settled in 1838 and received its present charter in 1852. Pop. (1910) 3,116.

Seguin, EDWARD CONSTANT. (1843-98), American neurologist, born in Paris, France. He graduated at Columbia in 1864, and in 1862-64 served as a medical cadet in the volunteer army. In 1864-65 he was assistant surgeon, U. S. A., at Little Rock, Ark., and in 1868-69 in New Mexico. In 1868-73 he was lecturer on nervous diseases at Columbia, and in 1873-87 adjunct professor of diseases of the mind and nervous. system. In 1873 he founded a clinic for nervous diseases, and he was one of the founders of the American neurological association. He made important investigations on critical localization and spastic spinal paralysis, and improved the practice of medication in diseases of the nervous system. He introduced the employment of large doses of iodides in therapeusis, and fully demonstrated the uses and value of aconitia, hyoscyamus, and other important drugs. He also greatly enlarged the field for the employment of arsenic and antimony in medical practice. He was the editor of The American Series of Clinical Lectures, and some of his more important medical articles were published in Opera Minora (1884).

Ségur, Louis PHILIPPE, COMTE DE (1753-1830), French diploma

Ségur

tist and writer, son of the Marquis de Ségur, born in Paris, and served with the forces under Rochambeau in the American Revolutionary War. Appointed ambassador at St. Petersburg (1784), he became a favorite of Catherine II, and negotiated a commercial treaty between Russia and France. He represented France at Berlin (1790), was elected a member of the Academy (1803), and became a peer of France (1818). He wrote Histoire de Frédéric Guillaume 11. (1800); Histoire Universelle (1817); Pensées, Maximes et Réflexions (1822); Galerie Morale et Politique (1817Mémoires (1825-6).23); and His son, PHILIPPE PAUL (17801873), was also voluminous author, who wrote History of the Expedition to Russia. in 1812 (Eng. trans. 1825), History of Russia and of Peter the Great (Eng. trans. 1829), History of Charles VIII. (Eng. trans. 1842), and Histoire et Mémoires (1873). PHILIPPE HENRI, Ségur, MARQUIS DE (1724-1801), marshal of France, fought through the Seven Years' War, being severely Wounded and taken prisoner at Klostercamp. He became minister of war in 1780. During the Revolution he was imprisoned by the Convention, but was afterwards released by Napoleon.

a

Seiche, the periodic oscillations of the surface level of the Lake of Geneva, which sometimes amount to five or six feet. At the time of the Lisbon earthquake on Nov. 1, 1755, the waters of Loch Lomond were observed to rise and fall every five minutes for nearly two hours, the range of the motion amounting to two feet six inches.

Simi

lar motions were noticed on Lochs Katrine and Ness. Our accurate knowledge of the laws of seiches dates from 1869, when Forel began his observations on those of the Lake of Geneva. Quite recently, in connection with Sir John Murray's survey of the fresh-water fochs of Scotland, the seiche phenomena on several of these lochs have been studied, and Professor Chrystal has developed the hydrodynamical theory in a form which successfully coordinates the phenomena. The broad results may be stated as follows:-Periodic variations of pressure or wind bearing on the surface of the water generate, in a manner not yet clearly understood, what are known as standing oscillations of the water as a whole. The simplest type is that shown by the pendulum-like swing of water in a tumbler which has been slightly tilted and righted again. When a lake's waters oscillate in this way, rising and falling at the two ends, but hardly changing level near the

89

centre, the seiche is said to be uninodal. In the binodal seiche the water will rise in the centre as it sinks towards the ends, the points at which there is no change in level being between these positions. Similarly, the trinodal seiche will have three points at which there is no change of level, while the periodic rise and fall will be observed at intermediate stations. See F. A. Forel's Le Léman, Monographie Limnologique (ed. 1895), and Chrystal's paper on the "Hydrodynamical Theory of Seiches' in Trans. Roy. Soc. Edin., 1905.

Seidl, ANTON (1850-98), musical conductor, born in Pesth, Hungary. He was a pupil of the Leipzig Conservatory. When only twenty years old he was engaged by Hans Richter as chorus master at the Vienna opera.

In

In

1873 he became Wagner's secretary, and in this capacity had much to do with the preparation of the Nibelungen Trilogy and its production at Bayreuth in 1876. For two years (1883-85) he was conductor at Bremen, and then for several years conductor of the Wagner performances given throughout Europe by the Neumann Nibelungen company. 1885 he succeeded Leopold Damrosch as conductor at the N. Y. Metropolitan Opera House, where he remained until 1891. Under his direction were produced for the first time in America Tristan und Isolde, Siegfried, Die Götterdämmerung, and Die Meistersinger. For several seasons he was conductor of the N. Y. Philharmonic Orchestra and of a series of Sunday night concerts. In 1886 and in 1897 he was one of the conductors at the Bayreuth festival. He ranked with Richter as one of the greatest of Wagnerian leaders. His widow, Frau SeidlKrauss, published in 1900 a memorial Life.

Seidlitz Powders are composed of two powders which effervesce when mixed in water. One powder, dispensed in blue paper, contains 120 grains of Rochelle salts (a tartrate of sodium and potassium) and 40 grains of sodium bicarbonate; while the other, enclosed in white paper, consists of 35 grains of tartaric acid. The mixture is a mild saline purgative, and is intended to reproduce the sparkling mineral water of Seidlitz, a village in Bohemia. Seidlitz powders form an excellent hydragogue cathartic. They stimulate the bowel to evacuation, and have also a cholagogue action on the liver, and relieve hepatic congestion.

Seignette's Salt. See RoCHELLE SALT.

Seigniorage, the profits made by the government in coining

Seine-et-Oise

silver and copper coins (there is no profit on gold), and paid into the Treasury. The aggregate profits from the coinage of silver dollars under the Acts of 1878 and 1890 were nearly $90,000,000.

Seine, N. dep. of France, is an enclave of dep. Seine-et-Oise, and was formed out of a portion of the old province of Ile de France. It includes all Paris and part of the suburbs. Low hills stud its surface. Though the soil is not naturally fertile, yet the neighborhood of Paris ensures large supplies of manure and sewage, and market-gardening (especially on the Seine peninsula of Gennevilliers) is the chief industry. The district round Montreuil is renowned for its fruit. Quarries of gypsum and freestone are largely worked. Area, 185 sq. m. Pop. (1901) 3,669,930.

Seine (anc. Sequana), riv., France, flows from the s. end of the Langres plateau, with a general winding N.W. course, past Troyes, Mélun, Paris, St. Denis, St. Germain, Elbeuf, and Rouen, and enters the English Channel by a wide estuary, on which stand the ports of Honfleur, Harfleur, and Havre. Its chief tributaries are (1. bk.) the Yonne and Eure, and (r. bk.) Aube and Marne (both from Langres plateau) and Oise (with Aisne) from the Ardennes. Navigation (for boats) begins at Marcilly, 350 m. from its mouth, and an elaborate system of canals connects it with the Loire, Rhone, Rhine, Somme, and Scheldt. Paris can be reached by vessels of 1,000 tons, while vessels up to 2,400 tons can reach Rouen. A canal from Havre, avoiding the estuary, gives seagoing vessels direct connection with the Seine at Tancarville. Length, 480 m.; area of basin, 30.000 sq. m.

Seine-et-Marne, French dep., traversed in s. by river Seine and in N. by lower Marne. It forms a low plateau, with an average elevation of 327 ft. (culminating point, 705 ft.). The major part consists of the fertile region of La Brie, between the two rivers. The climate is equable. Brie cheese is famous; rose culture flourishes at Brie-Comte-Robert and Provins, and viticulture at Thomery and Fontainebleau. Flagstones are quarried. The principal industries are flourmilling, and the manufacture of beet-sugar, paper, porcelain, and glass. Cap. Mélun. Area, 2,275 sq. m. Pop. (1901) 358,325.

Seine et Oise, N. dep. of France, encircles dep. Seine and Paris. All the rivers of the department go to swell the Seine. the chief are Essonne, Oise, Epte, and Eure. The surface is flat or

gently rolling, and covered with many forests, such as those of Rambouillet, St. Germain, and Sénart. The climate is temperate. About half of the population devote themselves to agriculture and market - gardening. Milling, sugar manufacture, and paper and porcelain making (at Sèvres) are the chief industries. Versailles is the capital. Area, 2,184 sq. m. Pop. (1901) 707,325.

Seine Inférieure, maritime dep., France, on lower Seine. The chief ports and seaside resorts are Dieppe, St. Valery, Fécamp, Etretat (whose chalk cliffs are the most celebrated in Normandy), and Havre. The surface is composed of the three low plateaus of Caux, Vexin, and Roumois, and is dry, but well cultivated. Farm products are cheese (Gournay' and 'Neufchâtel'), butter, wool, and cider; and the principal industries are those of cotton (at Rouen), wool (at Elbeuf), and iron (at Havre and Rouen), as well as manufactures of flax, chemicals, tobacco, and dyes. The fisheries (herring and sardine) are very productive. Cap. Rouen. Area, 2,448 sq. m. Pop. (1901) 853,883.

Seine Net. See FISHERIES.

Seir, MOUNT, a synonym for the land of Edom, and especially the name for the Edomite mountain land, Mount Seir (Deut. ii. 1). See EDOM.

Seisin. Originally, under the feudal system, the completion of the investiture by which a person was made a tenant of an overlord, and which involved the performance of homage and taking the oath of fealty. At present the term denotes possession of land under a claim of having at least a freehold interest therein.

Seismology. See EARTH

QUAKES.

Seiss, JOSEPH AUGUSTUS (1823 -1904), American divine, was born at Graceham, Frederick co., Md., of Alsatian descent, studied for a time at Pennsylvania College, Gettysburg, and carried on his theological preparation in private. He was ordained a Lutheran minister in 1844, and was pastor of churches in Md. and Va. until 1858, when he became pastor of St. John's English Lutheran Church in Philadelphia. In 1874 he was called to the pastorate of the new Church of the Holy Communion in the same city, whose erection he instituted. He was editor of several Lutheran periodicals at different periods, including the Prophetic Times from 1863 to 1875. Some of his publications are: The Lutheran Church (1859), Luther and the Reformation (1883). Lectures on the Epistles of the Church Year (2 vols. 1885), Beacon Lights

(1899), and Dost Thou Believe? (1900).

Seistan, a swampy tract between S. W. Afghanistan and E. Persia, near the lower Helmund and Hamoon, divided since 1872 between Persia and Afghanistan.

Seistan Boundary Commission was appointed in 1902 in response to an appeal to the Indian government from the Shah, and had reference to the water rights along the Helmund river, to be enjoyed respectively by Persia and Afghanistan. After two and a half years' arduous labor, a satisfactory settlement was arrived at.

Sejanus, ÆLIUS, commander of the prætorian guards at ancient Rome under Tiberius, and also that emperor's chief minister. He was a native of Volsinii in Etruria, and succeeded his father as commander of the guards in 14 A.D. As early as 23 A.D. Sejanus began to aim at securing the empire for himself. His first step was to gain the affection of Livilla, the sister of Germanicus and the wife of Drusus, Tiberius's son, and through her agency he had Drusus poisoned. He next secured the banishment of Agrippina, the widow of Germanicus, and her sons Nero and Drusus, thus clearing away other rivals to the imperial throne. Finally, however, Tiberius's suspicions were aroused, and in 31 A.D. Sejanus was put to death by the senate. Selachoidei. SEE ELASMO

BRANCHS.

Selaginella, a genus of evergreen, flowerless plants, somewhat resembling the mosses in general appearance. Mr. J. G. Baker, in his monograph of the Selaginellæ in the (British) Journal of Botany (1883-5), points out that the genus is principally confined to the tropical zone, chiefly tropical America. Its habit is entirely that of Lycopodium, and some of the species, small and fungacious, resemble Hepaticæ. A large number of species are grown under glass, a light, open soil being required. They should always be kept very moist. S. lepidophylla is one of the resurrection plants,' the dried plant expanding in water.

Selangor, British protected native state, w. coast of Malay Peninsula, immediately south of Perak. It has an area of 3,200 sq. m., and a population (1901) of 168,789. There are valuable deposits of tin; and coffee, cocoa, pepper, rice, gambier, and sago are grown. Can. Kuala Lumpur. Klang is the principal port.

Selanik. See SALONICA.

Selborne, vil., Hampshire, England, 4 m. S.E. of Alton; famous as the home of Gilbert White, author of Natural His

tory of Selborne (1789). Pop. (1901) 1,430.

Selborne, ROUNDELL PALMER, FIRST EARL OF (1812-95), British jurist and lord chancellor, was born at Mixbury, Oxfordshire; was called to the bar (1837), became Queen's counsel (1849); sat as M.P. for Plymouth (1847-52 and 1853-7); became solicitorgeneral, sitting for Richmond (1861); and was attorney-general (1863-6). He was British counsel at the Geneva Court of Arbitration in 1871-72. He was lord chancellor (1872-4) (being created Baron Selborne), and again (1880-5), and was created Viscount Wolmer and Earl of Selborne, but refused to be associated with Home Rule (1886). He was a devout churchman, a subtle and convincing lawyer, and a capable politician, as evinced by his Judicature Act (1873). He published The Book of Praise (1863), and A Defence of the Church of England Against Disestablishment (1886).

Selborne, WILLIAM WALDEGRAVE PALMER, EARL OF (1859), British statesman, sat in the House of Commons for ten years (1885-95) as Viscount Wolmer. He represented East Hampshire (1885, 1886, and 1886-92); but seceded from Gladstone on the question of Home Rule (1886), and served as one of the whips to the Liberal Unionist party in the House of Commons (188695). He was member for W. Edinburgh (1892-95). When the third Salisbury administration came into power (June, 1895), the Earl of Selborne was made under-secretary for the Colonies; and on its reconstruction (Nov., 1900) he was promoted to be first lord of the Admiralty, with a seat in the cabinet. Mr. Balfour, as prime minister, confirmed him in this appointment in July, 1902. In 1905 he succeeded Lord Milner high commissioner in S. Africa and administrator of the Transvaal and Orange River colonies.

as

Selby, VISCOUNT. See GULLY. Selden, JOHN (1584-1654), English lawyer and man of letters, was born at Salvington in Sussex. At the age of twentytwo he made a reputation by his treatise the Analecton AngloBritannicon, and in 1614 he published a work on Titles of Honor. His History of Tithes (1617) allows the legal, but denies the divine right of the clergy to these dues. His independence of thought procured him a brief imprisonment in 1621. His parliamentary career commenced in 1623; he also sat in 1626, in Charles I.'s second parliament. He was at first in opposition to the court party, and assisted in the preparation of the articles

Selection

remonstrance

against the levying of tonnage and poundage. For this he spent eight months in the Tower, and was, for a while, in the King's Bench prison. He was a member of the Long Parliament, representing the University of Oxford, and was a lay member of the Assembly of Divines at Westminster. In 1645 he was a commissioner of the Admiralty. He is, however, best known by his Table Talk (1689). As a lawyer he held a high position. His Dissertation on Fleta (1647), in Latin, shows an intimate knowledge of the origins of English law, and its development under the influence of the civil law. See the Vita by D. Wilkins (1725), also Johnson's Memoirs of John Selden (1884).

Selection. See DARWINISM and

SEX.

Selene, the moon-goddess, in ancient Greek mythology, was a daughter of Hyperion and a sister of Helios and Eos. She was also called Phoebe, a sister of Phoebus the sun-god. She loved Endymion, and caused him to sleep in order that she might kiss him. She rode across the heavens in a chariot drawn by two white horses. In later times her worship became identified with that of Artemis.

Selenga, riv., Mongolia and Siberia, chief upper course of Angara. It is fed by lake Kossogol or Kosgol (51° N. lat. and 100.5° E. long.), sacred in Buddhist cosmogony, and is joined by the Orkhon, famous in Mongol history, flowing from neighborhood of Karakoram. Length, 900 m., of which 210 are navigable. Area of basin, 177,000 sq. m.

=

Selenite, a clear, transparent variety of gypsum, CaSO42H2O, often found in large twinned crystals shaped like arrow-heads or rhombs. They have a perfect cleavage like mica, but are less flexible, somewhat softer, and not elastic (h. 2; sp. gr. 2.3). Films of selenite are valuable on account of the beautiful colors they show in polarized light. The largest crystals of selenite come from Utah, where they occur in in mense geodes. The massive variety known as gypsum is extensively used in the manufacture of plaster of paris and certain artificial cements and plasters.

Selenium, Se, 79.2, an element of the sulphur group, its principal source being the fue dust obtained in burning pyrites in the manufacture of sulphuric

91

acid by the leaden-chamber process. It is prepared by solution as selenic acid, and by subsequent reduction, when it is precipitated as a red amorphous solid. This melts at 217° c. to a black-red glassy mass that breaks with a conchoidal fracture, has a specific gravity of 4.5, and is a non-conductor of electricity. It boils at 65°

c., and if kept at a temperature somewhat below its meltingpoint, changes into a gray, crystalline, semi-metallic variety that conducts electricity to an extent which, though small, increases according to the brightness of the light with which it is illuminated. This peculiar behavior has been employed in transmitting sound by means of light, and of exhibiting at one place pictures of scenes occurring at another; but, unfortunately, the property is not retained long. The compounds of selenium are very like those of sulphur: thus it forms a bad smelling hydrogen selenide, H2Se, like hydrogen sulphide, and selenious and selenic acids, H2SeO3 and H2SO4, closely resembling sulphurous and sulphuric acids.

Seleucia. (1.) Ancient city on the Tigris, founded by Seleucus, king of Syria, between 312 and 302 B.C., some 50 m. N. of ancient Babylon, immediately opposite the Parthian city of Ctesiphon. It was the capital of the eastern provinces of the Syrian kingdom. Trajan captured it in 116 A.D., and as it revolted, burned it to the ground. Again in 165, after voluntarily opening its gates to the Romans, it was burned by Avidius Cassius on a charge of treachery. Once more, in 198, Severus captured it, and Carus did the same in 283. After that time it rapidly declined, and eighty years afterwards,

when Julian invaded Mesopotamia, he found it a heap of ruins. (2.) SELEUCIA PIERIA, in Syria, was founded by Seleucus in 300 B.C., 12 m. w. of Antioch, to which it served as a port. From 246 to 219 it was held by the Egyptian kings. About 109 B.C. it became independent. After 66 B.C. it was included in the Roman province of Syria. By the 6th century A.D. it had fallen into decay. (3.) SELEUCIA IN CILICIA, near south coast, famous for its oracle of Apollo, and its annual games in honor of the Olympian Zeus.

Seleucidæ. See SELEUCUS and ANTIOCHUS.

Seleucus, the name of several kings of Syria. (1.) SELEUCUS

I., surnamed Nicator (c. 358 to 280 B.C.), was a Macedonian, and served with Alexander the Great throughout his Asiatic campaigns. After Alexander's death he at

Seleucus

tached himself to Perdiccas; but when the latter invaded Egypt, he led the band which broke into Perdiccas's tent and slew him. In 321 B.C., when the provinces were redivided, Seleucus secured for his share Babylonia; but in 316 he was expelled by Antigonus, and had to take refuge in Egypt. Here he persuaded Ptolemy to join Lysimachus and Cassander against Antigonus; and in 312 B.C., after the victory of Gaza over Antigonus's son Demetrius, he easily regained his province. He then proceeded to conquer Susiana, Media, and the eastern provinces of Alexander's empire to the banks of the Oxus and the Indus. He carried on war, too, with an Indian king, Sandracottus or Chandragupta. In 306 he assumed the title of king, and in 302 he again joined Lysimachus, Cassander, and Ptolemy against Antigonus; and the victory at Ipsus in 301 was largely due to his generalship. By this victory he acquired half of Asia Minor and all Syria. After capturing Demetrius in 286 B.C., Seleucus declared war on Lysimachus, and defeated and slew him at Corupedion. This victory made Seleucus master of all Asia, and left the throne of Macedonia vacant. Seleucus crossed the Hellespont to seize it; but he was murdered in Thrace by Ptolemy Ceraunus, a son of Ptolemy, king of Egypt. He was a great conqueror, and founded many cities-no less than sixteen Antiochs, called after his father; seven Seleucias, Apamea, Stratonicea, Bercea, and Edessa. These foundations were centres of Greek life and culture; and two of them, Antioch in Syria and Seleucia on the Tigris, ranked among the greatest cities of the world. (2.) SELEUCUS II., surnamed Callinicus, son of Antiochus II., reigned from 246 to 226 B.C. The first act of his reign was to put his stepmother, Berenice, to death; to avenge her, her brother, Ptolemy Euergetes, king of Egypt, invaded and conquered Syria, capturing Antioch; but after his withdrawal Seleucus easily recovered the provinces. The chief event of his reign was the revolt of the Parthians. Seleucus himself was defeated (c. 230 B.C.) by Arsaces, king of Parthia, in a great battle, which resulted in the establishment of the Parthian kingdom. Seleucus lost his life when warring against Attalus. (3.) SELEUCUS III., surnamed Ceraunus, reigned from 226 to 223, succeeding his father, Seleu(4.) SELEUCUS IV., surnamed Philopator, reigned from 187 to 175 B.C.; was the son and successor of Antiochus the Great. He maintained friendly relations with Rome and Egypt. (5.) SE

cus II.