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the class of decandria, and order of trigynia; and (2.) STELLIONATE, in Scots law. See Law, in the natural system arranged under the 22d or- Part III. Chap. III. Set. III. 9 36. der, Caryophylle. The calyx is pentaphyllous and STELLOW, a town of Germany, in Holftein ; fpreading. There are five petals, each divided in- 9 miles NNE. of Elmefhorn. to two fegments. The capfule is oval, unilocular, and polyfpermous. There are 9 fpecies, viz. 1. STELLARIA ARENARIA; 2. BIFLORA; 3. CERASTOIDES; 4. DICHOTOMA; 5. GRAMINEA. 6. HOLOSTEA; 7. NEMORUM; 8. RADIANS; and 9. UNDULATA. Of these, 3 are natives of Britain: viz.

I. STELLARIA GRAMINEA, lefs ftitchavort. The ftem is near a foot high. The leaves are linear and entire, and the flowers grow in loose panicles. It is frequent in drv paftures. There is a variety of this fpecies called bog ftitchwort, with fmooth, oval, feffile leaves, and few leaves, which grows often in wet marfhy places. The ftalk is quadrangular; the petals scarcely longer than the calyx, and bifid to the base.

2. STELLARIA HOLOSTEA, greater flitchwort. The ftalks are about two feet long; the petals are nearly twice the length of the calyx, and divided half-way to the bafe. It is common in woods and hedges.

3. STELLARIA NEMORUM, broad-leaved fitchwort. The ftalks are about 11 or 18 inches high, and branched in a panicle at the top. The leaves are heart-fhaped, and of a paler green on the under than on the upper fide; the lower ones being fupported by footitalks which are hairy and chan. nelled; the upper ones are seflile. The calyx is erect, fomewhat hairy and white on the margins. The petals are bifid almost to the bafe. There is a fmall nectarium between the lower ftamina and the calyx.

(1.) STELLATE. adj. [ftellatus, Lat.]¡Pointed in the manner of a painted ftar.-One making a regulus of antimony, without iron, found his regulus adorned with a more confpicuous ftar than I have feen in feveral ftellate regulufes of antimony and mars. Boyle.

(2.)STELLATE, among botanists, expreffes leaves which grow not lefs than fix at a joint, and are arranged like the rays of a ftar.

* STELLATION. n. f. [from flella.] Emiffion of light as from a star.

STELLED. adj. Starry.And quench'd the felled fires. Shak. STELLERA, GERMAN GROUNDSEL, in botany, a genus of plants belonging tothe clafs of ogandria, and order of monogynia; and in the natural fyftem arranged under the 31ft order, Vepreculæ. There is no calyx. The corolla is quadrifid. The ftamina are very fhort. There is only one feed, which is black. The fpecies are only two :

1. STELLERA CHAMÆJASME, and 2. STELLERA PASSERINA. * STELLIFEROUS. adj. [ftella and fero.] Having ftars. Dia.

STELLION. n.f. [ftellio, Latin.] A newt. Ain faworth.

(1.) * STELLIONATE. n. f. [ftellionat, Fr. Hellionatus, Lat.] A kind of crime which is committed (in law] by a deceitful felling of a thing o therwise than it really is; as, if a man fhould fell that for his own eftate which is actually another man's. It difcerneth of crimes of fellionate. Bac.

(1.) * STEM. n. f. ¡ftemma, Latin.] 1. The ftalk; the twig.-

Two lovely berries molded on one stem, So with two feeming bodies, but one heart. Shak. They fpread a very large top, having no bough in the trunk or stem. Raleigh. They will put forth many roots, and fo carry more shoots upon a fem. Bacon.Ev'ry herb, before it grew

On the green stem.

Milton.

The fem thus threaten'd and the sap in thee, Drops all the branches. Waller. Who now fhall bind your stems? Dryden. The low'ring Spring with lavith rain Beats down the flender ftem.

Dryden.

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Dryden.

(2.) STEM, in botany, is that part of a plant arifing out of the root, and which fuftains the leaves, flowers, fruits, &c. By waihing and rubbing the ftems of trees, their annual increase is promoted; for the method of doing which, fee TREE.

(3.) STEM OF A SHIP, a circular piece of timber into which the two fides of a fhip are united at the fore-end: the lower end of it is fearfed to the keel, and the bowsprit refts upon its upper end. The ftem is formed of one or two pieces, according to the fize of the veifel; and as it terminates the hip forward, the ends of the wales and planks of the fides and bottom are let into a groove or channel, in the midst of its furface, from the top to the bottom; which operation is called rabiting. The outfide of the ftem is ufually marked with a fcale or divifion of feet, according to its perpendicular height from the keel. The intention of this is to afcertain the draught of water at the fore part, when the fhip is in preparation for a fea-voyage, &c. The ftem at its lower end is of equal breadth and thickness with the keel, but it grows proportionally broader ard thicker towards its upper extremity. See SHIPBUILDING.

*To STEM. v. a. [fiæmma, Islandick.] To oppose a current; to pafs cross or forward notwithstanding the fream.-

They on the trading flood,

Through

Through the wide Ethiopian to the cape Fay, femming nightly tow'rd the Pole. Milton. Above the deep they raife their fealy crents, And fem the flood. Denham. Is flupping fuch as this, the Irish kern And untaught Indian, on the ftream did glide, Ere fharp-keel'd boats to flem the food did learn. Dryden. At length Erafmus, that great injur'd naine, Stemm'd the wild torrent of a barb'rous age, And drove thofe holy Vandals off the ftage. Pope. STEMMATA, in entomology, are 3 fmooth hemifpheric dots, placed generally on the top of the head, as in most of the hymenoptera and other claffes. The name was firft introduced by Linnæus.

STEMODIA, in botany, a genus of plants belonging to the clafs of dignamia, and order of angiofpermia; and in the naturai fyftem ranging under the 40th order, Perfonatæ. The calyx is quinquepartite; the corolla bilabiated; there are four ftamina; each of the filaments are bifid, an have two antheræ. The capfule is bilocular. There is only one fpecies;

STEMODIA MARITIMA.

STEMPHYLA, a word used by the ancients to exprefs the hufks of grapes, or the remains of the preffings of wine. The fame word is also used by fome to express the remaining mafs of the olives, after the oil is pressed out.

STEMPHYLITES, a name given by the an cients to a fort of wine preffed hard from the busks. STEMPLES, n. f. plur. in mining, crofs bars of wood in the shafts which are funk to mines. In many places the method is to fink a perpendicu. lar hole, or fhaft, the fides of which they ftrengthen from top to bottom with wood-work, to prevent the earth from falling in: the tranfverfe pieces of wood used to this purpose are called ftemples, and by means of thefe the miners in fome places defcend, without using any rope, catching hold of these with their hands and feet.

STEMSON, n.f. in a fhip, an arching piece of timber fixed within the apron, to reinforce the fcarf thereof, in the fame manner as the scarf fupports the scarf of the ftern. In large fhips it is ufually formed of two pieces.

STENAY, a town of France, in the dep. of the Meufe, and late duchy of Bir; feated on the Meufe, 24 miles N. by W. of Verdun. Lon. 5. 19. E. Lat. 50. 28. N.

*STENCH. n. f. (from Aencan, Saxon.] 1. A ft.nk; a bad smell.—

Death, death, oh amiable and lovely death! Thou odoriferous flencis.

Shak.

So becs with fmoke, and doves with noifome
Hench,

Are from their hives, and houses, driv'n. Shak. Phyficians, by the french of feathers, cure the riting of the mother. Bacon.-The miniftry wil be found the fut of the earth, the thing that keeps focieties of men from french and corruption. South. The hoary Nar,

Corrupted with the french of fulphur flows. Add. 2. I find it used once or a goo! fmell.

Clouds of fav'ry french involve the sky. Dryd. *To STENCH. v. a. [from the noun.] I. To make to ftink. Not proper, or in ufe.—The foulnefs of the ponds onty fencheth the water. Mort. 2. For staunch, corrupty.] To ftop; to hinder to flow.-They had better skill to let blood than Stench it. K. Charles.—Reftringents to fench, and incraffatives to thicken the blood. Harvey.

STENDAL, a town of Brandenburg, on the Ucht; 30 miles N. of Magdeburg. Lon. 11. 44. E. Lat. 52. 41. N.^

STENFORT, a town of Germany, in the circle of Weftphalia, and county of Bentheim; with an academy, feated on the Vecht, 16 miles NW. of Munfter. It appears to be included in the indemuities allotted to the landgrave of Hefle-Darmftadt, in 1792. See REVOLUTION, VIII, 9.

(1.) STENNESS, a parish of Scotland, in Orkney, in the island of Pomona; united to that of FIRTH. See FIRTH, N° 1.

(2.) STENNESS, a village in the above parish, remarkable for a Druidical bridge or caufeway, that connects it with the opposite land.

(3.) STENNESS, LOCH, a iake in the above parifh, celebrated for an ancient bridge, or caufeway acrofs it, which connects two Druidical temples, at each end; the tones of which are of the moft aftonishing magnitude, fome of them 20 feet high; and very similar to those of the famous mʊnument called STONEHENGE, on Salisbury Plain. (1.) STENO, Nicolas, a celebrated Danish anatomift, born in 1638. He studied under Bartholin, with whom he was a favourite. He then travelled through France, Germany, Holland, and Italy; and obtained a penfion from Ferdinand II. grand duke of Tuscany. In 1669, he renounced the Proteftant religion, became a popifh priest, and was appointed by the Pope, his apoftoiical vicar for the North. He published feveral tracts on anatomy, and medical subjects. He died in 1603. (2.) STENO STURE, a celebrated Swedish patriot. See SWEDEN, § 6. STENOGRAPHIC, or [from fenography.] STENOGRAPHICAL, Of or belonging to ftenography, or writing in thort hand. STENOGRAPHIST.n.f. A fhort hand writer.

ST

STENOGRAPHY.

DEFINITION.

TENOGRAPHY is thus briefly defined, and drolly illuftrated by Dr Johnson:

* STENOGRAPHY. n. f. (sives and yewpw.] Shortband.

SECT. I. BRIEF HISTORY and general SKETCH of the ART.

THE art of ftenography, or short writing, was known and practifed by most of the ancient civilized nations. The Egyptians, who were diftinguithed for learning at an early period, at first exThe princely eagle brunk into a bat. Cleavel. prefied their words by a delineation of figures

O the accurft fenography of state!

called

called hieroglyphics. A more concife mode of writing feems to have been afterwards introduced, in which only a part of the symbol or picture was drawn. This answered the purpofe of thort-hand in fome degree. After them the Hebrews, the Greeks, and the Romans, adopted different methods of abbreviating their words and fentences, fuited to their respective languages. The initials, the finals, or radicals, often ferved for whole words; and various combinations of these fometimes formed a sentence. Arbitrary marks were likewife employed to determine the meaning, and to affift legibility; and it feems probable that every writer, and every author of antiquity, had fome peculiar method of abbreviation, calculated to facilitate the expreffion of his own fentiments, and intelligible only to himself.

It is alfo probable, that fome might by thefe means take down the heads of a difcourfe or oration; but few, very few, it is prefumed, could have followed a speaker through all the meanders of rhetoric, and noted with precision every fyllable, as it dropt from his mouth, in a manner legible even to themselves. To arrive at fuch con fummate perfection in the art was referved for more modern times, and is still an acquifition by no means general.

In every language of Europe, till about the clofe of the 16th century, the Roman pian of abbreviating (viz. fubftituting the initials or radicals, with the help of arbitraries, for words) appears to have been employed. Till then no regular alphabet had been invented exprefsiy for stenography, when an English gentieman of the name of Willis invented and publithed one, His pian was foon aitered and improved, or at least pretended to be fo. One alteration fucceeded another; and at intervals, for a feries of years paft, fome men of ingenuity and application have compofed and published fyftems of tenography, and doubtief have themselves reaped all the advantages that at tend it. But among the various methods that have been proposed, and the different plans that have been adopted by individuals, none has yet appeared fortunate enough to gain general ap. probation; of proved fufficiently fimple, clear, and concife, to be univerfaly studied and prac tifed.

The Enghh writers on tenography, are Mr Addy, Aldridge, Angeil, Annet, Blandemore, Bioflet, Botley, Bridges, Byrom, Coles, Crofs, Dx, Everardt, Ewen, Facey, Farthing, Gibbs, Græme, Gurney, Heath, Holdfworth, Hocking, Jeake, Labourer, Lane, Lyle, Macauley, Mafon, Mavor, Metcalfe, Nicholas, Palmer, Rich, Ridpath, Shelton, Steele, Tanner, Taylor, Thickneffe, Tiffen, Webster, Wefton, Williamfon, Willis, B. D. and Willis, &c. Of air thefe, Dr MAVOR has given the most complete work in his Univerfal Stenography, which is now used as a clafs book in many fchools.

Some lyftems are replete with unmeaning fymbols, perplexing arbitrarres, and il judged contractions which render them to diffult to be attained by a common capacity, or ordinary ap plication, that it is not to be wond-red at if they have funk into neglect, and are now no longer VOL. XXI. PART II

known. Other fyftems, by being too prolix, by containing a multiplicity of characters, and thole characters not fimple or eafily remembered, bes come ineffectual to the purpose of expedition, and are only fuperior in obfcurity to a common hand. Some, again, not only reject all arbitraries and contractions, but even prepofitions and tor minations; which laft, if not too lavishly employs ed and badly devifed, highly contribute to promote both expedition and legibility; and though they reduce their characters to fewer than c.n possibly express the vaijous modifications of found, yet they make nearly one half of them complex. In the difpofition of the vowels, there is the greateft perplexity in, moft systems. A dot is fometimes fubftituted for all the vowels indifcriminateiy, and the judgment is left to determine whic'r letter out of fix any dot is intended to exprefs; or a minute space is allotted them; fo that unles they be arranged with mathematical precifion, they cannot be diftinguished from one another; but fuch a minute attention is inconfitent with the nature of fhort-hand, which shoni₫ teach us to write down in a fhort time, as well as in small bounds, what we wish to preferve of what we hear. Nor is the plan of lifting the pen and putting the next confonant in the vower's place, in the middle of words, lefs liable to objections; or that of reprefenting all the vowels by diftinét chapact.rs, being obviously ill calculated, for facility and difpatch, and confequently inadmullible into any useful fyftem.

The perfon who firft propofed the omiffion of vowels in the middle of words, which it is obvi ous are not wanted, and invented letters, which could be connected as in a running hand, without lifting the pen in the middle of the word, made a real improvement on the works of his predeceffors. But moft fystems, either in their plan or execution, labour under fome capital defect, attended with circumftances highly difcouraging to the learner, and which in a great meafure defeat the end of their invention, by being too compli cated to be learned with eafe and remembered with accuracy, or to be practifed with the expe dition which is requifite; and fo diffienit to be deciphered, that a man can fcarcely read what he has juft written.

To obviate thefe defects; to provide against prolixity and concifenels, which might oecation obfcurity; to exhibit a fyftem founded on the fimpleft principies, which might be easily learned and read and yet be capable of the utmost expe dition-were the motives that gave rife to the prefent attempt.

This method will be found different from any yet publithed, and fuperior to all in the difpolis tion of the vowels and the facility of arranging them; the confufion in placing which feems to detract from the merit of the best performances on the fubject; and it may be affirmed, without oftentation, that characters fimpier in their form, and more perfect in their union, have not been applied to the art of stenography.

As well as it could be determined, the fimpicst characters are appropriated to the letters moit tually employed indeed, as far as poffible, thofe Ece

which

which are complex have been rejected; but as it was an object always kept in view that the writing fhould be on a line, a few are admitted into the alphabet for that reafon.

The characters for the double and triple confonants are the cafieft that could be invented, confiftent with perfpicuity; for care has been taken to provide against all obfcurity which might arise by adopting letters too fimilar in their formation; and with refpect to the prepofitions and terminations, thofe which occur most frequently are expreiled by the fimpleft characters, which will be found perfectly eafy in their application.

The arbitraries are few in number, and the arbitrary abbreviations, as they are entirely from the letters of the alphabet, and chofen from fome thousands of words in common uf:, will weli repay the learner for an hour's trouble in committing them to memory.

In the iaft fection is laid down a scheme of abbreviation, comprifed in a few rules, perfectly ea fy to be underflood and practifed by proficients in this art, which we hope wild be found free from the perplexity complained of in many fyftems where abbreviation is admitted. The principal rules are new, are fo eafy, fo extenfive in their ufe, and fo confiftent with expedition and legibility, if applied with judgment, that they alone might fuffice. The learner is however advifed by no means to adopt any of them, till experience has convinced him that they may be uted without error or injury to kgibility. Al abbreviating rules are fuited to thofe only who have made some progrefs in the stenographic art; for although they certainly promote expedition in a wonderful manner, and afford the greatest cafe to a proficient, yet a learner, as expedition is not his first, though his ultimate view, thou d admit of nothing that in the leaft renders the reading diff. cult.

SECT. II. Of the PRINCIPLES of STENOGRAPHY. THE English alphabet confifts of 26 letters; fix of which are vowels, as every school-boy knows.

This alphabet, as is obferved by the beft grammarians who have written on the language, is both defective and redundant in expreffing the various modifications of found. But all modern alphabets are equally, and fome more anomalous in thefe refpect.

But as it is not our intention to propose a mode of fpelling different from that in common ufe, when applied to printing or long-hand writing, we fhall only obferve, that in ftenography, where the most expeditious and concife method is the beft, if confiftent with perfpicuity, the following fimple rules are ftudiously to be practifed.

RULE I. All quiefcent confonants in words are to be dropped; and the orthography to be directed only by the pronunciation; which being known to all, will render this art attainable by those who cannot spell with precifion in long

hand.

RULE II. When the absence of confonants, not entirely dormant, can be eally known, they may ften be omitted without the leaft obfcurity.

Red H. Two or fometimes more confomnts

may, to promote greater expedition, be exchang ed for a fingle one of nearly fimilar found; and no ambiguity as to the meaning enfiuze.

RULE IV. When two confonants of the fame kind or fame found come together, without any vowel between them, only one is to be expressed; but if a vowel or vowels intervene, both are to be written: but if they are perpendicular, horizontal, or oblique lines, they muft only be drawn a fize longer than usual; and characters with loops muft have the fize of their heads doubled. See Plate CCCXXI.

Might is to be written mit, fight fit, machine majhin, enough enuf, laugh lof, prophet profit, phyfis fifks, through thro', foreign foren, fovereign foveren, plim Jam, receipt refet, write rite, wright rit, ifland iland, kuav ry navery, temptation temtation, knife nife, stock flik, thigh thi, honour onour, indi&tment indité nent, acquait aquaint, chaos kaos, &c. .

Strength renth, length lenth, friendship, frenfrip, connect conek, commandment comanment, conjun& conjunt, humble humle, lumber liner, flumber fumer, number nwner, exemplary exɩmlary, &c.

Rocks ror, acts aks or ax, fa&ts faks or fax, difricts dift iks or diftrix, affe&s afeks or afex, afflicts afliks or aflix, conquer konkr, &c.'

Letter leter, little litle, command comand, error eror, terror teror, &c. But in remember, mom nt,' filer, and fuch like words, where two confonants of the fame name have an intervening vowel, both of them must be written.

Thefe-four rules, with their examples, being carefully confidered by the learner, will leave him in no doubt concerning the difpofition and management of the confonants in this fcheme of fhort writing; we fhall therefore proceed to lay down rules for the application of the vowels with eafe and expedition.

founds, though they are the connectives of conRULE 1. Vowels, being only fimple articulate fonants, and employed in every word and every fyllable, are not neceffary to be inferted in the middle of words; because the confonants, if fuily pronounced, with the affiftance of connection, will always difcover the meaning of a word, and make the writing perfectly legible.

RULE II. If a vowel is not strongly accented in the incipient fyilable of a word, or if it is mute in the final, it is likewife to be omitted; because the found of the incipient vowel is often implied in that of the first confonant, which wil confequently fupply its place.

RULE III. But if the vowel conflitutes the first or laft fyilable of a word, or is ftrongly accente i at its beginning or end, that vowel is continually

to be written.

RULE IV. If a word begins or ends with two or more vowels though feparated, or when there. is a coalition of vowels, as in dipthongs and tripthongs; only one of them is to be expreffed,, which cauft be that which agrees best with the pronunciation.

RULE V. In monofyllables, if they begin or endwith a vowel, it is always to be miferted, unl f the vowel be e mute at the end of a word.

Sucir are the general principles of this art; in

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STENOGRAPHY.

The PREPOSITIONS and TERMINATIONS

Plate CCCXXI.

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