introduced into civilized Europe from Constantinople through the sense and courage of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, but since the discovery of vaccination by Dr. Jenner has been discontinued. (See VACCINATION.)-For a long time the dangers of smallpox were aggravated by the means used for its cure; in accordance with the theories of the time, which still have their influence among the vulgar, the eruption was looked upon as an effort made by nature to free the system of morbid matter; the more abundant it was, the better for the patient. The eruption was accordingly encouraged by warm drinks and a heated atmosphere. Sydenham was the first to inculcate the necessity of free ventilation and a cooling regimen. Mild cases require little except attention to hygienic measures; the disease is attended with little danger, and should run its course uninfluenced by art. When it is severe, attention should be early directed to supporting the strength of the patient. The diet should be as nutritious as he can bear, and, when indicated by the pulse, wine and stimulants should be freely administered. The troublesome itching, which causes great suffering, may be alleviated by the application of sweet oil, cold cream, or lard; opiates may be useful to procure sleep, and the bowels should be occasionally moved by mild laxatives or enemata.

SMART, Christopher, an English author, born at Shipborne, Kent, April 11, 1722, died in the king's bench prison, London, May 18, 1770. He was educated at Cambridge, and elected a fellow of Pembroke hall in 1745, and gained the Seatonian prize for poems on the Supreme Being for five years consecutively. In 1753 he married, removed to London, and supported himself by writing. Through intemperance and extreme poverty he lost his reason, and was confined in a lunatic asylum for two years. He made a prose translation of Horace, and metrical versions of Horace and Phædrus, and of the Psalms. Among his other works is "The Hilliad, an Epic Poem," a satire on Sir John Hill, who had criticised him. In 1752 he published a collection of his poems. A posthumous edition appeared in 1791 with a memoir (2 vols. 12mo). His Horace has had several editions in the present century. SMART, John. See supplement. SMARTWEED. See POLYGONUM. SMEATON, John, an English civil engineer, born at Austhorpe, near Leeds, May 28, 1724, died there, Oct. 28, 1792. Before his 15th year he had made mechanical inventions and discoveries. In 1750 he became a mathematical instrument maker, and in 1751 invented a machine for measuring a ship's way at sea. He made valuable improvements in hydraulic machinery, and in 1759 read a paper on this subject before the royal society, for which he received the Copley gold medal. The Eddystone lighthouse being destroyed by fire in 1755, Smeaton rebuilt it. (See LIGHTHOUSE.) He afterward built canals and locks on the 748 VOL. XV.-8

Derwentwater estate, constructed the great canal from the Forth to the Clyde, improved the Calder navigation, supplied Greenwich and Deptford with water, erected the Spurn lighthouse, preserved the old London bridge, and erected several bridges in Scotland. About 1783 he withdrew from business. He published a volume on the Eddystone lighthouse (1791), and his professional reports were published by the institution of civil engineers (3 vols. 4to, 1812-'14).-See Smiles's "Lives of the Engineers."

SMELL, the special sense by which we take cognizance of the odoriferous qualities of foreign bodies. The main peculiarity of this sense is that it gives us intelligence of the physical properties of substances in a gaseous or vaporous condition. An odoriferous body gives off emanations which diffuse themselves through the atmosphere, and we thus perceive its existence at a distance and when it may be concealed from sight. The actual quantity of vaporous material necessary for making an impression upon the olfactory organ is very small; and a substance like, musk or attar of roses may fill an entire apartment or even a house for days or weeks with its peculiar odor, readily perceptible by all the occupants, without suffering any appreciable loss of weight. The organ of smell is the mucous membrane of the upper part of the nasal passages, supplied by the filaments of the olfactory or first pair of cranial nerves. These nerves are endowed with the special sense of smell, but are destitute of ordinary or general sensibility. Thus they can perceive the odors of foreign substances, but not the physical contact of a solid body. On the other hand, the lower portion of the nasal passages is supplied by filaments from the fifth pair of cranial nerves, which are nerves of general sensibility, but not susceptible to the impression of odors. Not all vapors are odoriferous; some simply irritating or stimulating to the mucous membrane. The odors proper are generally of an organic origin, such as those of musk, asafoetida, the leaves and blossoms of plants, and the exhalations of living or decomposing animal bodies. Other gaseous emanations are simply irritating, like those of ammonia, chlorine, and acetic acid. Sometimes the two kinds of exhalations are mingled; thus pure alcohol is nearly or quite destitute of odor, but in cologne water we have the stimulating properties of the alcohol, mingled with odoriferous ingredients of a vegetable origin. Ammonia is irritating to the mucous membrane of the nose for the same reason that it is irritating to the skin when brought in contact with it; but the skin is incapable of perceiving a true odor. The dissemination of odors is favored by the movement of the atmosphere; and when a disagreeable or noxious odor is contained in the air of an apartment, a free ventilation is the readiest method of expelling it. When we wish to perceive more distinctly a

are

faint or a delicate odor, we direct the air forcibly upward, by a peculiar inspiratory effort of the nostrils, through the superior part of the nasal passages. This movement is especially observable in many of the inferior animals, in whom the sense of smell is remarkably acute, and the olfactory mucous membrane unusually extensive and sensible. The dog, for instance, will not only distinguish different kinds of animals by their odor, but will recognize different individuals of the human species, or particular articles of dress belonging to them. He will even follow the track of wild game by the minute quantity of animal odor left by their footsteps upon the grass or dried leaves.-The sense of smell, like the other senses, becomes habituated to particular impressions when long continued; even disagreeable odors gradually lose in this way their offensiveness, and we become after a time more or less insensible to their presence. A disagreeable odor is not invariably injurious in itself; but it is almost always the indication or accompaniment of a gaseous emanation which is in reality noxious, or will become so if allowed to accumulate. The offensive odor is a warning to the senses that the atmosphere is no longer pure and should be renovated; and if this warning be neglected, it at last ceases to make itself felt, and the exhalations may then imperceptibly increase until they produce serious injury.

SMELT, a soft-rayed fish of the salmon family, and genus osmerus (Artedi). The body is elongated and covered with small scales; there are two dorsals, the first with rays and the second adipose and rayless; ventrals under the anterior rays of dorsal; teeth on the jaws and tongue very long, and on the premaxillaries small and hooked; gill openings wide; air bladder silvery within. The common American smelt (O. viridescens, Les.) is about 10 in. long; the upper parts with the dorsal and caudal fins are yellowish green with coppery reflections, with very minute black dots; sides silvery white; abdomen and lower fins milky white; gill covers golden. It is found from

American Smelt (Osmerus viridescens).

New York to Labrador, going up rivers in early spring and returning to the sea late in autumn, at which times immense quantities are taken by hook and nets; the flavor is very delicate. They bear transfer from salt into fresh water, and have become permanent residents in Champlain, Squam, and Winnipiseogee lakes, and in Jamaica pond near Boston; these are smaller and more slender than the marine smelt. The European smelt (0. eperlanus,

Art.) is from 7 to 9 in. long, lighter colored above, with thicker body and narrower head. They are found in all the rivers opening into northern seas; they are the éperlans of the French and the spirling or sparling of the English; when recently taken from the water, they have a sweetish, not disagreeable, and cucumber-like odor, from which the generic and the common names are derived. Smelts eat small fish, crustaceans, and mollusks.

SMELTING. See COPPER SMELTING, IRON MANUFACTURE, LEAD, and SILVER.

SMET, Peter John de, an American missionary, born in Dendermonde, Belgium, Dec. 31, 1801, died in St. Louis, May 23, 1873. He arrived in Philadelphia in August, 1821, entered the Jesuit novitiate at Whitemarsh, Md., went to Missouri in 1823, and aided in founding the university of St. Louis, in which he labored till 1838, when he was sent to found a mission among the Pottawattamies. His success caused him to be sent to the Flatheads in 1840, and to the Blackfeet soon afterward. He then planned a regular system of missionary establishments, which were taken charge of by his brother Jesuits, reserving to himself a general superintendence over them and the duty of providing funds for their support. He published several papers in the United States and in Europe for the purpose of creating public interest in favor of these missions, repeatedly visited Belgium and other Catholic countries to collect alms and obtain missionaries, and established several new missionary centres on both sides of the Rocky mountains. During a last voyage undertaken for the missions he sustained injuries which resulted in his death. His principal works are: "Letters and Sketches, and Residence in the Rocky Mountains" (Philadelphia, 1843); "Oregon Missions, and Travels over the Rocky Mountains" (New York, 1847); "Western Missions and Missionaries " and "New Indian Sketches (New York, 1863); and Reisen zu den Felsengebirgen und ein Jahr unter den wilden Indianerstämmen des Oregon-Gebietes (St. Louis, 1865).

SMEW (mergellus albellus, Selby), a webfooted bird differing from the typical mergansers, to which subfamily it belongs, in having the bill much shorter than the head and elevated at the base, and the mandibles with short and closely set lamellæ. It is about 17 in. long and 27 in. in alar extent; the general color is white, whence its common name of white nun; around the eyes, a patch on each side of the nape, semi-collar on each side of lower neck, middle of back, tail, and wings black; scapulars, middle wing coverts, tertials, and secondary tips white; in the female the head is reddish brown. It is found in the northern parts of the old world, in winter coming down to central Europe, frequenting the sea coast, lakes, and rivers; it is an expert swimmer and diver, and feeds on fish and crustaceans; the nest is made near the water,

and the eggs are 8 to 12; like other mergansers it hybridizes with the ducks, especially with the genus clangula (Flem.). It is generally

Smew (Mergellus albellus).

believed to be accidental in America, only a single female specimen having been obtained by Audubon, near New Orleans.

SMIBERT, or Smybert, John, a Scottish painter, born in Edinburgh about 1684, died in Boston, Mass., in 1751. He studied in Italy for three years, and attained a respectable standing as a portrait painter in London. In 1728 he accompanied Dean Berkeley to America, after whose return he settled in Boston. He painted most of the contemporary worthies of New England and New York. His most celebrated picture is a large portrait piece representing Berkeley and several members of his family, together with the artist himself, on their first landing in America. It is now in the possession of Yale college.

SMILAX, a genus of endogenous, mostly shrubby, often prickly plants, which climb by tendrils. They are abundant in warm climates, and are represented in the Atlantic states by several species, some of which are popularly known as greenbrier, catbrier, or brier. The genus is the only one in the flora of the northernmost states which affords an example of a woody endogenous stem; the general aspect of the plants is that of the exogens, as their leaves are netted-veined, while in the great majority of endogens they are parallel-veined; the petioles are furnished with a tendril upon each side. The flowers, in axillary umbels, are small, dicecious, with the greenish or yellowish regular perianth in six parts; the sterile flower has six stamens; the fertile has a free ovary of three or more cells and as many thick and spreading stigmas; fruit a small berry with one to three seeds. The best known species is the common greenbrier (smilar rotundifolia), which extends from Canada through the southern states; it often forms, by spreading over the shrubs and trees, impenetrable thickets, its stems extending from one tree to another for 30 or 40 ft., and very slender and strong; the smooth leaves are nearly orbicular, often broader than long, and

somewhat heart-shaped at base, of a pleasing soft green color, which turns to deep yellow in autumn, and later to a rusty brown, though in the southern states they are nearly evergreen; the small clusters of berries are black, with a bloom, and have a tempting appearance, but are very nauseous to the taste. The plant is variable, and forms of it have been described as distinct species. It is a handsome ornamental climber, which has received no attention because it is common. There are about a dozen other species, from New Jersey southward, with variously shaped leaves, some of them evergreen, and differing in their fruit clusters. The most important of these is popularly known in the southern states as China brier (S. pseudo-China), which extends northward to New Jersey; its stems, especially near the base, have weak blackish prickles; the leaves are ovate heart-shaped, often with a fringe of rough hairs on the margins and a

Greenbrier (Smilax rotundifolia).

slender point. The young and tender shoots of this are eaten as asparagus; the mature stems have a reputation as an alterative; the rootstocks, which are tuberous, brownish red, and sometimes as large as the two fists, contain considerable starch, which the Seminoles formerly used in times of scarcity, both by separating the starch and by cooking the whole root; a kind of beer has been made from them, with molasses, parched corn, and sassafras; the root is light, porous, easily worked, and is largely used for tobacco pipes. A few species are herbaceous, the most common being the variable S. herbacea, 1 to 6 ft. high, with mostly heart-shaped leaves; the flowers are in large umbels, upon stalks 3 to 8 in. long, the fertile ones succeeded by a showy, nearly globular cluster of berries. This is sometimes a troublesome weed in pastures; when in bloom its presence is readily detected from the odor of its flowers, which has given the plant the well merited name of carrion flower.

Two

other species belong to this section, which Torrey at one time regarded as a distinct genus, to which he gave the appropriate name of coprosmanthus. Nearly 200 species of smilax are enumerated as growing in various parts of the world, but, judging from the confusion of names existing among our own, the number of real species is much less. The most tant exotic species are those which furnish the drug sarsaparilla. (See SARSAPARILLA.) Another medicinal product is the China root, the rhizome of S. China and several other eastern species, which, under the name of radix China, came into use about A. D. 1535 as a remedy for syphilis, gout, and rheumatism; it is now little used except in the East. The fresh rootstocks of this and other species are cooked and eaten by the Chinese.-Under the name of smilax florists cultivate in greenhouses large quantities of myrsiphyllum asparagoides, a liliaceous plant from the Cape of Good Hope, closely allied to asparagus; it has small tuberous roots, and very slender, strong, branching stems, which climb by twining to the height of 20 ft. or more; its proper leaves are minute scales, from the axils of which, as in asparagus, appear small branches, so modified that they look like true leaves, the functions of which they perform; the flowers are small, whitish, and inconspicuous, and are followed by green berries about the size of those of asparagus. It is raised from seeds, the roots being kept from year to year. This plant is one of the most valuable and popular of all greens used for decorations, as it does not readily fade, and its thread-like stems allow it to be used in the most delicate work. It is a very useful window plant if the atmosphere of the room is not excessively dry.

Smilax Vine (Myrsiphyllum

asparagoides).

SMILES, Samuel, a British author, born at Haddington, Scotland, in 1816. After practising as a surgeon for some time at Leeds, he became editor of the Leeds "Times" in 1845, secretary of the Leeds and Thirsk railway, and in 1852 secretary of the Southeastern railway, from which post he retired in 1866. He has published "Physical Education, or Nature of Children" (Edinburgh, 1837); "History of Ireland and the Irish People under the Government of England" (London, 1844); "Life of George Stephenson" (1857); "Self-Help, with Illustrations of Character and Conduct" (1859); "Brief Biographies" (Boston, 1860);

SMILLIE, James, James D., and George H. See supplement.

SMIRKE. I. Sir Robert, an English architect, born in London in 1780, died at Cheltenham, April 18, 1867. He was the oldest son of Robert Smirke, a popular genre painter. After a tour through Germany and southern Europe, he settled in London in 1805 as an architect. He brought himself early into notice by his design for Covent Garden theatre (1808-'9), which was destroyed by fire in March, 1856. Subsequently he was employed in designing many public buildings in the metropolis, the most considerable being the mint, a Grecian Doric edifice erected in 1811; the post office (1823-'9); the college of physicians; King's college, as the eastern wing of Somerset house (1831); and the British museum (1823'47). These were all in the classical style. His chief Gothic works are the restorations of York minster and the improvements and extensions of the Inner Temple. He also erected buildings for the United Service, Carlton, and Oxford and Cambridge clubs, the last in conjunction with his brother Sydney. He was elected a royal academician in 1812, and in 1831 was knighted. He published "Specimens of Continental Architecture" (fol., London, 1806). II. Sydney, younger brother of the preceding, also an architect, died Dec. 11, 1877. His style was more ornate and florid than that of his brother, and was employed with effect upon several of the London club houses, especially the Carlton in Pall Mall. He also directed the restorations of the Temple church and Lichfield cathedral, and in 1847 succeeded his brother as architect of the British museum. He was elected a member of the royal academy in 1860, professor of architecture in 1861, and treasurer in 1862. He published "Suggestions on the Architectural Improvements of the West of London" (1834), and "Architecture of the Temple Church" (4to, 1842).

SMITH, the name of four counties in the United States. I. A central county of Mississippi, intersected by Strong river and drained by the head streams of Leaf river; area, 620 sq. m.; pop. in 1870, 7,126, of whom 1,711 were colored. The surface is generally level and the soil poor. The chief productions in 1870 were 144,688 bushels of Indian corn, 28,286 of sweet potatoes, 45,040 lbs. of rice, 5,666 of wool, and 2,411 bales of cotton. There were 1,065 horses, 2,027 milch cows, 4,308 other cattle, 3,694 sheep, and 11,254