Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIV.djvu/802

 776 SERGEANT SERINGAPATAM villenage was very strong. The last unequiv- ocal evidence as to its existence is believed to be a commission of Elizabeth, dated 1574, di- rectfag the enfranchisement of her bondmen and bondwomen on certain manors, upon pay- ment of a fine ; but no doubt it existed some- what later than that period. The Polish peas- antry were enslaved by the nobles, though they were never chattel slaves ; and among the causes of the fall of Poland was the serfdom that there existed. After its last partition the condition of the Polish peasants underwent va- rious modifications under the Prussian, Aus- trian, and Russian governments, until eman- cipation, though at different periods, was de- creed in each division. In Hungary, the last remnants of serfdom were abolished by the laws of 1848. In Russia, serfdom was un- known till the end of the 16th century, though chattel slavery had long existed there. Serf- dom was introduced by Boris Godunoff, and in a few years all the rural populations wore subject to it, with the exception of those per- sons who resided in the free communes con- stituting the crown domains. The legislation of Peter the Great transformed the serfs on private estates into a condition of chattelhood, while those on the royal domains enjoyed comparative freedom ; but as great grants of land and serfs were made by the Russian sov- ereigns to individuals, myriads of peasants were thus converted into serfs of the lowest grade. Alexander I. and Nicholas were friend- ly to the liberation of the peasants ; and Alex- ander II. soon after his accession began his labors in the cause of emancipation, proposing to free all the serfs, but gradually. He en- countered considerable opposition, and long preparations were unavoidable ; but on March 8 (Feb. 19, O. S.), 1861, the " imperial mani- festo " emancipating the serfs was published, to take effect at the end of two years. Serious difficulties were anticipated from the opposi- tion of the nobles and the ignorance of the serfs ; but the manifesto was carried out with little disturbance. (See RUSSIA.) s HUG KIM, John, an American jurist, born in Philadelphia, Dec. 5, 1779, died there, Nov. 23, 1852. He graduated at Princeton in 1795, became distinguished as a lawyer, and between 1815 and 1842 served six terms in congress. In 1826 he was one of the two envoys ap- pointed to represent the United States in the Panama congress. In 1882 he was the whig candidate for vice president with Mr. Clay. A volume of his " Select Speeches" was pub- lished at Philadelphia in 1832. SERGIPE, a maritime province of Brazil, the smallest in the empire, bounded N. by Alag6as, from which it is separated by the Rio Sao Francisco, E. by the Atlantic, and S. and W. by Bahia; area, 12,240 sq. m. ; pop. in 1871, 275,000. It has a coast line of 130 m., with few indentations and no good harbors. The shore in the southern half is mostly low and sandy ; in the northern there are scattered hills. The E. part of the province is called the mattat, from its forests, which produce valuable tim- ber, and are here and there separated by culti- vable land ; the western, called the agrestes, is mostly a barren waste, with some portions tit for pasturage in the rainy season. The latter region is the higher, and somewhat mountain- ous, the principal range being the low Serra d'ltabayana. Besides the Sao Francisco, there are several small rivers falling into the Atlan- tic, none of them navigable by small craft for more than 27 m. from the sea. In the shore region the climate is hot and the soil fertile, yielding large crops of cotton, sugar cane, to- bacco, mandioca, rice, and millet ; some flax is produced, and mangoes and oranges abound. The exports include cotton, sugar, tobacco, rum, and ipecacuanha. The number of schools reported in 1875 was 149, with a total attend- ance of 5,247. Capital, Aracaju, near the mouth of the Cotinguiba river. SERIN ACIR, a city of India, capital of Cash- mere, by which name it has also sometimes been called, in lat. 84 6' N., Ion. 74 55' E., near the centre of the valley of Cashmere, 5,246 ft. above the sea, 170 m. N. N. E. of Lahore; pop. about 135,000. It extends about 4 m. along both sides of the Jhylum, which is crossed by five wooden bridges, and winds through the town as a deep and placid stream about 100 yards wide. The exterior appear- ance of Serinagur is picturesque and attractive. From its delightful situation and innumerable canals it has been called the Venice of Asia ; but within it is for the most part extremely filthy. The houses, which are generally dilap- idated, are built of thin bricks with timber frames, many of them three stories high. The principal public buildings are the Jumna Mes- jid, or great mosque, in which it is said 60,000 persons can worship together, and the dun- geon-like palace of the maharajah, surmount- ed by a shining cupola. On the east is a lake 5 m. long and 2 m. broad, known as the Dal of Serinagur, which is connected with the Jhylum by a canal, is surrounded by beautiful scenery, and was formerly a favorite resort of the Mogul emperors, many of whose plea- sure grounds and palaces still remain ; the most noted is the Shalimar Bagh, laid out by the emperor Jehanghir, which Moore select- ed for the closing scene of " Lalla Rookh." This lake is celebrated for its floating gardens, formed by placing layers of soil on tangled masses of aquatic plants, where the finest mel- ons and cucumbers are cultivated. Serinagur is the centre of the shawl manufacture of Cash- mere. Silk is also raised and manufactured. SERINGAPATAM (Hindoo, Sringa-patnd), a city of India, in Mysore, 7 m. N. E. of the city of Mysore, 2,412 ft. above the sea; pop. about 13,000. It is on tfie upper end of an island, about 3 m. long, in the Cavery river, and was strongly fortified under native rule. The more prominent buildings are a Hindoo temple, a handsome mosque, the mausoleum of Hyder