Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIV.djvu/866

 840 SHEERNESS SHEFFIELD less, the jaws not protractile, and the scales large; the front incisors are cutting, almost like hose of man, and there are several rows of rounded molars. This fish (8. ovis, Guv.) is about 20 in. long, though some grow con- siderably larger ; the ground color is light Sheep's Head (Sargus ovis). gray, with six distinct, dark brown, transverse bands, broad and nearly equidistant, and an- other across the neck ; the head is much dark- er, the gill covers with silvery and golden re- flections, throat somewhat reddish, and irides golden ; scales with dark margins ; the pec- torals nearly colorless, the other fins blackish brown. The body is short and thick, and the back rounded ; lips large and fleshy, laws equal, eyes large, and nostrils high on the head and double; the first 12 rays of the dorsal and first three of the anal strongly spinous, pecto- rals very long, ventrals stout, with spinous process at base and first ray spinous ; air blad- der large. The form of the head and black- ness of the face give it a slight resemblance to the physiognomy of the sheep. It is caught readily in nets and seines ; it is difficult to take with the hook, as the line is very liable to be cut off by the sharp incisors ; its food consists of mollusks and crustaceans. Its flesh is highly esteemed. There are several allied species found on the coast from New York to New Orleans, and one in the Mediterranean. SHEERVESS, a town of Kent, England, at the N. W. end of the island of Sheppey, on the river Medway at its junction with the Thames, 37 m. E. by 8. of London; pop. in 1871, 13,956. There is here an extensive naval es- tablishment, defended by batteries mounting 100 guns, the dockyard and buildings in con- nection with which occupy 60 acres, and have cost since 1815 3,000,000. There are some- times as many as 70 ships of war moored at Blackstakes, a little above Sheerness. The town has recently been much improved, and is becoming a favorite watering place. In the time of the commonwealth the ground on which it stands was unoccupied, and after the restoration a small fort was begun, but the Dutch destroyed it in 1667. Soon afterward strong fortifications were constructed and the dockyard was commenced. SHEFFIELD, a town of Yorkshire, England, in the West riding, at the junction of the Sheaf and three smaller streams with the Don, 141 m. N. N. W. of London; pop. in 1871, 239,- 946 ; in 1874 reported at 261,029. The streams which unite here have their source in the surrounding high lands, and supply a large amount of effective water power. The town occupies a natural amphitheatre opening to- ward the northeast, and was originally con- fined to the angle between the Don and the Sheaf, but has extended up the slopes of the hills. The streets are well paved and lighted with gas, and the rivers are crossed by fine bridges. The original parish Church was erect- ed in the time of Henry I., and there are sev- eral handsome modern churches. In 1872 there were 123 places of worship, of which 28 belonged to the church of England, 62 to various denominations of Methodists, 13 to the Con- gregationalists, 4 to the Baptists, and 4 to the Roman Catholics. The higher educational in- stitutions are the People's college, the church of England institute, the Wesley college, the collegiate school, the old endowed grammar school, the mechanics' institution, and the gov- ernment school of art, one of the best con- ducted in England. Its benevolent institutions are numerous and well sustained. A great music hall was opened in 1878, and a public park in 1874. The town, partly from the want of suitable drainage and partly from the un- healthfulness of some of the occupations, has a higher rate of mortality than most of the large towns of England. The river Don was made navigable to within 8 m. in 1751, and a canal subsequently prolonged the navigation to the town. The canal basin is accessible to vessels of 60 tons. Sheffield has for several centuries been renowned for its knives, and it is the chief seat of the English manufacture of cast, shear, and blister steel of all kinds, steel wire, cutlery and tools of almost every variety, railway and carriage springs and buffers, and many other kinds of steel and iron ware, as well as all classes of silver, silver-plated, elec- tro-plated, German silver, britannia, and other white metal goods. Britannia metal and the process of silver-plating were invented here. Snuff is largely produced. There are exten- sive iron and brass founderies, and plates have been made for iron-clad ships. Among other important manufactures are those of optical instruments, especially spectacle glasses, and of articles in great variety from pressed horns and hoofs. The cutlers' company had its ori- gin in the 16th century, and was incorporated by statute in the reign of James I. Its re- strictions, which interfered with the prosper- ity of the trade, were mitigated in 1801, and wholly abolished in 1814. It is the trustee of several important charities, besides which its only duties are the granting of trade marks to cutlers. Sheffield was a Saxon town, and received a charter as a market town from Ed- ward I. in 1296. Early in the 15th century it