Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XV.djvu/298

 286 SPORADES bright rufous spots, forming a ring near the large end ; they breed and are commonly seen in flocks. The flesh is oily and poor eating ; the beautiful feathers of the wings are made into fans in Florida. The European spoonbill (P. lencorodia, Linn.) is about the same size, white with widish yellow patch on breast, pale yellow naked space around eyes and throat, and a yellowish white, long occipital crest; it is rare in England, but common in Holland and S. Europe and all over Africa. SPORADES (Gr., the scattered), the lesser isl- ands of the Grecian archipelago surrounding the group of the Cyclades, divided into the northern, western, and eastern Sporades. The northern group includes the islands of Ski- atho (in antiquity Sciathus), Scopelos, Khili- dromi (probably Icus), and Skyros; these lie off the N. E. coast of Negropont or Euboea, and belong to the kingdom of Greece. The western group, which also belongs to Greece, lies off the E. coast of Argolis, and includes Hydra (Hydrea), Spezzia (Tiparenos), Poros '(Calauria), ^Egina, and Kuluri (Salamis). The eastern group belongs to Turkey, and lies off the S. W. coast of Asia Minor; it includes Psara or Ipsara (Psyra), Scio (Chios), Samos, Nikaria (Icarus or Icaria), Patmos, Leros, Ca- lymno (Calymna), Stanko (Cos), Stampalia or Astropalia (Astypalroa), and Scarpanto (Carpa- thus). The Sporades of the ancients included only the eastern group, and this with the ex- ception of the northernmost islands. SPOTSWOOD, John, a Scottish prelate, born in Edinburghshire in 1565, died in London, Nov. 26, 1639. He graduated at the univer- sity of Glasgow' at the age of 16, and at 20 succeeded his father as minister of Calderkirk. At first he strenuously opposed episcopacy, but soon yielding to the court party, he began to favor it in a moderate form. In 1603 he was one of five clergymen selected by James I. to accompany him to London for his coronation, and while there was appointed to succeed Beatoun as archbishop of Glasgow. From this time he earnestly sought to establish epis- copacy in Scotland, incurring much odium among the great body of the Scottish people. In 1609 he was appointed an extraordinary lord of session, but was obliged to remain subject to the ordinary church courts till 1610, when he and two other Scottish bishops received episcopal ordination at the hands of English bishops. He became primate of all Scotland in 1615, and in 1633 placed the crown on the head of Charles I. as king of Scotland. He had for some years been the head, first of one of the two courts of high commission for trying offences against the church, and then of the two combined; and in 1635 he was appointed lord high chancellor of Scotland. Contrary to his own inclinations, as alleged, but by order of the king, he introduced a new liturgy and book of canons, which so aroused Scottish indignation that he retired in 1637 to Newcastle, and finally to Lon- SPRAGUE don. He wrote a "History of the Church of Scotland, from the Year 203 to the Close of the Reign of James VI." (fol., London, 1655), and one or two smaller works. SPOTTED FEVER. See FEVERS, vol. vii., p. 168. SPOTTSYLVMIA, an E. county of Virginia, bounded N. E. by the Rappahannock and S. W. by the North Anna river, and drained by the Mattapony ; area, about 450 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 11,728, of whom 4,659 were colored. The surface is hilly and the soil fertile. Gran- ite and freestone are abundant. It is inter- sected by the Rappahannock canal and the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac rail- road. The chief productions in 1870 were 56,050 bushels of wheat, 104,210 of Indian corn, 50,832 of oats, 132,502 Ibs. of tobacco, 4,527 of wool, and 30,678 of butter. There were 906 horses, 1,388 milch cows, 1,684 other cattle, 1,928 sheep, and 3,662 swine. Capital, Spottsylvania Court House. SPOTTSYLVANIA COURT HOUSE, Battles at. See WILDERNESS. SPRAGUE, Charles, an American poet, born in Boston, Oct. 26, 1791, died there, Jan. 14, 1875. At the age of 13 he entered a mercantile house as clerk, and subsequently became a partner. In 1820 he became teller in the State bank ; and in 1825, on the establishment of the Globe bank, he was appointed its cashier, an office which he held till 1865. From 1821 to 1830 he gained five prizes for prologues to be recited at the opening of theatres in New York, Philadelphia, Salem, and Portsmouth. In 1823 he obtained the prize for the best ode to be recited at the exhibition at the Boston theatre of a pageant in honor of Shakespeare ; and in 1830 he pronounced an ode at the cen- tennial celebration of the settlement of Bos- ton. In 1829 he delivered a poem on "Curi- osity " before the Phi Beta Kappa society in Cambridge, considered his best production. A collection of his writings was published in New York (1841 ; new ed., 1850), and a com- plete revised collection in Boston (1850; new ed., 1855). SPRAGUE, William Bnell, an American clergy- man, born in Andover, Conn., Oct. 16, 1795. He graduated at Yale college in 1815, studied in the theological seminary at Princeton, and in August, 1819, was ordained pastor of the first Congregational church at West Spring- field, Mass., as a colleague of the Rev. Jo- seph Lathrop, whom he succeeded as pastor in 1820. In 1829 he was installed pastor of the second Presbyterian church at Albany, N. Y. He resigned this charge in 1869, and removed to Flushing, N. Y., where he still re- sides (1876). He has made large collections of pamphlets and autographs, the former of which he presented in 1875 to the state libra- ry at Albany. He has published " Letters to a Daughter" (1822), republished under the title "The Daughter's Own Book;" "Letters from Europe " (1828) ; " Lectures to Young Peo- ple" (1830); "Lectures on Revivals of Re-