Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 17.djvu/875

* SEQtJOIA. 795 SERAMPUR. tostrobus and Swedenborgia of the Jurassic and Voltzia of the Triassic, all of which attained great size. See Co.ifer,e. SEQUOYA, s^-kwoi'ya, or George Guess (c. 1760-1843). A Cherokee mixed blood, famous as tlie inventor of the Cherokee syllabary. He was born about the year 17(iO and lived as a boy with his mother at llie Cherokee town of Tuskejree. close to old Fort Loudon, in Kast TciiMossee. As lie f rew up he became a liuntcrand fur trader, but also de- veloped a eonsidenilile merhaiiical iufii'nuity. cs- peeially in the making of silver ornaments, lie ■nas led by a chance conversation in 180!) to re- flect upon the ability of the whites to communi- cate thought by means of writing, with the result that he set about devising a similar .sys- tem for his own people. For this purpose he made use of a number of characters wliieh he found in an old spelling book, taking capitals, lower case, italics, and figures, and placing them right side up or inverted, without any idea of their sound or significance in English use. Hav- ing thus utilized about thirty-tive ready-made characters, he obtained a dozen or more by modi- fying some of tliese originals, and then devised others from his own imagination to make a com- plete syllabary of eighty-five characters, capable of expressing every sound in the Cherokee lan- guage. By means of this invention anyone speaking the language can learn to read and write it perfectly in a few days. Since then the same principle has been utilized by missionaries for several other Indian languages, notabh- the Cree and Chippewyan. After years of patient labor in the face of ridicule, discouragement, and repeated failure, he finally jierfeeted his invention, and in 1821 submitted it to a public test by the leading men of the Cherokee Nation, Its great value was at once recognized, and within a few months thott- sands of hitherto illiterate Cherokee were able to read and write their own language. In the next year he visited the Vest, to introduce his system among those of the tribe who had re- moved to Arkansas. On a second visit in 182.3 he decided to take up his permanent residence with the Western band. In 1830 Sequoya was instru- mental in bringing about a iniinn of feeling be- tween the 'Old Settlers.' as the Arkansas band was then known, and the body of the nation, hieh had just then removed from their original territory in the East. Consult : Foster, f^ei/iio-i/ah, the American Cadmus ami the Mod- . em Moses (Ithaca, N. Y., 1885) : Jlooney, Myths of the Cherokee (Washington, 1900). SERAGLIO, sii-ra'lyo (It. serragJio, inelosure, seraglio, from ML. serracultnn, spigot, Lat. sera- ciila, little bolt, diminutive of sera, bolt, bar, from serare. to bind together, from serere. to bind, .join; connected with Ok. dpeii>, eirein. Skt. sa, to bind ; confused in meaning with Ar., Turk. sarni. from Pers. sarni. palace, inn, seraglio). The collection of buildings with surrounding grounds which formerly constituted the Imperial residence of the Sultan at Constantinople. It is situated on the easternmost of the seven hills of the city, between the Sea of Marmora, the Bosporus, and the Golden Horn, and is surrounded by a wall more than two miles in circumference. Aloham- med II. began the erection of a palace on this location in 1468, and occupied it during a por- tion of the year. Solyman II. (1520-66) greatly Vol.' XVII. —61.' enlarged it and made il his hubitual residence. Since 183!l it has not been occupied by the Sultun. and buildings and grounds are falling into decay. The Seraglio consists of two inelosures, an outer and imier; free access is allowed to the former, which eonstituti's ninctcntiis of the whole. Among the buildings in the outer portion arc several Imperial schools, a hospital, barracks, and the nmseum of Constantinople. Among the noteworthy structures of the inner por- tion are the Hall of the IJivan. the Imperial Treasure House and Library, and the Uaudad Kiosk. Certain relics iif the I'rophel are kepi here, among them the black numtle which he is said to have given to the poet Kaali. . nually on the fifteenth of Hamadan the Sultan comes in great state to render homage to this relic — the only time in the year at present when he visits the Seraglio or Stamhoul. The Turks apply the name seraglio (or more properly serai) to any residence of the Sultan. In Knglish ii is often incorrectly confused with harem (q.v.). Consult Grosvenor, Cdiislntitiiiopic (Boston, 18115), and for a description of the Seraglio iu its greatest glory Tavernier, I'oi/nj/c rn 7'ui<yuie, f'» Perse, et aux Indes (Paris, 1677-79). SERAING, sc-rax', A town in the Province of Lii'^f;c. Bclijium, on thi' Meuse. four miles by rail southwest of Li&ge (Map: Belgium. D 4). It has a factory for the manufacture of steam machinery, locomotives, etc,, which is probably the largest in the world. The town depends on these works for its prosperity, the company main- taining schools, hospital, orphan asylum, etc. In the vicinity are vabiable coal mines, and one of the largest glass factories of Europe, Popula- tion, in 1000, 3!).623. SERAJEVO, .se-rii'yf-vo. .or Bosn.-Ser.i. The capital of Bosnia, beautifully situated in the midst of gardens on both sides of the MiljiiJ'ka, 122 miles southwest of Belgrade (.Map: Austria, F 5). The river is here spanned by .several fine stone bridges. The town has been greatly ad- vanced bv modern improvements. Noteworthy structures are the Catholic cathedral (1S8!M'; the large sixteenth-century Mos(|ue of llusref Bey: the town hall: the (iovernor's resi<leni-e; and the museum with a collection of antiquities. The picturesque ruins of the old castle, erected by the Hungarians in the thirteenth century. crown tlic height aWovi- the town. SerajcMi !ias a Catholic seminaiy. The principal imlustiy is the manufacture of metal ware. There are also dyeiuK and silk-weaving establishments, ex- tensive iiotteries, a large brewery, and a (iovern- meni tobacco factory. Serajevo is an important eonimercial entrepot, and the immense bazaar is the centre of a very lively trade. It is connected by rail with the Austro Hungarian railroad system. There are valuable iron mines and mineral baths. Population, in 1885. 26,268: in 1803, 41,173. SERAMPUR, sf r'fim-poor'. or SERAMPORE. . town in the Province of Benjial. India. 1.'! miles north of Calcutta, on the Ilugli Hiver (Map: India, E 4). It extemis along the river front and is very picturesque. The most prominent feature is the Baptist College, occupying a site overlooking the river. It has a library with valu- able manuscripts and a fine collection of por- traits. Other objects of interest are the former residence of the Danish Governor, now the Gov-