Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 18.djvu/180

* SIEBOLD. 142 SIEGE. schaftliche Zoologie, still the leading morphologi- cal and anatomical journal of Europe. SIEBOLB, I'liiLiiT Franz vox (1790-18G0). A Bavarian phj-sician, natnralist, and traveler, born at Wiirzburf,'. After studying medicine and science he entered the service of the Dutch East India Company in 1822, and proceeded to Batavia. From Java he went in 1823 to Nagasaki, as the leader of a scientific mission to Japan. He quickly mastered the Japanese language, and in 1820 reached Yedo with the Dutch Embassy, remaining in that city, but get- ting into trouble tlirough the purchase of a map, such transfer of knowledge to an alien being then forbidden. He was imprisoned, and banished from .Japan in 1830. After his return to Europe he spent nearly thirty j'ears in writing his great work, entitled yippon, Archil- ziir Beschreibuii-j von Japan (1832-51); in arranging his collec- tions at the museums of Leyden, JIunich. and Wiirzburg; and in the composition of works on the fauna, flora, and bibliography of Japan. In 1859 he revisited Japan, and was invited to Court by the Emperor, and in ISlil entered the Japanese service as a negotiator with the Powers, but diffi- culties arose which compelled him to retire. He returned to Europe in 1802, where he published various papers relating to Japan. He died at Munich. A monument of him has been erected in .Japan by the Japanese. Consult Siebold, Lehen iind Wirken von P. F. von Siebold (Wurzburg. 1890). SIEDLCE, syed'l-tsc A government in the east of Russian Poland., between the Bug on the east and the Vistula on the west ( ilap : Rus- sia, B 4). Area, about 5540 square miles. It is mostly flat, and marshy in the southeast. Agri- cultui'e is the principal industry and is carried on by modern methods. Stock-raising is also important. The chief manufactures are spirits, sugar, and gla.ss. Population, in 1897, 797,725. SIEDLCE. The capital of the Government of Siedlce in Russian Poland, about 50 miles east- southeast of Warsaw (Jlap: Russia, B 4). It is little more than an administration centre of the government, and its economic importance is slight. It was for a long time in the possession of the Czartoryskis. Population, in 1897, 17,300. SIEGBTJRG, zeg'boorK. A town of the Rhine Province, Prussia, at the meeting of the Agger and Sieg, 16 miles by rail southeast of Cologne (Map: Germany, B 3). The Benedictine abbev (1000) is now used as a prison. Siegburg is a manufacturing and mining town. It has a royal projectile factory, pottery works, lignite mines, and stone quarries. Population, in 1900, 14.102. Siegburg was a wealtliy and prosperous city in the Renaissance period, and famous for the curious and artistic ".'-^iegburg pitchers.' SIEGE .ND SIEGE WORKS (OF. serje. siege, Fr. siege, from I.at. sedrrr, to sit : connected with Gk. ?fe(r9at, hczrsfhai. Skt. sad, OChurch Slav. sesti, Lith. sedefi. OHG. sizznn, Ger. sitzen. Goth. sitan, AS. sittan, Eng. sit). In conducting a siege, the enemy, where possible, is surroinid- ed and cut off from supplies or reinforce- ments, in which ease his position is said to be invested. The attacking army in doing this usnally intrenches itself completely around and outside the works of the defender. With plenty of time and when there is no prospect of the arrival of relieving forces, an effective investment will cause the defender eventually to starve or surrender. In many cases, as in the siege of Jlafeking and Ladysmith, the prospective ar- rival of a relieving force must always be borne in mind, compelling the attacker to use every means at his command to force the issue. But assuming that a simple investment is im- possible, that assault by open force has failed, or, in the opinion of the attacking commander, would surely fail, bombardment would be re- sorted to and a continuous fire maintained. If the defenders are in a position to con- struct bomb-proofs suflicient to enable them to hold out against bombardment, it then becomes necessary to resort to a regular siege. The method of procedure is then as follows: The artil- lery having taken up a position best adapted to enable it to fire upon the artillery of the defense. Fig. 1. SAPPING. the infantry is establislied in front of this in intrenchments. and continuous attempts are made to hold down the fire of the defenders and to push the infantry intrenchments as close as pos- sible to the work. This is done where possible in large sections of intrenchments parallel to the main line of the defender. Probably the method best adapted to modern conditions is the construction of intrencliments by the method known as flying sap. In this process, as soon as darkness falls a large force of men moves into position, carrying gabions or boxes, picks, and shovels. When the line lias been moved as far forward as is deemed advisable, the gabions are placed in position, and the men start to dig the earth from behind them, filling first the gabions and then throwing the eartli in front of them. When this is not practicable the advance is made by pushing trenches forward obliquely by end work. These "approaches' are so inclined that they cannot be enfiladed by the enemy. This process is known as sapping. A position having been once gained is fortified as strongly as Fig. 2. CASEMATE IN TRENCH. necessary to enable it to be held. By these methods the attack is pushed as rapidly as pos- sible to a position close to that held by the de- fenders. If the latter are provided with suflS- cient provisions and material to enable them to hold out without surrender on account of starva-