Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 19, Scripture-SUG

SPA t 4*2
been found by experiment, that by expofing it to a gen¬
tle heat, air-bubbles afeend in great numbers. It is m
its greateft perfeftion when collected in cold dry wea¬
ther •, it is then pellucid, colourlefs, and without fmell,
and almoft as light as diftilled water. It varies in its
heat from 52° or 530 to 67° of Fahrenheit’s thermome¬
ter.
The Geronftere is a much weaker chalybeate water
than the Pouhon 5 and as it is exceedingly naufeous,
and taftes and fmells like rotten eggs, it certainly con¬
tains fome hepatic gas. This is a circumftance which
Dr Afh Teems not to have attended to fufficiently. The
Sauveniere water alfo, when newly taken from the well,
fmells a little of fulphur. The Groifbeck contains more
alkali, and almoft as much gas as the Pouhon, and has
been celebrated for its good effects in the cafe of calcu¬
lous concretions. The Tonnelet contains more gas
than anv of the reft. So fmall is the quantity of any
foftil bodv held in fufpenfion by the aerial acid in it,
and To volatile is the gas, that it begins to pafs off very
rapidlv the moment it is taken out of the well, and in a
fhort time is entirely gone. Dr Afti informs us, that
in the neighbourhood of this well, the cellars, on any
approaching change of weather, are found to contain
much fixed' air •, and the beft prognoftic which they
have of rain is the averfion which cats (how to be car¬
ried into thefe cellars.
The Spa waters are diuretic, and fometimes purga¬
tive. They exhilarate the fpirits with an influence much
more benign than wine or fpirituous liquors *, and they
are more cooling, and allay third more effe&ually, than
common water. They are found beneficial in cafes
of weaknefs and relaxation, either partial or univerfal ;
in nervous diforders ; in obftruftions of the liver and
fpleen •, in cafes where the blood is too thin and pu-
trefeent ; in cafes of exceflive difeharges proceeding
from weaknefs ; in the gravel and ftone j and in moft
cafes where a ftrengthening remedy is wanted. But they
are hurtful in confirmed obftru&ions attended rvith fe¬
ver, where there is no free outlet to the matter, as in
ulcerations of the lungs. They are alfo injurious to bi¬
lious and plethoric conftitutions, when ufed before the
body is cooled by proper evacutions.
SPACE. See Metaphysics, Part II. Chap. iv.
Space, in Geometry, denotes the area of any figure,
or that, which fills the interval or diftance between the
lines that terminate it.
SPADIX, in Botany, anciently fignified the recep¬
tacle of the palms. It is now ufed to exprefs every
fiower-ftalk that is protruded out of a fpatha or fheath.
The fpadix of the palms is branched ; that of all
other plants Ample. This laft cafe admits of fome va¬
riety ; in cnlla, dracontium, and pothos, the florets co¬
yer it on all fides; in arum, they are difpofed on the
lower part only : and in zq/lera on one fide. See Bo¬
tany.
SPAGTRIC art, a name given by old authors to
that fpecies of chemiftry which works on metals, and is
emploved in the fenrch of the philofopher’s ftone.
SPAHIS, horfemen in the Ottoman army, chiefly
] SPA
raifed in Afia. The great ftrength of the grand feig- Spahi,.
nior’s army confifts in the janifaries, who are the foot; Spaim
and the fpahis, who are the horfe.
SPAIN. The kingdom of Spain, which occupies situatio7
by far the greater portion of the fouth-weftern peninfulaand bow.
of Europe, is bounded on the north by the bay of Bifcay dary.
and Pyrenean mountains, which feparate it from France j
on the eaft by the Mediterranean fea j on the fouth by
the ftraits of Gibraltar, which divide it from the Afri¬
can kingdom of Morocco ; and on the weft, partly by
the Atlantic ocean, but chiefly by the narrow kingdom
of Portugal. This laft is the only artificial boundary
of the Spanifti territory, and confifts of ideal lines, ex¬
cept in three parts, where the river Minho to the
north, and the Douro and the Chanca, till its jumftion
with the Guadiana to the eaft, form rather more natural
limits. ^
From Cape Ortegal in N. Lat. 430 44', to the rock Extent .
of Gibraltar, in N. Lat. 350 57/, the continent of
Spain extends through nearly 8° of latitude, while its
extent from wfeft to eaft, viz. from Cape Finifterre in
Long. 90 17' W. from Greenwich to Cape Creus, or
Croix, in Long. 30 30' E. from the fame meridian,
comprehends nearly 130 of longitude. In Britilh miles,
its length from north to fouth, viz. from Cape Penas to
Gibraltar, may be eftimated at 550 miles, while its me¬
dium breadth may be computed at 440. According to
De Laborde, its fuperfieial extent, exclufive of Portugal,
is 2^,137 fquare French leagues, or about 21,000
fquare Englilh leagues.
Befides the continental part of Spain, this monarchy
comprehends feveral iffands in the Mediterranean, efpe-
cially Majorca, Minorca, and Ivi^a ; the Canary iflands,
and feveral places on the north-w'eftern coaft of Africa-,
the Philippine and Ladrone iflands j together with an
immenfe territory both in North and South America,
comprehending Mexico or New Spain, New Mexico,
the iff and of Cuba, Porto Rico, &c. in North America,
and in the fouthern part of that continent, the greateft;
portion of Terra Firma, Peru, Chili, almoft the whole
of Paraguay, with an extenfive territory lying on the
banks of the river Plate. ^ i
The ufual divifion of the Spanilh continent is into jyvifioE
fourteen provinces, viz. thofe of CATALONIA, Aragon,
and Navarre, on the confines of France j Biscay,
Asturias, and Gallicia, on the (bores of the At¬
lantic •, Leon and Estremadura, on the fide of Por¬
tugal ; Andalusia chiefly on the ftraits of Gibraltar;
Granada, Murcia, and Valencia, on the fhores
of the Mediterranean; Old and New Castile in the
centre.
The lateft writer on the geography of Spain, De La¬
borde, reckons only 13 provinces, as he includes Gra¬
nada under Andalufia. In the following table we have
brought together the moft important eircumftances re-
fpefting each of thefe provinces, viz. the fubdivifions,
extent in fquare Britifli miles, population at the end of
the 18th century, and chief towns ; and we have
arranged the provinces in the order followed by La¬
borde.