oraries"
(1719-1791).

SELWYN, GEORGE AUGUSTUS, the first bishop of New Zealand, in which
capacity he wrought so zealously, that his diocese, by his extension of
Episcopacy, was subdivided into seven; on his return to England he was
made bishop of Lichfield (1809-1878).

SEMAPHORE, a name applied to the mechanism employed for telegraphing
purposes prior to the discovery of the electric telegraph; invented in
1767 by Richard Edgeworth, but first extensively used by the French in
1794, and afterwards adopted by the Admiralty in England; consisted at
first of six shutters set in two rotating circular frames, which, by
opening and shutting in various ways, were capable of conveying
sixty-three distinct signals; these were raised on the tops of wooden
towers erected on hills; later a different form was adopted consisting of
a mast and two arms worked by winches. The speed at which messages could
be transmitted was very great; thus a message could be sent from London
to Portsmouth and an answer be received all within 45 seconds. The
railway signal now in use is a form of semaphore.

SEMELE, in the Greek mythology the daughter of Cadmus and the mother
of Dionysus by Zeus, was tempted by Hera to pray Zeus to show himself to
her in his glory, who, as pledged to give her all she asked, appeared
before her as the god of thunder, and consumed her by the lightning. See
DIONYSUS.

SEMINOLES, a nomadic tribe of American Indians who from 1832 to 1839
offered a desperate resistance to the Americans before yielding up their
territory SE. of the Mississippi (Florida, etc.); finally settled in the
Indian Territory, where they now number some 3000, and receive an annuity
from the American Government; missionary enterprise among them has been
successful in establishing schools and churches.

SEMIPALATINSK (586), a mountainous province of Asiatic Russia,
stretching between Lake Balkash (S.) and Tomsk; encloses stretches of
steppe-land on which cattle and horses are reared; some mining of silver,
lead, and copper is also done. Semipalatinsk, the capital (18), stands on
the Irtish; has two annual fairs, and is an important trading mart.

SEMI-PELAGIANISM. See PELAGIUS.

SEMIRAMIS, legendary queen of Assyria, to whom tradition ascribes
the founding of Babylon with its hanging gardens, and is said to have
surpassed in valour and glory her husband Ninus, the founder of Nineveh;
she seems to have in reality been the Venus or A