ply electricity for the propulsion and guidance of movable torpedoes for harbor and coast defence. His torpedo is a submarine boat, with a cylindrical hull of copper and conical ends, supplied with a screw propellor and rudder. The power is electricity generated by a dynamo-electric machine on shore or on ship-board, and by its means the torpedo is propelled, guided, and exploded. During 1879 this system was tested by Gen. Henry L. Abbot, of the U. S. engineer corps, at Willett's point, and since that time the U. S. government has purchased ten of these boats having a speed of ten to eleven and a half miles an hour. These boats carry from 400 to 450 pounds of dynamite. Mr. Sims has now in course of construction a boat, to have a speed of eighteen miles an hour, which is to carry a 250-pound charge of dynamite.
SIMSON, Sampson, philanthropist, b. in New
York city in 1780: d. there. 7 Jan., 1857. He
studied law at Columbia, but after a few years'
practice retired to his farm in Yonkers. and de-
voted himself to charitable and benevolent work.
He wa- founder of the Mount Sinai hospital, and
bequeathed large sums to Jewish and general in-
stitutions, inrluding 850.000 that, after the death
of a nephew, should be paid " to any responsible
corpurati.in in this city whose permanent fund is
established by its charter for the purpose of ameli-
orating the condition of the Jews in Jerusalem,
I'.-ili --tine." By decision of the state supreme court
on 29 May, 1888, this amount, with thirty years'
interest, was paid to the Xorth American relief
society for indigent Jews in Jerusalem.
SINCLAIR, Carrie Bell, poet, b. in Milledge-
ville, Ga., 22 May. 1839. Her father. Elijah, a nephe -.
of Robert Pulton, was a Methodist clergyman who
at the time of his death conducted a seminary
for girls at Georgetown, S. C. The family removed
to Augusta, Ga.. where she contributed poetry to
ili -( ieorgia Gazette." She published a volume
of " Poems " (Augusta, 1860), and during the civil
war wrote lyrics commemorating incidents of the
battle-field and praising the Confederate cause,
some of which were set to music, while devoting
herself to supplying the wants and alleviating the
sufferings of southern soldiers in Savannah. After
the war she made Philadelphia her residence, and
wrote for periodicals. Her war-songs and other
poetical productions were collected in " Heart Whis-
pers, or Echoes of Song " (1872).
SINCLAIR, Peter, Canadian member of par-
liament, b. in Argyllshire, Scotland, in 1825. He
was educated in his native place, emigrated to
Prince Edward island, engaged in farming, and
was elected to the house of assembly in 1867. He
was a member of the executive council from 1869
till 1871, and again in 1872, when he acted as gov-
ernment leader, and was a member of the board of
works. He was elected to the Dominion parlia-
ment in September, 1873. and re-elected by accla-
mation in 1874, but defeated in 1878. He was
chosen to the legislature of Prince Edward island
in 1882, and again in 1886. He is a Liberal, and
in favor of reciprocal trade with the United State*.
SINGER, Isaac Merritt, inventor, b. in
Oswego, N. Y., 27 Oct., 1811; d. in Torquay,
England, 23 July, 1875. He was a machinist, and
devoted himself entirely to the study of improving
sewing-machines. After years of close application
he succeeded in completing a single-thread,
chain-stitch machine, for which he received a patent.
In the early part of his career he was assisted by
Edward Clark, a wealthy lawyer, by whose aid he
was enabled to establish a factory in New York.
The Howe sewing-machine company sued him
for infringing on their patents, but the matter
was finally compromised. He then had some
difficulty with Mr. Clark, in consequence of which,
while each retained an equal interest in the
machine, its manufacture was placed in the hands of
a company. Mr. Singer soon became wealthy, and,
leaving this country, resided for some time in
Paris, but later removed to England, where he
lived in a curiously constructed house that he
built in Torquay.
SINGERLY, William Miskey, journalist, b. in
Philadelphia, Pa., 27 Dec., 1832 ; d. in Philadelphia,
27 Feb., 1898. He was educated in the Philadel-
phia high-school, and trained to business. From
1859 till 1881 he was connected with the city rail-
ways, and since 1877 he was the publisher of the
Philadelphia " Record." His newspaper was the
instrument for correcting various abuses. In 1884
he effected arrangements by which the people of
Philadelphia obtained fuel for one quarter less
than they had paid. He built 700 dwellings in a
previously unimproved suburb of Philadelphia.
Besides his finely appointed printing-office, he
conducted extensive pulp- and paper-mills at Elk-
ton, Md., and devoted much attention to breeding
beef and dairy cattle and trotting-horses on model
farm* in Pennsylvania and Kentucky.
SINNICKSON, Thomas, patriot, b. in Salem
county, N. J. : d. in Salem, X. J., 15 May, 1817.
He received a classical education and became a
merchant. For many years he sat in the provin-
cial council of New Jersey, and in 1775 he was a
delegate to the Provincial congress. He was a cor-
respondent of the committee of safety, and sened
as a captain during the Revolutionary war. being
present at the battles of Trenton anil Princeton.
After the peace he was a member of the legi-ila-
ture, and on the adoption of the constitution of
the United States was elected to congress, serving
from 4 March. 1789, till 3 March, 1791. He was
elected again in 1796, and served from 15 May,
1797, till 3 March, 1799. He was presiding judge
of the court of common pleas for many yea;-.
SISTIAUA, Sebastian (sis-te-ah'-gali). Mexican
missionary, b. in Teposcolula, about 1690; d. in
Puebla in 1756. He became a Jesuit in 1704. and,
after finishing his studies, was assigned in 1718 to
the missions of Lower California. In 1721 he re-
solved to explore the northeast coast of the penin-
sula, and, leaving Loreto, he followed the coast up
to latitude 31 N., discovering three good ports
with plenty of spring-water and an abundance of
hard woods, and also founding the mission of San
Ignacio. After many years of successful miion-
ary labor he returned to Mexico, dying in the
college of the order in Puebla. He wrote " Rela-
cion de un viaje a la Baja California y de los
descubrimientos hechos, con pianos de los puerto*.
remitida al Virey de Mexico" and "Notieia de la
Mision de San Ignacio con sus echo pueblos." the
manuscripts of which were used by H. H. Ban-
croft, the historian of California.
SITGREAYES, John, jurist, b. in New Berne,
N. C., about 1740; d. in Halifax. X. C.. 4 March.
1802. He studied and practised law in New Heine.
was appointed an officer in Richard Caswell's regi-
ment of militia in 177(1. and served as his aide-de-
camp at the battle of ( 'amden in 17^11. In 17 s ! ">
he represented Xorth Carolina in the Continental
congress, ami in 17N<>-' he' was a member of the
N'orth Carolina legislature, leaving that body on
being appointed Tinted States district judvv for
North < 'arolina.
SITGREAVES. Samuel, lawyer, b. in Philadelphia, Pa., Itj March, 1 7<U ; d. in Ka-ton. Pa., 4 April,
