SHEFFIELD came under the control of the earls of Shrews- bury, who had a castle in the town, and a manor house in a park a mile east, in one or the other of which the greater part of the captivity of Mary, queen of Scots, was passed. The castle was demolished in 1648 by order of parliament, and the park divided into farms in 1707. The great development of the town as a centre of manufacture has made it the scene of some of the most violent demonstrations in connection with the trades unions. In 1864 the bursting of the Bradfield reservoir in the hills above it resulted in the loss of 300 lives and of property valued at about 1,000,000. SHEFFIELD, John. See BUCKINGHAM, or BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, DUKE OF. SHEFFOKI), a S. W. county of Quebec, Can- ada; area, 559 sq. m. ; pop. in 1871, 19,077, of whom 12,683 were of French, 3,020 of English, 2,510 of Irish, and 610 of Scotch origin. It is drained by the Yamaska river, and is traversed by the Stanstead, Shefford, and Chambly railway. Capital, Waterloo. SHEIL, Richard Lalor, an Irish orator, born near Waterford, Aug. 17, 1791, died in Flor- ence, May 23, 1851. He was educated at the Jesuit school of Stonyhurst, Lancashire, and at Trinity college, Dublin, where he graduated in 1811 ; and he was called to the bar at Lin- coln's Inn in 1814. Between 1814 and 1822 he produced six dramas, "Adelaide" (1816), "The Apostate" (1817), "Bellamira" (1818), " Evadne" (1819), founded on Shirley's " Trai- tor," " Montoni " (1820), and "The Huguenot" (1822), all of which but the last obtained a de- cided success. In 1822 also appeared the first of a series of "Sketches of the Irish Bar," since collected and edited by R. S. Macken- zie (2 vols. 12mo, New York, 1854; London, 1855), which are among his most successful literary performances. About this time he began to be known in Ireland and England as a political orator and agitator, and also by his forensic efforts. He joined the Catholic asso- ciation in 1822, and in 1825 was chosen with O'Connell to plead at the bar of the house of commons against its suppression. In 1829 he entered parliament, and almost immediately took his place as a most brilliant and impulsive speaker. After seconding O'Connell in the repeal agitation, he accepted a sinecure office under the Melbourne ministry, and in 1839 was made a privy councillor. He was ap- pointed master of the mint by the Russell ministry, and in 1850 accepted the mission to Florence. His memoirs have been written by W. T. McCullagh (2 vols., London, 1855). SHEKEL (Heb., weight), the Hebrew unit of weight, and hence, as payments were origi- nally made by weight, also of money. It was equal to 220 grains troy, or about $ oz. avoir- dupois, which is the weight of the earliest coin of the name known, the silver shekel of Simon Maccabaeus. Its value, as differently stated, was from 50 to 62$ cts. The golden shekel was of a little more than half this weight, and SHELBY 841 worth about $4. Both as weight and money it was divided in reckoning into the beka, reba, and gerah, respectively i, , and ^ of a shekel. The Scriptures mention the sacred and the royal shekel, which are supposed by some to be two standards of weight ; the rela- tive value was supposed by Michaelis to have been as 5 to 3. SHELBOtNE, a S. W. county of Nova Scotia, Canada, bordering on the Atlantic ocean; area, 948 sq. m. ; pop. in 1871, 12,417, of whom 7,426 were of English, 1,780 of Scotch, 1,325 of Irish, and 1,064 of German origin or descent. The coast is deeply indented with numerous excellent harbors, into which flow several considerable streams. The surface is mountainous along the shore, but further in- land it is mostly level. Capital, Shelburne. SHELBURNE, William Petty, earl of. See LANS- DOWNE. SHELBY, the name of counties in nine of the United States. I. A central county of Alabama, bounded E. by the Coosa river and intersected by the Cahawba ; area, about 900 sq. m.; pop. in 1870, 12,218, of whom 8,878 were colored. The surface is hilly with con- siderable forests, and the soil is well watered and highly fertile. Coal and iron ore abound. It is traversed by the Selma, Rome, and Dai- ton, and the South and North Alabama rail- roads. The chief productions in 1870 were 30,275 bushels of wheat, 221,618 of Indian corn, 26,189 of oats, 22,358 of sweet potatoes, 2,194 bales of cotton, 3,710 Jbs. of tobacco, and 6,283 of wool. There were 1,174 horses, 2,680 milch cows, 3,923 other cattle, 3,524 sheep, and 9,787 swine ; 1 manufactory of cotton thread, 1 of pig and 1 of cast iron, 2 of lime, and 5 saw mills. Capital, Columbiana. II. An E. county of Texas, bordering on Louisiana, bounded E. by the Sabine and W. by the At- toyac river; area, 844 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 6,732, of whom 1,755 were colored. The sur- face is generally level and the soil rich. The chief productions in 1870 were 168,827 bushels of Indian corn, 21,416 of sweet potatoes, and 4,090 bales of cotton. There were 1,597 horses, 3,219 milch cows, 1,058 working oxen, 7,276 other cattle, 2;173 sheep, and 13,709 swine. Capital, Shelbyville. ID. A S. W. county of Tennessee, bordering on Mississippi, bounded W. by the Mississippi river, which separates it from Arkansas, intersected by Loosahatchee and Wolf rivers, and traversed by several railroads ; area, 720 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 76,378, of whom 36,640 were colored. The surface is level and the soil very fertile. The chief productions in 1870 were 19,025 bushels of wheat, 940,796 of Indian corn, 22,419 of Irish and 50,747 of sweet potatoes, 32,434 bales of cotton, and 1,264 Ibs. of wool. There were 4,857 horses, 3,715 milch cows, 6,117 other cattle, 17,591 sheep, and 33,687 swine. There are many manufacturing es- tablishments, chiefly in Memphis, the county seat. IV. A N. county of Kentucky, drained
