The grandees of Spain - "grandes de Espana de primera clase" - are in some sort peers of the kingdom who enjoy certain privileges at court, though they are not, nor have ever been, legislators by right of birth. They are supposed to be by courtesy cousins of royalty, and they can always enter the palace and claim an audience of the sovereign at any time, while the greatest of Spanish untitled statesmen and generals must ask for and obtain an audience before they can enter the royal ante-chambers. Only the field marshals, the prelates, and the knights of the Golden Fleece enjoy the same footing as the grandees of the first class.

Sheikh (Arab., "elder," "aged person"), a title applied to the chieftain of an Arab tribe, to the principal preacher in a Mahommedan mosque, to the head of a religious order, and to a learned man or a reputed saint of Islam. The Sheikh ul-Islam at Constantinople is the head of the Mahommedan church; he is possessed of very great influence and power. Sheikh al-Jebel (Old Man of the Mountain) was the name of the chief of the Assassins.

Shah (Persian, "king," "monarch," "prince"), the general title of the supreme ruler in Persia, Afghanistan and other countries of southern and central Asia. The sovereign, however, may, and outside of Persia frequently does, decline the title, assuming in its place that of Khan, an inferior and more common appellation. The same title can also be assumed by the shah's sons, and upon all the princes of the blood the cognomen Shah-zada ("king's son") is bestowed.

Originally the word consul was applied to the two chief magistrates of the Roman republic. Later it was used of the chief magistrates of France after the Revolution when Bonaparte was First Consul. Now it is applied to that officer whom the government maintains in a foreign country for the protection of its trade and vindication of the rights of its merchants, and to whom the further duty is assigned of keeping the home governmeut informed of all facts bearing on the commercial interests of the country.

The calif is the successor of Mahommed the prophet, both in temporal and spiritual power. At first there was but one calif, whose empire was called the califate, which for three centuries exceeded the Roman empire in extent; but in 970 there were three califates, viz. one at Bagdad, one at Cairo, and one at Cordeva. In 1031 the califate of Cor-deva ceased. In 1158 the calif of Bagdad fled to Egypt before the sword of the Monguls. In 1517 the Turks conquered Egypt, and the sultan thus became the one and only calif.

In England the higher nobility consists of the five temporal ranks of the peerage - duke, marquis, earl, viscount and baron - who have seats in the House of Lords. The dignity was originally territorial. It is hereditary; but by the Appellate Jurisdiction Act, 1876 (amended 1887), a certain number of life peers have been created, styled Lords of Appeal in Ordinary. In England only the head of a noble family is noble; on the Continent all the members of a noble family are noble. Baronets, who belong to the lower nobility, were first created by James I. (1611).

General: (1) The term is applied in the army to the rank next below field-marshal. There are three grades in the British service - viz., General, Lieutenant-General, and Major-General. (2) In the United States the rank of general, a higher rank than had before existed, was created by act of congress in 1866, and conferred on General Grant. It was subsequently conferred on Sherman and on Sheridan. The highest rank held by Washington was that of lieutenant-general, which is also usually that of the general-in-chief of the army. There is, of course, but one lieutenant-general; and by law there can be but three major-generals and six brigadier-generals. The general's yearly pay is $13,500; the lieutenant-general's is $11,000; the major-general's, $7,500; the brigadier-general's, $5,000. In the militia of some of the states there are major-generals and brigadier-generals, and the title of general as a form of address is in the United States often given indiscriminately to those holding these ranks.

Sheriff, or shereef, designates a descendant of Mahommed through his daughter Fatima and Ali. The title is inherited both from the paternal and the maternal side, and thus the number of members of this aristocracy is very large among the Moslems. The men have the privilege of wearing green turbans, the women green veils, green being the prophet's color. Many of these sheriffs founded dynasties in Africa; the line which rules in Morocco boasts of this proud designation.

Promotion of officers by selection to a higher rank irrespective of there being any vacancies in its established numbers, is termed Brevet. A general promotion by Congress (July 6,1812), authorized the President to confer brevet rank on officers of the army distinguished for valor, or of ten years' service in any one grade. Restricted by Act of Congress (April 16, 1818). On incorporation of Volunteers (March, 1863), it was decided that officers of the army of higher rank who had served with the Volunteers, might receive Volunteer brevet rank. In July, 1870, officers holding brevet commission were forbidden to wear any uniform except that of their actual rank, or to use any other title in official communications.