Page images
PDF
EPUB

SARATOV, a neat town of European Russia, the capital of the above government, stands on the Wolga, surrounded by a wall and ditch; the houses are mostly of wood. It has an active trade between Moscow and Astracan, and a fine command of water carriage: the articles of traffic not derived from these cities are fish, caviar, and salt. Inhabitants 5000. 374 miles north by west of Astracan, and 465 south-east of Moscow. SARCASM, n. s.` SARCASTIC, adj. SARCASTICAL, SARCASTICALLY.

sponding.

Fr. sarcasme; Lat. sarcasmus. A keen reproach; a taunt; a gibe: the adjective and adverb corre

He asked a lady playing with a lap-dog, whether the women of that country used to have any children or no? thereby sarcastically reproaching them for misplacing that affection upon brutes which could only become a mother to her child.

South. What a fierce and sarcastick reprehension would this have drawn from the friendship of the world, and yet what a gentle one did it receive from Christ!

Sarcasms of wit are transmitted in story.

Id.

Government of the Tongue. Rejoice, O young man, says Solomon, in a severe sarcasm, in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thy heart; but know that for these things God will bring thee into judgment.

Rogers's Sermons. Epithets may be found in great plenty at Billings, gate; sarcasm and irony learned upon the water; and the epiphonema or exclamation frequently from the bear-garden, and as frequently from the hear him,' of the house of commons. Pope.

[ocr errors]

When an angry master says to his servant, It is bravely done, it is one way of giving a severe reproach; for the words are spoken by way of or irony.

sarcasm,

Watts.

SARCE'NET, n. s. Derived by Skinner from Lat. sericum saracenicum. Fine thin woven silk.

Why art thou then exasperate, thou idle immaterial skein of sley'd silk, thou green sarcenet flap for a sore eye, thou tassel of a prodigal's purse?

Shakspeare. Troilus and Cressida.

If they be covered, though but with linen or Barcenet, it intercepts the effluvium. Browne.

These are they that cannot bear the heat Of figured silks, and under sarcenets sweat.

Dryden.

She darts from sarcenet ambush wily leers, Twitches thy sleeve, or with familiar airs Her fan will pat thy cheek; these snares disdain.

Gay.

SARCOCELE. See SURGERY. SARCOCOLLA, a concrete juice brought from Persia and Arabia, in small whitish yellow grains, with a few of a reddish, and sometimes of a deep red color mixed with them; the whitest tears are preferred as being the freshest; its taste is bitter, accompanied with a dull kind of sweetness. This drug dissolves in watery liquors,

and is used in medicine.

SARCOPHAGUS [Gr. apropȧyoç, from ☛ap, flesh, and payw, to eat], in architecture, the name of a stone found, according to Pliny, in the Troad, and of which tombs were constructed on account of its caustic qualities. It is said to have perfectly consumed the flesh of human bodies buried in it in the space of forty days.

This property, for which it was greatly celebrated, is mentioned by all the ancient naturalists. There was another very singular quality also attached to it, but whether to all, or only to some peculiar pieces of it, is not known; that is, its turning into stone any thing that was put into vessels made of it. This is recorded only by Mutianus and Theophrastus, except that Pliny had copied it from these authors, and some of the later writers from him. The custom of burying the dead is probably more ancient than that of burning their bodies. Mythology attributes the latter mode to Hercules, while it assigns the earliest usage of the former method to the primitive Greeks and Romans. In the Greek colonies of Italy they buried, as we do, the entire body; and, even when the custom of burning the body became general among the Romans, several families retained that of interment. But the term sarcophagus is by no means limited to a particular kind of stone. Indeed, its more generally accepted meaning is a sort of coffin, made, among the ancients, either of stone, of marble, or porphyry. The Greeks also sometimes employed hard wood, which was calculated to resist humidity, such principally as oak, cedar, or cypress. Occasionally also they used terra cotta, and even metal. The form of these sarcophagi was ordinarily a parallelopipedon-namely, a long square, such as our coffin. Sometimes the angies were rounded, thus assuming an elliptical shape. The lid of the sarcophagus varies both in shape and ornament. Sometimes it bears the statue of the person inhumed therein, often lying down in the posture used by the ancients as they took their meals. The capacity or size of the sarcophagi was also of course very various.

The sarcophagus in which the body of Alexander the Great was supposed to be entombed is one entire block of Egyptian marble, and is now in the British Museum, a prize for which we are principally indebted to the active and classical spirit of Dr. E. D. Clarke, of Cambridge. Some doubts, however, are entertained by the learned as to this being the real tomb of Alexander.

SARCOPHAGY, n. s. Gr. oap, flesh, and payw, to eat. The practice of eating flesh.

There was no sarcophagy before the flood; and, without the eating of flesh, our fathers preserved themselves unto longer lives than their posterity. Browne's Vulgar Errours. SARCOT'ICK, n. s. Fr. sarcotique, from Gr. cap. Medicines which fill up ulcers with new flesh.

The humour was moderately repressed, and breathed forth; after which the ulcer incarned with common sarcoticks, and the ulcerations about it were Wiseman. cured by ointment of tutty.

SARDANAPALUS, the last king of Assyria, whose character is one of the most infamous in history. He clothed himself as a woman, and spun amidst companies of his concubines. He painted his face, and buried himself in the most unbounded sensuality. Having grown odious to his subjects, a rebellion was formed against him by Arbaces the Mede, and Belesis the Babylonian. They were attended, however, with very

bad success at first, being defeated with great slaughter in three pitched battles. With great difficulty Belesis prevailed upon his men to keep the field only five days longer; when they were joined by the Bactrians, who had come to the assistance of Sardanapalus, but had been prevailed upon to renounce their allegiance to him. With this reinforcement they twice defeated the troops of Sardanapalus, who shut himself up in Nineveh, the capital of his empire. He was here closely besieged, while the conspirators received large accessions of strength from the revolt of the different provinces; but Sardanapalus confided in the prediction that Nineveh could never be taken, unless the river became her enemy. The city being well supplied with provisions, the confederate forces remained two whole years before it without producing any impression, till at length the Tigris, having been swollen by unusual quantities of rain, overflowed twenty stadia (two miles and a half) of the wall, and thus made a practicable breach. Sardanapalus now, dreading to fall into the hands of an enraged enemy, retired into his palace, in a court of which he caused a vast pile of wood to be raised; and heaping upon it all his gold and silver, and royal apparel, and at the same time enclosing his eunuchs and concubines in an apartment within the pile, he set fire to it, and thus destroyed himself. Athenæus represents the treasures thus destroyed as worth a thousand myriads of talents of gold, and ten times as many

Countries.

talents of silver, i. e. about £1400,000,000 sterling.

SARDANAPALUS, another monarch of Assyria, mentioned by Clectarchus, who died of old age. Sir Isaac Newton supposes him to be the same with Esarhaddon.

SAR'DEL, n. s. SAR'DINE STONE, SAR'DIUS. Thou shalt set in it four rows of stones; the first Exod. xxviii. 7. row shall be a sardius. He that sat was to look upon, like a jasper and a Rev. iv. 3. sardine stone. SARDINIA, an insular and continental kingdom of Southern Europe. The continental part occupies the north-west portion of Italy, and is bounded by Switzerland on the north, the duchies of Milan and Parma on the east, the Mediterranean on the south, and France on the west. It stretches about 200 miles from north to south, and 130 from east to west. With the island, it comprises a surface of 27,400 English square miles, and a population of 3,994,000.

A sort of precious stone: sardonyx; found in SarOdinia.

All the continental dominions of the king of Sardinia had, without ceremony, been seized by the French, and were united to their empire, till the congress of Vienna, which restored it to the condition of 1792, adding the states of Genoa, and making other slight changes on the frontiers of Switzerland and France. It contains at present the following countries:—

Square miles. Population. Chief Towns. Inhabitants.

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

Piedmont thus appears one of the best peopled districts in Europe, while the mountainous duchy of Savoy is the most thinly peopled of the continental states. Intersected from north to south by the Maritime Alps, Continental Sardinia can scarcely be excelled in sublime mountain scenery. The ridge that, sweeping round the gulf of Genoa, joins the Appennines, gives a fine character to the southern regions, while all the centre and eastern districts form part of the grand basin of the Po, the greatest river of this kingdom. The summit of Mont Blanc, rising 15,660 feet above the level of the sea, with Mont Cenis, Mont Viso, and several other lofty peaks, serrate the western chain; and the noble St. Bernard, Mont Rosa, and others of the great Alps, rise majestically on its northern frontier. The Tanaro, the Siara, and other rivers, fall into the Po, from the south and south-east; while the Doira, Baltea, the Sesia, and the Tesino, enter it from the north. The last separates the Austrian from the Sardinian dominions. Most of the lakes in northern Italy are situated between the eastern confines of Sardinia and the top of the Adriatic. Lago Maggiore forms a part of the north-west boundary, while that of Geneva stretches along the borders of Switzerland.

The soil in the lower parts of these territories is a rich sandy loam, intermixed with gravel; but the more elevated parts are chiefly composed of rock. The climate is hot in the valleys; on the hills mild; and on the mountains severe: but in most places, except the marshy plains, it is salubrious. The annual temperature of Genoa, in the immediate vicinity of the sea and the mountains, is about 61° of Fahrenheit's thermometer. In the lower parts all kinds of European grain, with Indian corn, rice, and hemp, are produced. Oranges, lemons, olives, vines, mulberries, figs, and other fruits, are of the finest flavor; and rich pastures feed, in several places, large herds of cattle. Irrigation is prac tised to a great extent. Silk is a valuable product, and of good quality here. The Alps of Piedmont contain gold, silver, and copper; the last, in the duchy of Aosta, is often mixed with antimony, zinc, and arsenic. A vein of cobalt has been discovered not long since, a little east of Mont Blanc, and plumbago near Binay. Green porphyry is found on Mont Viso, and various inferior precious stones in other places. Valuable marbles are also found in many parts: and some of the mineral waters are in good re pute; particularly the baths of Binay.

SARDINIA, THE ISLAND OF, is fifty-five leagues long, north and south, and twentyfive broad, having upwards of 200 leagues of coast. On the north it is mountainous, but has extensive plains, marshes, and lakes, towards the south. It has productive iron and lead mines, some poor silver ones, copper, pyrites, precious stones, porphyry, marbles, alabaster, and some thermal springs. The two principal rivers are the Oristano and Fumendosa. The former, also called the Tirsi, empties itself into the gulf of Oristano on the west coast, and the latter on the south-east coast. There is said to be an inland navigable communication between Cagliari and Oristano, principally by the river Mariel, which empties itself into the gulf of Cagliari. The soil in the valleys is fertile, producing wheat and barley, and all the fruit trees of Europe, besides oranges, lemons, jujubes, grapes, palms, caroubs, lentisk (cistus ladanum), tobacco, &c. The horse is here met with in a wild state: it is small, well made, and very active. The asses are strong; the mules few; the hogs excellent, being fed on chestnuts. The wild quadrupeds are small deer, abundance of wild hogs: the muffoli, or wild sheep, inhabits the most solitary parts of the mountains. The island of Assinara has numbers of land turtle, and sea turtle are taken on the coasts as well as tunny fish, but both anchovies and sardines are scarce. The small bustard and wild-ducks abound. The climate is in general healthy, except in the vicinity of the morasses, which cause putrid fevers. The population is about 50,000, and the revenues do not exceed £80,000. Surrounded by people highly civilised, the Sardes are still in a state of surprising barbarity. In the country the men are clothed in goat-skins, one before and another behind, without breeches, shoes, or stockings, and a woollen or skin cap on the head. The women have no other habiliment than a long woollen gown and a woollen cap. The peasants always go armed to defend themselves from one another; for they are all robbers and assassins, so that travelling in the interior is extremely unsafe without an escort; and it is even dangerous for ships to send their people on shore for water unless they are well armed. In short, the Sardes are the Malays of the Mediterranean. They are, however, strongly attached to their king and country. The barbarism of the peasantry is strongly contrasted by the pomp and outward show of the citizens of the capital, all of whom, mechanics not excepted, strut about with bag-wig, sword, and chapeau bras; and even in this costume it is common to be solicited for charity.

The coasts are indented by numerous gulfs and lined with islets and rocks. The principal headlands are, cape (omino, the east point and north limit of the gulf of Orosei. Cape Carbonera, the south-east point and east limit of the gulf of Cagliari: off it is the rocky island Cortellazzo (Ficaria), the west point of which is foul, but there is a good road on its north-west: on it is a castle, and north-east of it are two small islands, with a watch-tower on each; the outermost is named Serpentaria. Cape Pola, the west point of the gulf of Cagliari, is a low

rocky point with a watch-tower, and off it two rocky islets. Cape Tavolaro, or Teulado, is the south-west point of the island, and east point of the gulf of Palma. Cape de Napoli, or la Fresca, the south point of the gulf of Oristano, on the middle of the west coast. Cape della Cacia (Nympheus) on the north-west. Cape Falcon (Gorditatum) is the north-west point of the island.

The chief gulfs are Terra-Nova on the northeast, the north point of which is cape Figueri; Porto Cavallo within the islands Tavolaro, and others. The gulf of Orosei, between cape Comino and Monte Santo; the bay of Oliastro, south of cape Monte Santo, and of which cape Bellevue is the south point. The gulf of Cagliari on the south-east, at the head of which is Cagliari (Calaris), the capital of the island, containing 25,000 inhabitants. Its port is formed by two moles, and receives vessels of twelve feet. The gulf of Rosso has cape Tavolaro for its west point: near its head is the isle Rossa, tolerably large, flat, and very rocky, within which is good anchorage before a river. The gulf of Palma, at the south-west extremity of the island, is formed by the main land on the east, and by the island Antiocha, also called St. Jago and Palma de Sal (Plumbaria), on the west, which is three leagues long and one broad. In the entrance of the gulf are two great rocks, named the Bull and Cow. A league north-west of Antiocha, and three leagues from the main, is the island San Pietro (Accepitrum), rocky, barren, and surrounded by islets, with fort St. Carlos on its east side. The gulf of Oristano on the middle of the west coast. Porto Conta on the north-west is a good harbour whose entrance is protected by two towers; that on the right on an elevation seventy feet high, and so perpendicular that the ascent is by a rope ladder. There is good anchorage throughout the port, except near the town, where are some rocks level with the sea. At the head of the port is a spring of brackish water.

The north coast of the island curves greatly inward, forming a large gulf between the island Asinara on the north-west and Cape Scardo, the north point of Sardinia. The island Asinara (Herculis) is separated from cape Falcon by a channel with but two fathoms, and in it is the little island Piana. Asinara is very irregular, but three leagues in its greatest length. On its east side is Porto Trabuco, well sheltered, and with good anchorage in six and eight fathoms. Sassari, the second town of the island, is on the river Fiuminargia, four leagues from the sea. Its port, named Torres, is at the mouth of the river, secured by two moles. Off the north-east end of Sardinia are the isles Madelaine (Hermæa), between which and the main is an excellent road for the largest ships. On the largest island is a village and several forts, and here beef, wine, and vegetables may be procured for a fleet, and water from a considerable river on the main.

Sardinia, as well as Corsica, passed under the dominion of successive masters, until it came in the seventh century under that of the Saracens, who were driven from it by the Pisans and

Genoese, and the Genoese were dispossessed of it by the king of Arragon in 1330. It remained with Spain until 1708, when it was taken by the English for the emperor of Germany, who in 1720 ceded it with the title of kingdom to the house of Savoy.

'The inhabitants of Sardinia,' says Mr. Salt, (I speak of the common people,) are yet scarcely above the negative point of civilisation; perhaps it would be more correct to say that they appear to have sunk a certain way back into barbarism. They wear, indeed, linen shirts, fastened at the collar by a pair of silver buttons, like hawks' bills; but their upper dress of shaggy goat skins is in the pure savage style. A few have gone one step nearer to perfectibility, and actually do wear tanned leather coats, made somewhat in the fashion of the armor worn in Europe in the fifteenth century. With such durable habiliments, it is easy to conceive that they do not require much assistance from the manufactures of foreign countries.'

SARDIS, or SARDES, now called SARDO or SART, an ancient town of Asia, in Natolia, about forty miles east of Smyrna. It was much celebrated in early antiquity, was enriched by the fertility of the soil, and had been the capital of the Lydian kings. It was seated on the side of mount Tmolus; and the citadel, placed on a lofty hill, was remarkable for its great strength. It was the seat of king Croesus, and was in his time taken by Cyrus; after which the Persian satrap or commandant resided at Sardis, as the emperor did at Susa. The city was also taken, burnt, and evacuated by the Milesians in the time of Darius, and the city and fortress surrendered on the approach of Alexander after the battle of the Granicus. Under the Romans, Sardis was a very considerable place till the time of Tiberius Cæsar, when it suffered prodigiously by an earthquake. The munificence of the emperor, however, was nobly exerted to repair the damages. Julian attempted to restore the heathen worship in the place. He erected temporary altars where none had been left, and repaired the temples where any vestiges remained. In the year 400 it was plundered by the Goths, and it suffered considerably in the subsequent troubles of Asia. On the incursions of the Tartars, in 1304, the Turks were permitted to occupy a portion of the citadel, separated by a strong wall with a gate, and were afrerwards murdered in their sleep. The site of this once noble city is now green and flowery, the whole being reduced to a poor village. There are, however, some curious remains of antiquity about it, and some ruins which display its ancient grandeur.

The SARDIUS, SARDEL, or SARDINE STONE, was a precious stone of a blood red color. The best came from Babylon.

SAR'DONYX, n. s. A precious stone.

below.

See

[blocks in formation]

The SARDONYX is a precions stone consisting of a mixture of white and red cornelian, sometimes in strata, but at other times blended together. It is found 1. Striped with white and red strata, which may be cut in cameo as well as the onyx. 2. White with red dendritical figures, greatly resembling the mocha stone; but with this difference, that the figures in the sardonyx are of a red color, in the other black. The sardonyx was highly esteemed among the ancients; the Romans used it in rings and other articles of jewellery. According to Pliny, the rings of knights and senators were frequently adorned with the sardonyx. Martial uses the expression sardonychata manus to indicate a hand embellished with rings of sardonyx.

It is

SARI, a commercial town of Mazanderan, Persia, on the coast of the Caspian. an ancient city, alluded to by the poet Ferdusi; and, when visited by Ilanway, contained four or five temples, built of the most solid materials, with rotundas, thirty feet in diameter, and nearly 120 feet high. Sari is well fortified, having a good wall and deep ditch, and a palace the residence of one of the Persian princes. It is crowded with inhabitants, we are told, and a society of Armenians is established in its vicinity. It has a brisk trade with Astracan and the interior. Long. 52° 58′ E., lat. 35° 35′ N.

SARISBURIENSIS (Joannes), or John of Sarisbury, an English writer, born at Rochester about 1110, and who went to France in 1126. He was sent by Henry II. to pope Eugenius, and was much patronised by him and his successor, and by Thomas à Becket, the chancellor, whom he accompanied in his travels to France. When Becket was murdered, Sarisbury was severely wounded in the arm, defending him. He afterwards went to France, where he was made bishop of Chartres in 1179. He died about 1181. He wrote, 1. Policraticon, sive de Nugis Curialium, et Vestigiis Philosophorum; 2. Letters; 3. The Life of Thomas à Becket; and, 4. A Treatise upon Logic and Philosophy.

SARK, n. s. Sax. rcynk. A shark or shirk; in Scotland, a shirt.

Flaunting beaux gang with their breast open, and their sarks over their waistcoats. Arbuthnot.

SARK, in geography, a British island in the English Channel, near the coast of France; about six miles east of Guernsey, on which it is dependent, and west of Jersey. The climate is healthy, and the land, though sandy, sufficiently fertile to produce provisions for its inhabitants. It is about two miles square, and contains about 450 inhabitants. The island is surrounded with steep rocks, and the air is in general serene, free from fogs and damps, and remarkably healthy.

SARLAT, a town, the capital of an arrondissement in the department of the Dordogne, in the south-west of France, situated on the Sarlat. It has nothing interesting except a few Roman remains, the houses being ill built, and the streets narrow. Before the revolution it was the seat of a bishop. Population 6000. Thirty miles south-east of Perigueux, and ninety-eight east by north of Bordeaux.

SARMAȚIA, in ancient geography, an exten

sive country at the north of Europe and Asia, lying partly in the former and partly in he latter; comprehending all Poland, Russia, and great part of Tartary. Littleton. It was divided into European and Asiatic.

ASIATIC SARMATIA was bounded by Hyrcania, the Tanais, and the Euxine Sea. It contained Great Tartary, Circassia, and the neighbouring country.

EUROPEAN SARMATIA was bounded by the ocean on the north, Tanais on the east, the Jazygæ on the south, and the Vistula on the west. It contained the modern countries of Russia, Poland, Lithuania, and Little Tartary. Lempriere.

SARMATIANS, Sarmatii, the ancient inhabitants of Sarmatia. They were a savage uncivilised nation, often confounded with the Scythians, naturally warlike, and they painted their bodies to appear more terrible in battle. They were infamous for their lewdness, and in the time of the emperors they became very powerful, and disturbed the empire by their frequent incursions; till at last, increased by the savage hordes of Scythia, they successfully invaded, and finally ruined the empire in the third and fourth centuries. They generally lived on the mountains, without houses, residing in their chariots, whence they were called Hamaxobii. They lived upon plunder, and fed upon milk mixed with the blood of horses.

SARMATIAN SEA, or SARMATICUM MARE, a name given to the Euxine Sea, because on the coast of Sarmatia. Ovid.

SARNO, an inland town of Naples, in the Principato Citra, near the base of Mount Vesuvius, remarkable for the superior quality of the silk raised in its environs. It has an old castle belonging to the Barberini family, who are dukes of Sarno. It is the see of a bishop. Inhabitants 12,000. Twenty miles east of Naples, and twelve north by west of Salerno.

SARONICUS SINUS, the Saronic Bay, in ancient geography, a bay of the Agean Sea, on the south of Attica, and north of Peloponnesus: so named from Saron king of Trazene, who was drowned in it, swimming after a stag. The entry to it was between the promontories of Sunium and Scylla.

SAROS, OF SCHAROS, a county of Hungary, separated from Austrian Galicia by the Carpathians. Its area is about 1400 square miles, containing several lofty mountains, the chief of which are called Simonka and Oblik. The mineral springs are numerous; but there are few mines, except of salt: there is also a mine of opals at Czervenitz. The cold is rather intense, on account of the vicinity of the mountains; but corn succeeds, and vines in particular spots. Population 142,000. The chief town is Eperies. SAROS-PATAK, a well built town of the northeast of Hungary, on the Bodrog. It has a Catholic, Calvinist, and Greek church. Here is also a Calvinist college, on a large scale. Inhabitants 8000. Fourteen miles north by east of Tokay, and 125 E. N. E of Pest.

SAROTHRA, in botany, bastard gentian, a nus of the trigynia ord,, and pentandria class of plants; natural order twentieth, rotacea: Vor. XIX.

cor. pentapetalous: CAPS. unilocular, trivalved, and colored.

SARPEDON, in fabulous history, the son of Jupiter by Europa, and younger brother of Minos, with whom he stood competitor for the kingdom of Crete. Failing in that attempt, he went to Caria, and built Miletus.

SARPEDON, another son of Jupiter by Laodamia, daughter of Bellerophon, flourished about a century later than the brother of Minos. He went to the Trojan war to assist king Priam against the Greeks, where he was attended by his faithful friend Glaucus. He made a great slaughter of the Greeks; but was at last killed by Patroclus.

SARRACENA, or SARRACONIA, in botany, side-saddle flower, a genus of the monogynia order, and polyandria class of plants; natural order fifty-fourth, miscellaneæ: COR. pentapetalous: CAL. double, triphyllous below, pentaphyllous above: CAPS. quinquelocular; the style has a stigma of the form of a shield. Species four, all natives of America.

SARRASIN, or SARRAZIN, in fortification, a kind of portcullis, otherwise called a herse, which is hung with ropes over the gate of a town or fortress, to be let fall in case of a surprise.

SARSAPARILLA, in botany. See SMILAX. SART, an insignificant village of Asia Minor, distinguished by containing on its site the ruins of Sardis. These are confusedly scattered over a large verdant plain, and consist largely of bricks, so strongly cemented as to make it scarcely possible to detach them. They seem to have no tendency to crumble to pieces by mere time.

SARTHE, or SARTE, a department of the north-west of France, comprising the greater part of the former province of Maine, and bounded by the departments of the Orne, the Loir and Cher, and the Mayenne. It is nearly of a circular form, and has a superficial and level extent of 2430 square miles, except in the northwest part, where there are small hills. Lime and sand predominate in the soil, which yields luxuriant fields of corn. The principal rivers are the Sarthe, the Loir, the Huine. The climate is mild, and the air healthy. The productions, beside corn, are flax, hemp, vines, and fruits, Here are also some iron mines and marble quarries. Grazing is followed to a considerable extent: the principal manufactures are of hardware, leather, paper, and woollens. The department is in the diocese of Le Mans, and jurisdiction of the cour royale of Angers, and is divided into four arrondissements, Le Mans (the capital), La Fleche, Mamers, and St. Calais. Population 410,000.

SARTORIUS (from sartor, a tailor; because tailors cross their legs with it), a flat slender muscle which is the longest of the human body, and from an inch and a half to two inches in breadth, situated immediately under the integuments, and extending obliquely from the upper and anterior part of the thigh, to the upper anterior part of the tibia; being enclosed by a thin membranous sheath, which is derived from the adjacent fascia lata. It serves to bend the leg obliquely inwards, or to roll the thigh outwards, Y

« PreviousContinue »