Part 388 (2/2)
ST. VINCENT, CAPE, a lofty and rugged headland in the extreme SW. of Portugal, off which have been fought several naval battles, the most memorable being the great victory on February 14, 1797, when Jervis and Nelson annihilated the Franco-Spanish fleet.
ST. VINCENT, JOHN JERVIS, EARL, a noted English admiral, born at Meaford Hill, Staffords.h.i.+re; ran away to sea when a boy, and by gallantry at Quebec in 1759 and otherwise rose rapidly in the service; commanded the naval attack upon the French West Indies (1793), and four years later, as admiral of the Mediterranean fleet, shared with Nelson the honours of a brilliant victory over the combined fleets of France and Spain off Cape St. Vincent; was created an earl in reward; during 1801-1804 was a successful First Lord of the Admiralty (1734-1823).
SAINTE-BEUVE, CHARLES AUGUSTIN, the greatest of French literary critics, born at Boulogne-sur-Mer; adopted medicine as a profession in deference to the wishes of his widowed mother, and for some years studied at Paris, but even as a student had begun his career as a literary critic by contributions to the _Globe_ newspaper; in 1827 became acquainted with Victor Hugo, whose commanding influence drew him into the Romantic movement, and determined for him a literary career; a critical work on French poetry in the 16th century (1828), two volumes of mediocre poetry (1829-1830), and a psychological novel, ”Volupte” (1834), the fruit of spiritual and mental unrest, preceded his lectures at Lausanne on Port-Royal (1837), which, afterwards elaborated and published, contain some of his finest writings; an appointment in the Mazarin Library, Paris (1840), brought him a modest competence, and allowed him during the next 8 years to contribute without strain or stress to the _Revue des Deux Mondes_; was elected in 1845 to the Academy; three years later lectured for a session at Liege University; during 1849-1869 he contributed a weekly literary article to the _Const.i.tutionnel_; these form his famous ”Causeries du Lundi” and ”Nouveaux Lundis,” which, for variety of human interest, critical insight, and breadth of sympathy, remain unsurpa.s.sed; was appointed professor of Latin in the College de France (1854), but his unpopularity with the students, owing to his support of Napoleon III., led to his resignation; as a senator in 1865 his popularity revived by his eloquent advocacy of freedom of thought, and on his decease some 10,000 people attended his funeral (1804-1869).
SAINTE-CLAIRE DEVILLE, HENRI eTIENNE, a noted French chemist, born in St. Thomas, West Indies; occupied for many years the chair of Chemistry in the Sorbonne, Paris; his important contributions to chemical knowledge include a process for simplifying the extraction of aluminium and platinum (1818-1881).
SAINTES (15), an interesting old town in West France, dep.
Charente-Inferieure, on the Charente, 28 m. SE. of Rochefort; known in ancient times as Mediolanum; has some splendid Roman remains, a cathedral, &c.; manufactures copper and iron goods, leather, &c.
SAINTSBURY, GEORGE, literary critic, born at Southampton; graduated at Merton College, Oxford; was engaged in scholastic work for a number of years at Manchester, Guernsey, and Elgin; in 1876 settled in London, and made a reputation for vigorous and scholarly criticism, devoting much of his time to French literature; elected to the Chair of English Literature in Edinburgh University, 1895; is the author of a ”Short History of French Literature,” a ”Short History of English Literature,” besides several volumes of essays, &c.; _b_. 1845.
SAS, a city of ancient Egypt, on the delta, on the right bank of the W. branch of the Nile; gave name to two Egyptian dynasties founded by natives of it, was a religious centre, and eventually for a time capital, the temple of which was said to contain a veiled statue which became a subject of legend.
SAIVAS, in the Hindu religion the wors.h.i.+ppers of Siva, one of the two great sections of the Hindus, the wors.h.i.+ppers of Vishnu being the other.
SAKI, a beer of alcoholic quality made in j.a.pan from rice by fermentation. It is drunk hot at meals, and is in a small way intoxicating.
SAKUNTALA, in Hindu mythology a benignant female character, made the subject of a famous drama of KaLIDaSA (q. v.), translated in 1789 by Sir William Jones.
SAKYAMUNI (i. e. the solitary of the Sakyas), the name given to Buddha, one of the tribe of the Sakyas in Northern India.
SALA, GEORGE AUGUSTUS, a well-known journalist, born in London, of Italian and English parentage; had some training in art before he began writing for d.i.c.kens's _Household Words_, &c.; lived a busy, rambling life; founded and edited _Temple Bar;_ acted as war-correspondent for the _Daily Telegraph_; author of several popular novels, ”Captain Dangerous”
and ”Quite Alone” among them, and books of travel, ”A Trip to Barbary”
and ”America Revisited” (1828-1895).
SALAAM, an Oriental term of salutation meaning ”Peace,” especially among the Mohammedans.
SALADIN, sultan of Egypt and Syria, the hero of the third crusade on the Saracen side; a man of n.o.ble and chivalrous character; served first as a soldier under Nureddin; rose to be vizier of Egypt, and ultimately sovereign in 1174; distinguished himself by the capture of Damascus, Aleppo, &c., and entering the Holy Land defeated the Christians at Tiberias, thereafter taking Jerusalem and laying siege to Tyre; found in Richard Coeur de Lion a foeman worthy of his steel, concluded a truce in 1192, and died the year after (1137-1193).
SALAMANCA (22), an interesting old city of Spain, capital of a province of the same name, occupies a hilly site on the Tormes, here spanned by a Roman bridge, 110 m. NW. of Madrid, long famous for its university, which in its heyday (16th century) numbered 8000 students, now fallen to 400; holds within its surrounding walls many fine old cathedrals, colleges, and other buildings; its industries are greatly fallen off, and consist mainly of cloth, linen, leather, and pottery manufacturing; in this neighbourhood Wellington won a great victory over the French on July 22, 1812.
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