S 



Saffron 

 M'uldcn. 



Saarbruck ^AARBRUCK, or SARREBKUCK, a town of Prussia, 

 II in the province of the Lower Rhine. It is situated on 

 the river Sarre, which separates it from a small town 

 called St. John. It has a Lutheran church and a gym- 

 nasium. Some manufactures of iron and steel articles 

 are carried on here ; but the principal employment 

 of the inhabitants is derived from the trade on the 

 river, which ia here navigable. Population about 

 2700. 



SAAVEDRA MICHAEL DE CERVANTES. See CER- 

 VANTES, Vol. V. p. 672. 



SABA, one of the Caribbee Islands in the West In- 

 dies, belonging to the Dutch. It is about twelve miles 

 in circumference. It produces subsistence for the in- 

 habitants, and also the materials for several manufac- 

 tures; but for the want of a harbour its commerce is 

 very inconsiderable. The only access to it is by a 

 road cut in the rock, which admits one person at a 

 time ; and, as this road is covered with stones, the in- 

 habitants are able to repel any hostile attack. Indigo 

 and cotton are raised in small quantities ; but the prin- 

 cipal manufacture is shoes. Great quantities of fish, 

 particularly bonetos, are caught on the coast. West 

 Long. 63 12', North Lat 17 40'. See Raynal's His- 

 tory of the West Indies, vol. iv. 



SABIANISM, or SAIMSANISM, or SADAISM, is the 

 doctrine of the Sabaeans, or Sabians, a sect of idolaters 

 more ancient than Moses. The Sabians believe in the 

 existence of one God. They pay adoration to the stars, 

 or to the angels or intelligences who are supposed to 

 reside in them, and govern the world under God. 

 They believe that the wicked will be punished for 

 9000 ages, and afterward received into favour. They 

 consider the pyramids of Egypt as the sepulchres of 

 Seth, and of Enoch and Sabi his two sons, whom they 

 regard as the first propagators of their religion. A 

 more full account of this sect will be found in Sale's 

 Preliminary Discourse to the Koran, p. 19. See also 

 Hyde's Ret. Vet. Persarum. 



SABI, or XAVIER, a town of central Africa, in the 

 kingdom of Whiddah. It is situated about a mile 

 from the sea, on the river Euphrates, in a very fertile 

 country. It is large and populous. See Modern Uni- 

 versal History, vol. xiii. 



SABINEb. See ROMAN EMPIRE, in this volume, 

 p. 384. 



SABLE. See-MAzoLoov, Vol. XIII. p. 417. 



SAFFRON. See FRANCE, Vol. IX. p. 704. 



SAFFRON, WALUEN, a market-town of England, 

 in the county of Essex, which derives its name from 

 the great quantity of saffron cultivated in its vicinity. 

 It is a large and straggling place, situated near a branch 

 of the Cam, on a narrow tongue of land, stretching out 

 like a promontory, encompassed with a semicircular 

 valley, and surrounded by verdant hills. The church, 

 which has a very elevated situation on the top of an 

 eminence, is a lofty and spacious pile of English ar- 

 chitecture, consisting of a nave, chancel, and side. 



u 



Sagitiariu*. 



aisles. It is chiefly of the age of Henry VII. and VIII. Sage 

 and is considered by VValpole as one of the highest and AUin 

 most beautiful parish churches in England. It was 

 repaired in 1791, at the expense of Isuoo. At the 

 bottom of the tongue of land stands the ruins of a cas- 

 tle, which, from the fragments that remain, seems to 

 have been a place of great strength. There are in 

 the place meeting-houses for the Independents, Bap- 

 tists, and Quakers. The charitable establishments are, 

 an excellent free school, an alms-house, and clothing 

 for twelve poor men, left by the late Lord Howard. 

 There was formerly in the town a rich and extensive 

 priory ; and on the green behind the castle, there is 

 a singular work called the Muzz, which is a number 

 of concentric circles with four outworks, all cut in the 

 chalk. It is supposed to have been a place of exercise 

 for the British soldiery. The manufactures of Saffron 

 Walden, are bolting cloths, checks, fustians, fine yarn, 

 and sacks, and a considerable trade is carried on in 

 malting. Population 3403. 



SAGE, ALAIN RENE Ls, a celebrated French writer, 

 was born at Ruys, in Britanny, in lG~7. At an early 

 period of life he went to Paris as a professional author, 

 where he soon obtained notice by a version of the 

 Greek letters of Aristaenes. Having studied the lan- 

 guage and manners of Spain, he directed his attention 

 to the composition of novels, the scenes of which were 

 laid in that country. These works were, 1. Aventures 

 M. Gil Bias de Santillane, 4 vols. 12mo. which is 

 esteemed hid chef-d'oeuvre. 2. Le Diable Botieux, 2 

 vols. 12mo. ; and 4. Estananilie, ou It Garfjn de bonne 

 Hurneur, 2 vols. 



Le Sage was the author also of two dramas, namely 

 Crispin rival de son Maitre, and Turcaret, which have 

 been considered as exhibiting great dramatic talents. 

 Le Sage died at Paris in l~47i i" the 70th year of his 

 age. 



SAGHAL1EN, SOOALIEN, OKU JEBSO, or UPPKR 

 JESSO, called by the natives TCIIOKA, is an island about 

 4 to the north of Jesso, about 450 miles long and 80 

 broad. It is separated from Tartary, in Lat 52, by 

 the strait of Saghahen, which, though probably now 

 navigable, is gradually filling up from the accumula- 

 tion of sand by the river Saghalien, or Amur, which 

 has a course of 1500 miles. The island is mountain- 

 ous in the centre. The east coast contains wooded 

 valliesand hills, behind which rise snow-covered moun- 

 tains. To the south of the 51st degree the country 

 consists of hills of sand. The soil is favourable to ve- 

 getation, and is covered with forests of fine oak, wil- 

 low, and birch. The sea and the river abound with 

 fish, particularly salmon of the best quality. An ac- 

 count of the Anios, who inhabit the southern and the 

 western coasts, has already been given under our ar- 

 ticle JKSSO, Vol. XI. p. 734. 



SAGHALEN RIVER, or AMUR. See PHYSICAL 

 GEOGRAPHY, Vol. XVI. p. '522. 



SAGITTARIUS. See ASTRONOMY, VoL II. p. 770. 



