625 



SOONERGONG. 



SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 



626 



destroyed the power of the sultan of Sooloo, aud deprived him of the 

 mcana of defence and injury which it cost his ancestors nearly a 

 century to acquire. We know not whether the Spanish government 

 have annexed the Sooloo Islands to their possessions in the East. 



The Sooloos belong to the Malay race, and most of the chiefs speak 

 the Malay language. But the indigenous language is the Bisayan, 

 which contains a great number of words that are used in the language 

 of Sumatra. Many of the chiefs speak the Spanish language, and 

 some the Chinese fluently. The Sooloos have made considerable 

 progress in civilisation in the last two centuries. Many Chinese are 

 .settled in the islands, and great numbers of Christian slaves who 

 were kidnapped from the Philippines. The people profess Moham- 

 medanism, but they know little of their faith, and observe its religious 

 rites still legs. 



Besides the Christian slaves, there are two classes of men, the 

 ' Bajows ' and the Lanuns. The Bajows inhabit the small towns on 

 the coast, and fish for pearls, tripang, and sea-weed. They speak 

 the same language as the Sooloos, and are Mohammedans. Though 

 free, they are much oppressed by the datus and other chiefs. The 

 Lanuns are, without exception, the greatest pirates on the globe. Their 

 depredations are conducted in large fleets of prows in the Straits of 

 Macassar, among the Moluccas, but more particularly among the 

 Bisaya*, or southern Philippines. The whole produce of t!:eir enter- 

 prises previous to the late Spanish expedition was sold at Sooloo, 

 which was their grand entrepot. But they have stations on most of 

 the other island?. They paid the sultan 25 per cent, on their captures; 

 and were bound to respect the Sooloo flag, and commit no depreda- 

 tions on vessels at anchor in Soog roadstead. The chiefs advanced 

 them guns and powder, for which they were paid by a stipulated 

 number of slaves. 



The manufacturing industry of the inhabitants is very limited ; but 

 a large number of prows is built. Cotton-cloths of very fine texture 

 and tartan-striped are woven, and some of them are exported. Sugar, 

 imligo, saltpetre, and chocolate are only made for home consumption. 

 There are cutlers who make 'creeses' or daggers, and some goldsmiths 

 who make jewellery. 



The commerce of the Sooloo Island* would be very considerable if 

 it were not continually interrupted by the pirates. At present it is 

 limited to the produce of the country, which chiefly goes to China. 

 It is carried on by Chinese from the harbours of Amoy and Pactow. 

 Their junks import furniture, particularly chests, bram utensil) and 

 wire, iron unwrought and iron pans, raw silk, nankeens, linen, a 

 great quantity of porcelain and crockery, some piece-goods of flowered 

 silk, cutlery, sugar-candy, tea, and some smaller articles. They take 

 in return pearl shells, betel-nuts, tripang, wax, sugar, sea-weed, 

 birds'-nesU, shark fins, camphor, tortoise-shell*, pearl*, ebony, eapau- 

 wuod, clove-bark, cinnamon, cowrie*, pepper, and sago. British vessels 

 from Singapore sometimes vi-it the Sooloo Island). Their cargo 

 cousis's mostly of opium, cotton goods, chintzes, Swedish iron and 

 steel, large spike nails for prow building, and some hardware. They 

 receive in return the various products of the country, which they 

 take to Canton, and thence return with a cargo of tea and other 

 Chinese articles. 



SOONERGONG. [DACCA.] 



800RY. [BinBHUM.] 



SOPHIA, a city in Bulgaria, in European Turkey, situated on the 

 route from Constantinople to Belgrade, about midway between Nissa 

 and Philippopoli, near the point indicated by 42 37' N: lat., 22 27' 

 K. long., in a wi'le plain bounded by high ramifications of the Balkan, 

 and traversed by the Isca, a feeder of the Danube, and baa about 

 10,000 inhabitant*, the greater part of whom are Christians. It is a 

 Urge place, and baa a beautiful appearance from a distance, but the 

 street* are narrow, tortuous, dirty, and lined by high mud walls, which 

 here and there inclose good houses, but in general the bouses are poorly 

 built. It has a great number of mosque* and Christian churches, 

 which are the principal buildings in the city ; there are also a large 

 and well-frequented bazaar, public baths (which are supplied from a 

 hot-spring), and khan*. The chief industrial product* are knitted- 

 stockings, for which Sophia is celebrated, broad-cloth, some silk-stuffs, 

 leather, and tobacco. Sophia was formerly the residence of a pasha 

 and capital of an eyalet of the same name, but the cyalet is now named 

 from it* capital, Nissa, called by the Turks Nish. It gives title to a 

 Greek archbishop and to a Catholic bishop. There are hot-springs in 

 the environ*. Sophia, is a place of considerable commerce. It was 

 founded by the emperor Justinian on the site of the ancient Sardica, 

 The only remain* of antiquity are the ruins of the church founded by 

 Justinian. Sardica is famous for the council held in it A.D. 347, which 

 confirmed the decree of the Pope acquitting St. Athanasius of the 

 charges brought against him at the council of Antioch. The council 

 of Sardica allo passed twenty canon*, one of which permits a bishop 

 condemned by a provincial council to appeal to the Pope. The Arian 

 bishop*, to the number of about eighty, withdrew from the council of 

 Sardica to the town of Philippopolis, and held what they called the 

 council of Sardica, in which they pronounced sentence of excom- 

 munication against Ositu, St. Athanasius, and the Pope. (Frontier 

 Laadt of Ote Ckrittuin and Twk ; L'Art de Verifier la Data.) 



8ORA. [LAVOBO, TIRIU Di.1 



SOREL. [CASADA.] 



CCOO. DIV. VOL. IT. 



SOIUA. [CASTILLA LA VIEJA.] 

 SOKOCABA. [BRAZIL.] 



SOROLI. [CtJTTACK.] 



SORSO. [SARDEGNA.] 



SOSPELLO. [NICE.] 



SOUILLAC. [LOT.] 



SOULTZ aud SOULTZ-SUR-FORET. [Rmx, HAUL] 



SOUSTONS. [LANDES.] 



SOUTAINES. [AUBE.] 



SOUTH AUSTRALIA is a British colony, established ou the 

 southern shores of Australia, and extending between 132 and 141 

 E. long., from the coast, to the parallel of 26 S. lat., which constitutes 

 its northern boundary. It is bounded E. by the colonies of New 

 South Wales aud Victoria, or Port Philip ; S. by the Southern Ocean ; 

 and W. by the unoccupied territory which separates it from the colony 

 of Western Australia. It has a coast line extending from the south- 

 east to the north-west about 1500 miles. Within its boundary are 

 contained two large bays, Spencer Gulf and the Gulf of St. Vincent, 

 and the lower part of the course and basin of the river Murray. 

 Kangaroo Island, which lies before the entrance of the Gulf of St. 

 Vincent, is also annexed to it. The area of the colony is estimated at 

 300,000 square miles, or nearly 20,000,000 acres, of which the greater 

 proportion is waste land. The population in 1840 was 14,610 ; in 1845 

 it was 22,390 ; in 1853 it was 70,000, exclusive of about 3700 natives. 



The western portion of the territories is a mere waste. Near tho 

 western boundarjr-line, and as far east as Streaky Bay, the country 

 along the sea coast is low and barren, without trees or high bushes, 

 but covered with scrub. It is almost entirely destitute of grass, and 

 also of water, except during the rains and a few days after they have 

 ceased. South from Streaky Bay, the shore is skirted by low sand 

 hummocks. Towards the southern extremity of the peninsula lying 

 west of Spencer Gulf, especially east of Coffin's Bay, there are hills which 

 attain an elevation of between 600 and 800 feet ; they consist of sand- 

 stone, and are covered with wood. The interior of the peninsula is 

 low and barren, but interspersed with salt-lakes. Between Streaky 

 Bay aud the head of Spencer Gulf lies a mountainous tract, exhibiting 

 a succession of lofty rugged ranges, running from east to west, but 

 turning north-west at their western extremity. They are called 

 Gawler's Range, and attain an elevation of about 2000 feet above the 

 sea-level, but decrease as they advance farther east. These ranges 

 have a barren appearance, but are overgrown with prickly grass. 

 There are no rivulets or springs, but between the hills are small salt- 

 water lakes, with salaolaceotis plant* growing round their margins; 

 fresh water is only found after the rains in the clefts of the rocks. In 

 the country north from the Gawler range are extensive tracts of good 

 pasture land, interspersed with fresh-water lakes. 



The country situated on the western shores of Spencer Bay is of a 

 much better description. It contains Port Lincoln, the most exten- 

 sive and the best harbour in the colony. The harbour is protected at 

 its mouth by Boston Island, and consists of three basins Spalding 

 Cove, Port Lincoln, and Boston Bay, in each of which there is not less 

 than 10 or 12 fathom* water, with a bottom of muddy sand ; they are 

 capable of holding the navies of all Europe. Round these extensive 

 sheets of water ore many largo tracts well wooded, and others grassy 

 with single trees dispersed over them. The peninsula south of Port 

 Lincoln is hilly, but well wooded, and has much good pasture ground, 

 as has also the country north of it to the distance of 10 or 12 miles ; 

 but farther north the hills disappear and are followed by a low tract 

 which extends along the shore, and is densely wooded with brush, 

 among which are scattered a few small patches of grass. Water is 

 only found near a few rocky elevations. At the back of this low and 

 rather narrow tract is a moderately-elevated table-laud, whose edge is 

 broken, by deep gorges, into portions resembling hills. The soil is a 

 sandy red loam, greatly mixed with stones, and presents only here and 

 there a little grass, with patches of scrubby bushes, and a few small 

 pines. No water has been discovered. 



The table-land just mentioned is continued northward from the 

 head of Spencer Gulf, where a rather narrow low tract separates it 

 from Fliuder's range. This tract is quite level, and has a candy soil 

 almost without vegetation. It is intersected by a watercourse, which 

 comes down to the head of Spencer Gulf from Lake Torrens, a salt- 

 water lake extending northward, and spreading towards the west, 

 with a breadth, a* far as it has been explored, of 14 or 15 miles. 

 Flindcr's range constitutes the western borders of a mountainous 

 tract of considerable extent. It occupies in width a space more than 

 CO miles from west to east, lying east of Spencer Gulf. It may be said 

 that this mountain tract terminates on the south of the banks of 

 Broughton River, in 33 30' S. lat , where a higher summit, Mount 

 Bryan, occurs, with an elevation of 3012 feet. From these parts it 

 extends nearly due north, with a small declination to the east to 

 Mount Hopeless, in 29 20' S. lat This region is traversed by a great 

 number of ridges, which in general run south and north, but grow 

 gradually narrower toward the north; for in 31 S. lat. the region is 

 only 30 miles across, and it is still less towards its northern termination. 

 In the southern portion of this mountain region several summits attain 

 an elevation of more than 2000 feet. Mount Brown, not far from tho 

 head of Spencer Gulf, rises 8000 feet above the sea. Farther north 

 the mountains decrease in elevation. Between theae ridges are plains 



28 



