BAFBAXIN. 



SAIL. 



530 



aacUot and modern times this sort has been little esteemed. England 

 U chiefly supplied from France and Spain ; that of Spain being pre- 

 ferred. In Germany, however, Spanish saffron is not in such repute as 

 the Austrian, great pains being taken in the cultivation of the plant in 

 that country. The eormi or stems are subject to the attacks of a 

 fungus, Selmfimm Cronnm, by which they are extensively destroyed. 

 When the flowers expand, and are thoroughly open under the influence 

 of the sun, the stigmas, of which there are three, are plucked out, a 

 portion of one style remaining attached to them, ana spread u|x>n 

 paper, to be dried either by mean* of portable kilns over which a hair- 

 cloth or fine aiere U stretched, or in a room by the sun. The stigmas 

 are from an inch to an inch and a half long, narrow and roundish 

 where they are attached to the style, but spreading out and club-shaped 

 towards the apex, which is truncate. The upper part is of an orange 

 or brownish red ; the part of the style termed fominelle is yellowish. 

 The ^ig"*** have a penetrating, aromatic, and, when in large quantity, 

 tuiiifving odour, and a bitter aromatic taste ; by mastication the mouth 

 and saliva are rendered yellow. By long internal use of them many of 

 the Mention* acquire a yellow colour. The stigmas of Orocut Pallasii, 

 C. Umffijlani, and ('. Kutlamu, are not so long as those of the genuine 

 aflron crocus, and are altogether i 'lie strong odour. They 



and many other articles, such as the florets of the HMavver (Carlhamui 

 tinrturitu), those of the marigold (Calendula offirinalu), slices of the 

 flowers of the Punica yrtualum, and pieces of dried flesh, are used to 

 adulterate the true saffron. The saffron of English commerce is 

 generally very pure ; but the high price offers much temptation to 

 sophistication, which might be diminished by collecting the stigmas of 

 the tVociu rtnttu, which are little inferior in colour or potency to 

 those of the autumnal crocus. According to Mr. Pereira, one grain of 

 good saffron contains the stigmata and styles of nine flowers ; hence 

 4820 flowers are required to yield one ounce of saffron. Saffron was 

 formerly met with in two forms, hay tafrm and cake taffr> 

 former is now alone in demand, the latter being entirely an artificial 

 compound of the florets of the safflower, gum, and some other materials. 

 Genuine saffron is often moistened with oil, which gives an appearance 

 of freshness to old and dry saffron ; but the mixture is easily detected. 

 Saffron consists of a volatile oil, in variable proportion, which is heavier 

 than water, of polychroite, which is a compound of a volatile oil and a 

 bitter red substance (or polychroite properly so called), gum, and other 

 principles. RUntamLj 



Saffron bad formerly many powerful and importr.nt properties mis- 

 takenly assigned to it. On the Continent it is much used as a condi- 

 ment with food. In England it is used in medicine, chiefly as a 

 colouring principle. It is also employed as a pigment for water colours. 

 and as a dye, for which purpose considerable quantities are imported 

 from France. 



8AFKANIX. (Polychroite.) Alcohol takes up from the aqueous 

 extract of saffron a peculiar colouring matter to which these names 

 have been given. On the evaporation of the alcohol it forms an un- 

 crystallisable mass, very soluble in water and alcohol, but almost 

 insoluble in ether and in oils. Its composition has not been 

 ascertained. 



SAOAPENTJM, said by WiUdenow to be yielded by Ferula Pertica 

 which no one regards as certain, though it is generally believed to be 

 furnished by some speciea of Ferula. The plant (or plants) which 

 yield it grow in Persia and other regions of the East. It is procured 

 in the same way as asaafcctida. It occurs either in tears or irregular 

 mtjttjj, of a dirty brownish colour, containing in the interior white or 

 yellowish grains. It is difficult to break (unless when very old), is 

 tenacious, and not easily powdered, except in winter. It has the same 

 alliaceous odour, but less powerful, as aesafoctida, with a nauseously 

 bitter, acrid, guttural taste. 



It consist* of, in the 100 parts, according to Pellctier : 



Com 



JUMorin 



Peculiar lubttanc* 

 Acidulous nimlato of lime 

 Volatile oil, including low 



64-26 



31-94 



1-0 



0-60 



0-40 



11-80 



-100- 



Brand found only 373 per cent, of volatile oil, and less resin than 

 in the above ; and Ueiger says it has less volatile oil than assaf ujtida ; 

 while Pelletier's analysis gives nearly three times as much. The resin, 

 by the action of hot hydrochloric acid, becomes first reddish, then 

 blue, and at Iwt brown. The resin appears to be a mixture of two 

 kinds, one soluble, the other insoluble, in ether. Formerly there were 

 two kinds of Sagapenum in commerce, but at present only the worst 

 of the two is met with. It in said to be adulterated with auafo tida 

 and bdellium. It* acti uman system is the some as that of 



asafcctida and other fetid gum-resins. [AsArOTTin.v.] 



ITT A (the Arrow). This constellation is one of the old ones, 

 and is situated over the back of AyuiLA. In CONSTELLATION it is 

 stated that Sagitta U a part of AqniU in Aratus ; but this, though 



>mmonly stated, is erroneous, as is noticed by Urotius in his 

 notes on Aratus ; though the edition of Urotius himself countenances 

 the error in the plates. Urotius traces the mistake to Gennanicus in 

 Lis Latin version. 



The principal stars are a* follows : 



No. In Catalogue 

 of BrltUh 

 Association. 



No. la Catalogue 

 Character. of Kluulced. 



5 



6 



12 



6739 



655S 



Msgnltuilr. 



4 



4 

 4 



SAGITTARIUS (the Archer), one of the constellations of the 

 zodiac, the figure of which is that of a centaur drawing the bow, and 

 situated below Aquila, between Scorpiua and Caprit-ormis : it must 

 not Iw confounded with CENTAI'IU s. The mythological acco> 

 this constellation is very meagre, and confirmatory of the reason given 

 in CONSTELLATION why the (ireeks could not have been the first to 

 give names to the constellations. Hyginuscan find no more illu 

 mortal to fix in this part of the heavens than one Crotus, tlu 

 Euphone, the nurse of the Muses; but it is worth n<'tin_- that he says 

 many (in his time) denied that the original figure wan that of a 

 centaur. 



The principal stars are as follows : 



No. in Catalogue^ No. In Catalogue 



Character. 

 7 s 



of namitmd 



(Piaixl) 



10 

 13 

 19 

 20 

 22 

 37 

 38 

 89 

 40 

 41 

 (54) 



of British 

 Awoctation. 

 6115 

 0108 

 6209 

 6233 

 G263 

 64G1 

 6489 

 6507 

 6521 

 6548 

 MM 



Magnitude. 

 3 

 4 

 3 

 3 

 4 

 4 

 3 

 4 

 4 

 4 

 4 



SAGO, a word signifying, in the language of the Papuas, bread, 

 since it constitutes the staple article of food of the inh.ibit-.mtn of the. 

 Eastern Archipelago and other parts where the plants which yield it 

 grow. It is not a seed, as sometimes supposed, but the farina from the 

 stem of several palms and palm-like vegetables. The old sterns of 

 Caryota urern also yield goods ago. Sago is a variety of starch, 



.1 by the plant for the use of the flowers and fruit, and i 

 abundant just before the evolution or appo.inmcu of the spa 

 flower-bud, which is known by a whitish dust transuding through and 



i% the leaves. At this time the stem is cut down, n- 

 and then divided into pieces of five or six feet in length. '' A part of 

 the outer hard wood is then sliced off, and the workman, coming to 

 the pith, cuts across the longitudinal fibres and the pith tr^ 

 leaving a part at each end uncut, so that when it is excavated there 

 remains a trough, into which the pulp is again put, mixed with water, 

 and beaten with a piece of wood ; the fibres, being then separated 

 from the pulp, float at the top, and the flour subsides. After being 

 cleared in this manner by several waters, the pulp is put into cylin- 

 drical baskets made of the leaves of the tree ; and, if it ia to be 

 kept some time, those baskets are generally sunk in fresh water to 

 keep it moist, for the pulp will keep long if preserved from the air, 

 but if exposed it presently turns sour." (Forrest's 'Voyage to the 

 Moluccas.') 



The quantity yielded by one tree is prodigious. Five or six 

 hundred pounds are not an unusual produce for one tree ; and as the 

 vegetation still remains after being felled, a stem again springs up, 

 which goes through the different stages of growth till it is fit for the 

 axe. 



The flour or powder is rarely imported, granulated sago being the 

 state in which it is commonly brought to Europe. To bring it into 

 this state ^rom the flour, it must be moistened and passed through a 

 nto an iron pot (very shallow) held over a fire, which enables it 

 to assume a globular form. Thus all our grained sago is half baked, 

 ami will keep long. Of this granulated sago there are two vai 

 the common or brown sago, and pearl sago. The latter is in small, 

 hard, horny, or semi-transparent grains, about the size of a pin's 

 the former are in large grains, about the size of the grains of 

 barley. I'oth are inodorous, and have nil insipid taste. They swell in 

 cold water, and are nearly thoroughly soluble in boiling w 

 form a thick starch-like solution, which may bo used as a pud<l 

 prepared in other ways as an article of diet for children and in 

 if a farinaceous diet is required. Care must be taken to distinguish a 

 factitious sago prepared from potatoes. This can only be done by the 

 ope. 



SAIL, a quantity of canvas attached to the yards or stays of a boat 

 or ship in order to ilie impulse of the wind, and thus give. 



motion to the vessel. The depth of a sail is capable of being diminished 

 at pleasure, according to the foiei- of the wind, by means of th 

 points. 



The principal sails of large vessels can be placed at right angles to 

 the direction of the keel of the ship, and this position is given to them 

 when the vessel goes before the wind ; iu other cases the same sails 



