SALIVA SALMASIUS. 



79 



and its founders, the. date of its erection, and the 

 process by which such enormous masses of stone 

 were conveyed to this desolate spot, and raised into 

 their respective situations, are buried in profound 

 obscurity. The total number of stones of which 

 the structure was composed, appears to have been 

 one hundred and forty. 



SALIVA; the fluid which is secreted by the 

 salivary glands into the cavity of the mouth. The 

 secretory organ is composed of three pair of salivary 

 glands. The saliva is continually swallowed with 

 or without masticated food, and some is also spit 

 out. It has no colour nor smell: it is tasteless, 

 although it contains a little salt, to which the 

 nerves of the tongue are accustomed. Its specific 

 gravity is somewhat greater than that of water. 

 The quantity of twelve pounds is supposed to be 

 secreted in twelve hours. During mastication and 

 speaking, the secretion is augmented, from the 

 mechanical pressure of the muscles upon the sali- 

 vary glands. Those who are hungry secrete a 

 great quantity, from the sight of agreeable food. 

 It assists the spirituous fermentation of farinaceous 

 substances; hence barbarous nations prepare an 

 inebriating drink from chewed roots. Saliva ap- 

 pears to consist, in a healthy state of the body, of 

 water, which constitutes at least four fifths of its 

 bulk, mucilage, albumen, and saline substances. 

 The use of the saliva is, 1. It augments the taste 

 of the food, by the evolution of sapid matter. 2. 

 During mastication, it mixes with, dissolves, and 

 resolves into its principles, the food, and changes it 

 into a pultaceous mass, fit to be swallowed ; hence 

 it commences chymification. 3. It moderates thirst, 

 by moistening the cavity of the mouth and fauces. 



SALKELD, LITTLE; a hamlet of England, in 

 Cumberland; near which is a circle of stones, 

 seventy-seven in number, each ten feet high. At 

 the entrance is a single one fifteen feet high. 

 These are called by the people Long Meg and her 

 daughters. They are probably a Druidical work. 

 Within the circle are two heaps of stones, under 

 which dead bodies are supposed to have been 

 buried. 



SALLEE; a seaport on the western coast of 

 Morocco, at the mouth of a river of the same name, 

 formerly the great hold of Moorish piracy ; and 

 immense depredations were committed from it upon 

 European commerce. The river, which formerly 

 admitted large vessels, is now choked up with sand. 

 Sallee has a battery of twenty-four pieces of can- 

 non, which commands the road, and a redoubt that 

 defends the entrance of the river. On the opposite 

 side of the river stands Rabat, called often New 

 Sallee. It has been chiefly frequented by Euro- 

 peans, and contained once numerous factories be- 

 longing to them ; but by order of the emperor, the 

 trade has been transferred to Mogador. Lon. 6 

 40' W. ; lat. 34 3' N. 



SALLUSTIUS, CAIUS CRISPOS, was born at 

 Amiternum, a municipal city in the territory of the 

 Sabines, in the year of Rome 668 (86 B. C.). His 

 gay spirits and his fiery and restless disposition led 

 him into many youthful excesses; yet it is not im- 

 probable that he was less corrupt than has been 

 commonly represented. We ought also to take into 

 consideration the prevailing state of morals at that 

 time when we sit in judgment on his faults. His 

 faithful and vigorous descriptions of the moral de- 

 pravity of the Romans plainly show that he was 

 accurately acquainted with it. Through the favour 

 of Csesar, lie was appointed pretor, and sent to Nu- 



midia, where he collected great treasures. When 

 he returned to Rome, he played a conspicuous part, 

 and in the latter part of his life appears to have re- 

 flected on the vices of his youth, and to have lived 

 more moderately. His death took place in the year 

 of Rome 719 (B. C. 35). During the period of his 

 retirement, he made the history of his country his 

 principal study. But, unfortunately, we have only 

 a few fragments of the copious history which de- 

 scribed the period from the death of Sylla to the 

 conspiracy of Catiline. Two other historical writ- 

 ings of his have come down to us entire; one a de- 

 scription of the wars of the Romans against the crafty 

 Jugurtha, the other of the conspiracy of Catiline. 

 These are distinguished alike for their contents and 

 their style. Sallust appears to have taken Thucy- 

 dides as a model ; but, in the opinion of Quinctil- 

 ian, he far surpasses him. The style of Sallust is 

 vigorous, pure, and often very eloquent ; his thoughts 

 possess dignity, strength, truth and clearness. The 

 principal editions of this author are those of Corte, 

 with a copious commentary (Leipsic, 17'24), and 

 Haverkamp (Amsterdam and Utrecht, 1742). 



SALLY. In the defence of a place, if particu- 

 lar reasons do not determine to the contrary, fre- 

 quent sallies are beneficial, in order to keep the 

 enemy at a distance ; to destroy the works ; to 

 bring in, if possible, the means of subsistence from 

 the surrounding country ; to afford an easy entrance 

 to men or arms ; or to favour the operations of a 

 friendly force without. Aided by such a force, 

 they are often decisive against the besiegers. They 

 are undertaken to the most advantage after mid- 

 night, in cloudy or rainy weather ; but they must 

 be so managed as to surprise the enemy, and there- 

 fore, must be carried on with great secrecy; there- 

 fore the most resolute and faithful men are to be 

 selected, and on going out all noise must be avoided. 

 The object of the sally determines the number of 

 soldiers ; they are frequently accompanied by artil- 

 lery and cavalry; they must in no case separate them 

 selves too far from the fortification, to avoid being 

 cut off, and, on their return, must neither obstruct 

 the defence, nor occasion any confusion which may 

 favour the attack of the enemy. By sallies with a 

 small number of troops, the besieged often endea- 

 vour to entice the besiegers within the fire of the 

 fortress, or to harass and exhaust them. A com- 

 mander of a fortress will make use of sallies as long 

 as he is able, as the best means of defence. 



SALLYPORT ; a large port on each quarter of 

 a fireship, out of which the officers and crew make 

 their escape into the boats as soon as the train is 

 fired. 



SALM. Previously to the French revolution, 

 in 1789, there were two counties of this name, 

 that of Upper Salm, chiefly in Lorraine, and that of 

 Lower Salm, chiefly in Luxemburg. Their posses- 

 sions having been annexed to France in 1802, they 

 were indemnified from the secularisations beyond 

 the Rhine. The elder house, Obersalm, or Upper 

 Salm, is divided into the three branches of Salm- 

 Salm, Salm-Kyrburg and Salm-Horstmar. The 

 house of Niedersalm.or Salm-Reiterscheid, is divided 

 into three branches, Salm-Krantheim, Salm-Reifer- 

 scheid, and Salm-Dj k, with domains in Suabia, the 

 Prussian province of the Lower Rhine, and Luxem- 

 burg. All the possessions of both houses have 

 been mediatised. See Mediatisation. 



SALMASIUS, CLAUDIUS (the Latinized name 

 of Claude de Saumaise), distinguished for his pro- 

 found and extensive learning, vas born at Semur, 



