604 SAL 
120 miles broad at its junction with the Mississippi, and is 
navigable at high water for boats, at least 200 miles above 
its mouth. About one day’s sail up the river, there are salt 
springs, which have been worked for several years. It joins 
the river 60 miles above the Illinois. 
SALT SPRING RIVER, a river of the United States, in 
Indiana, which runs into the Ohio. 
SALT TOWN, a sea-port of Calabar, in Western Africa, 
so called from the principal occupation of the inhabitants 
consisting in the manufacture of salt. 
SALT, Valley of, in Syria, about 18 miles to the east 
of Aleppo. In winter it is a lake, but in summer the mois¬ 
ture is evaporated by the heat of the sun, when the salt is 
left in beds of about half an inch thick, and is afterwards pu¬ 
rified for use. 
SALTA, a river of South America, in the province of Tu¬ 
cuman, which runs east, and enters the Vermeijo. 
SALTA, or San Miguel de Salta, a city and district 
of Tucuman, in South America. The city was founded in 
1582, under the name of San Clemente de la Nueva Sevilla, 
but was afterwards changed to its present site in the beauti¬ 
ful valley of Lerma, which is five leagues in circumference, 
and through which passes a river, on whose shore the city 
stands, having a fine bridge over it. It contains 400 houses, 
and 500 men capable of bearing arms, who have hitherto 
defended the city against the Indians, though it has no walls. 
In it are one church, two chapels, four convents, and a col¬ 
lege which belonged to the Jesuits, the inhabitants being 
chiefly Spaniards and their slaves. Its environs are very 
fertile, abounding in wheat, rye, and vines, with pastures 
for the cattle exported from this place to Peru; and its com¬ 
merce consists in com, meal, wine, cattle, salt meat, fat, 
hides, and other commodities, which are sent to all parts of 
Peru. The cattle and mules of Tucuman also go from this place, 
which is situated on the high road from Buenos Ayres to 
Potosi. It is computed that the number of mules fattened in 
the valley of Lerma amount, during the months of February 
and March, when the annual fair is held, to 60,000; and 
besides these, there are generally 4000 horses and cows. 
The natives are subject to a species of leprosy, and nearly all 
the women, after they have attained the age of 20, have the 
coto, or goitrous swelling in the throat, which disfigures 
them very much, and which they take great pains to con¬ 
ceal. It is 20 miles south of Jujui; and the river which 
washes the town turns east, and enters the Vermeijo. Lat. 
24. 17. S. long. 64. 1. 30. W. 
SA'LTANT, adj. [saltans, Lat.] Jumping; dancing. 
SALTASII, a market town and borough of England, in 
the county of Cornwall. It is situated on the side of a steep 
hill, on the banks of the Tamar, from which the main street 
rises, with a direct and steep ascent. The foundation of the 
town is cn a solid rock, and the buildings are formed of the 
native stone. The houses rise above each other to the sum¬ 
mit of the hill, near which stand the chapel dedicated to 
St. Nicholas, and the mayoralty-hall. The streets are nar¬ 
row', and but indifferently formed. From many parts of the 
town there are fine view's of the Tamar and the adjacent 
country. The mayoralty-hall was erected nearly 50 years 
ago. It is supported on pillars, and the market is held in 
the space beneath. Here are meeting-houses for Baptists 
and Methodists, and a small school, said to have been 
founded by queen Elizabeth, and endowed with £7. per 
annum, payable out of the duchy revenue. The inhabitants 
of the town are chiefly fishermen, or persons belonging to the 
•dock-yard at Plymouth. A considerable traffic is carried on 
in malt and beer, and in furnishing the dock-yards of Plymouth 
with provisions, and other necessaries. Saltash is governed by 
a mayor, who is water-coroner, six aldermen,and an indefinite' 
number of burgesses. It sends two members to Parliament. 
This privilege was confirmed by Edward I., and the right 
of election is vested in the mayor, recorder, 6 aldermen, and 
20 freeholders. The assizes for the county were held in 
1393. From the Devonshire side, the town is approached 
by a ferry over the Tamar, the rent of which forms part of 
SAL 
the'revenues of the corporation, who have also the right o^ 
dredging for oysters, and a certain sum on the anchorage 
and clearance of vessels. Market on Saturday; 47 miles 
east-north-east of Truro, and 219 south-west of London. 
Lat. 50.24. N. long. 4. 10. W. 
SALTATIO, [Lat] Dancing; or, more properly, pan¬ 
tomime. The Greeks called it orchesis, or sometimes chi- 
ramania , rules for the hands. It consisted in the imitation 
of all the gestures and natural movements of man. Varro 
tells us (Isidor. lib. 18. cap. 50.) that the word saltatio is 
not derived from sa/tus, which signifies a leap, but from the 
Arcadian Salius, who first taught the art to the Romans. 
We must not then, as is generally done, confound dancing 
with leaping and jumping; and it should be remembered, 
that the true dance of the ancients was an imitation of the 
actions and attitudes of the body, the gestures and all the 
demonstrations with which men usually accompany their dis¬ 
course, or which are used to explain their sentiments, with¬ 
out the help of words. 
Among the capital pictures dug out of Herculaneum, are 
portraits of Apollo and the nine muses, his companions, 
from which engravings have been published in the second 
volume of “ Le Pitturi Antichi d’Ercolanoand the seventh 
muse, Polhymnia, is called the Fabulist; IIOATMNIA 
MT0OTC. She is there represented as the patroness of 
mimes, with her finger on her mouth, in token of silence. 
The painter differs in characterising this muse from most of 
the poets and mythologisls, who make her the inventress of 
hymns to the gods. However, there are etymologists, among 
whom are Plutarch and Nonnus, who derive her name from 
Mvripv), tradition, alluding to the fables and tales of anti¬ 
quity, which the mimes and dancers usually made the sub¬ 
jects of their performance. Nonnus Dionys. v. 5. 104, 
et seq. says, 
“ Sweet Polhymnia, see advance. 
Mother of the graceful dance: 
She who taught th’ ingenious art. 
Silent language to impart: 
Signs for sentiment she found, 
Eloquence without a sound: 
Hands loquacious save her lungs. 
All her limbs are speaking tongues.” 
SALTATION, s. [ saltatio , Lat.]—The act of dancing 
or jumping.—The locusts being ordained for saltation, their 
hinder legs do far exceed the others. Brown. —If the great 
artery be hurt, you will discover it by its saltation and 
florid colour. Wiseman. 
SALTBY, a parish of England, in Leicestershire; 8| 
miles north-east of Melton Mowbray. 
SA'LTCAT, s. A lump of clay strongly impregnated 
with salt; it is placed on the tops of houses to attract 
pigeons who are said to be exceeding fond of it. 
SA'LTCELLAR, s. Vessel of salt set on the table. We 
had an old word sa/er, from the French saliere, expressive 
of the same.—When any salt is spilt on the table-cloth, 
shake it out into the saltcellar. Swift. 
SALTCOATS, a sea-port of Scotland, in Ayreshire, ori¬ 
ginally a natural harbour, formed in a projecting ledge of 
rock, occasionally frequented by small coasting vessels of 
from 20 to 30 tons burden, and much exposed to the wes¬ 
terly winds. It has been greatly improved, and rendered 
more capacious and safe, with well constructed quays and 
piers, so as now to admit of full loaded vessels of 100 tons 
burden, or more, and to accommodate from 20 to 30 at a 
time. It owed its improvements at first to a very enterpris¬ 
ing gentleman, Robert Cuninghame, Esq., of Auchenhar- 
vie, about 140 years ago, and whose successors have been 
very attentive in keeping it in good repair to the present 
day. He also erected large pans for making salt, in which, 
along with those belonging to Lord Eglinton, there was 
made 61251 bolls of salt (612| tons), in 1819, which was 
nearly double of what was made at an average 25 years 
before. In the same year, the shipping belonging to this 
port 
