SAM 
Turner, the most recent traveller, states it at 60,000, dispersed 
through 18 large, and 20 small villages. This is the only 
island of the Archipelago in which the people enjoy any 
thing of a republican form of government. A Turkish aga, 
indeed, resides here; but the whole power is in the hands of 
the Greeks. Each village elects, from among its principal 
inhabitants, three persons called primates; these choose 
annually three chiefs, who are the rulers of the island. The 
contest for this distinction, however, is said to give rise to 
furious scenes of violence and intrigue. There is also a 
governor appointed by the Porte, who pays for his situation 
180 purses, in seeking to raise which sum with a profit, he 
practices every species of violence and extortion. There are 
swarms of Caloyers and Greek papas for this fine island, and 
the whole qualification necessary to become a priest, and live 
■by the industry of others, is a talent of being able to repeat 
mass from memory. The bishop of Samos, who is also bishop 
of Nicaria, enjoys an annual income of 2000 crowns, and 
has, besides, a considerable revenue from the important 
services he renders to the islanders, in blessing for them their 
water and their cattle in the month of May. All the pro¬ 
duce of the dairies on that day belongs to him and he has 
also two beasts out of every herd. 
Notwithstanding all this, Samos flourishes, and is reckoned 
the richest island of the Archipelago. It exports from 20,000 
to 25,000 cantars of grapes, 15,000 barrels of raisins, with 
wine to such an extent, that the duty amounts to 36,000 
piastres. The other customs produce about 12,000 piastres. 
It produces also valuable marble, and contains mines of lead, 
Silver, and even, it is said, of gold: but these are carefully 
concealed from the rapacity of the Turkish government. 
Cora bears the title of the capital; but the principal town is 
Vahti, distinguished by its large and convenient harbour. 
Qntheeast end of the island, abouttwo leagues from Cora, are 
the remains of the ancient city of Samos, the magnificence 
of which was much boasted in antiquity. The bay is small, 
and exposed to the south winds; and the artificial mole 
which now remains is insufficient to make a good harbour, 
but it appears likely to be the remains of that magnificent 
one, 250 paces long, which was esteemed one of the wonders 
of Samos. The city walls still remain, cased inside and 
outside with white marble, the interior being filled up with 
small stones; they are 10, 12, or 15 feet thick, according to 
the strength of the situation, and at the top are covered with 
very large hewn stones: they are built with square towers, 
but do not seem to have been above 15 feet high. Some 
parts of them are entire, and they appeared to Dr. Pococke 
the most beautiful he had ever seen. There are remains of 
a theatre, the seats of which were built, not on arches, but on 
the sides of a hill. It was 240 feet wide, and the space for 
the seats 80 feet wide. Towards the west side of the town 
there are the ruins of two or three very considerable build¬ 
ings, but so destroyed that it is impossible to judge of what 
nature they were. The temple of Juno was another of the 
wonders of Samos, and was a very extraordinary building, 
both with regard to its size, and the style of its architecture. 
Several of the bases and pedestals remain on the north side, 
though they are almost buried in the ground ; and on the 
south side there is almost an entire shaft remaining. The 
capitals seem to have been Doric. This temple was famous 
for a great number of fine statues. Dr, Pococke saw part of 
a large one of grey marble, the head and legs of which were 
broken off, but it appeared to be the work of a skilful hand. 
The third wonder of Samos was a canal cut through the 
mountains, to convey the water of a river on the north side 
of it, to the city; but our author, could not gain information 
ofatiy vestiges of it that can now be observed. 
SAMOSATA, a town of Asia, and capital of Comageni; 
situated on the right bank of the Euphrates. It was the 
residence of Antiochus, when Pompey granted to him this 
province, and which his successors enjoyed until the time of 
Tiberius, who reduced it to a Roman province. 
SAMOSATENIANS, Samosateni, in Ecclesiastical 
History, a sect of ancient Antitrinitarians, thus called from 
• Vol. XXII. No. 1527. 
S A M 625 
their leader, Paulus Somasatenus, bishop of Antioch, under 
the emperors Aurelian and Probus. 
They are also called by St. Augustine, Pauliani; and by 
the fathers of the council of Nice, na-jXiav^ovre<;. 
St. Epiphanius will have the Samosatenians to be real 
Jews, without any thing more than the name of Christians: 
adding, that they use the same arguments against the mys¬ 
tery of the Trinity that the Jews do; pleading against it, 
with them, on pretence of maintaining the unity of the God¬ 
head : though they do not observe the ceremonies of the law. 
SAMOSCH, or Szamos, two rivers of Transylvania, one 
of which, called the Little, rises in the county of Clausen- 
burg, and joins the other at Dees. The great Samosch has 
its source on the borders of Moldavia, receives the Sajo and 
the little Samos, enters Hungary, waters the counties of 
Szolnok, Szathmar, and Sabolcs, and afterwards joins the 
great river Theyss. It is navigable from the borders of 
Hungary. 
SAMOTHRACE, now called Samothraki, Saman- 
draki, or MandraJci, in Ancient Geography, a small island 
of the flEgean sea, at some distance to the north of Lemnos, 
over against the mouth of the Hebrus. This island was also 
called Dardania, because, according to Pliny and Pausanius, 
Dardanus retired hither, and also Leucasia and Leuconia. 
It derived its name Samothrace from a colony of Thracians, 
joined to some fugitives from Samos. It became celebrated 
for the worship of the Cabirian gods, in the mysteries of 
which all the heroes of antiquity were initiated. This island 
was formerly governed by its own kings : in process of time, 
the government became republican; and this form termi¬ 
nated, when the island was subdued by the Persians. Alex¬ 
ander restored to it its ancient privileges; but his successors 
made it dependent. The Romans restored its liberty; but 
in the time of Vespasian, this, like the other states of Greece, 
was reduced to the condition of a Roman province. Per¬ 
seus, king of Macedonia, sought an asylum in the temple of 
Castor and Pollux in this island, when he fled from the pur¬ 
suing vengeance of the Romans. Having lost its liberty, its 
other advantages have been of little avail: its ancient cele¬ 
brity ceased. It is 17 miles in circumference. 
SAMOTHRAKI, the ancient Samothrace, which see. 
SAMOYEDES, a savage people who traverse the immense 
and frozen deserts extending along the ocean, which forms 
the northern boundary of Asia. They do not recognise 
themselves by this name, which has been given them by the 
Russians, but call themselves Khasova. They extend, on 
the European side, as far as the river Mesen, w’hich falls 
into the White Sea; while they inhabit the shores of Asia, 
eastward to the Olenek, and almost to the Lena, thus filling 
up the space between the 40th and 120th degrees of east 
longitude, a line of upwards of 2000 miles. The breadth 
of this territory from north to south is by no means so con¬ 
siderable, and varies from 300 to 600 miles; yet such is the 
rigour of the climate, and the barrenness of the soil, that the 
whole of this vast extent is not supposed to contain a po¬ 
pulation of more than 20,000. They are divided into three 
great tribes, differing somewhat in language and manners; 
The Vanoites, who inhabit the banks of the Petchora and 
the Obi, in the vicinity of Obdorsk; the Tysia-Igoley, who 
are found on the Mesen, and in the interior of the govern¬ 
ment of Archangel; and the Khirutches, who fill the remoter 
and interior parts of Siberia. The rude traditions concerning 
their origin seem to support the probable conjecture that 
they were driven hither by war and oppression from happier 
climates. In fact, there are still found on the lower part 
of the Yenisei several tribes, whose dialect, as well as figure, 
bears a considerable affinity with theirs. 
The Samoyedes, like other nations placed in these unge- 
nial climates, are a small and stunted race, commonly be¬ 
tween four and five feet high. Their features resemble those 
of the Tungouses, while their neighbours the Ostiaks, bear 
the stamp of the Finnish race. They have a flat, round, and 
broad face, large thick lips, a wide and open nose, little 
beard, black and rough hair in small quantity, but carefully 
7 U arranged. 
