366 
SOU 
Give me pardon. 
That I, your vassal, have employed and pain’d 
Your unknown sovereignty. Shakspeare. 
SOUERICK, a town of Armenia, in the pachalic of Our- 
fa, and on the road from Ourfa to Diarbekir. It contains 
about 500 inhabitants, with three mosques and a strong castle; 
60 miles north-east of Ourfa, 
SOUFFLOT (James-Germain), an eminent architect, was 
born in 1714 at Irancy, near Auxerre. It being resolved 
that several public buildings should be erected at Lyons, he 
•was recommended to undertake a part of the work, by the 
director of the French academy at Rome; and the construc¬ 
tion especially of the exchange and the hospital was com¬ 
mitted to him. The noble simplicity of the hospital, together 
with its excellent adaptation to the object for which it was 
intended, were universally admired, and raised him to high 
reputation as an artist. He was, after this, employed to build 
the concert-room and theatre of the same city. In 1757 he 
laid the foundation of the church of St. Genevieve, of which 
he was able only to finish the portal, the nave, and the tow¬ 
ers. In this business he subjected himself to some severe 
criticism, especially with respect to the possibility of erecting 
the intended dome upon the bases designed to bear it; though 
some exact calculations justified his plan. The criticisms and 
unfriendly remarks of his rivals were more than his temper, 
naturally irritable, could bear; and he died, partly of chagrin 
in the year 1780, at the age of 67. Besides the public works 
already mentioned, he executed many others, which display 
the powers of a great artist; and after his death, M. Dumont, 
professor of architecture, published a book of Designs, which 
he had left behind him, under the title of “ Elevations 
et Coupes de quelques Edifices de Prance et d’ltalie, 
designees par feu M. Soufflot, Architecte du Roi, et gravees 
par ses Ordres.’’ 
SOUFFRIER MOUNTAIN, the most northerly of the 
lofty chain running through the centre of the island St. Vin¬ 
cent, and the highest of the whole, as computed by the most 
accurate survey that has yet been taken. For some time pre¬ 
vious to the 30th April, 1812, this memorable mountain had 
indicated much disquietude ; and from the extraordinary fre¬ 
quency and violence of earthquakes (which are calculated to 
have exceeded 200 within the preceding year), had por¬ 
tended some great movement or eruption. A century had 
elapsed since the last convulsion of this mountain; it seemed 
to have settled into permanent tranquillity, and the luxuriant 
vegetation and growth of the forest which covered its sides, 
from the base nearly to the summit, appeared even to discoun¬ 
tenance t\e fact that it had once been a volcano. The crater 
of the volcano was, however, still to be seen. 
On Monday 27th April, 1812, an abrupt and dreadful 
crash from the mountain, with a severe concussion of the 
earth, and tremulous noise in the air, alarmed all around it. 
The resurrection of this fiery furnace was proclaimed in a 
moment by a vast column of thick, black, ropy smoke, like 
hat of an immense glass-house, bursting forth at once, and 
mounting to the sky; showering down sand, with gritty 
alcined particles of earth and favilla mixed, on all below. 
This driven before the wind towards Wallibon and Morne 
Ronde, darkened the air like a cataract of rain, and covered 
the ridges, woods, and cane-pieces, with light grey coloured 
ashes, resembling snow when slightly covered by dust. As 
the eruption increased, this continual shower expanded de¬ 
stroying every appearance of vegetation. At night a very 
considerable degree of ignition was observed on the lips of 
the crater ; but it is not asserted that there was as yet any 
visible ascension of flame. The same awful scene presented 
itself on Tuesday; the fall of favilla and calcined pebbles 
still increasing, and the compact pitchy column from the 
crater rising perpendicularly to an immense height, with a 
noise, at intervals, like the muttering of distant thunder. 
On Wednesday the 29th, all these menacing symptoms of 
horror and combustion became more thick and terrific. 
The prodigious column shot up with quicker motion, dila- 
s o u 
ting as it rose like a balloon. The sun appeared in total 
eclipse, and shed a meridian twilight over the island, that 
aggravated the gloom of the scene, now completely pow¬ 
dered over with falling particles. It was evident that the 
crisis was yet to come ; that the burning fluid was strug¬ 
gling for a vent, and labouring to throw off the superincum¬ 
bent strata and obstructions, which suppressed the ignivo- 
mous torrent. At night, it was manifest that it had greatly 
disengaged itself from its burden, by the appearance of fire 
flashing now and then, flaking above the mouth of the 
crater. On Thursday 30th April, the noise from the moun¬ 
tain had increased, and at times was incessant. About four 
o’clock it became still more alarming,and just before sunset, 
the clouds reflected a bright copper colour, suffused with 
fire. Scarcely had the day closed, when the flame burst at 
lengih pyramidically from the crater, through the mass of 
smoke; the rolling of the thunder became more awful and 
deafening; electric flashes quickly succeeded, attended with 
loud claps. Shortly after seven p. M. the mighty cauldron 
was seen to simmer, and the ebullition of lava to break out 
on the north-west side. This, immediately after boiling 
over the orifice, and flowing a short way, was opposed by 
the acclivity of a higher point of land, over which it was 
impelled by the immense tide of liquified fire that drove it 
on, forming the figure V in grand illumination. Sometimes, 
when the ebullition slackened, or was insufficient to urge it 
over the obstructing hill, it recoiled back, like a refluent 
billow from the rock, and then again rushed forward, im¬ 
pelled by fresh supplies, and scaling every obstacle, car¬ 
rying rocks and woods together in its course down the slope 
of the mountain, until it precipitated itself down some vast 
ravine, concealed from the view by the intervening ridges of 
Morne Ronde. Vast globular bodies of fire were seen pro¬ 
jected from the fiery furnace, and bursting, fell back into it, 
or over it, on the surrounding bushes, which were instantly 
set in flames. About four hours from the lava boiling over 
the crater, it reached the sea, as could be observed from the 
reflection of the fire and the electric flashes attending it. 
About half-past one, another stream of lava was seen de¬ 
scending to the east, towards Rabacca. At this time the 
first earthquake was felt: this was followed by showers of 
cinders, that fell with the hissing noise of hail during two 
hours. At three o’clock, a rolling on the roofs of the houses 
indicated a fall of stones, which soon thickened, and at 
length descended in a rain of intermingled fire, that threat¬ 
ened at once the fate of Pompeii or Herculaneum. The 
crackling and coruscations from the crater at this period 
exceeded all that-had yet passed. The eyes were struck 
with momentary blindness, and the ears stunned with the 
glomeration of sounds. People sought shelter in cellars, 
under rocks, or anywhere, for everywhere was nearly the 
same; and the miserable negroes, flying from their huts, 
were knocked down or wounded, and many killed in the 
open air. Several houses were set on fire. The estates situ¬ 
ate in the immediate vicinity seemed doomed to destruction. 
Had the stones that fell been heavy in proportion to then- 
size, not a living creature could have escaped. This dread¬ 
ful rain of stones and fire lasted upwards of an hour, and was 
again succeeded by cinders from three till six o’clock in the 
morning. Earthquake followed earthquake almost momen¬ 
tarily, or rather the whole of this part of the island was in a 
state of continued oscillation. 
At break of day, if such it could be called, darkness enve¬ 
loped the mountain, and an impenetrable haze hung over 
the sea, with black sluggish clouds of a sulphureous cast. 
The whole island was covered with favilla, cinders, scoria, 
and broken masses of volcanic matter. It was not until the 
afternoon that the muttering noise of the mountain sunk 
gradually into silence. 
SOUFFRIERE BAY, a bay on the east coast of the 
island of Dominica. Lat. 15. 31. N. long. 61. 17. W. 
SOUGH, s . [from sous, French.] A subterraneous drain. 
—Yet could not such mines, without great pains and charges, 
if 
