on the Charente, 28 m. SE. of Rochefort; known in
ancient times as Mediolanum; has some splendid Roman remains, a
cathedral, &c.; manufactures copper and iron goods, leather, &c.

SAINTSBURY, GEORGE, literary critic, born at Southampton; graduated
at Merton College, Oxford; was engaged in scholastic work for a number of
years at Manchester, Guernsey, and Elgin; in 1876 settled in London, and
made a reputation for vigorous and scholarly criticism, devoting much of
his time to French literature; elected to the Chair of English Literature
in Edinburgh University, 1895; is the author of a "Short History of
French Literature," a "Short History of English Literature," besides
several volumes of essays, &c.; _b_. 1845.

SAIS, a city of ancient Egypt, on the delta, on the right bank of
the W. branch of the Nile; gave name to two Egyptian dynasties founded by
natives of it, was a religious centre, and eventually for a time capital,
the temple of which was said to contain a veiled statue which became a
subject of legend.

SAIVAS, in the Hindu religion the worshippers of Siva, one of the
two great sections of the Hindus, the worshippers of Vishnu being the
other.

SAKI, a beer of alcoholic quality made in Japan from rice by
fermentation. It is drunk hot at meals, and is in a small way
intoxicating.

SAKUNTALA, in Hindu mythology a benignant female character, made the
subject of a famous drama of KALIDASA (q. v.), translated in
1789 by Sir William Jones.

SAKYAMUNI (i. e. the solitary of the Sakyas), the name given to
Buddha, one of the tribe of the Sakyas in Northern India.

SALA, GEORGE AUGUSTUS, a well-known journalist, born in London, of
Italian and English parentage; had some training in art before he began
writing for Dickens's _Household Words_, &c.; lived a busy, rambling
life; founded and edited _Temple Bar;_ acted as war-correspondent for the
_Daily Telegraph_; author of several popular novels, "Captain Dangerous"
and "Quite Alone" among them, and books of travel, "A Trip to Barbary"
and "America Revisited" (1828-1895).

SALAAM, an Oriental term of salutation meaning "Peace," especially
among the Mohammedans.

SALADIN, sultan of Egypt and Syria, the hero of the third crusade on
the Saracen side; a man of noble and chivalrous character; served first
as a soldier under Nureddin; rose to be vizier of Egypt, and ultimately
sovereign in 1174; distinguished himself by the capture of Damascus,
Alepp