town of north-western Africa, in the kingdom of Bambarra, on the right bank of the Joliba or Quorra, 20 miles N.E. of Segu, N. Lat. 13. 40., W. Long. 6. 9. It is an extensive town, and has an active trade with Timbuctoo, carried on by means of the river, which is navigable between these two places. Salt from the Sahara, coral and beads from the Mediterranean, are all conveyed to western Soodan through this town, and exchanged for gold, ivory, slaves, wax, honey, &c. Pop. 11,000.
Sanscrit. See Language and Philology.
San Sebastian, a seaport of Spain, capital of Guipuzcoa, one of the Basque provinces, on the shore of the Bay of Biscay, 42 miles N.N.W. of Pamplona. It occupies a narrow isthmus, terminated towards the north by a conical rock 400 feet high, called Urgull or Orgollo, and flanked on one side by the river Urumea, which is crossed by a bridge, and on the other by a bay, which forms the harbour. The summit of the hill is occupied by a fort, with five fronts, and the landward side of the town is defended by solid ramparts, with a bastion in the centre. The houses are almost all modern, built uniformly in straight streets and regular squares, so as to present an appearance quite unlike most Spanish towns. There are two large irregular churches, a handsome court-house, a nunnery, theatre, hospitals, barracks, &c. The manufactures of the place are insignificant; and the harbour is small, and not easily accessible, though well protected by a mole and small island. There is a considerable trade in English and French goods, corn and other articles being exported. From its position and strength, San Sebastian has been long a place of much importance, and has sustained several sieges. The most memorable of these was in 1813, when the British, under Wellington, took it by storm. Pop. 10,036.
San Severo, a town of Naples, capital of a district in the province of Capitanata, on the northern edge of the Tarolfiere di Puglia, or great pastoral plain of Apulia, at the foot of Monte Gargano, 20 miles N. by W. of Foggia. It is walled, but outside of the fortifications a new town and extensive suburbs have sprung up. In this portion stand many handsome residences of the more wealthy citizens. The inhabitants in 1799 made a gallant but vain resistance to the French under Duhesme, in revenge for which an indiscriminate slaughter was begun, and the town was only saved from total destruction by the heroism of the women, who threw themselves between the victorious soldiery and their victims. Pop. 19,000.
Sanson, Nicolas, said to be the creator of French geography, was born at Abbeville, December the 20th, 1600. He was educated at the Jesuits' College at Amiens, and afterwards devoted much of his attention to the study of geography, a pursuit of which his father is said to have been particularly fond. At the age of sixteen, young Sanson laid down a map of ancient Gaul, said to be superior to those of Ortelius and Mercator. Having married early, he applied himself to commerce; but, devoting too much attention to his favourite pursuits, his affairs soon became embarrassed, and he gave up his ledgers for ever. Visiting Paris in 1627, and taking with him his map of Gaul, he had the good fortune to attract the notice of Louis XIII., who not only took lessons from him in geography, but made him engineer of Picardy. His duties in the latter Sansovino position did not interfere with his zeal for geography. He settled in Paris in 1640, where he published numerous maps, together with illustrative volumes. Sanson was made geographer to the king, received a royal pension, and was chosen a councillor of state; but did not assume the rank, lest, it is said, his children should abandon the favourite pursuit of their father. His death, which happened at Paris on July 7, 1667, was induced by the incessant labours to which his devotion to geographical science subjected him.
Sanson, although a zealous geographer, is said by Languereau to have constructed very indifferent maps, and it is well known he was but an indifferent critic; but he had the merit of originating the art, and left subsequent geographers to carry out that which he had so well begun.