a seaport-town of England, county of Suffolk, near the mouth of the Blyth, 11 miles south of Lowestoft. It consists chiefly of a long line of houses, some of which are good, but the majority of an inferior description. The parish church is old and handsome, containing much elegant carving. There is a harbour formed by two piers at the mouth of the Blyth, and there are two batteries for the defence of the town. Fishing forms the main occupation of the inhabitants; but they also depend very much on those who visit it for the sake of sea-bathing. In Southwold or Sole Bay a naval engagement took place between the British and the combined French and Dutch fleets, May 1672, in which the Earl of Sandwich was blown up in his ship. Pop. of parish, 2109.

**SOVEREIGN**, the name applied to the person or persons who preside over every society which is not habitually in a state of nature or of anarchy. The marks of sovereign power are, that the ruled profess a habit of obedience to the ruler, while the ruler professes no such habit.