c. 1300.—"Of the cities on the shore the first is Sandabúr, then Faknúr,

then the country of Manjarúr, then the country of (Fandarainá), then

Jangli (Jinkali), then Kúlam.... After these comes the country of

SAWÁLAK, which comprises 125,000 cities and villages. After that comes

Málwála" (but in some MSS. _Málwá_).—_Rashīduddīn_, in _Elliot_, i. 68.

_Rashīduddīn_ has got apparently much astray here, for he brings in the

Siwālik territory at the far end of Malabar. But the mention of Mālwā as

adjoining is a probable indication of the true position. (Elliot imagines

here some allusion to the Maldives and Laccadives. All in that way that

seems possible is that Rashīduddīn may have heard of the Maldives and

made some jumble between them and Mālwā). And this is in a manner

confirmed by the next quotation from a Portuguese writer who places the

region inland from Guzerat.

1644.—"It confines ... on the east with certain kingdoms of heathen,

which are called SAUALACCA _prabatta_ (Skt. _parvata_), as much as to say

120,000 mountains."—_Bocarro, MS._

C.—

1399.—"Le Détroit de Coupelé est situé au pied d'une montagne par où

passe le Gange, et à quinze milles plus haut que ce Détroit il y a une

pierre en forme de Vache, de laquelle sort la source de ce grand Fleuve;

c'est la cause pour laquelle les Indous adorent cette pierre, et dans

tous les pays circonvoisins jusques à une année de chemin, ils se

tournent pour prier du côté de ce Détroit et de cette Vache de pierre....

Cependant on eut avis que dans la montagne de SOÜALEC, qui est une des

plus considerables de l'Inde, et qui s'étend dans le deux tiers de ce

grand Empire, il s'étoit assemblé un grand nombre d'Indiens qui

cherchoient à nous faire insulte."—_H. de Timur-Bec_, par _Chereffedin

Ali d'Yezd_ (Fr. Tr. by _Petis de la Croix_), Delf, 1723, iii. ch.

xxv.-xxvi.

1528.—"The northern range of hills has been mentioned ... after leaving

Kashmîr, these hills contain innumerable tribes and states, pergannahs

and countries, and extend all the way to Bengal and the shores of the

Great Ocean.... The chief trade of the inhabitants of these hills is in

musk-bags, the tails of the mountain cow, saffron, lead, and copper. The

natives of Hind call these hills SEWÂLIK-_Parbat_. In the language of

Hind SAWALÂK means a lak and a quarter (or 125,000), and _Parbat_ means a

_hill_, that is, the 125,000 hills. On these hills the snow never melts,

and from some parts of Hindustán, such as Lahore, Sehrend, and Sambal, it

is seen white on them all the year round."—_Baber_, p. 313.

c. 1545.—"_Sher Sháh's dying regrets._

"On being remonstrated with for giving way to low spirits, when he had

done so much for the good of the people during his short reign, after

earnest solicitation, he said, 'I have had three or four desires on my

heart, which still remain without accomplishment.... One is, I wished to

have depopulated the country of Roh, and to have transferred its

inhabitants to the tract between the Niláb and Lahore, including the

hills below Nindūna as far as the SIWÁLIK.'"—_Táríkh-Khán Jahán Lodí_, in

_Elliot_, v. 107-8. Nindūna was on Balnāth, a hill over the Jelam

(compare _Elliot_, ii. 450-1).

c. 1547-8.—"After their defeat the Níázís took refuge with the Ghakkars,

in the hill-country bordering on Kashmír. Islám Sháh ... during the space

of two years was engaged in constant conflicts with the Ghakkars, whom he

desired to subdue.... Skirting the hills he went thence to Múrín (?), and

all the Rájás of the SIWÁLIK presented themselves.... Parsurám, the Rájá

of Gwálior, became a staunch servant of the King ... Gwálior is a hill,

which is on the right hand towards the South, amongst the hills, as you

go to Kángra and Nagarkot." (See NUGGURCOTE).—_Táríkh-i-Dáúdí_, in

_Elliot_, iv. 493-4.

c. 1555.—"The Imperial forces encountered the Afghans near the SIWÁLIK

mountains, and gained a victory which elicited gracious marks of approval

from the Emperor. Sikandar took refuge in the mountains and jungles....

Rájá Rám Chand, Rájá of Nagarkot, was the most renowned of all the Rájás

of the hills, and he came and made his submission."—_Ṭabaḳát-i-Akbarí_,

in _Elliot_, v. 248.

c. 1560.—"The Emperor (Akbar) then marched onwards towards the SIWÁLIK

hills, in pursuit of the Khán-Khánán. He reached the neighbourhood of

Talwára, a district in the Siwálik, belonging to Rájá Gobind Chand.... A

party of adventurous soldiers dashed forward into the hills, and

surrounding the place put many of the defenders to the sword."—_Ibid._

267.

c. 1570.—"Husain Khán ... set forth from Lucknow with the design of

breaking down the idols, and demolishing the idol temples. For false

reports of their unbounded treasures had come to his ears. He proceeded

through Oudh, towards the SIWÁLIK hills.... He then ravaged the whole

country, as far as the _Kasbah_ of Wajráíl, in the country of Rájá Ranka,

a powerful _zamíndár_, and from that town to Ajmír which is his

capital."—_Badáúni_, in _Elliot_, iv. 497.

1594-5.—"The force marched to the SIWÁLIK hills, and the _Bakhshí_

resolved to begin by attacking Jammú, one of the strongest forts of that

country."—_Akbar Náma_, in _Elliot_, v. 125.

c. " "Rám Deo ... returned to Kanauj ... after that he marched into

the SIWÁLIK hills, and made all the zamíndárs tributary. The Rájá of

Kamáún ... came out against Rám Deo and gave him battle."—_Firishta's

Introduction_, in _Elliot_, vi. 561.

1793.—"Mr. Daniel, with a party, also visited Sirinagur the same year

[1789]: ... It is situated in an exceedingly deep and very narrow valley;

formed by Mount SEWALICK,[246] the northern boundary of Hindoostan, on

the one side; and the vast range of snowy mountains of HIMMALEH or IMAUS,

on the other; and from the report of the natives, it would appear, that

the nearest part of the base of the latter (on which snow was actually

falling in the month of May), was not more than 14 or 15 G. miles in

direct distance to the N. or N.E. of Sirinagur town.

"In crossing the mountains of SEWALICK, they met with vegetable

productions, proper to the temperate climates."—_Rennell's Mem._, ed.

1793, pp. [368-369].

D.—

1834.—"On the flank of the great range there is a line of low hills, the

SEWALIK, which commence at Roopur, on the Satlej, and run down a long way

to the south, skirting the great chain. In some places they run up to,

and rise upon, the Himálayas; in others, as in this neighbourhood

(Seháranpur), they are separated by an intermediate valley. Between the

Jumna and Ganges they attain their greatest height, which Capt. Herbert

estimates at 2,000 feet above the plains at their foot, or 3,000 above

the sea. Seháranpur is about 1,000 feet above the sea. About 25 miles

north are the SEWÁLIK hills."—_Falconer_, in _J.A.S.B._ iii. 182.

1835.—"We have named the fossil _Sivatherium_ from _Siva_ the Hindu god,

and θηρίον, _bellua_. The SIVÁLIK, or Sub-Himalayan range of hills, is

considered, in the Hindu mythology, as the _Lútiah_ or edge of the roof

of SIVA'S dwelling on the Himálaya, and hence they are called the

_Siva-ala_ or _Sib-ala_, which by an easy transition of sound became the

SEWÁLIK of the English.

"The fossil has been discovered in a tract which may be included in the

SEWÁLIK range, and we have given the name of Sivatherium to it, to

commemorate the remarkable formation, so rich in new animals. Another

derivation of the name of the hills, as explained by the _Mahant_, or

High Priest at Dehra, is as follows:—

"SEWÁLIK, a corruption of _Siva-wála_, a name given to the tract of

mountains between the Jumna and Ganges, from having been the residence of

ISWARA SIVA and his son GANES."—_Falconer and Cautley_, in _As. Res._,

xix. p. 2.

1879.—"These fringing ranges of the later formations are known generally

as the Sub-Himalayas. The most important being the SIWÁLIK hills, a term

especially applied to the hills south of the Deyra Dún, but frequently

employed in a wider sense."—_Medlicott and Blanford, Man. of the Geology

of India, Intro._ p. x.

[1899.—Even so late as this year the old inaccurate etymology of the word

appears: "The term SHEWALIC is stated by one of the native historians to

be a combination of two Hindee words '_sewa_' and '_lae_' (_sic_), the

word '_sewa_' signifying one and a quarter, and the word '_lae_' being

the term which expresses the number of one hundred thousand."—_Thornhill,

Haunts and Hobbies_, 213.]

SKEEN, s. Tib. _skyin_. The Himalayan Ibex; (_Capra Sibirica_, Meyer). [See

_Blanford, Mammalia_, 503.]

SLAVE. We cannot now attempt a history of the former tenure of slaves in

British India, which would be a considerable work in itself. We only gather

a few quotations illustrating that history.

1676.—"Of three Theeves, two were executed and one made a SLAVE. We do

not approve of putting any to death for theft, nor that any of our own

nation should be made a SLAVE, a word that becomes not an Englishman's

mouth."—_The Court to Ft. St. Geo._, March 7. In _Notes and Exts._ No. i.

p. 18.

1682.—"... making also proclamation by beat of drum that if any SLAVE

would run away from us he should be free, and liberty to go where they

pleased."—_Hedges, Diary_, Oct. 14; [Hak. Soc. i. 38].

[ " "There being a great number of SLAVES yearly exported from this

place, to ye great grievance of many persons whose Children are very

commonly stollen away from them, by those who are constant traders in

this way, the Agent, &c., considering the Scandall that might accrue to

ye Government, &c., the great losse that many parents may undergoe by

such actions, have order'd that noe more SLAVES be sent off the shoare

again."—_Pringle, Diary, Ft. St. Geo._, 1st ser. i. 70.]

1752.—"Sale of SLAVES ... Rs. 10 : 1 : 3."—Among Items of Revenue. In

_Long_, 34.

1637.—"We have taken into consideration the most effectual and speedy

method for supplying our settlements upon the WEST COAST with SLAVES, and

we have therefore fixed upon two ships for that purpose ... to proceed

from hence to Madagascar to purchase as many as can be procured, and the

said ships conveniently carry, who are to be delivered by the captains of

those ships to our agents at Fort Marlborough at the rate of £15 a

head."—_Court's Letter_ of Dec. 8. In _Long_, 293.

1764.—"That as an inducement to the Commanders and Chief Mates to exert

themselves in procuring as large a number of SLAVES as the Ships can

conveniently carry, and to encourage the Surgeons to take proper care of

them in the passage, there is to be allowed 20 shillings for every

_slave_ shipped at Madagascar, to be divided, viz., 13s. 4d. a head to

the Commander, and 6s. 8d. to the Chief Mate, also for every one

delivered at Fort Marlborough the Commander is to be allowed the further

sum of 6s. 8d. and the Chief Mate 3s. 4d. The Surgeon is likewise to be

allowed 10s. for each SLAVE landed at Fort Marlborough."—_Court's

Letter_, Feb. 22. In _Long_, 366.

1778.—Mr. Busteed has given some curious extracts from the charge-sheet

of the Calcutta Magistrate in this year, showing SLAVES and SLAVE-GIRLS,

of Europeans, Portuguese, and Armenians, sent to the magistrate to be

punished with the rattan for running away and such offences.—_Echoes of

Old Calcutta_, 117 _seqq._ [Also see extracts from newspapers, &c., in

_Carey, Good Old Days_, ii. 71 _seqq._].

1782.—"On Monday the 29th inst. will be sold by auction ... a bay Buggy

Horse, a Buggy and Harness ... some cut Diamonds, a quantity of China

Sugarcandy ... a quantity of the best Danish Claret ... deliverable at

Serampore; two SLAVE GIRLS about 6 years old; and a great variety of

other articles."—_India Gazette_, July 27.

1785.—"Malver. Hair-dresser from Europe, proposes himself to the ladies

of the settlement to dress hair daily, at two gold mohurs per month, in

the latest fashion, with gauze flowers, &c. He will also instruct the

SLAVES at a moderate price."—In _Seton-Karr_, i. 119. This was surely a

piece of slang. Though we hear occasionally, in the advertisements of the

time, of slave boys and girls, the domestic servants were not usually of

that description.

1794.—"50 Rupees Reward for Discovery.

"RUN OFF about four Weeks ago from a Gentleman in Bombay, A Malay SLAVE

called Cambing or Rambing. He stole a Silk Purse, with 45 Venetians, and

some Silver Buttons...."—_Bombay Courier_, Feb. 22.

SLING, SELING, n.p. This is the name used in the Himalayan regions for a

certain mart in the direction of China which supplies various articles of

trade. Its occurrence in Trade Returns at one time caused some discussion

as to its identity, but there can be no doubt that it is Si-ning (Fu) in

Kan-su. The name SLING is also applied, in Ladak and the Punjab, to a stuff

of goat's wool made at the place so called.

c. 1730.—"Kokonor is also called _Tzongombo_, which means blue lake....

The Tibetans pretend that this lake belongs to them, and that the limits

of Tibet adjoin those of the town of SHILIN or SHILINGH."—_P. Orazio

della Penna_, E.T. in _Markham's Tibet_, 2d ed. 314.

1774.—"The natives of Kashmir, who like the Jews of Europe, or the

Armenians in the Turkish Empire, scatter themselves over the Eastern

kingdoms of Asia ... have formed extensive establishments at Lhasa and

all the principal towns in the country. Their agents, stationed on the

coast of Coromandel, in Bengal, Benares, Nepal, and Kashmir, furnish them

with the commodities of these different countries, which they dispose of

in Tibet, or forward to their associates at SELING, a town on the borders

of China."—_Bogle's Narrative_, in _Markham's Tibet_, 124.

1793.—"... it is certain that the product of their looms (_i.e._ of Tibet

and Nepaul) is as inconsiderable in quantity as it is insignificant in

quality. The _Joos_ (read TOOS) or flannel procured from the former, were

it really a fabric of Tibet, would perhaps be admitted as an exception to

the latter part of this observation; but the fact is that it is made at

SILING, a place situated on the western borders of China."—_Kirkpatrick's

Acc. of Nepaul_ (1811), p. 134.

1854.—"_List of Chinese Articles brought to India_.... SILING, a soft and

silky woollen of two kinds—1. _Shirún._ 2. _Gorún._"—_Cunningham's

Ladak_, 241-2.

1862.—"SLING is a '_Pushmina_' (fine wool) cloth, manufactured of

goat-wool, taken from Karashaihr and Urumchi, and other districts of

Turkish China, in a Chinese town called SLING."—_Punjab Trade Report_,

App. p. ccxxix.

1871.—"There were two Calmucks at Yârkand, who had belonged to the suite

of the Chinese Ambân.... Their own home they say is ZILM" (qu. _Zilin_?)

"a country and town distant 1½ month's journey from either Aksoo or

Khoten, and at an equal distance in point of time from Lhassa.... ZILM

possesses manufactures of carpets, horse-trappings, pen-holders, &c....

This account is confirmed by the fact that articles such as those

described are imported occasionally into Ladák, under the name of ZILM or

ZIRM goods.

"Now if the town of ZILM is six weeks journey from either Lhassa or

Aksoo, its position may be guessed at."—_Shaw, Visits to High Tartary_,

38.

SLOTH, s. In the usual way of transferring names which belong to other

regions, this name is sometimes applied in S. India to the Lemur (_Loris

gracilis_, Jerdon).

SNAKE-STONE, s. This is a term applied to a substance, the application of

which to the part where a snake-bite has taken effect, is supposed to draw

out the poison and render it innocuous. Such applications are made in

various parts of the Old and New Worlds. The substances which have this

reputation are usually of a porous kind, and when they have been chemically

examined have proved to be made of charred bone, or the like. There is an

article in the 13th vol. of the _Asiatic Researches_ by Dr. J. Davy,

entitled _An Analysis of the Snake-Stone_, in which the results of the

examination of three different kinds, all obtained from Sir Alex.

Johnstone, Chief Justice of Ceylon, is given. (1) The first kind was of

round or oval form, black or brown in the middle, white towards the

circumference, polished and somewhat lustrous, and pretty enough to be

sometimes worn as a neck ornament; easily cut with a knife, but not

scratched by the nail. When breathed on it emitted an earthy smell, and

when applied to the tongue, or other moist surface, it adhered firmly. This

kind proved to be of bone partially calcined. (2) We give below a quotation

regarding the second kind. (3) The third was apparently a BEZOAR, (q.v.),

rather than a snake-stone. There is another article in the _As. Res._ xvi.

382 _seqq._ by Captain J. D. Herbert, on _Zehr Mohereh, or_ SNAKE-STONE.

Two kinds are described which were sold under the name given (_Zahr muhra_,

where _zahr_ is 'poison,' _muhra_, 'a kind of polished shell,' 'a bead,'

applied to a species of bezoar). Both of these were mineral, and not of the

class we are treating of.

c. 1666.—"C'est dans cette Ville de Diu que se font les PIERRES DE COBRA

si renommées: elles sont composées de racines qu'on brûle, et dont on

amasse les cendres pour les mettre avec une sorte de terre qu'ils ont, et

les brûler encore une fois avec cette terre; et après cela on en fait la

pâte dont ces Pierres sont formées.... Il faut faire sortir avec une

éguille, un peu de sang de la plaie, y appliquer la Pierre, et l'y

laisser jusqu'à ce qu'elle tombe d'elle même."—_Thevenot_, v. 97.

1673.—"Here are also those Elephant Legged St. _Thomeans_, which the

unbiassed Enquirers will tell you chances to them two ways: By the Venom

of a certain Snake, by which the _Jaugies_ (see JOGEE) or Pilgrims

furnish them with a Factitious Stone (which we call a SNAKE-STONE), and

is a Counter-poyson of all deadly Bites; if it stick, it attracts the

Poyson; and put into Milk it recovers itself again, leaving its virulency

therein, discovered by its Greenness."—_Fryer_, 53.

c. 1676.—"There is the SERPENT'S STONE not to be forgot, about the

bigness of a _double_ (doubloon?); and some are almost oval, thick in the

middle and thin about the sides. The Indians report that it is bred in

the head of certain Serpents. But I rather take it to be a story of the

Idoloter's Priests, and that the Stone is rather a composition of certain

Drugs.... If the Person bit be not much wounded, the place must be

incis'd; and the Stone being appli'd thereto, will not fall off till it

has drawn all the poison to it: To cleanse it you must steep it in

Womans-milk, or for want of that, in Cows-milk.... There are two ways to

try whether the SERPENT-STONE be true or false. The first is, by putting

the Stone in your mouth, for there it will give a leap, and fix to the

Palate. The other is by putting it in a glass full of water; for if the

Stone be true, the water will fall a boyling, and rise in little

bubbles...."—_Tavernier_, E.T., Pt. ii. 155; [ed. _Ball_, ii. 152].

Tavernier also speaks of another SNAKE-STONE alleged to be found behind

the hood of the Cobra: "This Stone being rubb'd against another Stone,

yields a slime, which being drank in water," &c. &c.—_Ibid._

1690.—"The thing which he carried ... is a Specific against the Poison of

Snakes ... and therefore obtained the name of SNAKE-STONE. It is a small

artificial Stone.... The Composition of it is Ashes of burnt Roots, mixt

with a kind of Earth, which is found at Diu...."—_Ovington_, 260-261.

1712.—"PEDRA DE COBRA: ita dictus lapis, vocabulo a Lusitanis imposito,

adversus viperarum morsus praestat auxilium, externè applicatus. In

serpente, quod vulgò credunt, non invenitur, sed arte secretâ fabricatur

à Brahmanis. Pro dextro et felici usu, oportet adesse geminos, ut cum

primus veneno saturatus vulnusculo decidit, alter surrogari illico in

locum possit.... Quo ipso feror, ut istis lapidibus nihil efficaciæ

inesse credam, nisi quam actuali frigiditate suâ, vel absorbendo

praestant."—_Kaempfer, Amoen. Exot._ 395-7.

1772.—"Being returned to Roode-Zand, the much celebrated SNAKE-STONE

(_Slange-steen_) was shown to me, which few of the farmers here could

afford to purchase, it being sold at a high price, and held in great

esteem. It is imported from the _Indies_, especially from Malabar, and

cost several, frequently 10 or 12, rix dollars. It is round, and convex

on one side, of a black colour, with a pale ash-grey speck in the middle,

and tubulated with very minute pores.... When it is applied to any part

that has been bitten by a serpent, it sticks fast to the wound, and

extracts the poison; as soon as it is saturated, it falls off of

itself...."—_Thunberg, Travels_, E.T. i. 155 (_A Journey into

Caffraria_).

1796.—"Of the remedies to which cures of venomous bites are often

ascribed in India, some are certainly not less frivolous than those

employed in Europe for the bite of the viper; yet to infer from thence

that the effects of the poison cannot be very dangerous, would not be

more rational than to ascribe the recovery of a person bitten by a COBRA

DE CAPELLO, to the application of a SNAKE-STONE, or to the words muttered

over the patient by a Bramin."—_Patrick Russell, Account of Indian

Serpents_, 77.

1820.—"Another kind of SNAKE-STONE ... was a small oval body, smooth and

shining, externally black, internally grey; it had no earthy smell when

breathed on, and had no absorbent or adhesive power. By the person who

presented it to Sir Alexander Johnstone it was much valued, and for

adequate reason if true, 'it had saved the lives of four men.'"—_Dr.

Davy_, in _As. Res._ xiii. 318.

1860.—"The use of the _Pamboo-Kaloo_, or SNAKE-STONE, as a remedy in

cases of wounds by venomous serpents, has probably been communicated to

the Singhalese by the itinerant snake-charmers who resort to the island

from the Coast of Coromandel; and more than one well-authenticated

instance of its successful application has been told to me by persons who

had been eye-witnesses."... (These follow.) "... As to the SNAKE-STONE

itself, I submitted one, the application of which I have been describing,

to Mr. Faraday, and he has communicated to me, as the result of his

analysis, his belief that it is 'a piece of charred bone which has been

filled with blood, perhaps several times, and then charred again.'... The

probability is, that the animal charcoal, when instantaneously applied,

may be sufficiently porous and absorbent to extract the venom from the

recent wound, together with a portion of the blood, before it has had

time to be carried into the system...."—_Tennent, Ceylon_, i. 197-200.

1861.—"'Have you been bitten?' 'Yes, Sahib,' he replied, calmly; 'the

last snake was a vicious one, and it has bitten me. But there is no

danger,' he added, extracting from the recesses of his mysterious bag a

small piece of white stone. This he wetted, and applied to the wound, to

which it seemed to adhere ... he apparently suffered no ... material

hurt. I was thus effectually convinced that snake-charming is a real art,

and not merely clever conjuring, as I had previously imagined. These

so-called SNAKE STONES are well known throughout India."—_Lt.-Col. T.

Lewin, A Fly on the Wheel_, 91-92.

1872.—"With reference to the SNAKE-STONES, which, when applied to the

bites, are said to absorb and suck out the poison, ... I have only to say

that I believe they are perfectly powerless to produce any such effect

... when we reflect on the quantity of poison, and the force and depth

with and to which it is injected ... and the extreme rapidity with which

it is hurried along in the vascular system to the nerve centres, I think

it is obvious that the application of one of these stones can be of

little use in a real bite of a deadly snake, and that a belief in their

efficacy is a dangerous delusion."—_Fayrer, Thanatophidia of India_, pp.

38, 40.

[1880.—"It is stated that in the pouch-like throat appendages of the

older birds (ADJUTANTS), the fang of a snake is sometimes to be found.

This, if rubbed above the place where a poisonous snake has bitten a man,

is supposed to prevent the venom spreading to the vital parts of the

body. Again, it is believed that a so-called 'SNAKE-STONE' is contained

within the head of the adjutant. This, if applied to a snake-bite,

attaches itself to the punctures, and extracts all the venom...."—_Ball,

Jungle Life_, 82.]

SNEAKER, s. A large cup (or small basin) with a saucer and cover. The

native servants call it _sīnīgar_. We had guessed that it was perhaps

formed in some way from _ṣīnī_ in the sense of 'china-ware,' or from the

same word, used in Ar. and Pers., in the sense of 'a salver' (see CHINA,

s.). But we have since seen that the word is not only in Grose's _Lexicon

Balatronicum_, with the explanation 'a small bowl,' but is also in _Todd_:

'A small vessel of drink.' A _sneaker of punch_ is a term still used in

several places for a small bowl; and in fact it occurs in the _Spectator_

and other works of the 18th century. So the word is of genuine English

origin; no doubt of a semi-slang kind.

1714.—"Our little burlesque authors, who are the delight of ordinary

readers, generally abound in these pert phrases, which have in them more

vivacity than wit. I lately saw an instance of this kind of writing,

which gave me so truly an idea of it, that I could not forbear begging a

copy of the letter....

"Past 2 o'clock and

a frosty morning.

"DEAR JACK,

"I have just left the Right Worshipful and his myrmidons about a

SNEAKER of 5 gallons. The whole magistracy was pretty well disguised

before I gave them the slip."

_The Spectator_, No. 616.

1715.—

"Hugh Peters is making

A SNEAKER within

For Luther, Buchanan,

John Knox, and Calvin;

And when they have toss'd off

A brace of full bowls,

You'll swear you ne'er met

With honester souls."

_Bp. Burnett's Descent into Hell._

In _Political Ballads of the 17th and 18th centuries_.

Annotated by _W. W. Wilkins_, 1860, ii. 172.

1743.—"Wild ... then retired to his seat of contemplation, a

night-cellar, where, without a single farthing in his pocket, he called

for a SNEAKER of punch, and placing himself on a bench by himself, he

softly vented the following soliloquy."—_Fielding, Jonathan Wild_, Bk.

ii. ch. iv.

1772.—"He received us with great cordiality, and entreated us all, five

in number, to be seated in a bungalow, where there were only two broken

chairs. This compliment we could not accept of; he then ordered five

SNEAKERS of a mixture which he denominated punch."—Letter in _Forbes, Or.

Mem._ iv. 217.

[SNOW RUPEE, s. A term in use in S. India, which is an excellent example of

a corruption of the 'Hobson-Jobson' type. It is an Anglo-Indian corruption

of the Tel. _tsanauvu_, 'authority, currency.']

SOFALA, n.p. Ar. _Sufāla_, a district and town of the East African coast,

the most remote settlement towards the south made upon that coast by the

Arabs. The town is in S. Lat. 20° 10′, more that 2° south of the Zambesi

delta. The territory was famous in old days for the gold produced in the

interior, and also for iron. It was not visited by V. da Gama either in

going or returning.

c. 1150.—"This section embraces the description of the remainder of the

country of SOFĀLA.... The inhabitants are poor, miserable, and without

resources to support them except iron; of this metal there are numerous

mines in the mountains of SOFĀLA. The people of the islands ... come

hither for iron, which they carry to the continent and islands of India

... for although there is iron in the islands and in the mines of that

country, it does not equal the iron of SOFĀLA."—_Edrisi_, i. 65.

c. 1220.—"SOFĀLA is the most remote known city in the country of the Zenj

... wares are carried to them, and left by the merchants who then go

away, and coming again find that the natives have laid down the price

[they are willing to give] for every article beside it.... _Sofālī_ gold

is well-known among the Zenj merchants."—_Yāḳūt, Mu'jam al-Buldān_, s.v.

In his article on the gold country, Yāḳūt describes the kind of dumb

trade in which the natives decline to come face to face with the

merchants at greater length. It is a practice that has been ascribed to a

great variety of uncivilized races; _e.g._ in various parts of Africa; in

the extreme north of Europe and of Asia; in the Clove Islands; to the

Veddas of Ceylon, to the Poliars of Malabar, and (by Pliny, surely under

some mistake) to the Seres or Chinese. See on this subject a note in

_Marco Polo_, Bk. iv. ch. 21; a note by _Mr. De B. Priaulx_, in _J. R.

As. Soc._, xviii. 348 (in which several references are erroneously

printed); _Tennent's Ceylon_, i. 593 _seqq._; _Rawlinson's Herodotus_,

under Bk. iv. ch. 196.

c. 1330.—"SOFĀLA is situated in the country of the Zenj. According to the

author of the _Kánún_, the inhabitants are Muslim. Ibn Ṡayd says that

their chief means of subsistence are the extraction of gold and of iron,

and that their clothes are of leopard-skin."—_Abulfeda_, Fr. Tr. i. 222.

" "A merchant told me that the town of SOFĀLA is a half month's

march distant from Culua (QUILOA), and that from SOFĀLA to Yūfī (Nūfī)

... is a month's march. From Yūfī they bring gold-dust to SOFĀLA."—_Ibn

Batuta_, ii. 192-3.

1499.—"Coming to Mozambique (_i.e._ Vasco and his squadron on their

return) they did not desire to go in because there was no need, so they

kept their course, and being off the coast of ÇOFALA, the pilots warned

the officers that they should be alert and ready to strike sail, and at

night they should keep their course, with little sail set, and a good

look-out, for just thereabouts there was a river belonging to a place

called ÇOFALA, whence there sometimes issued a tremendous squall, which

tore up trees and carried cattle and all into the sea...."—_Correa,

Lendas_, i. 134-135.

1516.—"... at xviii. leagues from them there is a river, which is not

very large, whereon is a town of the Moors called SOFALA, close to which

town the King of Portugal has a fort. These Moors established themselves

there a long time ago on account of the great trade in gold, which they

carry on with the Gentiles of the mainland."—_Barbosa_, 4.

1523.—"Item—that as regards all the ships and goods of the said Realm of

Urmuz, and its ports and vassals, they shall be secure by land and by

sea, and they shall be as free to navigate where they please as vassals

of the King our lord, save only that they shall not navigate inside the

Strait of Mecca, nor yet to ÇOFFALA and the ports of that coast, as that

is forbidden by the King our lord...."—Treaty of _Dom Duarto de Menezes_,

with the _King of Ormuz_, in _Botelho, Tombo_, 80.

1553.—"Vasco da Gama ... was afraid that there was some gulf running far

inland, from which he would not be able to get out. And this apprehension

made him so careful to keep well from the shore that he passed without

even seeing the town of ÇOFALA, so famous in these parts for the quantity

of gold which the Moors procured there from the Blacks of the country by

trade...."—_Barros_, I. iv. 3.

1572.—

"... Fizemos desta costa algum desvio

Deitando para o pégo toda a armada:

Porque, ventando Noto manso e frio,

Não nos apanhasse a agua da enseada,

Que a costa faz alli daquella banda,

Donde a rica SOFALA o ouro manda."

_Camões_, v. 73.

By Burton:

"off from the coast-line for a spell we stood,

till deep blue water 'neath our kelsons lay;

for frigid Notus, in his fainty mood,

was fain to drive us leewards to the Bay

made in that quarter by the crookèd shore,

whence rich SOFÁLA sendeth golden ore."

1665.—

"Mombaza and Quiloa and Melind,

And SOFALA, thought Ophir, to the realm

Of Congo, and Angola farthest south."

_Paradise Lost_, xi. 399 _seqq._

Milton, it may be noticed, misplaces the accent, reading _Sófala_.

1727.—"Between _Delagoa_ and _Mosambique_ is a dangerous Sea-coast, it

was formerly known by the names of SUFFOLA and _Cuama_, but now by the

_Portuguese_, who know that country best, is called _Sena_."—_A.

Hamilton_, i. 8 [ed. 1744].

SOLA, vulg. SOLAR, s. This is properly Hind. _sholā_, corrupted by the

Bengālī inability to utter the shibboleth, to _solā_, and often again into

_solar_ by English people, led astray by the usual "striving after

meaning." _Sholā_ is the name of the plant _Aeschynomene aspera_, L. (N.O.

_Leguminosae_), and is particularly applied to the light pith of that

plant, from which the light thick Sola TOPEES, or pith hats, are made. The

material is also used to pad the roofs of palankins, as a protection

against the sun's power, and for various minor purposes, _e.g._ for slips

of tinder, for making models, &c. The word, until its wide diffusion within

the last 45 years, was peculiar to the Bengal Presidency. In the Deccan the

thing is called _bhenḍ_, Mahr. _bhenḍa_, and in Tamil _neṭṭi_, ['breaking

with a crackle.'] SOLAR hats are now often advertised in London. [Hats made

of elder pith were used in S. Europe in the early 16th century. In Albert

Dürer's _Diary in the Netherlands_ (1520-21) we find: "Also Tomasin has

given me a plaited hat of elder-pith" (_Mrs. Heaton, Life of Albrecht

Dürer_, 269). Miss Eden, in 1839, speaks of Europeans wearing "broad white

feather hats to keep off the sun" (_Up the Country_, ii. 56). Illustrations

of the various shapes of Sola hats used in Bengal about 1854 will be found

in _Grant, Rural Life in Bengal_, 105 _seq._]

1836.—"I stopped at a fisherman's, to look at the curiously-shaped floats

he used for his very large and heavy fishing-nets; each float was formed

of eight pieces of SHOLĀ, tied together by the ends.... When this light

and spongy pith is wetted, it can be cut into thin layers, which pasted

together are formed into hats; Chinese paper appears to be made of the

same material."—_Wanderings of a Pilgrim_, ii. 100.

1872.—"In a moment the flint gave out a spark of fire, which fell into

the SOLÁ; the sulphur match was applied; and an earthen

lamp...."—_Govinda Samanta_, i. 10.

1878.—"My SOLAR topee (pith hat) was whisked away during the

struggle."—_Life in the Mofussil_, i. 164.

1885.—"I have slipped a pair of galoshes over my ordinary walking-boots;

and, with my SOLAR TOPEE (or sun helmet) on, have ridden through a mile

of deserted streets and thronged bazaars, in a grilling sunshine."—_A

Professional Visit in Persia, St. James's Gazette_, March 9.

[SOMBA, SOMBAY, s. A present. Malay _sambah-an_.

[1614.—"SOMBAY or presents."—_Foster, Letters_, ii. 112.

[1615.—"... concluded rather than pay the great SOMBA of eight hundred

reals."—_Ibid._ iv. 43.]

SOMBRERO, s. Port. _sumbreiro_. In England we now understand by this word a

broad-brimmed hat; but in older writers it is used for an _umbrella_.

SUMMERHEAD is a name in the Bombay Arsenal (as M.-Gen. Keatinge tells me)

for a great umbrella. I make no doubt that it is a corruption (by 'striving

after meaning') of SOMBREIRO, and it is a capital example of HOBSON-JOBSON.

1503.—"And the next day the Captain-Major before daylight embarked armed

with all his people in the boats, and the King (of Cochin) in his boats

which they call _tones_ (see DONEY) ... and in the _tone_ of the King

went his SOMBREIROS, which are made of straw, of a diameter of 4 palms,

mounted on very long canes, some 3 or 4 fathoms in height. These are used

for state ceremonial, showing that the King is there in person, as it

were his pennon or royal banner, for no other lord in his realm may carry

the like."—_Correa_, i. 378.

1516.—"And besides the page I speak of who carries the sword, they take

another page who carries a SOMBREIRO with a stand to shade his master,

and keep the rain off him; and some of these are of silk stuff finely

wrought, with many fringes of gold, and set with stones and seed

pearl...."—_Barbosa_, Lisbon ed. 298.

1553.—"At this time Dom Jorge discerned a great body of men coming

towards where he was standing, and amid them a SOMBREIRO on a lofty

staff, covering the head of a man on horseback, by which token he knew it

to be some noble person. This SOMBREIRO is a fashion in India coming from

China, and among the Chinese no one may use it but a gentleman, for it is

a token of nobility, which we may describe as a one-handed _pallium_

(having regard to those which we use to see carried by four, at the

reception of some great King or Prince on his entrance into a

city)...."—_Barros_, III. x. 9. Then follows a minute description of the

SOMBREIRO or UMBRELLA.

[1599.—"... a great broad SOMBRERO or shadow in their hands to defend

them in the Summer from the Sunne, and in the Winter from the

Raine."—_Hakl._ II. i. 261 (_Stanf. Dict._).

[1602.—In his character of D. Pedro Mascarenhas, the Viceroy, Couto says

he was anxious to change certain habits of the Portuguese in India: "One

of these was to forbid the tall SOMBREIROS for warding off the rain and

sun, to relieve men of the expence of paying those who carried them; he

himself did not have one, but used a woollen umbrella with small cords

(?), which they called for many years _Mascarenhas_. Afterwards finding

the sun intolerable and the rain immoderate, he permitted the use of tall

umbrellas, on the condition that private slaves should bear them, to save

the wages of the Hindus who carry them, and are called BOYS DE SOMBREIRO

(see BOY)."—_Couto_, Dec. VII. Bk. i. ch. 12.]

c. 1630.—"Betwixt towns men usually travel in Chariots drawn by Oxen, but

in Towns upon PALAMKEENS, and with SOMBREROS _de Sol_ over them."—_Sir T.

Herbert_, ed. 1665, p. 46.

1657.—"A costé du cheval il y a un homme qui esvente _Wistnou_, afin

qu'il ne reçoive point d'incommodité soit par les mouches, ou par la

chaleur; et à chaque costé on porte deux ZOMBREIROS, afin que le Soleil

ne luise pas sur luy...."—_Abr. Roger_, Fr. Tr. ed. 1670, p. 223.

1673.—"None but the Emperor have a SUMBRERO among the _Moguls_."—_Fryer_,

36.

1727.—"The _Portuguese_ ladies ... sent to beg the Favour that he would

pick them out some lusty _Dutch_ men to carry their _Palenqueens_ and

SOMERERAS or Umbrellas."—_A. Hamilton_, i. 338; [ed. 1744, i. 340].

1768-71.—"Close behind it, followed the heir-apparent, on foot, under a

SAMBREEL, or sunshade, of state."—_Stavorinus_, E.T. i. 87.

[1845.—"No open umbrellas or SUMMER-HEADS allowed to pass through the

gates."—_Public Notice on Gates of Bombay Town_, in _Douglas, Glimpses of

Old Bombay_, 86.]

SOMBRERO, CHANNEL OF THE, n.p. The channel between the northern part of the

Nicobar group, and the southern part embracing the Great and Little

Nicobar, has had this name since the early Portuguese days. The origin of

the name is given by A. Hamilton below. The indications in C. Federici and

Hamilton are probably not accurate. They do not agree with those given by

Horsburgh.

1566.—"Si passa per il CANALE di Nicubar, ouero per quello DEL SOMBRERO,

li quali son per mezzo l'isola di Sumatra...."—_C. Federici_, in

_Ramusio_, iii. 391.

1727.—"The Islands off this Part of the Coast are the _Nicobars_.... The

northernmost Cluster is low, and are called the _Carnicubars_.... The

middle Cluster is fine champain Ground, and all but one, well inhabited.

They are called the SOMERERA Islands, because on the South End of the

largest Island, is an Hill that resembleth the top of an Umbrella or

SOMERERA."—_A. Hamilton_, ii. 68 [ed. 1744].

1843.—"SOMBRERO CHANNEL, bounded on the north by the Islands of Katchull

and Noncowry, and by Merve or Passage Island on the South side, is very

safe and about seven leagues wide."—_Horsburgh_, ed. 1843, ii. 59-60.

SONAPARANTA, n.p. This is a quasi-classical name, of Indian origin, used by

the Burmese Court in State documents and formal enumerations of the style

of the King, to indicate the central part of his dominions; Skt. _Suvarna_

(Pali _Sona_) _prānta_ (or perhaps _aparānta_), 'golden frontier-land,' or

something like that. There can be little doubt that it is a survival of the

names which gave origin to the _Chrysē_ of the Greeks. And it is notable,

that the same series of titles embraces _Tambadīpa_ ('Copper Island' or

Region) which is also represented by the _Chalcitis_ of Ptolemy. [Also see

J. G. Scott, _Upper Burma Gazetteer_, i. pt. i. 103.]

(Ancient).—"There were two brothers resident in the country called

SUNÁPARANTA, merchants who went to trade with 500 wagons...."—_Legends of

Gotama Buddha_, in _Hardy's Manual of Buddhism_, 259.

1636.—"All comprised within the great districts ... of Tsa-Koo, Tsa-lan,

Laygain, Phoung-len, Kalé, and Thoung-thwot is constituted the Kingdom of

THUNA-PARANTA. All within the great districts of Pagán, Ava, Penya, and

Myen-Zain, is constituted the Kingdom of TAMPADEWA...." (&c.)—From an

_Inscription at the Great Pagoda_ of Khoug-Mhoo-dau, near Ava; from the

_MS. Journal of Major H. Burney_, accompanying a Letter from him, dated

11th September, 1830, in the Foreign Office, Calcutta. Burney adds: "The

Ministers told me that by THUNAPARANTA they mean all the countries to the

northward of Ava, and by TAMPADEWA all to the southward. But this

inscription shows that the Ministers themselves do not exactly understand

what countries are comprised in THUNAPARANTA and TĀMPA-DEWA."

1767.—"The King despotick; of great Merit, of great Power, Lord of the

Countries THONAPRONDAH, TOMPDEVAH, and CAMBOJA, Sovereign of the Kingdom

of BURAGHMAGH (BURMA), the Kingdom of SIAM and Hughen (?), and the

Kingdom of CASSAY."—Letter from the _King of Burma_, in _Dalrymple, Or.

Rep._ i. 106.

1795.—"The Lord of Earth and Air, the Monarch of extensive Countries, the

Sovereign of the Kingdoms of SONAHPARINDÁ, TOMBADEVA ... etc...."—Letter

from _the King_ to _Sir John Shore_, in _Symes_, 487.

1855.—"His great, glorious and most excellent Majesty, who reigns over

the Kingdoms of THUNAPARANTA, TAMPADEEVA, and all the great

umbrella-wearing chiefs of the Eastern countries, the King of the Rising

Sun, Lord of the Celestial Elephants, and Master of many white Elephants,

and great Chief of Righteousness...."—_King's_ Letter to the

_Governor-General_ (Lord Dalhousie), Oct. 2, 1855.

SONTHALS, n.p. Properly _Santāls_, [the name being said to come from a

place called _Saont_, now Silda in Mednipur, where the tribe remained for a

long time (_Dalton, Descr. Eth._ 210-11)]. The name of a non-Aryan people

belonging to the Kolarian class, extensively settled in the hilly country

to the west of the Hoogly R. and to the south of Bhāgalpur, from which they

extended to Balasore at interval, sometimes in considerable masses, but

more generally much scattered. The territory in which they are chiefly

settled is now formed into a separate district called Santāl Parganas, and

sometimes _Santalia_. Their settlement in this tract is, however, quite

modern; they have emigrated thither from the S.W. In Dr. F. Buchanan's

statistical account of Bhāgalpur and its Hill people the Santāls are not

mentioned. The earliest mention of this tribe that we have found is in Mr.

Sutherland's Report on the Hill People, which is printed in the Appendix to

Long. No date is given there, but we learn from Mr. Man's book, quoted

below, that the date is 1817. [The word is, however, much older than this.

Forbes (_Or. Mem._ ii. 374 _seq._) gives an account taken from Lord

Teignmouth of witch tests among the SOONTAAR.

[1798.—"... amongst a wild and unlettered tribe, denominated SOONTAAR,

who have reduced the detection and trial of persons suspected of

witchcraft to a system."—_As. Res._ iv. 359.]

1817.—"For several years many of the industrious tribes called SONTHURS

have established themselves in these forests, and have been clearing and

bringing into cultivation large tracts of lands...."—_Sutherland's

Report_, quoted in _Long_, 569.

1867.—"This system, indicated and proposed by Mr. Eden,[247] was carried

out in its integrity under Mr. George Yule, C.B., by whose able

management, with Messrs. Robinson and Wood as his deputies, the SONTHALS

were raised from misery, dull despair, and deadly hatred of the

government, to a pitch of prosperity which, to my knowledge, has never

been equalled in any other part of India under the British rule. The

Regulation Courts, with their horde of leeches in the shape of badly

paid, and corrupt Amlah (OMLAH) and pettifogging MOOKTEARS, were

abolished, and in their place a Number of active English gentlemen,

termed Assistant Commissioners, and nominated by Mr. Yule, were set down

among the SONTHALS, with a Code of Regulations drawn up by that

gentleman, the pith of which may be summed up as follows:—

"'To have no medium between the SONTHAL and the HAKIM, _i.e._ Assistant

Commissioner.

"'To patiently hear any complaint made by the SONTHAL from his own mouth,

without any written petition or charge whatever, and without any AMLAH or

Court at the time.

"'To carry out all criminal work by the aid of the villagers themselves,

who were to bring in the accused, with the witnesses, to the HAKIM, who

should immediately attend to their statements, and punish them, if found

guilty, according to the tenor of the law.'

"These were some of the most important of the golden rules carried out by

men who recognised the responsibility of their situation; and with an

adored chief, in the shape of Yule, for their ruler, whose firm,

judicious, and gentlemanly conduct made them work with willing hearts,

their endeavours were crowned with a success which far exceeded the

expectations of the most sanguine...."—_Sonthalia and the Sonthals_, by

_E. G. Man_, Barrister-at-Law, &c. Calcutta, 1867, pp. 125-127.

SOODRA, SOODER, s. Skt. _śudra_, [usually derived from root _śuć_, 'to be

afflicted,' but probably of non-Aryan origin]. The (theoretical) Fourth

Caste of the Hindus. In South India, there being no claimants of the 2nd or

3rd classes, the highest castes among the (so-called) _Śudras_ come next

after the Brahmans in social rank, and _śudra_ is a note of respect, not of

the contrary as in Northern India.

1630.—"The third Tribe or Cast, called the SHUDDERIES."—_Lord, Display_,

&c., ch. xii.

1651.—"La quatrième lignée est celle des SOUDRAES; elle est composée du

commun peuple: cette lignée a sous soy beaucoup et diverses familles,

dont une chacune prétend surpasser l'autre...."—_Abr. Roger_, Fr. ed.

1670, p. 8.

[c. 1665.—"The fourth caste is called CHARADOS or SOUDRA."—_Tavernier_,

ed. _Ball_, ii. 184.

[1667.—"... and fourthly, the tribe of SEYDRA, or artisans and

labourers."—_Bernier_, ed. _Constable_, 325.]

1674.—"The ... CHUDRER (these are the Nayres)."—_Faria y Sousa_, ii. 710.

1717.—"The Brahmens and the _Tschuddirers_ are the proper persons to

satisfy your Enquiries."—_Phillips, An Account of the Religion_, &c., 14.

1858.—"Such of the Aborigines as yet remained were formed into a fourth

class, the ÇUDRA, a class which has no rights, but only

duties."—_Whitney, Or. and Ling. Studies_, ii. 6.

1867.—"A Brahman does not stand aloof from a SOUDRA with a keener pride

than a Greek Christian shows towards a Copt."—_Dixon, New America_, 7th

ed. i. 276.

SOOJEE, SOOJY, s. Hind. _sūjī_, [which comes probably from Skt. _śuci_,

'pure']; a word curiously misinterpreted "the coarser part of pounded

wheat") by the usually accurate Shakespear. It is, in fact, the fine flour,

made from the heart of the wheat, used in India to make bread for European

tables. It is prepared by grinding between two millstones which are not in

close contact. [_Sūjī_ "is a granular meal obtained by moistening the grain

overnight, then grinding it. The fine flour passes through a coarse sieve,

leaving the SUJI and bran above. The latter is got rid of by winnowing, and

the round, granular meal or SUJI, composed of the harder pieces of the

grain, remains" (_Watt, Econ. Dict._ VI. pt. iv. 167).] It is the

_semolina_ of Italy. Bread made from this was called in Low Latin

_simella_; Germ. _Semmelbrödchen_, and old English _simnel-cakes_. A kind

of porridge made with _soojee_ is often called _soojee_ simply. (See

ROLONG.)

1810.—"Bread is not made of flour, but of the heart of the wheat, which

is very fine, ground into what is called SOOJY.... SOOJY is frequently

boiled into 'stirabout' for breakfast, and eaten with milk, salt, and

butter; though some of the more zealous may be seen to moisten it with

porter."—_Williamson, V.M._ ii. 135-136.

1878.—"SUJEE flour, ground coarse, and water."—_Life in the Mofussil_, i.

213.

SOORKY, s. Pounded brick used to mix with lime to form a hydraulic mortar.

Hind. from Pers. _surkhī_, 'red-stuff.'

c. 1770.—"The terrace roofs and floors of the rooms are laid with fine

pulverized stones, which they call ZURKEE; these are mixed up with

lime-water, and an inferior kind of molasses, and in a short time grow as

hard and as smooth, as if the whole were one large stone."—_Stavorinus_,

E.T. i. 514.

1777.—"The inquiry verified the information. We found a large group of

miserable objects confined by order of Mr. Mills; some were simply so;

some under sentence from him to beat SALKEY."—_Report of Impey and

others_, quoted in _Stephen's Nuncomar and Impey_, ii. 201.

1784.—"One lack of 9-inch bricks, and about 1400 maunds of

SOORKY."—_Notifn._ in _Seton-Karr_, i. 34; see also ii. 15.

1811.—"The road from Calcutta to Baracpore ... like all the Bengal roads

it is paved with bricks, with a layer of SULKY, or broken bricks over

them."—_Solvyns, Les Hindous_, iii. The word is misused as well as

miswritten here. The substance in question is KHOA (q.v.).

SOORMA, s. Hind. from Pers. _surma_. Sulphuret of antimony, used for the

purpose of darkening the eyes, _kuḥl_ of the Arabs, the _stimmi_ and

_stibium_ of the ancients. With this Jezebel "painted her eyes" (2 _Kings_,

ix. 30; _Jeremiah_, iv. 30 R.V.) "With it, I believe, is often confounded

the sulphuret of lead, which in N. India is called _soormee_ (_ee_ is the

feminine termination in Hindust.), and used as a substitute for the former:

a mistake not of recent occurrence only, as Sprengel says, '_Distinguit

vero Plinius marem a feminâ_'" (_Royle_, on _Ant. of Hindu Medicine_, 100).

[See _Watt, Econ. Dict._ i. 271.]

[1766.—"The powder is called by them SURMA; which they pretend refreshes

and cools the eye, besides exciting its lustre, by the ambient

blackness."—_Grose_, 2nd ed. ii. 142.]

[1829.—"SOORMA, or the oxide of antimony, is found on the western

frontier."—_Tod, Annals_, Calcutta reprint, i. 13.

[1832.—"SULMAH—A prepared permanent black dye, from antimony...."—_Mrs.

Meer Hassan Ali, Observations_, ii. 72.]

SOOSIE, s. Hind. from Pers. _sūsī_. Some kind of silk cloth, but we know

not what kind. [Sir G. Birdwood (_Industr. Arts_, 246) defines _sūsīs_ as

"fine-coloured cloths, made chiefly at Battala and Sialkote, striped in the

direction of the warp with silk, or cotton lines of a different colour, the

cloth being called _dokanni_ [_dokhānī_], 'in two stripes' if the stripe

has two lines, if three, _tinkanni_ [_tīnkhānī_], and so on." In the Punjab

it is 'a striped stuff used for women's trousers. This is made of fine

thread, and is one of the fabrics in which English thread is now largely

used' (_Francis, Mon. on Cotton Manufactures_, 7). A silk fabric of the

same name is made in the N.W.P., where it is classed as a variety of

_chārkhāna_, or check (_Yusuf Ali, Mon. on Silk_, 93). Forbes Watson

(_Textile Manufactures_, 85) speaks of _Sousee_ as chiefly employed for

trousering, being a mixture of cotton and silk. The word seems to derive

its origin from _Susa_, the Biblical _Shushan_, the capital of Susiana or

Elam, and from the time of Darius I. the chief residence of the Achaemenian

kings. There is ample evidence to show that fabrics from Babylon were

largely exported in early times. Such was perhaps the "Babylonish garment"

found at Ai (_Josh._ vii. 21), which the R.V. marg. translates as a "mantle

of Shinar". This a writer in Smith's _Dict. of the Bible_ calls "robes

trimmed with valuable furs, or the skins themselves ornamented with

embroidery" (i. 452). These Babylonian fabrics have been often described

(see _Layard, Nineveh and Babylon_, 537; _Maspero, Dawn of Civ._, 470, 758;

_Encycl. Bibl._ ii. 1286 _seq._; _Frazer, Pausanias_, iii. 545 _seq._). An

early reference to this old trade in costly cloths will be found in the

quotation from the _Periplus_ under CHINA, which has been discussed by Sir

H. Yule (_Introd._ to _Gill, River of Golden Sand_, ed. 1883, p. 88

_seq._). This _Sūsī_ cloth appears in a log of 1746 as SOACIE, and was

known to the Portuguese in 1550 as SOAJES (_J. R. As. Soc._, Jan. 1900, p.

158.)]

[1667.—"... 2 patch of ye finest with what colours you thinke handsome

for my own wear Chockoles and SUSAES."—In _Yule, Hedges' Diary_, Hak.

Soc. ii. cclxii.

[1690.—"It (Suratt) is renown'd ... for SOOSEYS...."—_Ovington_, 218.

[1714-20.—In an inventory of Sir J. Fellowes: "A SUSA

window-curtain."—2nd ser. _N. & Q._ vi. 244.]

1784.—"Four cassimeers of different colours; Patna dimity, and striped

SOOSIES."—In _Seton-Karr_, i. 42.

SOPHY, n.p. The name by which the King of Persia was long known in

Europe—"The _Sophy_," as the Sultan of Turkey was "The Turk" or "Grand

Turk," and the King of Delhi the "Great Mogul." This title represented

_Sūfī_, _Safavī_, or _Safī_, the name of the dynasty which reigned over

Persia for more than two centuries (1449-1722, nominally to 1736). The

first king of the family was Isma'il, claiming descent from 'Ali and the

Imāms, through a long line of persons of saintly reputation at Ardebil. The

surname of Sūfī or Safī assumed by Isma'il is generally supposed to have

been taken from Shaikh Safī-ud-dīn, the first of his more recent ancestors

to become famous, and who belonged to the class of Sūfīs or philosophic

devotees. After Isma'il the most famous of the dynasty was Shāh Abbās

(1585-1629).

c. 1524.—"Susiana, quae est Shushan Palatium illud regni

SOPHII."—_Abraham Peritsol_, in _Hyde, Syntagma Dissertt._ i. 76.

1560.—"De que o SUFI foy contente, e mandou gente em su

ajuda."—_Terceiro_, ch. i.

" "Quae regiones nomine Persiae ei regnantur quem Turcae

_Chislibas_, nos SOPHI vocamus."—_Busbeq. Epist._ iii. (171).

1561.—"The Queenes Maiesties _Letters to the great_ SOPHY _of Persia,

sent by_ M. Anthonie Ienkinson.

"Elizabetha Dei gratia Angliae Franciae et Hiberinae Regina, &c.

Potentissimo et inuictissimo Principi, Magno SOPHI Persarum, Medorum,

Hircanorum, Carmanorum, Margianorum, populorum cis et vltra Tygrim

fluuium, et omnium intra Mare Caspium et Persicum Sinum nationum atque

Gentium Imperatori salutem et rerum prosperarum foelicissimum

incrementum."—In _Hakl._ i. 381.

[1568.—"The King of Persia (whom here we call the great SOPHY) is not

there so called, but is called the Shaugh. It were dangerous to call him

by the name of SOPHY, because that SOPHY in the Persian tongue is a

beggar, and it were as much as to call him The great beggar."—_Geffrey

Ducket_, _ibid._ i. 447.]

1598.—"And all the Kings continued so with the name of Xa, which in

Persia is a King, and Ishmael is a proper name, whereby Xa Ismael, and Xa

Thamas are as much as to say King Ismael, and King Thamas, and of the

Turkes and Rumes are called SUFFY or SOFFY, which signifieth a great

Captaine."—_Linschoten_, ch. xxvii.; [Hak. Soc. i. 173].

1601.—"_Sir Toby._ Why, man, he's a very devil: I have not seen such a

firago....

"They say, he has been fencer to the SOPHY."—_Twelfth Night_, III. iv.

[c. 1610.—"This King or SOPHY, who is called the Great Chaa."—_Pyrard de

Laval_, Hak. Soc. ii. 253.]

1619.—"Alla porta di Sciah SOFÌ, si sonarono nacchere tutto il giorno: ed

insomma tutta la città e tutto il popolo andò in allegrezza, concorrendo

infinita gente alla meschita di Schia SOFÌ, a far _Gratiarum

actionem_."—_P. della Valle_, i. 808.

1626.—

"Were it to bring the Great Turk bound in chains

Through France in triumph, or to couple up

The SOPHY and great Prester-John together;

I would attempt it."

_Beaum. & Fletch., The Noble Gentleman_, v. 1.

c. 1630.—"Ismael at his Coronation proclaim'd himself King of _Persia_ by

the name of _Pot-shaw_ (PADSHAW)-_Ismael_-SOPHY. Whence that word SOPHY

was borrowed is much controverted. Whether it be from the Armenian idiom,

signifying Wooll, of which the Shashes are made that ennobled his new

order. Whether the name was from SOPHY his grandsire, or from the Greek

word _Sophos_ imposed upon _Aydar_ at his conquest of _Trebizond_ by the

Greeks there, I know not. Since then, many have called the Kings of

Persia SOPHY'S: but I see no reason for it; since _Ismael's_ son, grand

and great grandsons Kings of _Persia_ never continued that name, till

this that now reigns, whose name indeed is _Soffee_, but casuall."—_Sir

T. Herbert_, ed. 1638, 286.

1643.—"Y avoit vn Ambassadeur Persien qui auoit esté enuoyé en Europe de

la part du Grand SOPHY Roy de Perse."—_Mocquet, Voyages_, 269.

1665.—

"As when the Tartar from his Russian foe,

By Astracan, over the snowy plains

Retires; or Bactrian SOPHY, from the horns

Of Turkish crescent, leaves all waste beyond

The realm of Aladule, in his retreat

To Tauris or Casbeen...."

_Paradise Lost_, x. 431 _seqq._

1673.—"But the SUFFEE'S Vicar-General is by his Place the Second Person

in the Empire, and always the first Minister of State."—_Fryer_, 338.

1681.—"La quarta parte comprehende el Reyno de Persia, cuyo Señor se

llama en estos tiempos, el Gran SOPHI."—_Martinez, Compendio_, 6.

1711.—"In Consideration of the Company's good Services ... they had half

of the Customs of _Gombroon_ given them, and their successors, by a

Firman from the SOPHI or Emperor."—_Lockyer_, 220.

1727.—"The whole Reign of the last _Sophi_ or King, was managed by such

Vermin, that the _Ballowches_ and _Mackrans_ ... threw off the Yoke of

Obedience first, and in full Bodies fell upon their Neighbours in

_Caramania_."—_A. Hamilton_, i. 108; [ed. 1744, i. 105].

1815.—"The SUFFAVEAN monarchs were revered and deemed holy on account of

their descent from a saint."—_Malcolm, H. of Pers._ ii. 427.

1828.—"It is thy happy destiny to follow in the train of that brilliant

star whose light shall shed a lustre on Persia, unknown since the days of

the earlier SOOFEES."—_J. B. Fraser, The Kuzzilbash_, i. 192.

SOUBA, SOOBAH, s. Hind. from Pers. _ṣūba_. A large Division or Province of

the Mogul Empire (_e.g._ the _Ṣūbah_ of the Deccan, the _Ṣūbah_ of Bengal).

The word is also frequently used as short for _Sūbadār_ (see SOUBADAR),

'the Viceroy' (over a _ṣūba_). It is also "among the Maraṭhas sometimes

applied to a smaller division comprising from 5 to 8 _ṭarafs_" (_Wilson_).

c. 1594.—"In the fortieth year of his majesty's reign, his dominions

consisted of 105 SIRCARS.... The empire was then parcelled into 12 grand

divisions, and each was committed to the government of a SOOBADAR ...

upon which occasion the Sovereign of the world distributed 12 Lacks of

beetle. The names of the SOOBAHS were Allahabad, Agra, Owdh, Ajmeer,

Ahmedabad, Bahar, Bengal, Dehly, Cabul, Lahoor, Multan, and Malwa: when

his majesty conquered Berar, Khandeess, and Ahmednagur, they were formed

into three SOOBAHS, increasing the number to 15."—_Ayeen_, ed. _Gladwin_,

ii. 1-5; [ed. _Jarrett_, ii. 115].

1753.—"Princes of this rank are called SUBAHS. _Nizam al muluck_ was

SUBAH of the _Decan_ (or Southern) provinces.... The Nabobs of

_Condanore_, _Cudapah_, _Carnatica_, _Yalore_, &c., the Kings of

_Tritchinopoly_, _Mysore_, _Tanjore_, are subject to this SUBAH-ship.

Here is a subject ruling a larger empire than any in Europe, excepting

that of the Muscovite."—_Orme, Fragments_, 398-399.

1760.—"Those Emirs or Nabobs, who govern great Provinces, are stiled

SUBAHS, which imports the same as Lord-Lieutenants or

Vice-Roys."—_Memoirs of the Revolution in Bengal_, p. 6.

1763.—"From the word SOUBAH, signifying a province, the Viceroy of this

vast territory (the Deccan) is called SOUBAHDAR, and by the Europeans

improperly SOUBAH."—_Orme_, i. 35.

1765.—"Let us have done with this ringing of changes upon SOUBAHS;

there's no end to it. Let us boldly dare to be SOUBAH

ourselves...."—_Holwell, Hist. Events_, &c., i. 183.

1783.—"They broke their treaty with him, in which they stipulated to pay

400,000_l._ a year to the SUBAH of Bengal."—_Burke's Speech on Fox's

India Bill, Works_, iii. 468.

1804.—"It is impossible for persons to have behaved in a more shuffling

manner than the SOUBAH'S servants have...."—_Wellington_, ed. 1837, iii.

11.

1809.—"These (pillars) had been removed from a sacred building by

Monsieur Dupleix, when he assumed the rank of SOUBAH."—_Lord Valentia_,

i. 373.

1823.—"The Delhi Sovereigns whose vast empire was divided into SOUBAHS,

or Governments, each of which was ruled by a SOUBAHDAR or

Viceroy."—_Malcolm, Cent. India_, i. 2.

SOUBADAR, SUBADAR, s. Hind. from Pers. _ṣūbadār_, 'one holding a _ṣūba_'

(see SOUBA).

A. The Viceroy, or Governor of a _ṣūba_.

B. A local commandant or chief officer.

C. The chief native officer of a company of Sepoys; under the original

constitution of such companies, its actual captain.

A. See SOUBA.

B.—

1673.—"The SUBIDAR of the Town being a Person of Quality ... he (the

Ambassador) thought good to give him a Visit."—_Fryer_, 77.

1805.—"The first thing that the SUBIDAR of Vire Rajendra Pettah did, to

my utter astonishment, was to come up and give me such a shake by the

hand, as would have done credit to a Scotsman."—Letter in _Leyden's

Life_, 49.

C.—

1747.—"14th September.... Read the former from Tellicherry adviseing that

... in a day or two they shall despatch another SUBIDAR with 129 more

Sepoys to our assistance."—MS. _Consultations at Fort St. David_, in

_India Office_.

1760.—"One was the SUBAHDAR, equivalent to the Captain of a

Company."—_Orme_, iii. 610.

c. 1785.—"... the SUBAHDARS or commanding officers of the black

troops."—_Carraccioli, L. of Clive_, iii. 174.

1787.—"A Troop of Native Cavalry on the present Establishment consists of

1 European Subaltern, 1 European Serjeant, 1 SUBIDAR, 3 JEMADARS, 4

HAVILDARS, 4 Naiques (NAIK), 1 Trumpeter, 1 Farrier, and 68

Privates."—_Regns. for the Hon. Comp.'s Black Troops on the Coast of

Coromandel_, &c., p. 6.

[SOUDAGUR, s. P.—H. _saudāgar_, Pers. _saudā_, 'goods for sale'; a

merchant, trader; now very often applied to those who sell European goods

in civil stations and cantonments.

[1608.—"... and kill the merchants (SODAGARES mercadores)."—_Livras das

Moncoẽs_, i. 183.

[c. 1809.—"The term SOUDAGUR, which implies merely a principal merchant,

is here (Behar) usually given to those who keep what the English of India

call EUROPE shops; that is, shops where all sorts of goods imported from

Europe, and chiefly consumed by Europeans, are retailed."—_Buchanan,

Eastern India_, i. 375.

[c. 1817.—"This sahib was a very rich man, a SOUDAGUR...."—_Mrs.

Sherwood, Last Days of Boosy_, 84.]

SOURSOP, s.

A. The fruit _Anona muricata_, L., a variety of the CUSTARD APPLE. This

kind is not well known on the Bengal side of India, but it is completely

naturalised at Bombay. The terms _soursop_ and _sweetsop_ are, we believe,

West Indian.

B. In a note to the passage quoted below, Grainger identifies the _soursop_

with the _suirsack_ of the Dutch. But in this, at least as regards use in

the East Indies, there is some mistake. The latter term, in old Dutch

writers on the East, seems always to apply to the Common JACK fruit, the

'sourjack,' in fact, as distinguished from the superior kinds, especially

the _champada_ of the Malay Archipelago.

A.—

1764.—

"... a neighbouring hill

Which Nature to the SOURSOP had resigned."

_Grainger_, Bk. 2.

B.—

1659.—"There is another kind of tree (in Ceylon) which they call SURSACK

... which has leaves like a laurel, and bears its fruit, not like other

trees on twigs from the branches, but on the trunk itself...."

&c.—_Saar_, ed. 1672, p. 84.

1661.—Walter Schulz says that the famous fruit Jaka was called by the

Netherlanders in the Indies SOORSACK.—p. 236.

1675.—"The whole is planted for the most part with coco-palms, mangoes,

and SUURSACKS."—_Ryklof van Goens_, in _Valentijn, Ceylon_, 223.

1768-71.—"The SURSAK-tree has a fruit of a similar kind with the durioon

(DURIAN), but it is not accompanied by such a fetid smell."—_Stavorinus_,

E.T. i. 236.

1778.—"The one which yields smaller fruit, without seed, I found at

Columbo, Gale, and several other places. The name by which it is properly

known here is the _Maldivian_ SOUR SACK, and its use here is less

universal than that of the other sort, which ... weighs 30 or 40

lbs."—_Thunberg_, E.T. iv. 255.

[1833.—"Of the eatable fruited kinds above referred to, the most

remarkable are the SWEETSOP, SOUR SOP, and cherimoyer...."—_Penny Cycl._

ii. 54.]

SOWAR, SUWAR, s. Pers. _sawār_, 'a horseman.' A native cavalry soldier; a

mounted orderly. In the Greek provinces in Turkey, the word is familiar in

the form σουβάρις, pl. σουβαρίδες, for a mounted gendarme. [The regulations

for _suwārs_ in the Mogul armies are given by _Blochmann_, _Āīn_, i. 244

_seq._]

1824-5.—"... The SOWARS who accompanied him."—_Heber_, Orig. i. 404.

1827.—"Hartley had therefore no resource save to keep his eye steadily

fixed on the lighted match of the SOWAR ... who rode before him."—_Sir W.

Scott, The Surgeon's Daughter_, ch. xiii.

[1830.—"... Meerza, an ASSWAR well known on the Collector's

establishment."—_Or. Sport. Mag._ reprint 1873, i. 390.]

SOWAR, SHOOTER-, s. Hind. from Pers. _shutur-sawār_, the rider of a

dromedary or swift camel. Such riders are attached to the establishment of

the Viceroy on the march, and of other high officials in Upper India. The

word _sowar_ is quite misused by the Great Duke in the passage below, for a

camel-_driver_, a sense it never has. The word written, or intended, may

however have been SURWAUN (q.v.)

[1815.—"As we approached the camp his oont-SURWARS (camel-riders) went

ahead of us."—_Journal, Marquess of Hastings_, i. 337.]

1834.—"I ... found a fresh horse at Sufter Jung's tomb, and at the Kutub

(COOTUB) a couple of riding camels and an attendant SHUTUR SUWAR."—_Mem.

of Col. Mountain_, 129.

[1837.—"There are twenty SHOOTER SUWARS (I have not an idea how I ought

to spell those words), but they are native soldiers mounted on swift

camels, very much _trapped_, and two of them always ride before our

carriage."—_Miss Eden, Up the Country_, i. 31.]

1840.—"Sent a SHUTA SARWAR (camel driver) off with an express to

Simla."—_Osborne, Court and Camp of Runj. Singh_, 179.

1842.—"At Peshawur, it appears by the papers I read last night, that they

have camels, but no SOWARS, or drivers."—Letter of _D. of Wellington_, in

_Indian Administration of Ld. Ellenborough_, 228.

1857.—"I have given general notice of the SHUTUR SOWAR going into Meerut

to all the Meerut men."—_H. Greathed's Letters during Siege of Delhi_,

42.

SOWARRY, SUWARREE, s. Hind. from Pers. _sawārī_. A cavalcade, a cortège of

mounted attendants.

1803.—"They must have tents, elephants, and other SEWARY; and must have

with them a sufficient body of troops to guard their persons."—_A.

Wellesley_, in _Life of Munro_, i. 346.

1809.—"He had no SAWARRY."—_Ld. Valentia_, i. 388.

1814.—"I was often reprimanded by the Zemindars and native officers, for

leaving the SUWARREE, or state attendants, at the outer gate of the city,

when I took my evening excursion."—_Forbes, Or. Mem._ iii. 420; [2nd ed.

ii. 372].

[1826.—"The 'ASWARY,' or suite of Trimbuckje, arrived at the

palace."—_Pandurang Hari_, ed. 1873, i. 119.]

1827.—"Orders were given that on the next day all should be in readiness

for the SOWARREE, a grand procession, when the Prince was to receive the

Begum as an honoured guest."—_Sir Walter Scott, The Surgeon's Daughter_,

ch. xiv.

c. 1831.—"Je tâcherai d'éviter toute la poussière de ces immenses

SOWARRIS."—_Jacquemont, Corresp._ ii. 121.

[1837.—"The Raja of Benares came with a very magnificent SURWARREE of

elephants and camels."—_Miss Eden, Up the Country_, i. 35.]

SOWARRY CAMEL, s. A swift or riding camel. See SOWAR, SHOOTER-.

1835.—"'I am told you dress a camel beautifully,' said the young

Princess, 'and I was anxious to ... ask you to instruct my people how to

attire a SAWĀRĪ CAMEL.' This was flattering me on a very weak point:

there is but one thing in the world that I perfectly understand, and that

is how to dress a camel."—_Wanderings of a Pilgrim_, ii. 36.

SOWCAR, s. Hind. _sāhūkār_; alleged to be from Skt. _sādhu_, 'right,' with

the Hind. affix _kār_, 'doer'; Guj. Mahr. _sāvakār_. A native banker;

corresponding to the CHETTY of S. India.

1803.—"You should not confine your dealings to one SOUCAR. Open a

communication with every SOUCAR in Poonah, and take money from any man

who will give it you for bills."—_Wellington, Desp._, ed. 1837, ii. 1.

1826.—"We were also SAHOUKARS, and granted bills of exchange upon Bombay

and Madras, and we advanced moneys upon interest."—_Pandurang Hari_, 174;

[ed. 1873, i. 251].

[In the following the word is confounded with SOWAR:

[1877.—"It was the habit of the SOWARS, as the goldsmiths are called, to

bear their wealth upon their persons."—_Mrs. Guthrie, My Year in an

Indian Fort_, i. 294.]

SOY, s. A kind of condiment once popular. The word is Japanese _si-yau_ (a

young Japanese fellow-passenger gave the pronunciation clearly as

_sho-yu_.—A. B.), Chin. _shi-yu_. [Mr. Platts (9 ser. _N. & Q._ iv. 475)

points out that in Japanese as written with the native character _soy_

would not be _siyau_, but _siyau-yu_; in the Romanised Japanese this is

simplified to _shoyu_ (colloquially this is still further reduced, by

dropping the final vowel, to _shoy_ or _soy_). Of this monosyllable only

the _so_ represents the classical _siyau_; the final consonant (_y_) is a

relic of the termination _yu_. The Japanese word is itself derived from the

Chinese, which at Shanghai is _sze-yu_, at Amoy, _si-iu_, at Canton,

_shi-yau_, of which the first element means 'salted beans,' or other

fruits, dried and used as condiments; the second element merely means

'oil.'] It is made from the beans of a plant common in the Himālaya and E.

Asia, and much cultivated, viz. _Glycine Soja_, Sieb. and Zucc. (_Soya

hispida_, Moench.), boiled down and fermented. [In India the bean is eaten

in places where it is cultivated, as in Chutia Nāgpur (_Watt, Econ. Dict._

iii. 510 _seq._)]

1679.—"... Mango and SAIO, two sorts of sauces brought from the East

Indies."—_Journal of John Locke_, in _Ld. King's Life of L._, i. 249.

1688.—"I have been told that SOY is made with a fishy composition, and it

seems most likely by the Taste; tho' a Gentleman of my Acquaintance who

was very intimate with one that sailed often from Tonquin to Japan, from

whence the true _Soy_ comes, told me that it was made only with Wheat and

a sort of Beans mixt with Water and Salt."—_Dampier_, ii. 28.

1690.—"... SOUY, the choicest of all Sawces."—_Ovington_, 397.

1712.—"Hoc legumen in coquinâ Japonicâ utramque replet paginam; ex eo

namque conficitur: tum puls _Miso_ dicta, quae ferculis pro consistentiâ,

et butyri loco additur, butyrum enim hôc coelô res ignota est; tum SOOJU

dictum embamma, quod nisi ferculis, certè frictis et assatis omnibus

affunditur."—_Kaempfer, Amoen. Exot._ p. 839.

1776.—An elaborate account of the preparation of Soy is given by

_Thunberg, Travels_, E.T. iv. 121-122; and more briefly by Kaempfer on

the page quoted above.

[1900.—"Mushrooms shred into small pieces, flavoured with _shoyu_"

(SOY).—_Mrs. Frazer, A Diplomatist's Wife in Japan_, i. 238.]

SPIN, s. An unmarried lady; popular abbreviation of 'Spinster.' [The Port.

equivalent _soltera_ (_soltiera_) was used in a derogatory sense (_Gray_,

note on _Pyrard de Laval_, Hak. Soc. ii. 128).]

SPONGE-CAKE, s. This well-known form of cake is called throughout Italy

_pane di Spagna_, a fact that suggested to us the possibility that the

English name is really a corruption of _Spanish-cake_. The name in Japan

tends to confirm this, and must be our excuse for introducing the term

here.

1880.—"There is a cake called _kasateira_ resembling SPONGE-CAKE.... It

is said to have been introduced by the Spaniards, and that its name is a

corruption of _Castilla_."—_Miss Bird's Japan_, i. 235.

SPOTTED-DEER, s. _Axis maculatus_ of Gray; [_Cervus axis_ of Blanford

(_Mammalia_, 546)]; Hind. _chītal_, Skt. _chitra_, 'spotted.'

1673.—"The same Night we travelled easily to Megatana, using our

Fowling-Pieces all the way, being here presented with Rich Game, as

Peacocks, Doves, and Pigeons, _Chitrels_, or SPOTTED DEER."—_Fryer_, 71.

[1677.—"SPOTTED DEARE we shall send home, some by y^e Europe ships, if

they touch here."—_Forrest, Bombay Letters_, i. 140.]

1679.—"There being conveniency in this place for ye breeding up of

SPOTTED DEER, which the Hon'ble Company doe every yeare order to be sent

home for His Majesty, it is ordered that care be taken to breed them up

in this Factory (Madapollam), to be sent home accordingly."—_Ft. St.

George Council_ (on Tour), 16th April, in _Notes and Exts., Madras_,

1871.

1682.—"This is a fine pleasant situation, full of great shady trees, most

of them _Tamarins_, well stored with peacocks and SPOTTED DEER like our

fallow-deer."—_Hedges, Diary_, Oct. 16; [Hak. Soc. i. 39].

SQUEEZE, s. This is used in Anglo-Chinese talk for an illegal exaction. It

is, we suppose, the translation of a Chinese expression. It corresponds to

the _malatolta_ of the Middle Ages, and to many other slang phrases in many

tongues.

1882.—"If the licence (of the Hong merchants) ... was costly, it secured

to them uninterrupted and extraordinary pecuniary advantages; but on the

other hand it subjected them to 'calls' or 'SQUEEZES' for contributions

to public works, ... for the relief of districts suffering from scarcity

... as well as for the often imaginary ... damage caused by the

overflowing of the 'Yangtse Keang' or the 'Yellow River.'"—_The Fankwae

at Canton_, p. 36.

STATION, s. A word of constant recurrence in Anglo-Indian colloquial. It is

the usual designation of the place where the English officials of a

district, or the officers of a garrison (not in a fortress) reside. Also

the aggregate society of such a place.

[1832.—"The nobles and gentlemen are frequently invited to witness a

'STATION ball.'..."—_Mrs. Meer Hassan Ali, Observations_, i. 196.]

1866.—

"And if I told how much I ate at one Mofussil STATION,

I'm sure 'twould cause at home a most extraordinary sensation."

_Trevelyan, The Dawk Bungalow_, in _Fraser_, lxxiii. p. 391.

" "Who asked the STATION to dinner, and allowed only one glass of

SIMKIN to each guest."—_Ibid._ 231.

STEVEDORE, s. One employed to stow the cargo of a ship and to unload it.

The verb _estivar_ [Lat. _stipare_] is used both in Sp. and Port. in the

sense of stowing cargo, implying originally to pack close, as to press

wool. _Estivador_ in the sense of a wool-packer only is given in the Sp.

Dictionaries, but no doubt has been used in every sense of _estivar_. See

_Skeat_, s.v.

STICK-INSECT, s. The name commonly applied to certain orthopterous insects,

of the family _Phasmidae_, which have the strongest possible resemblance to

dry twigs or pieces of stick, sometimes 6 or 7 inches in length.

1754.—"The other remarkable animal which I met with at _Cuddalore_ was

the ANIMATED STALK, of which there are different kinds. Some appear like

dried straws tied together, others like grass...."—_Ives_, 20.

1860.—"The STICK-INSECT.—The _Phasmidae_ or spectres ... present as close

a resemblance to small branches, or leafless twigs, as their congeners do

to green leaves...."—_Tennent, Ceylon_, i. 252.

[STICKLAC, s. LAC encrusted on sticks, which in this form is collected in

the jungles of Central India.

[1880.—"Where, however, there is a regular trade in STICK-LAC, the

propagation of the insect is systematically carried on by those who wish

for a certain and abundant crop."—_Ball, Jungle Life_, 308.]

STINK-WOOD, s. _Foetidia Mauritiana_, Lam., a myrtaceous plant of

Mauritius, called there _Bois puant_. "At the Carnival in Goa, one of the

sports is to drop bits of this STINK-WOOD into the pockets of respectable

persons."—_Birdwood_ (MS.).

STRIDHANA, STREEDHANA, s. Skt. _stri-dhana_, 'women's property.' A term of

Hindu Law, applied to certain property belonging to a woman, which follows

a law of succession different from that which regulates other property. The

term is first to be found in the works of Jones and Colebrooke (1790-1800),

but has recently been introduced into European scientific treatises. [See

Mayne, _Hindu Law_, 541 _seqq._]

1875.—"The settled property of a married woman ... is well known to the

Hindoos under the name of STRIDHAN."—_Maine, Early Institutions_, 321.

STUPA. See TOPE.

SUÁKIN, n.p. This name, and the melancholy victories in its vicinity, are

too familiar now to need explanation. Arab. _Sawákin_.

c. 1331.—"This very day we arrived at the island of SAWĀKIN. It is about

6 miles from the mainland, and has neither drinkable water, nor corn, nor

trees. Water is brought in boats, and there are cisterns to collect rain

water...."—_Ibn Batuta_, ii. 161-2.

1526.—"The Preste continued speaking with our people, and said to Don

Rodrigo that he would have great pleasure and complete contentment, if he

saw a fort of ours erected in Macuha, or in ÇUAQUEM, or in

Zyla."—_Correa_, iii. 42; [see _Dalboquerque, Comm._ ii. 229].

[c. 1590.—"... thence it (the sea) washes both Persia and Ethiopia where

are Dahlak and SUAKIN, and is called (the Gulf of) Omán and the Persian

Sea."—_Āīn_, ed. _Jarrett_, ii. 121.]

SUCKER-BUCKER, n.p. A name often given in N. India to Upper Sind, from two

neighbouring places, viz., the town of _Sakhar_ on the right bank of the

Indus, and the island fortress of _Bakkar_ or _Bhakkar_ in the river. An

alternative name is _Roree-Bucker_, from _Rohrī_, a town opposite Bakkar,

on the left bank, the name of which is probably a relic of the ancient town

of _Arōr_ or _Alōr_, though the site has been changed since the Indus

adopted its present bed. [See _McCrindle, Invasion of India_, 352 _seqq._]

c. 1333.—"I passed 5 days at Lāharī ... and quitted it to proceed to

BAKĀR. They thus call a fine town through which flows a canal derived

from the river Sind."—_Ibn Batuta_, iii. 114-115.

1521.—Shah Beg "then took his departure for BHAKKAR, and after several

days' marching arrived at the plain surrounding SAKHAR."—_Turkhān Nāma_,

in _Elliot_, i. 311.

1554.—"After a thousand sufferings we arrived at the end of some days'

journey, at Siāwan (_Sehwan_), and then, passing by Patara and Darilja,

we entered the fortress of BAKR."—_Sidi 'Ali_, p. 136.

[c. 1590.—"BHAKKAR (Bhukkar) is a notable fortress; in ancient chronicles

it is called Mamṣúrah."—_Āīn_, ed. _Jarrett_, ii. 327.]

1616.—"BUCKOR, the Chiefe Citie, is called BUCKOR SUCCOR."—_Terry_, [ed.

1777, p. 75].

1753.—"Vient ensuite BUKOR, ou comme il est écrit dans la Géographie

Turque, PEKER, ville située sur une colline, entre deux bras de l'Indus,

qui en font une île ... la géographie ... ajoute que _Louhri_ (_i.e._

Rori) est une autre ville située vis-à-vis de cette île du côté

meridional, et que SEKAR, autrement SUKOR, est en même position du còté

septentrional."—_D'Anville_, p. 37.

SUCKET, s. Old English. Wright explains the word as 'dried sweetmeats or

sugar-plums.' Does it not in the quotations rather mean _loaf-sugar_?

[Palmer (_Folk Etymol._ 378) says that the original meaning was a 'slice of

melon or gourd,' Ital. _zuccata_, 'a kind of meat made of Pumpions or

Gourdes' (Florio) from _zucca_, 'a gourd or pumpkin,' which is a shortened

form of _cucuzza_, a corruption of Lat. _cucurbita_ (_Diez_). This is

perhaps the same word which appears in the quotation from Linschoten below,

where the editor suggests that it is derived from Mahr. _sukaṭa_, 'slightly

dried, desiccated,' and Sir H. Yule suggests a corruption of H. _sonṭh_,

'dried ginger.']

[1537.—"... packed in a fraile, two little barrels of

SUCKAT...."—_Letters and Papers of the Reign of Henry VIII._ xii. pt. i.

451.]

1584.—"White SUCKET from Zindi" (_i.e._ Sind) "Cambaia, and

China."—_Barret_, in _Hakl._ ii. 412.

[1598.—"Ginger by the Arabians, Persians and Turkes is called Gengibil

(see GINGER), in Gusurate, Decan, and Bengala, when it is fresh and green

Adrac, and when dried SUKTE."—_Linschoten_, Hak. Soc. ii. 79.]

c. 1620-30.—

"... For this,

This Candy wine, three merchants were undone;

These SUCKETS brake as many more."

_Beaum. and Fletch., The Little French Lawyer_, i. 1.

SUCLÁT, SACKCLOTH, &c., s. Pers. _saḳallāṭ_, _saḳallaṭ_, _saḳlaṭīn_,

_saḳlāṭūn_, applied to certain woollen stuffs, and particularly now to

European broadcloth. It is sometimes defined as _scarlet_ broad cloth; but

though this colour is frequent, it does not seem to be essential to the

name. [_Scarlet_ was the name of a material long before it denoted a

colour. In the Liberate Roll of 14 Hen. III. (1230, quoted in _N. & Q._ 8

ser. i. 129) we read of _sanguine scarlet_, brown, red, white and scarlet

_coloris de Marble_.] It has, however, been supposed that our word

_scarlet_ comes from some form of the present word (see _Skeat_, s.v.

_Scarlet_).[248] But the fact that the Arab. dictionaries give a form

_saḳirlāṭ_ must not be trusted to. It is a modern form, probably taken from

the European word, [as according to Skeat, the Turkish _iskerlat_ is merely

borrowed from the Ital. _scarlatto_].

The word is found in the medieval literature of Europe in the form

_siclatoun_, a term which has been the subject of controversy both as to

etymology and to exact meaning (see _Marco Polo_, Bk. i. ch. 58, _notes_).

Among the conjectures as to etymology are a derivation from Ar. _ṣaḳl_,

'polishing' (see SICLEEGUR); from Sicily (Ar. _Ṣiḳiliya_); and from the

Lat. _cyclas_, _cycladatus_. In the Arabic _Vocabulista_ of the 13th

century (Florence, 1871), SIḲLAṬŪN is translated by _ciclas_. The

conclusion come to in the note on _Marco Polo_, based, partly but not

entirely, on the modern meaning of _saḳallāṭ_, was that _saḳlāṭūn_ was

probably a light woollen texture. But Dozy and De Jong give it as _étoffe

de_ soie, _brochée d'or_, and the passage from Edrisi supports this

undoubtedly. To the north of India the name _suklāt_ is given to a stuff

imported from the borders of China.

1040.—"The robes were then brought, consisting of valuable frocks of

SAKLÁTÚN of various colours...."—_Baihaki_, in _Elliot_, ii. 148.

c. 1150.—"Almeria (_Almarīa_) was a Musulman city at the time of the

Moravidae. It was then a place of great industry, and reckoned, among

others, 800 silk looms, where they manufactured costly robes, brocades,

the stuffs known as SAḲLĀṬŪN _Isfahānī_ ... and various other silk

tissues."—_Edrisi_ (Joubert), ii. 40.

c. 1220.—"Tabrīz. The chief city of Azarbaijān.... They make there the

stuffs called _'attābī_ (see TABBY), SIḲLĀṬŪN, _Khiṭābī_, fine satins and

other textures which are exported everywhere."—_Yāḳūt_, in _Barbier de

Meynard_, i. 133.

c. 1370?—

"His heer, his berd, was lyk saffroun

That to his girdel raughte adoun

Hise shoos of Cordewane,

Of Brugges were his hosen broun

His Robe was of SYKLATOUN

That coste many a Jane."

_Chaucer, Sir Thopas_, 4 (_Furnival_, Ellesmere Text).

c. 1590.—"SUḲLĀṬ-_i-Rūmī o Farangī o Purtagālī_"

(Broadcloth of Turkey, of Europe, and of Portugal)....—_Āīn_ (orig.) i.

110. Blochmann renders '_Scarlet_ Broadcloth' (see above). [The same

word, _suḳlāṭī_, is used later on of 'woollen stuffs' made in Kashmīr

(_Jarrett, Āīn_, ii. 355).]

1673.—"_Suffahaun_ is already full of London Cloath, or SACKCLOATH

_Londre_, as they call it."—_Fryer_, 224.

" "His Hose of London SACKCLOTH of any Colour."—_Ibid._ 391.

[1840.—"... his simple dress of SOOKLAAT and flat black woollen

cap...."—_Lloyd, Gerard, Narr._ i. 167.]

1854.—"List of Chinese articles brought to India.... SUKLAT, a kind of

camlet made of camel's hair."—_Cunningham's Ladak_, 242.

1862.—"In this season travellers wear garments of sheep-skin with

sleeves, the fleecy side inwards, and the exterior covered with SOOKLAT,

or blanket."—_Punjab Trade Report_, 57.

" "BROADCLOTH (Europe), ('SUKLAT,' 'Mahoot')."—_Ibid._ _App._ p.

ccxxx.

SUDDEN DEATH. Anglo-Indian slang for a fowl served as a spatchcock, the

standing dish at a dawk-bungalow in former days. The bird was caught in the

yard, as the traveller entered, and was on the table by the time he had

bathed and dressed.

[c. 1848.—"'SUDDEN DEATH' means a young chicken about a month old,

caught, killed, and grilled at the shortest notice."—_Berncastle, Voyage

to China_, i. 193.]

SUDDER, adj., but used as s. Literally 'chief,' being Ar. _ṣadr_. This term

had a technical application under Mahommedan rule to a chief Judge, as in

the example quoted below. The use of the word seems to be almost confined

to the Bengal Presidency. Its principal applications are the following:

A. SUDDER BOARD. This is the 'Board of Revenue,' of which there is one at

Calcutta, and one in the N.W. Provinces at Allahabad. There is a Board of

Revenue at Madras, but not called 'SUDDER Board' there.

B. SUDDER COURT, _i.e._ 'Sudder ADAWLUT' (_ṣadr 'adālat_). This was till

1862, in Calcutta and in the N.W.P., the chief court of appeal from the

MOFUSSIL or District Courts, the Judges being members of the Bengal Civil

Service. In the year named the Calcutta Sudder Court was amalgamated with

the Supreme Court (in which English Law had been administered by English

Barrister-Judges), the amalgamated Court being entitled the _High Court of

Judiciary_. A similar Court also superseded the Sudder Adawlut in the

N.W.P.

C. SUDDER AMEEN, _i.e._ chief AMEEN (q.v.). This was the designation of the

second class of native Judge in the classification which was superseded in

Bengal by Act XVI. of 1868, in Bombay by Act XIV. of 1869, and in Madras by