by Dean King
S
sabretache A leather satchel suspended by long straps from the left side of a cavalry officer’s sword-belt. A flat leather saddlebag.
saddle-bow The arched front part of a saddle.
Saffron Walden A market town in northwest Essex, England. The name comes from the purple-flowered crocus, or saffron (Crocus sativus), which was at one time an important crop in this town, its stamens being the source of the yellow-orange dye and food flavoring also called saffron.
sagittal suture The front-to-back line of union in the top center of the skull, between the two parietal bones.
sago An edible starch prepared from the pith of the trunks of several genera of palms; a food thickener made by boiling sago in water or milk. Also, the sago palm tree, native to the Indonesian Archipelago, from which sago is obtained.
sagoon or seconde In fencing, the second of the eight parries recognized in sword-play.
sahib A respectful title used by the natives of India in addressing a Westerner, roughly equivalent to “sir.” In native use, a Westerner. Also, a title affixed to the name or office of a Westerner and to Indian and Bangladeshi titles and names.
sail or steer large See LARGE.
St. Anthony Among the several saints of this name, the ascetic St. Anthony of the Desert (250-356) was known for his modesty and courtesy.
St. Augustine (A.D. 354-430) One of the greatest early scholars of Christianity, he was from Numidia (today Algeria). Because of his extensive Christian writing, he is considered one of the Fathers of the Church.
St. Brendan (A.D. 484-578) Also known as Brendan the Voyager, he was the Abbot of Ardfert in County Kerry, Ireland. Brendan established many monasteries in Scotland and Ireland, including one at Clonfert in the year 561. The medieval legend Navigatio Brendani was based on his voyage to the promised land of saints on western islands (Maturin’s “Islands of the Blessed”), which lasted eight years beginning in 565.
St. Elmo A corruption of the name of Saint Erasmus, an Italian bishop who was martyred in 303. His executioners cut open his stomach and wound out his intestines on a windlass, which resembled a ship’s CAPSTAN. He became the patron saint of Mediterranean sailors. See also ST. ELMO’S FIRE.
St. Elmo’s Fire A light that occurs when low-intensity atmospheric electricity induces an electrical discharge on the MASTHEADS and ends of the YARDARMs of a ship. The light was observed with awe and looked upon by sailors variously as a good or bad omen. Also called corposant. See also SAINT ELMO.
Saintes, Battle of the The last major sea battle of the American Revolutionary War. Fought on April 12, 1782, by Sir George RODNEY with 36 SHIPS OF THE LINE and Vice Admiral Comte de Grasse with 30, in the Saintes passage near the lies des Saintes, between Guadeloupe and Dominica in the WEST INDIES. Breaking the line of battle, a bold and innovative tactic at that time, the British captured five ships, including de Grasse’s FLAGSHIP Ville de Paris. This decisive British victory helped to restore the Royal Navy’s prestige after a series of defeats and led to the restoration of Britain’s possessions in the West Indies in the Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783.
St. Helena A small island in the South Atlantic, more than a thousand miles from the coast of Africa, discovered by the Portuguese in 1502. The British EAST INDIA COMPANY established a base there in 1659, and in 1673 the island became a British possession. The British government exiled Napoleon after his defeat and abdication in 1815 to this remote island. He was taken there in H.M.S. Northumberland and stayed until his death in 1821.
St. Helen’s Village on the Isle of WIGHT at the entrance to SPITHEAD.
St. Ignatius’s bean The poisonous seed of Strychnos ignatii, which contains strychnine. It was occasionally used in strengthening tonics.
St. James’s Park Located near WHITEHALL, this 90-acre expanse of trees and greenery, with a pond—the oldest of London’s royal parks—was named for the now-defunct St. James Hospital for female lepers. Before Henry VIII converted it into a bowling alley, the park was a marshy field where the lepers fed their hogs. In 1814 St. James’s Park was the scene of a splendid gala celebrating the anniversary of the Battle of the NILE. The view across its pond to the spires, peaks, and domes of Whitehall is said to be one of London’s most spectacular.
St. Kitts One of the Leeward Islands, named St. Christopher by Columbus when he discovered it in 1493 and renamed St. Kitts in 1623 by English settlers who established on the island the first successful English colony in the WEST INDIES. The French also settled there in 1627, but the island became entirely English in 1713.
St. Lawrence The eastern Canadian waterway of rivers and lakes that connects the Great Lakes at Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrence at the Atlantic Ocean. Montreal and Quebec are located along the river.
St. Leger Held at a racecourse in DONCASTER, the famous St. Leger stakes for three-year-olds, run annually in September, was founded by Colonel St. Leger in 1776.
Saint-Valéry (Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme) A seaport on the northeastern coast of France, where the Somme River empties into the English Channel. The point of embarkation of William the Conqueror in 1066 for his invasion of England.
St. Vincent See JERVIS. See also CAPE ST. VINCENT.
salaam A salutation or respectful greeting used in the East, meaning “peace be upon you.” The ceremonial obeisance that accompanies the salutation, a low bowing of the head and body with the palm of the right hand on the forehead.
salamander A lizardlike animal once thought to live in, or to be able to endure, fire. Hence, a soldier who exposes himself to fire in battle. Also, a round shot with a handle, heated and hung up by sailors on board ship for warmth.
salamander’s wool Asbestos.
salle d’armes Fencing school (French).
Sallee Rover From the 16th to early 19th centuries, the most dreaded of the BARBARY pirates, operating out of the Moroccan port of Sale (also Sallee or Salli), a suburb of present-day Rabat, on the Atlantic coast.
sally To make a vessel roll by having the crew run from one side to the other. Used to loosen a ship from ice.
Sally Port The embarkation place at the fortifications on Portsmouth Point in PORTSMOUTH, reserved for boats and men of the Royal Navy, particularly for ships anchored at SPITHEAD. Also, sally port, the opening on a ship’s side used for entry, especially on the LARBOARD side of a warship.
salmagundi also solomongundy or solomon gundy A dish made of chopped meat, anchovies, eggs, and onions with oil and spices. At sea, more often boiled salted or cured fish and onions.
salt horse Salted beef.
Saluting Days Days on which a salute was fired in celebration. In this period they included:
Queen’s Birthday, January 18 21 guns
King Charles’s Restoration, May 29 17 guns
King’s Birthday, June 4 21 guns
King’s Coronation, September 22 21 guns
King’s Accession, October 25 17 guns
Gunpowder Plot, November 5 17 guns
salver A tray used for refreshments or for presenting letters, visiting cards, and the like.
Salve Regina In the Roman Catholic Church, an antiphon that begins with “Salve, Regina,” recited in the liturgy from Trinity Sunday to Advent or sung as a separate office or devotion. Also, a musical setting for this.
sancta simplicitas Literally, holy simplicity (Latin). Usually used as an exclamation of astonishment at a person’s naïveté.
sandalwood A fragrant yellowish heartwood obtained from several trees of the genus Santalum and used in wood carving and cabinetry; sometimes used medically as a mild stimulating tonic.
sand-grouse Any of various pigeonlike birds that inhabit arid parts of southern Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Sandwich, John Montagu, fourth Earl of (1718-1792) A British statesman, he served as Lord Commissioner of the ADMIRALTY (1744-1748), twice as Secretary of State for the Northern Department (1763-1765 and 1770-1771), and three times as First Lord of the Admiralty (1748-1751, 176
3, and 1771-1782). He was a skilled administrator who attempted to reform the Admiralty and modernize naval practices, advocating coppering ships’ bottoms and employing CARRONADES, but he also achieved fame as a patron of music as well as notoriety as a gambler and rake. Perhaps his greatest contribution to society was culinary: He invented the sandwich as a way to eat supper while gambling.
Sandwich Islands A chain of Polynesian islands, now called the Hawaiian Islands, discovered and charted by Captain James COOK in 1778 and named by him after the fourth earl of SANDWICH, who promoted his voyage of exploration. Cook was at first treated as a deity here, but later he was attacked and stabbed to death by unfriendly natives.
San Idelfonso Treaty See IDELFONSO TREATY.
San Martin, José Francisco de (1778-1850) An Argentinian soldier and statesman who helped liberate Buenos Aires from Spain. With BERNARDO O’HIGGINS, he then crossed the Andes to liberate Chile. San Martin’s army, in which O’Higgins served as a commander, defeated the Spanish at the Battle of Chacabuco on February 12, 1817, and San Martin assured Chile’s independence with a victory at the Battle of Maipo on April 5, 1818. With Lord COCHRANE and the Chilean fleet, he then helped liberate Peru, entering Lima in July 1821. San Martin briefly held the title of Protector of Peru, but he resigned in 1822 and retired to France.
sans revanche No return match (French).
Santa Ana Built at El Ferrol, Spain, in 1784, she was the most technically advanced 74-gun three-decker built in the 18th century. She had seven sister ships, built during the following decade at El Ferrol and Havana. Shesawa number of major actions, including TRAFALGAR, where she fought successfully as Vice-Admiral Alava’s flagship and helped recover several British prizes for Spain. She sank at Havana in 1812.
Santander A province of CASTILE and a major seaport with a spacious harbor on the northern coast of Spain, the city was made a puerto habilitado in 1753, which gave it the privilege of trading with America. Santander was ravaged by the French in 1808.
Santissima Trinidad A colossal Spanish SHIP OF THE LINE with four decks and 140 guns. She was the largest warship in the world when she fought against NELSON at the Battle of CAPE ST. VINCENT in 1797. After fighting bravely at TRAFALGAR, she was captured and sunk.
Sapphic Of or pertaining to Sappho (c. 600 B.C.), the famed poet of Lesbos admired for her beautiful writing. Also, a poetic meter used by Sappho.
saraband Originally, a dance of Asian origin that first appeared in Spain in the 16th century, accompanied by castanets and tambourines. Cervantes denounced it for its indecent gestures, and it was suppressed. It reappeared in the 17th century in a more dignified form and began to appear as a movement in the instrumental suite.
sardana A popular CATALAN dance to the music of pipe and drum, closely tied to Catalan national consciousness. It is danced by men and women who join hands in a closed circle.
Sargasso Sea An area of sea in the southwest quarter of the north Atlantic Ocean, between the WEST INDIES and the AZORES, named for sargassum, a type of seaweed floating over a vast part of the sea. First reported by Columbus, who thought it indicated land, the Sargasso was the source of much fear for later seamen, who told highly exaggerated stories of ships trapped in the seaweed and unable to make their way out. It is also a major breeding ground for eels.
sari A long, often brightly colored length of cotton or silk worn as a garment by Hindu women. It is wrapped several times around the waist to form a skirt, then passed across the chest over the left shoulder and sometimes over the head.
sassafras A small North American tree, Sassafras albidum, first mentioned by the Spaniards in 1528. The dried root, bark, and wood were Used as a flavoring and occasionally as a multipurpose tonic.
satietas vitae Weariness of life (Latin).
saturnine temperament Sluggish, cold, gloomy, leaden; Saturn was the astrological symbol for lead. Although most lead-based medicines were meant only to be applied topically, to assist wound healing, the lead could be absorbed into the body through the exposed tissue, sometimes producing toxic effects on the nervous system and elsewhere that could be regarded as typical of the saturnine temperament.
satyr In Greek mythology, one of a group of woodland gods or demons, part human and part beast, supposed to be Bacchus’s companions. In ancient Greek art, the satyr had the ears and tail of a horse. Roman sculptors gave satyrs certain features of a goat, including budding horns. Also, a man who shows excessive sexual desire.
SAUMAREZ, JAMES, LORD DE (1757-1836)
A member of a family of Norman descent on the island of Guernsey that distinguished itself in the British Navy during the 18th century, Saumarez was a LIEUTENANT during the American Revolutionary War, seeing action at the DOGGER BANK against the Dutch in 1781 and with RODNEY at the SAINTES in 1782. In 1793, at the beginning of the war with France, while commanding the Crescent, he captured the French FRIGATE REUNION with no casualties, which earned him a knighthood. Considered brave and bold, Saumarez was made Rear-Admiral in early 1801 and shortly thereafter led his SQUADRON in an unsuccessful action at Algeciras, where the 74-gun Hannibal was lost. The fictitious Jack Aubrey, in Master and Commander, observes the unhappy event as a prisoner of war from a French warship. But Saumarez quickly refit his squadron at GIBRALTAR and gained a measure of revenge in an explosive night action that Aubrey also observes, from a distance, in Master and Commander. In over 60 years of Navy service, Saumarez fought in many actions, including those at CAPE ST. VINCENT (in the ORION with Lieutenant Aubrey on board) and the NILE, where he was second-in-command to NELSON. With H.M.S. VICTORY as his FLAGSHIP, Saumarez commanded the Baltic Squadron from 1808 to 1812 as a Vice-Admiral. He was promoted to ADMIRAL in 1814, was COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF at PLYMOUTH from 1824 to 1827, and in 1831 was raised to the PEERAGE as Baron de Saumarez of Guernsey.
save-all Another name for WATER SAIL. Also a drip pan to collect moisture.
Savoy Chapel A chapel dedicated to St. John the Baptist, built in 1510 when Savoy Palace, which had been destroyed in the Peasant’s Revolt of 1381, was rebuilt as a hospital for the poor.
Savoy, Liberties of the A liberty was a district within the limits of a county but exempt from the jurisdiction of the sheriff. The Liberty of the Savoy was the property of the English royal house of Lancaster. A palace on the ground was rebuilt by Henry, first Duke of Lancaster, between about 1345 and 1370. The Duke also acquired more property, eventually accumulating what would later be the Savoy precinct. In 1505 Henry VII decided that the palace should be rebuilt as a hospital for the poor. The area subsequently housed a hospital, barracks, a prison, and a Jesuit school for boys. Tradesmen moved in, and businesses were established. In 1772, with most of the buildings now in ruins, a longstanding dispute over the ownership of the precinct was resolved. The DUCHY OF LANCASTER retained the outer ring and the SAVOY CHAPEL, and the Crown took possession of the center part of the duchy
Bounded by the Strand to the north, the Thames to the south, Ivy Bridge to the west, and the Temple to the east, the Liberties were, as O’Brian explains in The Thirteen Gun Salute, “legally ... not part of London or Westminster at all, but of the Duchy of Lancaster, and culturally it was a self-contained village.” (From 1816 to 1820, the area was cleared to build the approach road to Waterloo Bridge.) See also LANCASTER, DUCHY OF.
saxifrage A perennial herb of the genus Saxifraga with tufted foliage and small white, yellow, or red flowers, often growing in rock crevices.
Sayers, Tom (1826-1865) Known as the “Brighton Boy” and “Napoleon of the Prize Ring,” Sayers was one of the great English heavyweight boxing champions. Weighing less than 160 pounds, he often fought much larger men but beat them with skillful, stiff blows.
scale the shot To remove the accumulation of rust from the surface of a metal cannonball.
scandalize To reduce sail in an unusual manner; for instance, instead of lowering throat-and peak-HALYARDs of a GAFF sail together, to drop the peak and perhaps TRICE UP the TACK. Also, when a ship at an
chor sets its YARDS askew as a sign of mourning, it is said to be scandalized.
scantling As applied to timber, the breadth and thickness of a beam, as opposed to its length. In shipbuilding, the scantlings are the dimensions of all structural parts of a vessel regarded collectively.
scapula Shoulder blade.
scarf or scarph To join the ends of two timbers forming one longer piece, the ends being halved, notched, or cut away to fit together neatly. A ship’s KEEL consisted of timbers scarfed together. Also, the joint so formed.
scarper Slang, to leave in haste, escape, bolt.
scaup Any of several diving ducks having mostly black and white plumage and inhabiting the seas of northern Europe, Asia, and America.
scavenger A person who is employed to clean streets or to clean a church.
scend The vertical rise and fall of a vessel caused by the range of the waves; the sudden rising motion when a ship PITCHes in a heavy sea. The scend of the sea is the carrying or upward driving impulse of a sea or wave; also, the surge of the sea into a harbor.
schooner A FORE-AND-AFT-rigged vessel, originally with only two MASTS, but later with three or more, and sometimes one or more square TOPSAILS. The characteristic schooner RIG consists of two GAFF sails, the after sail not smaller than the FORE, and a HEADSAIL set on a BOWSPRIT. Although British and Dutch prototypes existed in the 17th century, the schooner was developed in the United States, perhaps initially around 1713 (“schooner” possibly is derived from the word “scoon,” a local term for skipping a stone). Later developed for speed, particularly at Baltimore, schooners were used in the COASTING trade and in fishing the GRAND BANK off NEWFOUNDLAND. Used also for blockade running and as fast naval vessels.
schuyt or schouw A Dutch flat-bottomed boat with a GAFF MAINSAIL, BOWSPRIT JIB, and leeboards, to lessen the leeway (see LEE).
Schwarzenberg, Karl Philipp (1771-1820) Austrian field marshal and diplomat who commanded the Austrian army in Russia in 1812, became commander in chief of the allied forces opposing NAPOLEON in 1813, and defeated Napoleon at Leipzig. He drove the French across the Rhine and led the campaign in France that resulted in Napoleon’s defeat in 1814.