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The subject of his lectures was the Principia Mathematics, the IOptics, ami Arithmetics Universalis, of Sir Isaac Newton . lie iwas accordingly attended by a very numerous audience. It will !appear incredible, that a blind man should be capable of explain- iing optics, but we must recollect, that the. theory of vision is :taught by lines, and is subject to the rules of geometry. While |thus employed in explaining the principles of the Newtonian phi- ilosophy, he became Unown to its illustrious author. When Wins- jton was removed from his professorship, Saunderson was univer- |;aily allowed to be the man best qualified for the succession. IThe heads of the university applied to their chancellor the duke of 1Somerset, who procured the royal mandate to confer upon him ;the degree of A. M. lie was then elected Lucasian professor of!mathematics in Nov. 1711. His inauguration-speech was coni-■posed in classical Latin, and in the style of Cicero , with whose 'works he was much conversant. He now devoted his whole time |to his lectures. When George II. in 1728, visited the University ;of Cambridge, he expressed a desire to see Professor Saunderson. :He waited upon his majesty in the senate-house, and was there, ifry the king’s command, created LI.. D. He was admitted I1’. R. S. in 1733. lie was naturally of a vigorous constitution ;but his'sedentary life, at length rendered him scorbutic. Forsome years lie felt a numbness in his limbs, which, in spring 1739,brought on a mortification in his foot; and unfortunately, hisHloocl was so vitiated by the scurvy, that assistance from medicinewas not to lie expected. He died on the 19th of April 1739,aged 37. He wrote a system of algebra, which was published, intwo vols. 4to, at London , after his death, in 1740, at the expenceof the University . Dr. Saunderson invented for his own use aPalpable Arithmetic ; that is, a method of performing operationsin arithmetic solely by the sense of touch. A description of thismethod of making calculations by his table is given under the ar-ticle Blix'd, and it was entirely of his own invention.

SAUNDER's ISLAND , or Sir CHARLES SAUNDEIIS’sISLAN D, an island in the S. Pacific Ocean, discovered by Capt.Wallis,.in 1767. It is six miles long, and lias a fertile mountain inthe middle. The inhabitants are not numerous. Lon. 151. 4.W, Lat. 17. 28. S.

SAVOLAX, or SAWOLAX, a district of Sweden in theprovince of Finland, bordering on Russia ; 200 miles long, amiA00 broad ; consisting chiefly of woods, lakes, rivers, and morasses.

SAVONA, a town of Italy . Lon. 8. 14. E. Lat. 44.21. N.

SAVOY, a late duchy, lying between old France and Italy , sonamed from the Latin Sabaudia, altered to Saboia, and Sabojia;it was annexed to France , in 1793, and erected into the depart-ment of Mont Blanc.

Savoy, in botany. See Brassica.

Savoy, a tow n of Fiance, in the late province of Languedoc .

SAURIN, James, a celebrated preacher, born at Sismes in1677, and the son ot a Protestant lawyer of eminence. He ap-plied to his studies with great success ; but at length being capti-vatedwith a military, life, lie relinquished them for tiie professionof arms. In 1694 he made a campaign as a cadet in Lord Callo-way’s company, and soon afterwards obtained a pair of colours in Ithe regiment of Col. Renault which served in Piedmont. But theduke of Savoy having made peace with France , lie returned toGeneva , and resumed the study of philosophy and theology, underTurretin and other professors. In 1700 lie visitpd Holland , thencame to England, where he remained for several yeans, and married. In 1705, he returned to the Hague , where lie fixed his re-sidence, and preached with the mo-.t unbounded applause. Sauriudied on the 30th of Dec. 1730, aged-53. He wrote, 1. Sermons,in 12 vols. 8vo. and 12;no: some of which display great genius. I

2. Discourses Historical, Critical, and Moral , on the most me-morable Events of. the Old and New Testament. 'Phis is hisgreatest and most valuable work. It was printed, first in 13 vols. fol.

3. The State of Christianity in France , 1725, 8vo. 4. An Abridge-ment of Christian Theology and Morality, in the form of a Ca-techism, 1722, 8vo. lie afterwards published an abridgementof this work. 5. His Dissertation on the Expediency of some-times disguising the Truth , which raised a multitude of enemiesagainst him.

SAURUNGPOUR, a town of Hindoostan, in Malwa, 43 milesN. E. of Ougein, and 42 N. N. E. of Indore . Lon. 76. 32. E.Lit., 23. 35. N,

SAURURUS,. Lizards-Tail, in botany, a genus of the tetra-gynia order, and Pcptandria .class of plants; natural order. Pipe-rita*. Calyx a catkin, with uniilnrous scales ; no corolla; gtrininafour, berries four, one-seeded It has but one species.

SAUSAGE , [ salsum , Lat.] a roll or ball made commonly ofpork or veal, and sometimes of beef, minced verv small, with saltami spice ; sometimes it is stuffed into the guts of fowls, and some-times only rolled in flower. ..

SAUSSURE, Horace Benedict he, a naturalist , was bornat Geneva in 1740. Ilis father, who was a member of the councilof two hundred, wrote several works on agriculture, and died in1790. ’Plie son displayed so early a genius as to be appointedprofessor ot philosophy at Geneva when lie was only twenty-one.He travelled into several countries, particularly Italy , and whenat Naples made several observations on Mount Vesuvius with SirWilliam Hamilton . He afterwards visited and measured Mount.Etna; and ascended the highest parts of the Alps . 'Mils virtuousand ingenious man, after enriching the republic of letters by hisenquiries, and rendering his country essential benefits, was nearlyruined by the French Revolution , and died of chagrin in 1796.He wrote, 1. A 11 Eloge on Bonnet; 2. Dissertatio Physica deIgne; 3. Dissertatio Physica de Electricitate ; 4. Project for Re-forming the College of Geneva; 5. Essays on Hygrometry ; 6.Travels in the Alps , 4 vols. 4to. &c.

SAYU, an island in the E. Indian Ocean, about 24 miles long.Lon. i22. 30. E. Lat. 10. 35. S.

SAUVAGES, Francis P.oissif.r De, an eminent French physician, to whom the medical world is much indebted for pav-ing the way to a regular nosological arrangement of Diseases, andgiving the first outlines of it. lie was born in 1700. ilis abilitiesprocured him the professorships of Medicine and Botany in theuniversity of Montpelier, and lie was considered as the Boerhnaveof France . His works are very numerous. The principal are, 1.Theoria Febris, 1738, 12mo. 2. Nosologia Methodica ; 5 vols!

Svo. 1763. 3. Physiologic Mechanics: Elementa; 1755, 12mo.

SAUV AGESIA, in botany, a genus ot the nionogynia order,and penlandria class of plants. Calyx live-leaved; corolla livc-petaled, fringed ; nectary five-leaved, alternate with the petals ;capsule one-celled. It lias but one species, S. crecla a native oftiie West Indies .

SAUVETAT, a town of France , in tiie department of Lot andGaronne ; '5 miles NW. of Lauzmi, and 11 NNE. of Marmande .

SAL V E TERRE, a town of France , in tiie department of Avei-ron, and lute province of Rouergue : 13£ miles SW. of Rhode/,and 20 NNE. of Alby.

SAW, an instrument which serves to cut into pieces several solidmatters ; as wood, stone, ivory, &c. The best saws are of tem-pered steel ground bright and smooth : those of iron are onlyhammer-hardened : lienee the first, besides their being stiller, arelikewise found smoother than tiie last. They are known to bewell hammered by the still' bending of the blade ; and to be welland evenly ground, by their bending equally in a bow.

SAXE, Maurice, Count of, was born the 13Ui Oct. 1696.He was tiie natural son of Frederic Augustus If. elector of Saxony ,and king of Poland, and of tiie countess of Konigsmarc, a Swe-dish lady, celebrated for her wit and beaut)-. lie was educatedalong with Frederic Augustus, the electoral prince , afterwardsking of Poland . Ilis infancy announced the future warrior.Nothing could prevail on him to apply to his studies but the pro-mise of being allowed, after lie had finished his task, to ijfeunt onhorseback, or exercise himself with arms. In 1700 lie served withEugene and Mailborough in tiie Netherlands . lie next displayedgreat valour under his father in the war against the Swedes , parti-cularly at the siege of Stralsund . In 1717 he was with Eugenein Hungary, where lie raised the siege of Belgrade , and contri'liuted much to the defeat of the ’Turks. After the peace of Utrecht lie went to France , where the duke of Orleans gave him the bre-vet of field-marshal. Having obtained a regiment lie employedhimself in improving military tactics, and introducing a new exer-cise. In 1726 the states of Courland elected him their sovereign*on which Poland and Russia joined against him, and alter a bravodefence the count was obliged to quit the government and thecountry in 1729- He then returned to France , whore he applR 1 '

to the study of the mathematics, and in a lit of illness wrote hisReveries, or Military Memoirs; a work of equal service to thegeneral and common soldier. On the death of his father in 17,53