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SUCCESSION WARS 143 SUCTORIA lish, who from the first paid a substan- tial subsidy to Austria, took up arms on her behalf in this same year, and in 1743 defeated the French at Dettingen in Bavaria. In this year the Austrians repossessed themselves of the Elector Charles Albert's dominions. Saxony now joined the allies and took the field against his former associates. On the other hand, Frederick renewed hostil- ities and invaded Bohemia; but after a short interval he was once more willing to make peace. About this juncture Charles Albert died, and his son and successor abandoned his father's preten- sions to Maria Theresa's dominions. This left France to carry on the struggle alone. But while Austria had the bet- ter of the war in Italy, Marshal Saxe captured several of the Flemish fort- resses, won the victories of Fontenoy (1745), Rocoux (1746), and Lawfeldt (1747), and reduced the Austrian (for- merly Spanish) Netherlands. Peace was at length concluded at Aix-la-Chapelle on Oct. 18, 1748, things remaining pretty much in statu quo, except that Frederick was allowed to retain Silesia. SUCCINIC ACID, in chemistry, CiHsO*, or CH.COOH CH.COOH

volatile salt of amber;

a dibasic acid belonging to the oxalic series, first recognized by Agricola in 1657. It occurs ready formed in amber, in certain plants, and in many animal fluids, and is a product of the oxidation of fatty acids of high molecular weight, and of the alcoholic fermentation of su- gar. It is prepared by bringing calcium malate in contact with one-twelfth of its weight of decayed cheese, suspended in three parts of water, and kept for some days at a temperature of 30° to 40°. Succinate of lime is formed, which is collected on a filter, decomposed with sulphuric acid, purified by recrystalli- zation. It crystallizes in monoclinic prisms, is readily soluble in water, less easily in alcohol, insoluble in ether, melts at 180% and boils at 235°. It forms neutral and acid salts, those of the alkalies being very soluble in water. A characteristic reaction of succinic acid and soluble succinates is the formation of a red brown precipitate with ferric salts. SUCHAU, SUCHOW, previous to the Taiping rebellion, one of the largest cities in China; on the Imperial canal, 80 miles W. N. W. of Shanghai, in the province of Kiangsu. It stands on nu- merous islands separated by canals, and since 1896 has been accessible as a treaty port. The city walls have a circuit of 10 miles. Suchau has for generations been a noted center of the silk manu- facture and of the printing of cheap Chinese classics. It was captured by the Taipings, but recovered by "Chinese" Gordon in 1863, on which occasion the city with its many handsome buildings was almost wholly destroyed. Pop. about 500,000. SUCHET (su-sha'), LOUIS GABRIEL, DUKE OF ALBUFERA, a French mili- tary officer; born in Lyons, France, March 2, 1770; entered the military service at an early age (1790), and served with distinction under Napoleon, Massena, Joubert, and Moreau in the Italian and Swiss campaigns. He at- tained the rank of lieutenant-general before he was 30, and in 1808 received the command of a division in Spain, and was almost constantly victorious till af- ter the battle of Vittoria. His brilliant services in that country obtained him the marshal's staff, and the title of duke. After the restoration Suchet was cre- ated peer of France. He lost his peer- age after the battle of Waterloo, but recovered it in 1819. He died in Mar- seilles, France, Jan. 3, 1826. SUCKER or SUCKING FISH, a name applied popularly to the Remora, to the lump-sucker, and also to the fishes be- longing to the teleostean genus Lipdris which is nearly allied to the lumpsuck- ers. The best-known forms are Mon- tague's sucker, L. Montagui, and the common sucker or sea-snail, L. vulgaris, which adheres to stones and other fixed objects by means of their united ventral fins. They are small fishes, three or four inches long. SUCKLING, SIR JOHN, an English author; bom in Whitton, Middlesex, England, in 1609, and educated at Trin- ity College, Cambridge. In 1631-1632 he served as a volunteer under Gustavus Adolphus. In 1639 he equipped a troop of horse for the service of Charles I. against the Scotch. Being implicated in a plot to rescue the Earl of Strafford from the Tower, he was obliged to flee to France in 1640. His writings con- sist of letters; miscellaneous poems, in- cluding ballads and songs; a prose trea- tise entitled "An Account of Religion by Reason"; and several plays — "Aglaura," "The Goblins," and "Brennoralt." He died in Paris in 1642. SUCTORIA, a name given by different authors to various groups of animals, from the fact that the mouth is more or less developed into a suctorial rather than a masticatory organ; especially the Aphaniptera; and a group of Annelida, containing the leeches.