Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XV.djvu/173

SONORA SOODAN 165 35,571 tons of hay. There were 10,616 horses, 1,110 mules and asses, 14,960 milch cows, 16,592 other cattle, 58,387 sheep, and 28,588 swine ; 4 manufactories of carriages and wag- ons, 5 of cooperage, 5 of cabinet furniture, 1 of iron castings, 5 of wine, 13 of saddlery and harness, 2 of sash, doors, and blinds, 8 of tin, copper, and sheet-iron ware, 5 flour mills, 4 tanneries, 3 currying establishments, 3 brew- eries, and 18 saw mills. Capital, Santa Rosa. SOXORA, a N. "W. state of Mexico, bounded N. by the United States, E. by Chihuahua, S. by Sinaloa, and W. by the gulf of California and Lower California; area, 81,022 sq. m. ; pop. in 1869, 109,388. The eastern portion of the state is extremely mountainous, being traversed by a branch of the Sierra Madre; the western is composed mainly of extensive plains. The principal rivers are the Mayo, Yaqui, and San Jos6, the second having a course of 450 m., and all three emptying into " gulf of California. The most important mineral productions are gold and silver, of which there were 144 mines in 1870 ; the coin- age of the mints of Hermosillo and Alamos in 1869 amounted to $1,116,397. Copperas oc- curs in some places, as do also amianthus, ala- baster, and jasper ; and carbonate of soda and nitrate of potash are found. The climate is hot on the coast, mild in the central portions, and cool in the elevated region of the east. [uch of the soil is fertile, but agriculture is shiefly confined to the southern districts wa- red by the Mayo and Yaqui rivers. The fcaple productions are wheat, maize, barley, oats, beans, sugar, cotton, and tobacco; coffee is raised, and fruits are very abundant. There are extensive forests, but little of the timber is suitable for building; copal, gum arabic, archil moss, cochineal, and many other dyes and drugs are produced. Seals, turtles, oys- ters (including pearl oysters), and fish of good quality are found in inexhaustible quantities. There are seven steam and a large number of other flour mills; coarse cotton fabrics are manufactured in a mill of 60 looms at San Miguel, the only factory of any kind in the bate ; and large quantities of cigars are made. Battle rearing is extensively carried on, despite depredations of the Apache and other In- iians. The exports include hides, gold and ilver coin and bullion, ores, hog skins, pep- per and gum, flour, and cigars. In 1870 there were 105 schools, with an attendance of 3,871. he state is divided into eight districts : Tires, Hermosillo, Guaymas, Alamos, Montezuma, Za- -juarita, Arispe, Altar, and Magdalena. The sapital is Ures ; the chief seaport, Guaymas. SONTAG, Hcnriette, Countess Rossi, a German singer, born in. Coblentz, Jan. 3, 1806, died in Vera Cruz, Mexico, June 18, 1854. She ap- peared upon the stage in children's parts as early as her sixth year, at 15 made her debut at Prague in Boieldieu's "John of Paris," and soon rose to a foremost place among Euro- pean vocalists. In 1828 she privately married Count Rossi, an Italian nobleman, and in 1830 retired from the stage. She was induced by her husband's pecuniary misfortunes to resume her profession in 1849, sang for several sea- sons in Europe, then made a successful tour in the United States, and died while returning from a professional visit to Mexico. SOOCHOW, or Snehan, a city of China, in the province of Kiangsu, on a lake through which the imperial canal passes, 112 m. E. S. E. of Nanking, and 53 m. W. by N. of Shanghai; pop. variously estimated from 500,000 to 2,000,000. It consists of the town proper, surrounded by a wall 10 m. in extent, and four extensive suburbs. Silk, linen, cotton hard- ware, and glass are manufactured. There are many beautiful gardens in the neighborhood. It suffered severely during the Taeping rebel- lion, the insurgents occupying it and driving out the merchants and wealthy inhabitants. It succumbed with other cities of the delta to the imperialists in 1864, and since then has recovered much of its prosperity. SOODAN, or Soudan (Arab. Biled es-Sudan, the country of the blacks). I. A vast conti- nental belt of territory (also called Nigritia), stretching nearly across Africa, mainly between the 6th and 15th parallels of N. latitude, from the Nile provinces of Egypt on the east to the Mandingo country and Senegambia on the west. In Waday and near Timbuctoo its north- erly boundary is not far from lat. 17 N. This region is occupied by a large number of na- tive states, of which the most important are Adamawa, Baghirmi, Bambarra, Bornoo, Dar- foor, Gando, Houssa, Sackatoo, and Waday, each described under its own title. The alti- tude of Soodan and the aspect of the surface vary greatly in the different districts. The portion W. of the Niger is bounded S. by the Kong mountains, which curve northward into the highlands of Senegambia, forming the W. boundary. The region enclosed within the great bend of the Niger is of moderate eleva- tion, and consists of a series of well watered and fertile plains, in some places densely pop- ulated. The central portion of the country ex- tends E. from the river as far as Lake Tchad, in which centres the hydrographic system of this part of Soodan. The surface is hilly ex- cept in the vicinity of the lake, but the alti- tude is believed not to exceed 2,000 ft., and probably does not average more than half as much. Among the hills are numerous torrent beds filled only in the rainy season. There are swamps in the lower districts, and an abun- dant forest growth, but the cleared area is suffi- cient to render central Soodan both populous and productive. Lake Tchad, which is inter- sected by the 14th parallel of N. latitude and the 15th meridian of E. longitude, is bordered N. E. by the native state of Kanem, beyond which lies the Sahara, S. E. by Baghirmi, and on all other sides by Bornoo. It is about 840 ft. above the sea level, and its numerous af- fluents drain the vast alluvial plain surrounding