tentrionalis Exsiccatæ, which was never completed.
SA'RUM, Old. A former city and borough and now a parish in Wiltshire, England, on a hill two miles to the north of Salisbury (q.v.). It dated from the time of the Romans, by whom it was known as Sorbiodunum, and remained an important town under the Saxons. A Witenage-mote was held at Old Sarum in 960; and here William the Conqueror assembled all the barons of his kingdom in 1080. In 1220 the cathedral was removed to New Sarum. now Salisbury (q.v.), and was followed by most of the inhabitants. In Henry VII. 's time it was almost wholly deserted. Traces of walls and ramparts and of its cathedral and castle are still seen. Though without a house, two members represented it in Parliament till Old Sarum became proverbial as the type of a rotten borough. It was disfranchised by the Reform Bill of 1832. William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, first sat in Parliament for Old Sarum in 1735. Population of parish, 300.
SARZANA, sard-za'na. A city in the Province of Genoa, Italy, on the Magra, eight miles by rail east of Spezia (Map: Italy D 3 ). The Gothic cathedral, begun in 1355, is rich in paintings and marbles. The ancient citadel is used as a prison. There are a seminary and a technical school. Sarzana has manufactures of silk and glass; wine and olive oil are made. Population (commune), in 1901, 12,141,
SASKATCH'EWAN. A large river of Canada forming the upper course of the Nelson River (q.v.), together with which it forms one of the four great river systems of North America east of the Continental Divide (Map: Canada. K 6). It rises in the Rocky Mountains by two main branches, the North and South Saskatchewan, which unite near Prince Albert in Saskatchewan Territory, whence the main stream flows eastward to the northwestern corner of Lake Winnipeg. The main river has a length of 282 miles, and the total length, including the South Branch, is 1090 miles. The North Branch rises in the glaciers on Mount Hooker and flows east on the southern border of the forest country through the Territories of Alberta and Saskatchewan. The South Branch has several headstreams. some of which rise in the extreme northern part of Montana. Its course after leaving the mountains lies entirely within the Great Plains. It flows northeast through Alberta, Assiniboia. and Saskatchewan. Before entering Lake Winnipeg the main river flows through several lakes, the largest of which. Cedar Lake, is 30 miles long. Between Cedar Lake and its mouth it is interrupted by rapids. The whole river is narrow, and the South Branch is obstructed by shoals and sand bars. Steamers, however, ascend the North Branch to Edmonton, 850 miles from Lake Winnipeg, and smaller boats can go 150 miles farther to Rocky Mountain House.
SASKATCHEWAN. A district of Canada, lying northwest of Manitoba, between latitudes 52° and 55° N., embracing an area of 114,000 square miles (Map: Northwest Territories, H 4). The surface is a rolling prairie sloping to the east and broken at intervals by groups of hills, the most prominent being those paralleling the Saskatchewan River on the south. The northeastern half of the district is well wooded with forests of aspen poplar, pine, and spruce; the southwestern half is prairie land in the main, only the hills being wooded. The winters are very cold, but are free from blizzards, and the atmosphere is clear and exhilarating. The summers are warm, and, though short, permit the growth and maturing of many varieties of farm crops. Precipitation is light (about 13 inches), but is greatest in the growing summer months when it is most needed. Over the greater portion of the southern half the soil is very rich. Wheat, oats, barley, and the root crops thrive, the conditions being especially favorable for wheat, which is beginning to be extensively raised in the district. The Saskatchewan River (q.v.) is an important factor in the development of the district, inasmuch as it affords navigation the entire length of the region, and by way of Lake Winnipeg admits of water communication with the country to the south. With some expense in the removal of obstacles now in its course a navigable length of 1500 miles will be afforded, making possible a water communication with the coal fields to the west. Another means of communication has been establislied by the construction of the Qu'Apelle, Long Lake and Saskatchewan Railroad, which connects Prince Albert with Regina. on the trunk line of the Canadian Pacific Railroad. Lakes Winnip)eg and Winnipegoosis, which project well into the eastern end of the district, are of value not only for purposes of navigation, but also for the enormous numbers of whitefish, pickerel, sturgeon, and other varieties of fish which they contain. Settlements in the district are most numerous in the southeast part and along the course of the Saskatchewan, the Prince Albert region in the centre of the district being the most highly developed. In 1901 the total population was 25,079. For governmental purposes it is a part of the Northwest Territories (q.v.). The seat of administration is Battleford.
SASSAFRAS (Sp. sasafras, variant of salsafras, salsifrax, saxifrage, from Lat. saxifraga, maidenhair, stone-breaker, from saxum, rock +
SASSAFRAS.
frangere, to break), Sassafras. A genus of trees or shrubs of the natural order Lauraceæ. The sassafras tree (Sassafras officinale) of North
