married, and the Soissons branch of the Bourbon family became extinct at his death.—J. T.
SOLANDER, Daniel Charles, a distinguished naturalist, was born in Nordland, Sweden, in 1736, and died in 1782. He was a pupil of Linnæus at Upsal, where he studied medicine and took his degree. In 1760 he came to Britain, and was appointed to draw up a catalogue of the collections in the British museum. He afterwards became connected with the natural history department of the museum. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society. In 1768 he was appointed, on the recommendation of Sir Joseph Banks, to join Captain Cook in his voyage round the world, in quest of objects of natural history. In ascending a mountain in Tierra del Fuego he and his companions nearly perished from the effects of cold. Solander, by his judicious advice and encouragement, was the means of saving the lives of his party. He returned in 1771 with large collections. From the university of Oxford he received the degree of D.C.L. His collections and MSS. are deposited in the British museum. He published an account of gardenia, one of the cinchonaceous plants, and a description of the Winter's bark plant from the straits of Magelhaens.—J. H. B.
SOLARIO ANTONIO, called lo Zingaro or the Gipsy, for such he was by birth, was born at Civita in the Abruzzi, about 1382, according to Dominici; but Moschini discovered a picture signed Antonius de Solario Venetus. His story resembles that of Quintin Matsys. Solano, brought up a smith, was employed in the house of the painter Colantonio del Fiore, at Naples, and fell in love with the painter's daughter. It was to win her that he turned painter himself. He studied with Lippo Dalmasio at Bologna, and visited many other cities then famous for their schools of painting, travelling in this way for about nine years. There are some good works for their time still in good condition, at Naples, by Solario, especially the frescoes of the monastery of San Severino. His wife's portrait occurs several times in his pictures. He died at Naples in 1455.—(Dominici, Vite del Pittori Napolitani, &c.)—R. N. W.
SOLIMAN I., the eldest son of Bajazet I., is improperly termed the first of the Turkish sultans, because the interval between the death of his father and the final establishment of Mohammed is considered an interregnum. After his father had been defeated and taken prisoner by Timour (1402), he escaped to Europe, and reigned at Adrianople. In 1406 he attempted to regain the Asiatic provinces, but had to hurry back in consequence of an insurrection headed by his brother Mousa, who was defeated and fled. Mousa, however, returned in 1410 with another army, and conquered Soliman, who was slain in flight. The character of Soliman was that of a generous and noble-minded prince, who patronized literature. The Arabs often call him by an epithet which means gentle or noble. Like the Turkish sultans generally, he was indolent and addicted to wine.—S. D.
SOLIMAN II. (rather the first), was born in 1496, the only son of Selim I. In 1520 he succeeded his father as sultan. Europeans call him the Magnificent; the Turks, the Legislator. Soon after his succession he invaded Hungary (1521), and took Belgrade. In 1522, Rhodes, after sustaining a severe siege, surrendered to his arms. He next suppressed a rebellion in Egypt, and annihilated the Mamelukes there, which was not effected without difficulty. In 1526 Hungary was invaded again, its king, Louis II., slain, and his army cut off at the great battle of Mohacz. The kingdom was given to John Zapolya, who held it under the Turks. In 1529 Soliman besieged Vienna. In the course of twenty days twenty assaults were made upon the city; but ultimately he was compelled to raise the siege, after the loss of eighty thousand men. The next country he subdued was Persia, in which he took Armenia and Irak, with Tabreez and Bagdad. Meantime, Yemen and the coast of Arabia were conquered by the pasha of Egypt; and fleets belonging to the Barbary states then subject to the Porte, ravaged the coasts of Italy. In 1537 Croatia was conquered. After the death of John Zapolya in Hungary (1541), there was war between the Austrians and the Turks, because the latter seized upon new possessions there, and even established a pasha at Buda. In 1547, however, a truce was agreed upon between the belligerent powers, according to which Austria was to pay an annual tribute for retaining her possessions there. In 1547 Ispahan was taken by Soliman. In 1552 the war with the Austrians about Hungary was renewed; Transylvania was subdued and annexed to the Turkish dominions. Another attack upon Persia ended in the capture of Erivan. In 1560 a naval victory was gained by the Turkish fleet over the united fleets of the christian powers, on the African coast; but in 1565 the Turks were repulsed at the siege of Malta with great loss. In 1566 Soliman took Chios. Thus the sultan's arms were generally victorious. Hungary, however, continued to be a battle-field between the Austrians and Turks, notwithstanding the treaties and truces that took place from time to time. Soliman died before Szigeth, which he was besieging, four days before the Turks took the town, September 5th, 1566. He had great military talents. The Turkish empire under him reached its summit of renown. Nor were his abilities as a statesman inferior to his warlike qualities and skill. Far from being a mere military sovereign, he displayed administrative energy which affected every department of the state. He introduced a system of organization into the empire, and had a code of regulations drawn up which proved the basis of Ottoman jurisprudence and political science in future times. He patronized literature and the arts, erected splendid mosques and public buildings, made roads and bridges, and carried out efficient reforms in every branch of the administration. He was also a good poet, and encouraged the use of the Turkish language instead of the Persian. He was a friend of justice, and adhered to his word. He followed his religion conscientiously; he was a mathematician, too, and studied history. But though less corrupt than his predecessors, and far better instructed than they, his uncommon energy of character not unfrequently degenerated into cruelty. Yet he was the greatest of all the Ottoman sultans—the sovereign who shed the highest lustre on the Turkish empire by extending its limits and organizing its vast resources.—S. D.
SOLIMAN III. (properly the second), ascended the Ottoman throne in 1687. Before his accession he led a recluse life in the seraglio, studying the Koran. The Austrians were then fighting against the Turks about Hungary. In 1688 the Ottomans lost Belgrade and Agria; in 1689 his vizier was twice defeated; but they soon recovered Belgrade and other places under another vizier. Soliman died in June, 1691.—S. D.
SOLIMENA, Francesco, one of the last of the better painters of the school of Naples, was born at Nocera de' Pagani, in 1657, and died at Naples in 1747, aged nearly ninety. After the death of Luca Giordano he was considered the ablest painter of his time; his style was ornamental and decorative. Neither sentiment nor expression had much to do with the art of that period anywhere. Solimena was skilful both as an oil and a fresco painter, and his works are still numerous at Naples and Monte Casino. He used to dress like an abbot, and was commonly known as the Abbate Ciccio. He lived in great state, was unmarried, and left a large fortune to his nephews.—(Dominici, Vite del Pittori, &c.)—R. N. W.
SOLINUS, Caius Julius, was the author of a geographical compendium in the Latin tongue, still extant. It treats of the world at large as known to the Romans. Solinus lived about 250. His work is chiefly a compilation from the Natural History of Pliny. At the time of the revival of learning it enjoyed considerable popularity, and went through several editions. Among the best is that of Salmasius, Utrecht, 1689, which contains a great display of learning. Though highly praised by Ammianus Marcellinus, St. Jerome, St. Ambrose, and St. Augustin, the work of Solinus, like most other productions of that epoch, is of very slender value.—G.
SOLIS, Antonio de, a Spanish historian and dramatist, born in 1610; died in 1686. Some early poems, one entitled "Amor y Obligacion" (love and duty), introduced him to Calderon; and he afterwards wrote several dramas, more regular, if less poetical than those of his friend. In 1642 he was appointed to a government office, and subsequently became secretary to Philip IV., and on his death, was appointed historiographer for the Indies. In this capacity he wrote a history of the conquest of Mexico by Cortes, which is considered as the last relic of the classic literature of Spain, previous to its debasement by the inquisition.—F. M. W.
SOLIS, Fernando de, an early Spanish adventurer in America, one of the most prominent companions of Pizarro in the conquest of Peru. He took part in the capture of the unhappy Inca Atahuallpa, but he was absent at the time of his mock trial and execution, and, it is said, bitterly reproached Pizarro for his treachery: Separating himself from the dissensions then springing up among the conquerors of Peru, he
