Said \sa-'ed\, Edward W(adie) (b. Nov. 1, 1935, Jerusalem—d. Sept. 25, 2003, New York, N.Y., U.S.) Palestinian-bom U.S. literary critic. Said was educated in Western schools in Jerusalem and Cairo before moving to the United States to attend Princeton and Harvard universities. He taught at Columbia University beginning in 1963. In Orientalism (1978), his best-known work, he examines Western stereotypes of the Islamic world and argues that Orientalist scholarship is based on Western impe¬ rialism. An outspoken proponent of Palestinian issues, he wrote on the Middle East in such works as The Question of Palestine (1979) and The Politics of Dispossession (1994). His more general concern was the com¬ plex interaction of literature and politics, which he treated in Beginnings (1975), The World, the Text, and the Critic (1983), and Culture and Impe¬ rialism (1993). Out of Place (1999) is a memoir.
Sa'Id ibn Sultan Vsa-'ed-.ib-on-sul-'tanN or Sa'Td Sayyid
\sa-'ed-'sl-3d\ (b. 1791, Oman—d. Oct. 19, 1856, at sea) Ruler of Mus¬ cat and Oman and of Zanzibar (1806-56). He made Zanzibar the princi¬ pal power in East Africa and the commercial capital of the western Indian Ocean. Under Sa'Id, Zanzibar caravans were sent into central Africa to extract ivory, slaves, and other products. In 1822 he forbade his subjects to sell slaves to European traders. From 1828 he developed the islands
of Zanzibar and Pemba into the world’s largest clove producers, and he built up a large navy that helped expand his commercial interests.
Saigd Takamori VsI-go-.ta-ka-'mo-reX (b. Dec. 7, 1827, Kagoshima, Kyushu, Japan—d. Sept. 24, 1877, Kagoshima) Japanese military and political leader of the late Tokugawa and early Meiji periods. A samurai from the domain of Satsuma, Saigo joined Okubo Toshimichi and Kido Takayoshi in working to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate (military government) and restore rule by the emperor. He commanded the troops that seized control of the imperial palace from the shogunate, and went on to lead a campaign against the shogunate’s supporters. After the Meiji Restoration (1868), he was given command of the new Imperial Guard. In 1873 he supported a war with Korea; when this plan was cancelled, he resigned from government. He opened a military school in his native Kagoshima that drew to it disaf¬ fected former samurai (class distinctions had been abolished in 1871). In 1877 some of his disciples attacked a government arsenal, and he found himself the unwilling head of a rebellion. It lasted for six months and resulted in some 12,000 dead on both sides, including Saigo himself. He is regarded as a tragic hero by the Japanese.
Saigon See Ho Chi Minh City Saikaku See Ihara Saikaku
sailfish Valued food and game fish in the genus Istiophorus (family Istiophoridae) of warm and temper¬ ate waters worldwide. It has a long, rounded spear extending from its snout but is distinguished from mar¬ lins and related species by its slim¬ mer form, long pelvic fins, and especially its large, sail-like dorsal fin, which is bright blue and spotted.
Deep blue above and silvery below, they grow to about 11 ft (3.4 m) long and 200 lbs (90 kg) or more. They feed mainly on other fishes. Its clas¬ sification is uncertain, and one (/. platypterus) to several species may be recognized.
sailing or yachting Sport or pastime of racing or cruising a sailboat or yacht. A modern yacht (from a Dutch word meaning “ship for chas¬ ing”) is a sailboat used for racing. In the 17th century Dutch royalty sailed early yachts for pleasure; Charles II brought the sport to England. Orga¬ nized yacht racing on the Thames began in the mid-18th century. In North America yachting began with the Dutch in New York in the 17th century. The first U.S. yacht clubs were founded in the mid-19th century. Sailboat races are held over two kinds of courses, point-to-point and closed. Yacht racing has been part of the Olympic Games since 1900. The America's Cup is the preeminent prize in yachting. See illustration on opposite page.
sailplane See glider
Saimaa Vsi-.maV Lake Lake, southeastern Finland. Located northeast of Helsinki, Lake Saimaa has an area of 443 sq mi (1,147 sq km) and is the primary lake in the Great Saimaa lake system, the largest in Finland. About 120 lakes and numerous rivers and streams in the system drain most of southeastern Finland through Lake Saimaa, the Vuoksi River, and the Saimaa Canal to the Gulf of Finland. The lake system provides essen¬ tial transportation links and hydroelectric power among the major towns of the region, and its scenic forests attract many tourists.
saint Holy person. In the New Testament, St. Paul used the term to mean a member of the Christian community, but the term more commonly refers to those noted for their holiness and venerated during their lifetimes or after death. In Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, saints are pub¬ licly recognized by the church and are considered intercessors with God for the living. They are honoured on special feast days, and their remains and personal effects are venerated as relics. Often Christian saints per¬ form miracles in their lifetime, or miracles occur in their names after their death. In Islam, xvali (“friend of God”) is often translated as saint; in Bud¬ dhism, arhats and bodhisattvas are roughly equivalent to saints. Hindu sadhus are somewhat similar. See also canonization.
Saint Albans Raid (Oct. 19, 1864) Raid by Confederates in the Ameri¬ can Civil War. About 25 Confederate soldiers based in Canada raided the Union town of St. Albans, Vt., where they killed one man and robbed
Sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus)
D. CORSON-SHOSTAL
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Saint Andrews ► Saint Croix I 1665
mast
mainsail
batten shroud
lateen day sailer
yawl
ketch
Principal parts of a sloop-rigged sailboat. A single mast is mounted forward of the keel and supported by stays and shrouds. Wind power is harnessed by the main¬ sail, which is fastened to the mast and a swinging boom, is stiffened by battens, and is kept in trim by crew members using the mainsheet. A jib funnels wind past the mainsail and also adds more sail area. A weighted keel translates most of the lateral thrust of the wind into forward motion and also counteracts the tendency of the boat to roll in its hull. The boat is steered from the stern by a rudder, which is turned from the cockpit by a tiller. Another single-mast boat design is the lateen, which has a triangular sail affixed to a long yard that is fastened at an angle to the top of a short mast. A yawl is a two-masted design with the mizzenmast mounted aft of the rudder post. On a ketch the mizzenmast is forward of the rudder.
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three banks. They retreated to Canada, where a pursuing U.S. posse cap¬ tured several of them, though the posse was forced to surrender them to Canadian authorities. The Canadians returned the stolen money but later released the soldiers, causing strained relations between the two coun¬ tries.
Saint Andrews City (pop., 1995 est.: 15,000) and seaport, Fife coun¬ cil area, eastern Scotland. It was formerly the ecclesiastical capital of Scotland; its religious traditions began in the 6th century ad, when St. Kenneth is believed to have formed a Celtic religious community there. It received a charter in 1160 and was one of the principal towns in Scot¬ land in the Middle Ages. In 1472 its archbishop was recognized as the primate of Scotland, and it took part in the important events of the Scot¬ tish Reformation. A popular seaside resort, it is noted for its golf courses and for the University of St. Andrews.