Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 22.djvu/266

 250 S O L S O L on the south coast by means of the trawl, and esteemed as a table fish. It differs from the two preceding species by the rudimentary condition of the pectoral fins, that of the blind side being minute. The colour is brown ; darker bands cross the body, and are darkest on the dorsal and anal fins, where they appear as a row of about six large spots. It does not appear to grow to the same size as the common sole. The fourth British species, Solea minuta, is still smaller, not much exceeding 5 inches in length ; it is therefore not of commercial importance, although it may be caught at times in the trawl in large numbers. As in the preceding species, the pectoral on the blind side is minute, but that of the right side is large enough to show a distinct black spot. The colour of the body is 'brownish or greyish, with small black spots, and every sixth or seventh ray of the dorsal and anal fins is black. Flat-fishes resembling soles abound on tlie shores of the Indian Ocean beside the true soles, but they have the eyes on the left side of the head and lack pectoral fins altogether. They have been referred, therefore, to distinct genera, such as Plagusia and Cynoglossus. SOLEURE, or SOLOTHURN, is one of the cantons of Switzerland, ranking as tenth in the Confederation, and taking its name from its chief town. As it consists simply of the territories won by the city, its irregular shape is easily accounted for. It takes in most of the valley of the Aar between the towns of Soleure and Olten, but stretches across the eastern Jura to Dornach not far from Basel, while to the south it tends in the direction of Bern. The total area is 305'9 square miles, of which all but 25'4 square miles is classed as "productive," 103'3 square miles of this being covered by forests. In other words, 91'7 per cent, is fertile. The highest point in the canton is the Hasenmatte (4754 feet), in the range behind the town of Soleure, in which too is the Weissenstein (4213 feet), so well known as a great centre for the air and whey cure, as also for its fine view. In 1880 the population of the canton was 80,424 (an increase of 5754 on the census of 1870), the women outnumbering the men by 1704. Of these no fewer than 79,514 are German-speaking. Soleure now includes 63,037 Eoman Catholics to 17,114 Protestants, but in the ten years 1870-1880 the latter increased by 4666, the former only by 965. Ecclesiastic- ally the districts now forming part of the canton belonged till 1814 to the dioceses of Lausanne, Basel, and Con- stance; but since the complete reorganization of 1828 it is part of the diocese of Basel, and the bishop of Basel lives in the city of Soleure. The only places of any size in the canton are its capital, Soleure (7668 inhabitants), which possesses the finest armoury in Switzerland, and Olten (3979). It is counted as one of the most fertile and productive cantons in the Confederation, and exports iron, wood, marl, marble, glass, &c. In educational matters it takes a high place, and its two chief towns are connected by a railway, Olten being one of the principal railway junctions in Switzerland, and the^ meeting-place of the St Gotthard railway with the main lines branching off to the north, east, and west. An old rhyme claims for the town of Soleure the fame of being the oldest place in "Gallia" save Treves. Certainly its name " Salodurum " is found in Roman inscriptions (the termination possibly pointing to a Celtic origin), and its position as command- ing the approach to the Rhine from the south-west has led to its being more than once strongly fortified. Situated just on the borders of Alamannia and Burgundy, it seems to have inclined to the latter allegiance, and it was at Soleure that in 1038 the Burgundian nobles made their final submission to the emperor Conrad II. The mediaeval town grew up round the house of secular canons founded in honour of St Ursus and St Victor (two of the Theban legion who are said to have been martyred here in the 3d century) by Queen Bertha, either the mother of Charlemagne and wife of Pippin (8th century) or the more famous wife of Rudolph II., king of Burgundy (10th century), and was naturally in the diocese of Lausanne. The prior and canons had many rights over the town, but criminal jurisdiction and the " advocatia " of the house remained with the kings of Burgundy, passed to the Zaringeu dynasty, and on its extinction in 1218 reverted to the emperor. The city thus became a free imperial city, and in 1252 shook off the jurisdiction of the canons and took them under its protection. In 1295 we find it allied with Bern, and this connexion is the key to its later history. It helped Bern in 1298 in the great fight against the nobles at the Dornbiihl, and again at Laupen in 1339 against the jealous Burgundian nobles. It was besieged in 1322 by Duke Leopold of Austria (the defeated of Morgarten) during the struggle for the empire, but he was compelled to withdraw. In the 14th century the government of the town fell into the hands of the guilds, which practically filled all the public offices. Through Bern (which became a member in 1353) Soleure was drawn into association with the Swiss Confederation. An attempt to surprise it in 1382, made by the decaying Kyburg branch of the Hapsburgs, was foiled, and resulted in the admittance of Soleure in 1385 into the Swabian League and in its sharing in the Sempach war. Though Soleure took no part in that battle, she is included in the Sempach ordinance of 1393 and in the great treaty of 1394 by which the Hapsburgs renounced their claims to all territories within the Confederation. In 1411 she in vain sought to be admitted into the Confederation, a privilege only granted to her in 1481 at the diet of Stanz, after she had taken part in the Aargau, Italian, Toggenburg, and Burgundian wars. It was also in the 1 5th century that by purchase or conquest the town acquired the main part of the territories forming the present canton. In 1529 the majority of the " communes " went over to the Reformers, and men were sent to fight on Zwingli's side at Kappel (1531), but in 1533 the old faith regained its sway, and in 1586 Soleure was a member of the Golden or Borromean League. Though the city ruled the surrounding districts, the peasants were fairly treated, and hence their revolt in 1653 was not so desperate as in other places. Soleure was the usual residence of the French ambassador, and no doubt this helped on the formation of a "patriciate," for after 1681 no fresh citizens were admitted, and later we find only twenty- five ruling families distributed over the eleven guilds. Serfage was abolished by Soleure in 1785. The old system of the city ruling over eleven bailiwicks came to an end in March 1798, when Soleure opened its gates to the French army. She was one of the six "directorial" cantons under the 1803 constitution. In 1814 the old aristocratic government was set up again, but this was finally broken down in 1839, Soleure in 1832 joining the League of the Seven to guarantee the maintenance of the new cantonal constitutions. Though distinctly a Roman Catholic canton, she did not join the " Sonderbund," and voted in favour of the federal constitutions of 1848 and 1874. Since 1830 she has revised her constitution in 1840, 1850, 1856, and 1875, besides three partial revisions of 1867, 1869, and 1881. The present constitution may be described as an ultramontane democracy, the priests having very great influence. The " Kantonsrath " or legislative assembly is elected by all citizens over twenty years of age, in the proportion of one member to 800 inhabitants. This assembly selects the " Regierungsrath " or executive, consisting of five members. In both cases the period of office is five years, though on the demand of 4000 citizens a popular vote must be taken as to whether the existing members shall continue to sit or not. In the canton the " obligatory referendum" and the "initiative" are legal. By the former all laws passed by the assembly, and all financial resolutions involving the expenditure of 100,000 francs or of an annual sum of 20,000 francs, must be approved by a popular vote. By the latter 2000 citizens can compel the assembly to consider any proposal for making a new law or for amending an old one. Further, the demand of the majority of the assembly or of 3000 citizens is sufficient to necessitate a popular vote as to the advisability of revising the constitution, the revised draft itself requiring a further popular vote. SOLI, an ancient town of Asia Minor, on the coast of Cilicia, between the rivers Lamus and Pyramus, from each of which it is about 62 miles distant. Colonists from Argos in Greece and Lindus in Rhodes are described as the founders of the town, which is first mentioned in history at the time of the expedition of the younger Cyrus. In the days of Alexander the Great it was so wealthy that that conqueror exacted from its inhabitants a fine of 200 talents. In the war between Mithradates and the Romans Soli was destroyed by Tigranes, but it was subsequently rebuilt by Pompey, who settled there many of the pirates whom he had captured, and called the town after himself, Pompeiopolis. Soli was the birthplace of Chrysippus the Stoic and of the poets Philemon and Aratus. The bad Greek spoken there gave rise to the