SALAMANCA 206 SAL AMMONIAC cathedral, cruciform in shape, late Ro- manesque in style, and dating from the 12th century, is richly decorated with paintings and monuments ; the new cathe- dral (1513-1734) is a florid Gothic pile, also richly decorated. Among the re- maining noteworthy buildings are the Jesuit College (1614), Renaissance in style; the Old College, now the gover- nor's palace; the convents of the Domini- cans and the Augustinians, the churches of which are both elaborately ornamented. In the Middle Ages Salamanca was fa- mous for its leather work; at the present day it has not much industry save a little manufacture of cloth, linen, leather, and pottery. The town was captured by Han- nibal in 222 B. c. The Moors were ex- pelled from its walls in 1055. During the Peninsular War it was taken by the French (1812), who committed great de- struction in one of its quarters, and in the vicinity Wellington defeated Marmont on July 22, 1812. Pop. about 35,000. SALAMANCA, UNIVERSITY OF, a famous Spanish university. It was estab- lished about 1230 by Alfonso IX. of Leon and attained its greatest influence during the period from the 15th to the 17th cen- tury. While it embraced all the chief studies of the time, students particularly sought there instruction in canon and civil law. The Spanish monarchs aided it, particularly Ferdinand of Castile and Alfonso the Astronomer. Its financial condition was, however, not always flour- ishing and the Popes repeatedly came to its aid. In the 16th and 17th century it shared almost the supremacy in Europe enjoyed by Paris in an earlier age. It has since been reorganized and its stu- dents now number about 1,500. SALAMANDER, a genus of reptiles, order Batrachia, allied to the frog, from which it differs in having an elongated body terminated by a tail, and four feet of equal length. There are no gills in the adult animal. Salamanders are en- dowed with an astonishing power of reproduction; and, when mutilated, their limbs, tail, and even their eyes, are re- stored at the end of two or three or six months. The common salamander of Europe has been celebrated from antiquity for its supposed power of braving fire, but this is a fable. It would seem that the United States produce a greater variety of salamanders than any other part of the globe. We shall particularize the following, among the land salamanders: S. subviolacea, a large stout species, blackish, with two rows of large, round, whitish spots on the back. S. fasciata; green; less than the preceding; blackish, with transverse blu- ish-white bands on the back; found from New Jersey to South Carolina, but rare. S. glutinosa; green; a more slender spe- cies, with the tail nearly twice the length of the body; blackish, sprinkled on the upper parts of the body with white specks. It is found in most parts of the United States, and as far N. as lat. 43°. S. longicauda; green; whitish, with nu- merous black specks. It is found in the Atlantic States, but is more frequently met with in the limestone caves of the West. S. bilineata, green; a small slen- der species; above brown, beneath yellow, with two or sometimes three indistinct black lines. It inhabits New England and the Middle States. S. cirrigera, green; remarkable for having two short, fleshy cirri on the snout. It was found in the vicinity of New Orleans. S. ery- thronota (the most common species) ; blackish, with a broad red stripe on the back. The young are destitute of the red stripe. S. symmetrica (Harlan) ; reddish, with a row of bright orange ocellated spots on each side; length about three inches. The skin of this animal is rough, and apparently destitute of the mucous secretion common to the other species. Among the aquatic salamanders we shall particularize: S. dorsalis (Harlan) ; resembling the preceding in size and the general distribution of the colors; inhab- its South Carolina. S. maculata; green, whitish, with numerous round specks of a reddish brown color. S. ingens; green; by far the largest species hitherto known ; nearly a foot in length. It was discovered in the vicinity of New Orleans. SALAMIS, or PITYOUSSA (modern name Koluri), an irregularly shaped, mountainous island of ancient Greece, off the coast of Attica. Its area is about 30 square miles; chief town Koluri. It had anciently two principal towns, Old and New Salamis. It is remembered chiefly on account of the great naval battle be- tween the Greeks and Persians, which was fought with great bravery (480 B. a), a few days after the battle of Thermopylae, but in which the Persians were entirely defeated. SAL AMMONIAC, known also as chloride of ammonium, and sometimes as hydrochlorate of ammonia, is used in med- icine and in chemistry to a considerable extent. It is obtained from the ammoni- acal liquor of the gas works. It is used as an expectorant in chronic bronchitis and pneumonia, as a diuretic, diaphoretic, and alterative in rheumatism, and as an alterative in neuralgia ; it is also given in catarrhal conditions of the gastrointes- tinal tract and in various hepatic dis- eases. In chemistry it is largely used as a test. See Ammonia.
