Volume 1

A universal geographical dictionary; or, grand gazetter. Of general, special, antient and modern geography: including a comprehensive view of the various countries of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America; more especially of the British dominions and settlements throughout the world ... / by Andrew Brice.

  • Brice, Andrew, 1690-1773.
Date:
1759
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A universal geographical dictionary; or, grand gazetter. Of general, special, antient and modern geography: including a comprehensive view of the various countries of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America; more especially of the British dominions and settlements throughout the world ... / by Andrew Brice. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    ABB ABB the Territory of Padua, fituate 5 m. S. W. of the City of that Name, fubjett to Venice. ABARIM, mentioned in Numb, xxvii. 12. was a long Ridge of Mountains that reached from the Tribe of Reuben into the Land of Moab, on each Side of the River Arnon ; but the Extent of which is not fo eafy to fix. Eufebius and St. Jerom mention them more than once. The former pla¬ ces it about 6 m. W. of Hejhbon, and 7 E. of Liviade. The Mounts Pifgah, Peor, and Nebo, ( where Mofes died) were Part of the Ridge Abarim, or, as the Original has it, Haba- rim, which fignifies either Paffes or Pajfengers. That Nebo was one diftinguilh’d Part of Abarim, Dr. Wells obferves, may plainly be inferr’d from Deut. xxxii. 49. compar’d with Numb, xxxiii. 47. He fuppofes alfo Nebo and Pifgah to be but one and the fame Mountain, and that but the Top was more peculiarly call’d Pifgah. ABARIS, the Name given by Manetho to a City of Egypt. If (fays Boyle, in his Article Pithom) we may believe Sir John Marjham, Pithom is the fame with that which is called Pelufum, and with that which Manetho calls Abaris. That City of Abaris was called thus according to the antient Theology. It was fituated in the Diftridt or Divifion of Sais on the E. of the River Bubafis. Its agreeable Situati¬ on determin’d Salt is. King of a certain Nation who had fubdu’d Egypt, to enlarge and fortify it. He kept there a Garrifon of 240,000 Men. In that City the fame Nation entrenched herfelf after fhe had loft again all the reft of E- gypt. They defended themfelves there a great while, but capitulated at laft, and obtained the Liberty to retire whi- therfoever they pleafed. They went into Syria and fettled at Sudea. It appears (fays our Author) by that Difcourfe of Manetho that he meant the Ifraelites. But what he further adds on the Occafton, or the Refutation thereof by Jofephus, or the Inftances Boyle gives of Sir John Marjham % Learned Obfervations hereupon, are neither neceflary for us to in¬ troduce here, nor requiftte to the Nature of this Work. The more Curious may turn to the feveral Writers themfelves. ABASARUS, one of the Rivers that water the antient Colchis, now Mingrelia, and empties itfelf into the Euxine Sea. \ ABASSIA, the modern Name of a Kingdom in the pro¬ per Ethiopia, very large, mountainous, and comprehending J feveral Provinces, viz Bagemeder, Gojam, Waleka, Shevoa, &c. which are but one continued Chain of Mountains, the principal of which are thole of Amhara and Samen. Even in the Plains of Abafjia frequently arife fteep and craggy Rocks of various Forms, fome refembling Towers, others Pyramids, &c. fo even on the Sides, that they feem to be the Effedt of Labour and Art; infomuch that Men, Cattle, &c. are craned up by the Help of Ladders and Ropes. And yet the Tops of thefe Rocks are covered with Woods, Meadows, Fountains, Fifh-ponds, &c. which very copi- oully fupply the Animals feated thereon with all the Con¬ veniences of Life. The molt remarkable of thefe Rocks is Gefhen, or Amba-Gejhen, on the Confines of Amhara, to¬ wards Shevoa, prodigioully fteep, in the Form of a Caftle built of Free-ftone, and almoft impregnable. Its Summit is about Half a Portuguefe League in Breadth, and its Cir- | cumference at the Bottom near Half a Day’s Journey. The Afcent at firft is eafy, but afterwards fo fteep and rugged, that the AbaJJian Oxen, which will otherwife clamber like Goats, muft be craned up and let down with Ropes. Here the Princes of the Blood were formerly confined in low Cottages, among!! Shrubs and wild Cedars, with an Allow¬ ance barely fufficient to keep them alive. There is, ac¬ cording to Kircher, in the Province of Gojam, a Rock fo curioufly hollowed by Nature, that at a Diitance it refem- bles a Looking-glafs; and oppofite to this another, on the Top of which nothing can be fo foftly whifper’d but that it may be heard a great Way off. Between many of thefe Rocks and Mountains are vaft Profundities or Abyffes, which appear raoft dreadful to the Eye. The Natives call every one of thefe Rocks Amba, as Amba Salem, &c. ,ABBERTON, not far from Parjhore, in Worcefterfhire, a Place, tho’ not confiderable in itfelf, yet celebrated for its Wells of Mineral Waters, bitter and purging, and efteem’d not inferior to thofe at Epfom. It had heretofore been Part of the Poffeffions of Parjhore Abbey, but became the Inhe¬ ritance of the antient Family of the Sheldons. ABBEVILLE, in Latin Abbatis Villa, or Abb axilla, the Capital of the County of Ponthieu in Picardy, France, is fi¬ tuated on the River Somme, abt. 5 Lea. dift. from the Britijh Channel to the S. E. 13 fr. Boulogne to the S. and 7 fr. A- miens to N. W. It was fo rmerly but a Farm or Manor be¬ longing to the Abbey of St. Riquier, from whence it bor¬ row’d its Name. It became afterwards a Borough, feveral People coming to fettle and build Houfes hereabout. Hugh Duke (or King) of France, thinking this Place proper to flop the Incurfions of the Barbarians, took it, and built a Caftle there in the Year 980, and made his Son Governor of it. This is the fame who reigned afterwards under the Name of Hugh Capet. The Town was much enlarged fince, and is now the moft populous of all Picardy after Amiens. The Somme divides it into two Parts, one of which is to¬ wards the Lovo Countries, and the other towards Normandy. It is the Seat of a Prefidial Court, a SenefchaHhip, an Election, and a Granary for Salt. There are here 12 Churches, (one of which is a Collegiate Church) feveral Convents and Nunneries, two Hofpitals, and a College. The City is well fortified, being furrounded with Walls flanked with Baftions, and large deep Ditches. In 1665, Mr. Van Robe/s, a Dutchman, fet up here a Manufactory of Woollen Cloth, which has fucceeded beyond the moft fan- guine Expectations. Levois XIV. granted him and his People feveral Privileges, and in particular the Liberty of importing all that could be neceflary for his Manufactory, without paying any Duty. Thofe Cloths are faid to be al¬ moft as good and as fine as thofe made in England or Hol¬ land. One Burner, an Englijhman, afterwards gave Robots perfeCt Infight into his Art of making, grinding, and fetting of Shears. Here is alfo a Manufactory of Mocades, and ftriped Stuffs called Bripes, the Warp of which is Thread, and the Woof Wool of feveral Colours, for the Figures that are to be traced in the weaving. They alfo make here Sail and other coarfe Cloth, and Linnens, which being died ferve for Linings. They have befides a confiderable Manufactory of black and green Soap, of which they fell for above 100,000 Livres every Year. There are Armourers here, who make Mufquets and Piftols that are very much efteem’d. This City has a good Trade by means of the Veffels that come up the River Somme, bringing all Sorts of Merchandizes, which they exchange for the Cloths, Linnens, and Stuffs, here made. Abbeville is the native Place of many illuftrious Perfons, particularly of thofe learned Geographers Nicholas Sanfon, Wm. Sanfon his Son, Peter Duval, and Father Peter Brief, a Jefuit. Lon. 2. 2. E. Lat. 50. 7. diftant from England 110 m. Its Noon at London 12. longeft Day 16 Hours. Monf. Bayle adds, Abbeville is fo large, that fcarce 1 o or 1 z Cities in all France exceed or even equal it in Circumference, and that Sanfon, in 1636, computed that it had 35 or 40,000 Inhabitants. But, continues Bayle, Authors don’t agree with Sanfon, when he affirms it was always the Capital of Ponthieu, and much more antient than any City of that County much lefs will they allow of his Affertion, that this City was antiently called Britannia, and one of the moft flourilhing in Gaul, long before our Saviour. This City, having never been taken, is called la Pucelle (the Virgin) of the Country; and its Motto (the fame as is that of our City of Exeter) is. Semper Jidelis, i. e. Ahvavs faithful. ABBIANY, a Town on the Goaft of S. Guinea, 3 leao-. dift. fr. Bebbo, fituate between the River of Svoiero da Cofa, and Cape St. Apollonia, is feated in the Woods, and known at Sea by abundance of Palm-trees appearing on the Shore. [Barbot. ] ABBOTS, or APE WOOD CASTLE, is an antient For¬ tification, near Seafdon, in Stajfordfbire, but on the Edge of Shropfhire. It’s fituate on a lofty round Promontory, and a fteep Ridge for a Mile together, having Hollows cut in the Ground, over which, ’tis imagin’d. Tents were pitched. It’s not improbable but the Whole was one continued For tification, by the Hills at each End, which feem to be Baf¬ tions. It’s fuppos’d to be a Britifo Work. ABBOTSBURY, a fmall Market-Town in Dorftfire, 106m.fr. London; the Royalty of which belongs to the Family of the Strangevoays, who have a noble Swannery there, a Curiofity that invites abundance of Strangers to go and fee it. Thurfday is its Market-day j and on the 29th of June there is held an annual Fair. ABBOTS-LANGLEY, almoft oppofite, Eaftward, to King s-Langley, in Hartfordjhire; chiefly noted for giving Birth to Nicholas Breakfpear, the only Native of England e- ver advanced to the Popedom ; in which he affum’d the Title of Adrian IV. He was in the End choaked by a de- fpicable Infedt (a Fly) tho’ he had been fo impudently haughty as to make the Emperor Frederick I. hold his Stirrup while he mounted his Palfrey. ABBY-MILTON, or MILTON-ABBAS, a fmall mean- built Market-Town in Dorfetfhire, whofe weekly Market is on Monday f dift. fr, London 92 computed, but uz meafu- red