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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    4 bifhop and the Country Gentlemen, whofe Effefts, deposi¬ ted in the faid Callle, had been feizd, together with his own, a {lifted Col. Milton, one of the Parliament-Officers, to reduce it, on Condition of having theii E ft efts. Though ’tis the pooreft, ’tis the pleafanteft Town in the County for its Bignefs ; for it Hands on the Side of a. Hill, on the Banks of a fine navigable River, which empties it- jfelf about two Miles oft into the Sea, at the Entiance of that Arm of it which parts Anglefcy from the main Land. ’Tis reckon’d, in fhort, the molt beautiful River and Port Oil all this Side of Britain ; the River, which is able to re¬ ceive Ships of aim. any Burden or Number, and to bring em up to the Town, being a fine ftrait Channel, broad as the Dhames at Deptford, and deep, yet fafe and fecure from Winds. But the Town is old and decayed, and only Ihews what it might be, and what the Want of Trade has brought it to. As its Caftle was pretty ftrong, its Walls were of a large Compafs, with 35 Watch-Towers on them ; which Caftle and Towers being very white, at the Diftance ol a Mile they make a good Appearance : So that no Place, taking in its Port and Ferry over the River to Denbighjbire, and the little Hills on both Sides of the Bay or River co¬ vered with Timber, could make a finer Landicape in a Pifture ; but in the Town there’s nothing but Poverty and Mifery; the Caftle is a Heap of uncovered Rubbifti, and thofe Towers on the Walls only Handing Memorials of what Wales was when it had a Prince of its own. There s a remarkable Epitaph on a Tomb-ftone here, which ’tis thought is hardly to be parallelled of the Kind in Europe, viz. ‘ Here lieth the Body of Nicholas Hookes, of * Conway, Gent, who was the one-and-fortieth Child of ‘ his Father William Hookes, Efq; by Alice his Wife, * and the Father of feven-and-twenty Children,’ He died the 20th Cay of March 1637, and th’e faid Infcription was revived in 1720, at the Charge of John Hookes, Efq; ABERCORN, a Town about 4 M. from Linlithgow, in IV. Lothian, Scotland, is fituate near the Forth of Edinburgh. It had once a Caftle, on a Hill, formerly the Seat of the Douglaf'es, as it is now of the Earl of Hopton ; and it’s fuppo- fed to be the Kebcrcurnig of Bede, in whofe Time here was a famous Monaftery. It gives Title of Earl and Baron to a Branch of the noble Family of the Dukes of Hamilton. The Earl of Hopton, as Proprietor of the Barony of Alercorn, is hereditary Sheriff of Linlithgowjkire. ABERCORN, a Village in Georgia, N. America, is fitu¬ ate 13 m. N. W. from Savannah, and about 5 nearer to it than Ebcnczer, where the Saltzburghers are fettled. ABERDARON Bay is a good anchoring little Bay in Barfey-Ifand (which makes the N. Part of Cardigan Bay) appertaining to Cardiganjhire in Wales; but the Entrance is difficult for great Ships in Cafe of hard Weather. ABERDEENSHIRE, in the N. of Scotland, contains in it Mar, with its Appurtenances ; Strath dee. Strath den, the Braes of Mar and Cromer, moft Part of Buchan, Garioch, and Strathbogy. ’Tis bounded on the S. with Part of Angus and Merns, or rather with the River Dee and the Grandjlain Mountains; with Part of Batnf on N. W. ’Templeman makes it 73 M. in Length, and 28 in Breadth, and calcu¬ lates the Area at 1170 iquare Miles. As the S. Part con¬ tains Mar, with its Subdivifions, it was from thence for¬ merly called the Shire of Mar, which gave Title of Earl to the antient and noble Family of Erejline, ’till forfei¬ ted by the Rebellion of the late Earl in 1715. The Soil would be fruitful enough in the main, if properly cul¬ tivated, and produces Corn, particularly Rye and Oats in Abundance, with fome Pulfe, Roots, and Herbs, both for Food and Phyfick. The Hilly Parts, efpecially the Craigs of Pennan, (where Eagles have their Eyries, i. e. build their Nefts, ftfe.) are covered with Woods of Fir and Oak; and they have Plenty of Game and Pafture, iSc. fo that they have abundance of Sheep, Black-Cattle, Horfes, and Deer. It had Quarries of fpotted Marble, Lime- Stone, and Slate, and one Sort of Stones peculiar to this County called Elf Arrow-Heads, which feem to be of the Flinty Kind, and are of different Shapes, but moftly bear¬ ded like Spears. They are from Half an Inch to 2 Inches long, rough, and unpolilh’d, and very thin at the Edges. ’Tis faid they are always found by Chance, and often in the Roads where none were to be feen an Hour or two before, yea, and fometimes they are difeover’d in the Boots, is'e. of Travellers ; And as they are generally found in the Sum¬ mer when the Sky is clear, Naturalifts conclude they are formed in the Air by fome grofs Exhalations. In its Rivers are found Mufcles which contain Pearls of a fine Colour. The Air of this'County is cool, but healthful; and the AB k Winter much milder than might be expefted fo far N\ Their Fuel is Peat, Turf, and Wood. Here are Springs of Allum Water, and Veifts of Stone from whence Allum is boil’d. The Inhabitants are reckoned to be of as mild a Temper, though as (harp-witted, as their Neighbours. ABERDEEN, in the County of Mar, [See the Article immediately foregoing] has its Name from the Don, a River, upon the Mouth whereof it Hands, and therefore by fome named Aberdon. LOn. 1.58. Lat. 57. 6. 60 m. fr. St. An¬ drews, and 80 E. fr. Edinburgh. There are two Downs, the Old and the New, though both taken together form one City, which for Trade, Wealth, Extent, Grandeur, and Learning, is reckoned the third in Scotland, being inferior but to Edinburgh and Glafgow. Old ABERDEEN was the Seat of the Bifhop, having a large and ftately Cathedral, commonly called St. Machar's. ’Tis moreover adorn’d on the S. Side with King's-College (fo called from King fames IV. who affum’d the Patronage) wherein is a Principal and Sub-Principal, with 3 other Re¬ gents or Profeffors of Philofophy. There are alfo Profeflors of Divinity, &c. ZAc. _ This College is not inferior to any in Scotland; but one Side is cover’d with Lead, the other with Slate. The Church, with its Steeple, is of hewn Stone, hard by which is a Library well furnifh’d. In 1631 it was overturned by a Storm, but foon rebuilt in a more ftately Manner. As the County has a Provincial Synod, containing 8 Prefbyteries, the Town of Old Aberdeen is the Seat of one of them, containing 21 Parifhes. New ABERDEEN, about a Mile from the Old (prece¬ ding) is fituate on 3 Hills, but of eafy Afcent, at the Mouth of the Dee, as the Old at that of the Don. It is the Capital of the Sheriffdom of that Name, the Seat of the Sheriff for Trial of Caufes, and of the County Courts, which are kept in the 'Power of the Cathedral; and it has a Prifon and a Work-houfe ; and it’s evident it had once a Mint. The Streets are paved with a Flint-like Stone. From the Bottom of a Hill at its W. End iffues a Spring, called the Aberdonian Spaw, much like that at Liege. There’s a Bridge over the Don about a Mile from this City, with one large ftately Arch. And in it a handfome Church of Free- ftone, Cuftom-houfe near the Wharf, beautiful and fpaci- ous Market-place, handfome Streets, the Houfes (4, 5, or 6 Stories high) moftly Stone, and the Inhabitants polite and gay. Its College was built 1593. by Geo. Keith, Earl Marfhal, and from him called theMar/ballian Academy ; but much more improv’d and adorn’d fince. St. Nicholas's Church (the Cathedral, formerly divided into 3 Churches) built of Free-ftone, with a lofty Steeple, cover’d with Lead.’ And it hath a Library excellently furnifh’d with Books and Ma¬ thematical Inftruments. This City gives the Title of Earl to an antient Branch of the Family of Gordon. The People here (as indeed of almoft all this Country) are moftly of the Epifcopal Perfuafion; almoft every Parifh having a Meeting-houfe, where the Liturgy is read ; and both here and at Peterhead are not only fine Chapels, but even Or¬ gans. ^ The Old Town muft be very antient, fince this the New is fuppos’d to be above 1 200 Years old. The Quan¬ tity of Salmon taken in both the Dee and the Don is aftoni- fhing, it being no uncommon Thing to take above 1 Head at a fingle Draught of a Net; though the Herring is a Bleffing common to all this Side of the Kingdom. The Bay affords good Anchorage, in Water from 7 to 9 Fathom. ’Tis a Tide-Haven, of difficult Entrance, that no Ship paffes in fecurely without a Pilot. There’s a good Manu¬ facture here of Linnen, and of Worfted Stockings fo fine as to fell for 15, nay up to 30 s. a Pair. ABERDOUR is a Market-Town on the Frith of Forth, in Fifejhire, Scotland, 6 M. fr. Dumfermlin, 7 fr. Edinburgh, and 3 fr. hinerkythin. Here Douglas, Earl of Mcreton, Re¬ gent of the Kingdom during the Minority of James VI. built a fine Seat, with Terras-Walks to the Frith, almoft oppofite to Edinburgh. ABERFORTH, or ABERFORD, a fmall Market- Town, but about a Mile in Length, in the W. Riding of Tot kfAre, Hands 8 1V1. fi. Leeds, 10 fr. Burrowbridge, 180 meafur’d M. fr. London, on the great Roman Caufey, which between this and Caftle -ford- Bridge appears as entire as at its firft making, tho’ near 1600 Years old. Under this Town runs the River Cock, and near it is ftill to be feen the Foun¬ dation of an old Caftle, called by the Inhabitants Caftle- Cary. This Town is famous for the Manufacture of a Sort of Pins, which Mr. Camden fays were in particular Requeft among the Ladies of his Time. Its IVIarket is weekly on' Wednefday ; and its two annual lairs are, one on the 21ft of April, the other the 19th of September. ABER-.