the sea. The woods that border the roads here are so thick as to be impassable to a man on foot, unless he carries in his hand a hatchet to cut his way. The town is partly situated upon a hill, and partly in the plain, where a rivulet runs, over which is a stone bridge. The place plainly denotes that it has enjoyed greater prosperity than at present: many houses are only of two stories. The streets are paved, but are much out of repair. It contains several churches and good shops, and about 800 inhabitants. The view from the principal church is said to be grand; and the only regular inn of which the country can boast is established here.

IHRE (John), a celebrated Swedish professor of rhetoric and politics, was born in March, 1707. On account of the early death of his father, a professor of theology at Lund, he was brought up by his grandfather, the archbishop of Upsal, and in 1730 travelled for improvement. On his return he was elected a member of the Academy of Sciences; and in 1757 public professor of poetry. In 1748 he was appointed professor of rhetoric and politics, an office which he discharged with great reputation for forty years. In 1756 he was raised to the rank of counsellor of the chancery. He died in 1780. His works are, Conspectus Prælectionum in Linguam Suecanam 1745; Lexicon Dialectorum, 1766; Glossarium Suio-Gothicum, 2 vols. folio, 1769. He wrote also on the old catalogue of the Suio-Gothic kings, and on the old West

Gothic laws.

JIB, the fore-mast sail of a ship, being a large stay-sail extended from the outer end of the bowsprit, prolonged by the jib-boom, towards the fore top-mast-head. See SAIL. The jib is a sail of great command with any side wind, but especially when the ship is close-hauled, cr has the wind upon her beam; and its effort in casting the ship, or turning her head to leeward, is very powerful and of great utility, particularly when the ship is working through a narrow channel.

JIBBEL AURESS, or AURAS, an extensive chain of mountains in North Africa, on the southern part of the province of Constantina, and territory of Algiers. It may be considered as one of the branches of the Atlas; and is about 120 miles in circuit, connecting itself with Mount Jurjura. It was called by Ptolemy, Audus, and, in the middle ages, Mons Aurasius. Various beautiful valleys intervene, and almost the whole of it is extremely fertile. The native tribes enjoy their own laws, and are independent, except in paying a certain tribute to the Algerine government, which is gathered every year by a flying camp. In proceeding to the southward they find higher and more rugged mountains, and a hardier race, who bid these authorities defiance. The most formidable tribe is that of the Neardee, who have their chief fortification on a high, rugged, and conical mountain. Within the last century, a princess of the name of Umhaany, emulating the heroines of old, led to battle in person several of these clans. A number of ancient ruins are spread over these mountains, and several rivers rise from them.

. JIB-BOOM, in naval affairs, a boom run out

from the extremity of the bowsprit, parallel to its length, and serving to extend the bottom of the jib and the stay of the fore-top-gallant-mast. This boom, which is nothing more than a continuation of the bowsprit forward, to which it may be considered as a topmast, is usually attached to the bowsprit by means of two large boomirons, or by one boom-iron, and a cap on the outer end of the bowsprit; or, finally, by the cap without, and a strong lashing within, instead of a boom-iron, which is generally the method of securing it in small merchant ships. It may therefore be drawn in upon the bowsprit as occasion requires; which is usually practised when the ship enters a harbour, where it might very soon be broken or carried away, by the vessels which are moored therein, or passing by under sail.

JIDDA, DJIDDA, or DSJIDDA, a town of Arabia, on the Red Sea, situated, according to Bruce, in a very unwholesome, barren, and desert part of the country. From this disagreeable situation, it is probable that it would have been long ago abandoned, had it not been for its vicinity to Mecca, of which it may be considered as the port, and the vast annual influx of wealth occasioned by the India trade. The town itself receives but little advantage, for all the customs are sent to the sheriff of Mecca. The gold,' says Mr. Bruce, 'is returned in bags and boxes, and passes on as rapidly to the ships as the goods do to the market, and leaves as little profit behind. In the mean time provisions rise to a prodigious price, and this falls upon the townsmen, while all the profit of the traffic is in the hands of strangers; most of whom, after the market is over (which does not last six weeks), retire to Yemen and the adjacent countries, which abound in every sort of provision.' The port of Jidda is very extensive, and contains numberless shoals, small islands, and sunk rocks, but in the harbour itself ships may ride secure, whatever wind blows. The only danger is in coming in or going out. Jidda was surrounded with walls in 1540, by El Guri, sultan of Egypt, to protect it from the Portuguese; but these are now in a state of decay. The town is superior to that of Mocha; the houses are built of large blocks of madrepore; and, though the streets are narrow (which in this climate affords the advantage of their being shaded during the greatest part of the day), it is of imposing aspect in consequence of the hills which rise behind it. The entrance to the road it would be imprudent to attempt without a pilot; but, if signals be made, the pilots meet a ship at the proper distance, and carry her to the anchorage, which is three miles from the town, in twelve fathoms of water. The landing place is in front of the vizier's palace; the custom-house likewise faces the sea, and is a lofty handsome building. The English are the principal European nation who carry on a trade here. When a vessel arrives, the first thing done is to have all the packages examined by the native government. Presents must then be made to the bashaw and other officers of government; for which purpose two or three articles of each part of the cargo are generally selected. The goods are now sold on credit, till

Segovia, owing its origin to the erection of the royal palace of La Granja. It stands on the north side of the mountain of Guadarama, and contains about 4300 inhabitants. Here are manufactures of steel, linen, and glass; conducted on the government account, and at which are made the splendid mirrors sold at Madrid. The church contains a striking monument of Philip V. The palace takes its name from a granary which once stood upon the same spot, and which was purchased by Philip V. in 1721, from the Hieronymite friars. The external appearance is not magnificent, though the façade towards the gardens is neat. The interior contains a great number of paintings, statues, busts, &c., arranged in galleries. But the chief ornament here is the gardens. The soil was originally most unpromising and devoid of moisture; but the elevations have been levelled, the cavities filled, and the scattered rills of the mountain collected, so as to water the gardens, and form a small river. The water-works are magnificent. The whole seems to have been planned on the model of Versailles. This is the highest royal residence in Europe, being at an elevation of 3800 feet above the sea. Forty miles north by west of Madrid, eight south-east of Segovia, and twenty-three north of the Escurial.

sion from that of Man, in 1304. There is a tradition, that while the Isle of Man was part of the kingdom of the Isles, the rents were paid in this country: those in silver were paid on a rock, still called Craig-a-nione, or the rock of the silver rent; the other, Craig-a-nairgid, or the rock of rents in kind. These lie opposite to each other, at the mouth of a harbour on the south side of this island. There are several forts built on the isles in fresh-water lakes, and divers caverns in different parts of the island, which have been used occasionally as places of strength. It seems to have been long a seat of empire, probably jointly with the Isle of Man, as being most conveniently situated for the government of the rest of the Hebrides; for Crovan, the Norwegian, after his conquest of that island in 1066 retired and finished his days in Ila. On the retreat of the Danes it became the seat of the lords of the isles; and continued, after their power was broken, in the reign of James III. in their descendants the Macdonalds. It was in the possession of Sir James Macdonald in 1598, who gained the battle of Traii-dhruinard. His power gave umbrage to James VI., who directed the lord of Macleod, Cameron of Lochiel, and the Macneils of Barra, to support the Macleans in another invasion. The rival parties met near the hill of Benbigger, east of Killarrow; a fierce engagement ensued; the Macdonalds were defeated, and almost entirely cut off. Sir James escaped to Spain, but returned in 1620, was pardoned, received a pension, and died at Glasgow. But the king, irritated by the disturbances raised by private wars waged between these and other clans, resumed the grant made by his predecessor, and transferred it to Sir John Campbell of Calder, who held it on paying an annual feu-duty of £500 sterling. The island was granted to Sir John as a reward for his undertaking the conquest; but the family considered it as a dear acquisition.

ILE, n. s. Corrupted from Fr. aisle. A walk or alley in a church or public building. Properly aisle.

Upward the columns shoot, the roofs ascend, And arches widen, and long iles extend.

Pope.

ILERAY, an island of Scotland, on the west coast of north Uist, separated from it and from the isle of Kirkbost by sands, which are overflowed at high water. It is three miles long, half a mile broad, and yields good crops of barley, besides pasture for cattle.

ILERDA, in ancient geography, the capital of a nation of Spain, called the Ilergetes, situated on an eminence between the rivers Sicoris and Cinga. It was often besieged and taken, being exposed to the incursions from Gaul; and under Gallienus it was destroyed by the GerIt is now called Lerida in Catalonia, on

mans.

the Segra. ILE'US, n. s. Lat.

is

An ileus, commonly called the twisting of the guts, really either a circumvolution, or insertion of one part of the gut within the other. Arbuthnot. I'LEX, n. s.

Lat.

ILCHESTER, or IVELCHESTER, a borough and market town of Somersetshire, seated on the right bank of the river Ivel, about 122 miles from London. It appears to have been strongly fortified by the Romans, and at the time of the Norman conquest contained several churches. The foss-way retains its name, and passes through the principal street; and the pavement of the original ford, formed of flag-stones, may be seen on the west side of the bridge. Upon the bridge, which consists of two large arches, and at its foot, are two dwelling-houses, formerly chapels. The town at present consists of four streets. has a church, dedicated to St. Mary, with an octagonal tower of stone, fifty feet high; it has also a meeting-house for dissenters. The county court-house and new gaol are good buildings; and here is the county-gaol. A court is held here every Wednesday four weeks. It is a borough by prescription, and is governed by a bailiff and twelve capital burgesses, who, together with the inhabitants not receiving arms, return two members to parliament: the returning officer being the bailiff. Here is a good almshouse for sixteen poor women and a housekeeper.

ILDEFONSO (St.), a small town of Spain, in
VOL. XI

ILEX, the holm or holly, a genus of the tetragynia order, and tetrandria class of plants, natural order forty-third, dumosæ : CAL. quadridentated: COR. rotaceous; there is no style: SEED a monospermous berry. There are several species; but the most remarkable is the

I. aquifolium, or common holly. Of this there are many varieties with variegated leaves, which are propagated by the gardeners for sale, and, some years ago, were in great esteem, but at present are little regarded; the practice of filling gardens with shorn evergreens being abolished. 2 S

In the disposition of plantations of evergreen trees and shrubs, however, a few of the most lively colors have a good effect in winter, if properly disposed. The common holly grows naturally in woods and forests in many parts of England, where it rises from twenty to thirty feet, and sometimes more, but the ordinary height is not above twenty-five feet: the stem, by age, becomes large, and is covered with a grayish smooth bark; and those trees which are not lopped or browsed by cattle are commonly furnished with branches the greatest part of their length, forming a sort of cone; the branches are garnished with oblong oval leaves, of a lucid green on their upper surface, but are pale on their under, having a strong mid-rib; the edges are indented and waved, with sharp thorns terminating each of the points, so that some of the thorns are raised upward, and others are bent downward, and being very stiff they are troublesome to handle. The leaves are placed alternate on every side of the branches; and from the base of their foot-stalks come out the flowers in clusters, standing on very short foot-stalks; each of these sustain five, six, or more flowers. They are of a dirty white, and appear in May; but are succeeded by roundish berries, which turn to a beautiful red about Michaelmas, and continue on the trees, if not destroyed, till after Christmas. The common holly is a very beautiful tree in winter; therefore deserves a place in all plantations of evergreen trees and shrubs, where its shining leaves and red berries make a fine variety. It is propagated by seeds, which never come up the first year, but lie in the ground; therefore the berries should be buried in the ground one year, and then taken up and sown at Michaelmas, upon a bed exposed only to the morning sun; the following spring the plants will appear, which must be kept clean from weeds; and, if the spring prove dry, it will be of great service to the plants if they are watered once a week; but too much moisture is very injurious to these plants when young. In this seed-bed the plants may remain two years, and then be transplanted in autumn, into beds about six inches asunder, where they may stand two years longer; during which time they must be constantly kept clean from weeds; and, if they have thriven well, they will be strong enough to transplant where they are designed to remain; for, when they are transplanted at that age, they will grow to a larger size than those which are removed when they are much larger but, if the ground is not ready to receive them, they should be transplanted into a nursery in rows two feet distant, and one foot asunder; where they may remain two years longer. If they are to be grafted with any of the variegated kinds, that should be performed after they have grown one year in the nursery; but the plants so grafted should continue two years after in the nursery, that they may make good shoots before they are removed; though the plain ones should not stand longer than two years in the nursery, because, when they are older, they do not transplant so well. The best season for removing hollies is in autumn, especially in dry land: but, where the soil is cold and moist, they may be

:

transplanted with great safety in spring, if the plants are not too old, or have not stood long unremoved. Sheep in winter are fed with croppings of holly. Birds eat the berries. The bark fermented, and washed from the woody fibres, make the common bird-lime. The plant makes an impenetrable fence, and bears chopping, though it does not, in all respects, answer equally well with the hawthorn. The wood is used in veneering, and is sometimes stained black to imitate ebony. Handles for knives, and cogs for mill-wheels, are made of it.

ILFRACOMBE, a sea-port of Devonshire, with a spacious basin, formed by a fine pier projecting into the Bristol Channel. The high tides here allow large vessels to enter the harbour. This port employs a number of brigs and sloops, chiefly in carrying ore from Cornwall, coal from Wales, and corn to Bristol. A number of fishing skiffs belong to it. It is seated almost opposite Swansea, in Glamorganshire, and is forty-nine miles N. N. W. of Exeter, and 181 west by south of London.

ILHEOS, one of the four provinces of Brasil, which compose the captaincy of Bahia, bounded on the north by the province of Todos Santos; south by the river Grande, which separates it from Porto Seguro; east by the Atlantic; and west by the country of the Indians. It is fertile and well watered, producing considerable quantities of cotton, sugar, and Brasil wood.

ILHEOS, the capital of the foregoing province, is situated in a bay, the entrance of which is defended by a fort, which has a small garrison, and a governor. It has two convents of monks, with a college, which formerly belonged to the Jesuits. Ninety-three miles north from Porto Seguro, and 126 south-west of the bay of Todos Santos.

ILHEOS, a large river of Brasil, in the province of this name, which rises in the mountains of the interior, runs east, and enters the sea, forming at its mouth a beautiful port. There is an island of the same name situated at the mouth of this river, in long. 39° 27′ W., lat. 14° 37′ S.

ILIA, the daughter of Numitor, and mother of Romulus, the founder of Rome. See NuMITOR.

IL'IAC, adj.

Relating to the lower ILIAC-PASSION,n.s. bowels. Iliac-passion, a kind of nervous cholic, whose seat is the ilium, whereby that gut is twisted, or one part enters the cavity of the part immediately below or above; whence it is also called the volvulus, from volvo, to roll.

Those who die of the iliac passion have their bellies much swelled. Floyer on the Humours.

ILIAC REGION. See ANATOMY. ILIAD, Itas, from Ilium, an ancient epic poem, the finest of the works attributed to Homer. The poet's design was to show the Greeks, who were divided into several states, how much it was their interest to preserve harmony among themselves; for which end he sets before them the calamities that befel their ancestors from the wrath of Achilles, and his misunderstanding with Agamemnon; and the advantages that afterwards accrued to them from their