A New Geographical Dictionary; containing a description of all the empires, kingdoms, states and provinces ... in the known world ... together with the population of the counties, cities and towns in England, Scotland, and Wales ... Illustrated with plates and maps, etc

Front matter

A NEW GEOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY; CONTAINING A DESCRIPTION OF ALL THE Empires, Kingdoms, States, and Provinces, WITH THEIR CITIES, TOWNS, MOUNTAINS, CAPES, SEAS, PORTS, HARBOURS, RIVERS, LAKES, &c IN THE iinoton »orlU: With a correct Account of the GOVERNMENT. CUSTOMS, MANNERS, AND RELIGION, OF THE INHABITANTS THE EXTENT, BOUNDARIES, AND NATURAL PRODUCTIONS, OF EACH COUNTRY THEIR TRADE, MANUFACTURES, AND COMMERCE THE LONGITUDE AND LATITUDE OF ALL CITIES AND TOWNS; WITH THEIR BEARINGS AND DISTANCES FROM REMARKABLE PLACES AND THE VARIOUS EVENTS BY WHICH THEY HAVE BEEN DISTINGUISHED. Together with the POPULATION OF THE COUNTIES, CITIES AND TOWNS IN ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, AND WALES, ACCORDING TO THE LAST CENSUS TAKEN BY ORDER OF PARLIAMENT IN 1811. ILLUSTRATED WITH PLATES AND MAPS. THE WHOLE COMPILED FROM THE BEST MODERN AUTHORITIES BY J. W. CLARKE. JLOttDOtt : PRINTED FOR NUTTALL, FISHER, AND Co. CAXTON BUILDINGS, LIVERPOOL.

Preface

. THE usefulness and importance of Geography in general, are sufficiently stated in the Introduction ; but that part of it which comes more particularly Avithin the province of the editor of a work like the present, is, perhaps, more interesting than any other part of the science ; for few persons who read or hear of events or historical occurrences, will be satisfied without knoAving the situation and other circumstances of the countries or towns where the several transactions took place, in the relation of which they have been so interested. It is to be lamented that Geography is not considered so essential in the education of youth, as many other branches of learning, which are regularly taught in our seminaries, and which are considered as indispensably requisite ; for instance, a boy is sent to school where he is taught reading, writing and arithmetic, Avhich are all very necessary ; but his education is not considered as complete, unless he have a little Latin, Greek, and French, on which, in general, about three or four additional years are wasted ; and then he is taken from school, put to some business, and taught to consider himself a scholar ; and perhaps for the first part of his apprenticeship, (if he be blessed Avith a good memory,) can give a tolerable answer to the questions, Who was the father of the Gods ?

How many years the siege of Troy lasted ? and to many others of equal importance. Nay, his learning may extend so far that he can construe a line in Virgil, if he be permitted to open on a part that he has read before; and very probably this learned gentleman may be so completely unacquainted with the geography of his own country, that were he to be asked which Avas the largest, Rutlandshire or Yorkshire ? he Avould be quite at a loss to tell. This may be thought exaggerated ; but the Editor of this work was once himself witness to a dispute, in Avhich a person, Avho had received a classical

PREFACE.

IV education, maintained that the Electorate of Hanover, Avas in the United States of America.* Those works in which a particular description is given of Empires, Kingdoms, States, &c. &c. in alphabetical order, have been generally denominated Gazetteers. The word comes from the French Gazettier, which signifies the composer ofa Gazette, or local news-paper : and Gazette is from the Venetian Gazetta, a small coin, nearly equal to our half-penny, which Avas the original price of the first paper of this kind ever published; this Avas a sort of feuille volant e that contained the News of the time, which the intervals of its publication embraced. This definition of the word considered, it must be evident that the term Gazetteer, or compiler of a public news paper, is not only false in itself Avhen applied to a work of this kind, but palpably absurd.

If we go out ofthe precincts of our own language, Geographical Dictionary, from yn, the earth, and yga<p_o, I describe, or Topographical Dictionary , from towos, a place, and y^œ, I describe, is the most legitimate and expressive ; and, as a general term, the former is perhaps the best Ave can use. Works of this kind have abounded in all countries eA'er since the time of Stephen Byzantinus Avho wrote a work entitled De Urbibus, about the 15th century, though before his time the subject was not unnoticed, as Ave find in many ancient authors ; and indeed we meet with it even incorporated under an alphabetical arrangement in the valuable Dictionary of Snidas, written in the 9th or 10th century. These Avorks may be divided into iavo classes ; 1. Those on a restricted and local plan, including only a description of the various parts ofa particular Kingdom or State.

To these exclusively, but not with strict propriety, the Avorld topographical has been confined. 2. Those on a general plan ; professing to take in all that was * The following genuine con-versation that took place between Orator Henley, and another gentleman, in the Grecian Coffee-house, will shew that the fact stated above, is not a solitary one. Henley. Pray, what is become of our old friend, Dick Smith ? Gent. I really don't know ; the last time I heard of him he was at Ceylon, or some of our Settlements in the West Indies. Henley. At Ceylon, or some of our Settlements in the AVest Indies ! my good Sir, in one sentence there are two mistakes: Ceylon is not one of our Settlements, it belongs to the Dutch ,- and it is situated, not in the West Indies, but in the East Indies. Gent. (With some heat.)

That I deny ! Henley. More shame for you! I will engage to bring a boy of eight years of age who will confute you. Gent. AVell— be it where it will, I thank Cod, I know very little about these sort cf things. Henley. AATiat, > ou thank God for your ignorance, do you? Gent. (In a rage.) I do Sir ; what then ? Henley. AVhy, then, Sir, you have a great deal to be thankful for. For the assistance of such persons, aft alphabetical description of the terraqueous globe, in all its grand and mi nute divisions, cannot be deemed a useless work.

PREFACE.

V known on the face of the terraqueous globe ; these may be legitimately called geo graphical. To make the former class perfect, requires only a little industry and precision, being limited to a particular Empire or Kingdom. To form a tolerably accurate Avork of the second class, requires not only a large fund of geographical knowledge, but also extensive reading, and the sIoav lapse of time in order to correct former mistatements, and incorporate new discoveries. On this general plan much has already been done by different gentlemen ; and particularly by Dr. Brookes, and the Rev. C. Cruttwell. But in most cases, succeeding compilers have been contented to copy from each other, even to the very errors of the press. Accounts of places have been taken from old Travellers, who often, either through ignorance or design, told any thing — but the truth .

And these errors, thus introduced, have been transmitted from edition to edition, to the dis grace of the compilers, and the great embarrassment of the reader. This is the less excusable, when a little attention to modern Travellers, (who have been ob liged, for their own credit's sake, to study accuracy, and who may in general be trusted in the relation of any thing but their own adventures,) would have set the matter right. As every Editor of similar works is necessarily a candidate for public preference ; that public has a right to enquire, on what ground he raises his pretensions ? To this question the compiler of the Geographical Dictionary may reply, by stating what he has found erroneous, redundant, or defective ; and the endeavours he has used to correct errors, retrench superfluities, and supply defects.

In most works of this nature the latitudes, longitudes, bearings, and distances, of places, are frequently very incorrect ; atid it is no uncommon thing to find Gazet teers, as they are termed, differ 300 miles in their assigned situations of the same place : this arises sometimes from the longitudes being calculated from different meridians, without the fact being expressed, and sometimes from an error of the transcriber: add to this the vast improvements that have been and are still making in this science, the neAV countries explored, neAV lands discovered, and new settlements formed, and it will appear clear to every person of correct judgment, that new works of this description, or at least vast additions to the old ones, are constantly requisite. It might be added as another reason for a neAV work, that in our best Gazetteers articles of great mag nitude are often briefly dispatched ; while others of minor importance are swelled beyond all bounds.

To remedy such defects, and to correct errors, the Editor of this work has laboured with no small industry for some years ; and has availed himself 1. b

PREFACE.

VI of all the information within his reach ; consulting the best works of this kind, both in our oavii and in foreign languages. — It is impossible to make such a work immaculate ; and to this he does not pretend : but he can say, that whatever errors may have escaped from his pen, not one of them is the result of carelessness. The study of Geography has been recently prosecuted with an ardour Avorthy of its utility ; many long received errors have been detected, and great improvements made, by new and valuable works compiled from the most authentic sources, both ancient and modern : theory, has, in numberless instances, been entirely superseded by actual research ; and the whole science has assumed a more regular and syste matic appearance. Many difficulties however still remain ; of Europe alone Ave may be said to have a correct general knowledge : but even of this quarter of the globe, there are several parts still but imperfectly known ; while of the interior of Asia, Africa, and America, the coasts and interior of New Holland, NeAV Guinea, &c. Ave are almost altogether ignorant, and entirely dependent upon precarious sources for the information we possess.

To these impediments, the almost universal inaccuracy of maps is a most formidable addition. Scarcely two can be found that agree even in essential points ; nor can this be wondered at when it is known, that, till very lately, there Avas no exact chart ofthe British Channel; and the late trigonometrical surveys have detected gross errors even in the various County maps. The sudden and various political changes on the continent, have rendered it very difficult to ascertain the different boundaries of the several states ; and it is almost impossible to tell to what government many of the smaller towns belong : — and hoAv soon there may be a universal and general change in the Empires of Europe, Avho can tell! To prevent that embarrassment which must result from reading historians pub lished previously to the French Revolution, a map will be gi\>*en in the course of the work, in which the different kingdoms of Europe will be laid down as they existed before that formidable event, and also their present limits : so that the whole of the political changes of the continent may be seen at one view.

The maps accompanying this work have been all engraven for the purpose ; and the utmost care has been taken to have all the Places, Islands, Bays, Harbours, Rivers, Cities, &c. correctly laid down. The political history, government, religion, manners, customs, trade and com merce, of every country, are as minutely stated as the limits of a Avork of this kind will alloAv; nor has their Natural History been neglected. An accurate description of the minerals, plants, and animals peculiar to each country, is given,

PREFACE.

. VII as far as it is known, by the generic names, instead of those bestowed upon them by native savages, and handed down to us by travellers, without any distinctive charac teristic, by which the subject in question might be ascertained ; an evil, of which Natural History has had long to complain. It must however be allowed that, in some instances, the names of plants and animals have occurred, to which it was im possible to assign any rank ; these have been generally omitted, unless there was good reason to suppose them new discoveries. The Latitudes and Longitudes of the different places have been taken, as far as possible, from actual observations ; and the latter is always calculated from the me ridian of Greenwich : the distances of places from each other, are always reduced in to Geographical miles, 60 to a degree, except in the United kingdom of Great Britain, where the English statute mile, 69i to a degree, is the measurement used.

To the work is prefixed a short, but, it is hoped, not an uninteresting, Astrono mical and Geographical Introduction ; and the Topography of the united Kingdoms has been enriched by the addition of much original information ; together with the Population ofthe different Counties, Towns, &c. according to the last Census taken by order of Parliament in 1811. Ancient Geography has been left in general untouched : the aim of the Editor being to delineate the world as it is, to the knowledge of which, the study of the world as it was, will folloAV with greater ease, certainty, and success ; besides. the design of this Avork, to form a valuable assistant for the mercantile Avorld and the public at large, is incompatible with one on a scale so extensive and diffuse. To enumerate every source from whence information has been deiwed, would be as tedious, as it is unnecessary.

It is enough to say, that recourse has been had, among the rest, to the following works : Modern Universal History, Tooke's View of the Russian Empire, Herbin's Statistique de la France, Asiatic Researches, Morse's American Gazetteer, Robertson's America, Edward's West Indies, Pinkerton's Geography, Beauties of England and Wales, various County Histories, the voy ages of Cook, Vancouver, La Peyrouse, Entercasteaux, &c. &c. &c. and the travels of Coxe, Dr. E. Clarke, Lord Valentia, Herne, Bartram, Mackenzie, Bruce, Mungo Park, BarroAV, Vaillant, Major Rennell, &c. &c. &c. and to every other known source, from Avhence authentic information could be reasonably expected. Loxdox, Jan. 1, 1814. «yr**- . ♦ Xs_ "*