pnugues/EB7 huggingface dataset:
WERCHNE-DNIAPROWSK, a circle of the Russian government of Jekaterinoslaw. It extends in north latitude from 51° 8' to 52° 7', and in east longitude from 33° 45' to 34° 57'. The land is very fertile, and repays with good interest whatever industry is expended on it. It breeds many valuable herds of horned cattle, as well as sheep. The Dnieper touches the circle on the north-east, and there receives the waters of many small streams. The population is thin, but is not precisely known, as a portion consists of Kossacs, whose residence is not permanent, and some of them are colonists from Poland and Germany, recently established. The capital is the city of the same name on the right bank of the Dnieper, lately founded, and said to contain yet not more than 1500 inhabitants. It is 1066 miles from St Petersburg. Long. 34. 41. E. Lat. 51. 8. N.
WEREJA, a circle of the Russian government of Moscow, extending in north latitude from 53° 27' to 54° 19', and in east longitude from 37° 30' to 37° 47'. It is bounded on the north by Mohaisk, on the north-east by Swenigorod, on the east by Podol, on the south by Kaluga, and on the west by Smolensko. It comprehends 654 square miles, with one city, 234 large villages, and 66,450 inhabitants. The surface is undulating, the soil rather sandy, with some marshes, and is well watered with several small streams. A great part of the circle is covered with fir woods. The capital is the city of the same name on the river Protwa, which divides it into two parts, and is navigable for small craft. It is fortified, but not strongly; has two wooden and tiro stone churches, 820 houses, and 7300 inhabitants, who carry on trade largely in the productions of the circle. It is 480 miles from St Petersburg. Long. 35. 55. E. Lat. 55. 29. N.
WERNIGERODE, a principality in Prussia, now mediatised, and forming a portion of the circle of Osterwick, in the province of Saxony. The family of Stolberg-Wernigerode were formerly the sovereigns, and are now the proprietors, and in a secondary sense the governors, having the patronage of all clerical, civil, and judicial offices, and the power of pardoning smaller offences, as well as of granting dispensations respecting marriages and the gamelaws. The principality, which includes a part of the Hartz Forest, with the Brocken, is about 101 square miles in extent, comprehending one city, one market-town, eleven villages, and many hamlets and detached farms, with 1530 houses, and 14,640 inhabitants. The capital, of the same name, is situated at the foot of the Hartz Mountains, on a small stream called the Zillerbach, but is 820 feet above the level of the sea. It includes the residence of the court, in a fine situation, with a library of more than 30,000 volumes. The town is irregularly and ill built, but is surrounded with walls. It contains four churches, an orphan-house, a poor-house, a gymnasium, and 870 dwellings, with 5340 inhabitants, who carry on some trade in linens, in paper, in copper, and in distillation, but depend much on the residence of the court, and on the numerous summer visitants to the Hartz. It is in longitude 10. 47. 35. E. and latitude 51. 50. 34. N.
WERREAR, a district of Hindustan, on the north-west frontier of the province of Gujerat, extending along the banks of the Banass river. This country is famed for its excellent grass, to which it is indebted for its name, Wud-dyar or Wandyar signifying in the Gujerattee language a herdsman; and is resorted to by immense herds of cattle sent to pasture on the banks of the Runn. Sheep are cheap and abundant, and it produces also horses of a smaller breed than those of Cottiwar; but few are exported, those of a good quality being in great demand. The district is much infested by plundering Coolees, the principal haunts of these robbers being at Warye, fourteen miles south-west from Rahdunpoor, Barbere, twenty-four miles north, and Therwara, thirty miles north-west from Rahdunpoor, the latter possessed by the Balooches.
WERTURIAN or Uralian Mountains. See Oural Mountains.
WESEL BAY, on the south coast of the island of Java. Long. 113. 42. E. Lat. 8. 21. S.
WESENBERG, a circle in the Russian province of Esthonia, formerly called Wierland. It extends in north latitude from 58° 45' to 59° 40', and in east longitude from 25° 40' to 28° 3', and comprehends 1910 square miles, with two towns, seven parishes, and 157 hamlets, in which are seventeen Lutheran and one Greek church, with 49,850 inhabitants. It stands on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, and is well watered by several streams. It contains many morasses, and much woodland. The capital is a town of the same name on the river Soli. It has little trade, and the chief occupation is in the river and sea fishery. Long. 26. 18. E. Lat. 59. 28. N.
WESSEL’S Islands, a chain of islands which extends north-eastward from the north coast of New Holland, thirteen leagues, at the entrance of the Gulf of Carpentaria, on the west side. The inhabitants are barbarous in the extreme, and go about naked. The northern extremity is in lat. 11. 18. S.
WEST-BROMWICH, a parish of the county of Stafford, in the hundred of Offlow, 122 miles from London. It is a very scattered place, and affords considerable occupation in various branches of the iron manufacture. Besides the old parish church, two others have been recently erected. The population amounted in 1821 to 9505, and in 1831 to 15,327.
WESTBURY, a borough of the county of Wilts, in the hundred of its own name, ninety-seven miles from London. There is a church of Gothic architecture, and a townhall, and it has a market on Thursday. The chief trade consists in making fine woollen cloths and cassimeres. It returns one member to the House of Commons. The population amounted in 1821 to 6846, and in 1831 to 7324.
WESTERAS, an internal province of the kingdom of Sweden, formed out of a small portion of the ancient province of Upland, and the eastern part of Westmanland. It is now bounded on the north-west by Kopparberg, on the north-east by Gefleborg, on the east by Upsala, on the south by Malaren and Nykoping, and on the west by Orebro. It extends over 2772 square miles, and comprehends four cities and 2818 villages and hamlets, with 87,600 inhabitants. It is a well-watered district, and, for the climate, very fruitful, but chiefly consisting of pasture-land, and consequently rendered profitable more by its dairies and by fattening cattle than by its ploughed fields. It generally, however, grows corn sufficient for its consumption, and in very favourable years has a surplus. The fisheries arc productive; but the chief demand for labour is in the mines and in their products. The silver-mine of Sala is still worked, being the only one now in Sweden; and the iron-mines of Norberg yield the best quality of metal. The exports are wood, cattle, silver, iron, and cutlery goods, and in some years corn. The province, for the purposes of government and law, is divided into seven bailiwicks. The capital is the city of the same name, at the mouth of the river Swartelf. It is the seat of a bishop, and is finely situated, but irregularly built. In the cathedral are monuments of two of their kings, Gustavus III. and Erick XIV. There is a gymnasium, with nine professors, and an hospital. It contains 570 houses, chiefly built of wood, and 3120 inhabitants. It has some trade by the Malaren Lake, chiefly with Stockholm. Long. 16. 22. 28. E. Lat. 59. 35. 31. N.
WESTERHAM, a market-town of the county of Kent, in the lathe of Sutton, and the hundred of the same name, twenty-two miles from London. It is on the borders of Surrey, is pleasantly situated and neatly built, with some very good houses. The market-house, though small, is an elegant building. The church contains a monument to General Wolfe, who was a native of this place. There is a market on Wednesday for corn. The population amounted in 1821 to 1742, and in 1831 to 1926.
WESTMINSTER, a city which forms the west part of the capital of Britain, but has a government distinct from the rest. This city had its name from the situation of its abbey, anciently called a minster, in respect of that of St Paul. That part properly called the city of Westminster, comprehending the parishes of St John and St Margaret, was once an island formed by the Thames, called Thornry Island, from the thorns with which it was overrun; and the abbey that stood in it, Thorney Abbey. The liberties of Westminster contain the several parishes of St Martin in the Fields, St James’s, St Anne, St Paul, Covent Garden, St Mary le Strand, St Clement Danes, St George, Hanover Square, and the precinct of the Savoy. The government, both of the city and liberties, is under the jurisdiction of the dean and chapter of Westminster, in civil as well as ecclesiastical affairs; and their authority extends to the precinct of St Martin le Grand, by Newgate Street, and to some towns of Essex, which are exempted from the jurisdiction of the bishop of London and the archbishop of Canterbury; but the management of the civil part has, ever since the Reformation, been in the hands of laymen, elected from time to time, and confirmed by the dean and chapter. The chief of these laymen are the high steward, the deputysteward, and the high bailif, who hold their offices for life.
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There are also sixteen burgesses and their assistants, out of which are elected two head burgesses, one for the city, and the other for the liberties. Another officer is the high constable, who has all the other constables under his direction. See London.
WESTERN Port, on the south coast of New Holland, a capacious bay, with a considerable island at the entrance, which lies in lat. 38. 33. S.
WESTPORT, a seaport town in the county of Mayo, distant from Dublin, by way of Tuam, 134½ miles. The town is beautifully situated in a small valley, which is watered by a stream running through the centre of the two principal streets. There are various minor streets which diverge on both sides of the valley, and, from the acclivity of the ground, are very steep. Great inconvenience arises from the port and the town being separated by the seat of the marquis of Sligo, and by the steepness of the road between the two places. The town is increasing in prosperity, arising from the agricultural produce of the neighbouring district being shipped here, from the quantity of linen which is still made, and the business which a large distillery and brewery have called forth. The amount of custom-duty collected at the port in 1838 was L.5044; in 1839, L.9121; and in 1840, L.7555. In addition to the parish church, which is situated in the demesne of the marquis of Sligo, there are places of worship in the town for the Presbyterians and Methodists, and a large chapel for the Roman Catholics. The population in 1821 amounted to 4326, and in 1831 to 4448.
WESTRAY, one of the largest of the Orkney Islands, containing, in 1831, 2025 inhabitants. See Οrκνευ.
WETLUGA, a circle of the Russian government of [7:21:865] Kostroma. It extends in north latitude from 57° 8' to 58° 33', and in east longitude from 45° 6' to 47° 48'. The soil is poor, and the climate raw and cold, better adapted for pasturage than for agriculture; and the population, much dispersed, does not exceed 30,000 persons. The capital is the city of the same name, 437 miles from St Petersburg. Long. 45. 35. E. Lat. 57. 40. N.
WETSTEIN, John James, a learned biblical critic, was born at Basel in 1693. On his admission to the ministry, he maintained a thesis “De variis Novi Testamenti Lectionibus in which he showed that the great variety of readings of the New Testament affords no argument against the authenticity of the text. He had made these various readings the object of his attention, and travelled into foreign countries to examine all the manuscripts he could find. In 1730, he published “Prolegomena ad Novi Testamenti Graeci Editionem accuratissimam,” &c. Some divines, dreading his unsettling the present text, procured a decree of the senate of Basel against his undertaking, and even got him prohibited from officiating in the ministry; on which he went to Amsterdam, where the Remonstrants named him to succeed the famous Le Clerc, then superannuated, as professor of philosophy and history. His edition of the New Testament he published in 1752, in 2 vols. folio. He left the text as he found it, placing the various readings, with a critical commentary, underneath; subjoining two epistles of Clemens Romanus, till then unknown to the learned, but discovered by him in a Syriac manuscript of the New Testament. He died at Amsterdam in 1754.
WETTER Isle, in the Eastern Seas, situated off the north coast of the island of Timor. It is about sixty-five miles in length and twenty in average breadth. Long. 126. 40. E. Lat. 7. 24. S.
WETTEREN, a large market-town of the Netherlands, in the province of East Flanders and circle of Dendermond. It stands on the river Scheldt, and contains 7750 inhabitants, chiefly employed in making linen and fine thread. There is a handsome bridge over the river.
WEYRE, a town of Hindustan, province of Agra, belonging to the rajah of Bhurtpore. It is well fortified, and is situated on the high road from Agra to Jeypore. Long. 77. 2. E. Lat. 27. 2. N.
WHAMPOA, a seaport of China, situated on an island in the river Canton, about two miles below Canton city. Here is a safe anchorage for large ships, which carry on their communication with Canton by boats. The island on which Whampoa is situated is called Bankshall island, from being the place where storehouses are constructed of bamboos and mats, to contain the ships’ stores, &c. Immediately on the arrival of any vessel, two custom-house boats are placed alongside, to prevent smuggling; and without their permission no goods can be shipped or landed. All European ships are allowed to wear a flag in their boats, which prevents their being stopt at the custom-house. Lat. 23.6. N.
WHEAT. See Agriculture.
WHEEL, in Mechanics, a simple machine, consisting of a round piece of wood, metal, or other matter, which revolves on its axis. See Mechanics.

W heel is also the name of a kind of punishment to which great criminals are put in divers countries. In some, assassins, parricides, and robbers on the highway, are said to be condemned to the wheel, when they are to have their bones first broken with an iron bar on a scaffold, and then to be exposed, and left to expire on the circumference of a wheel. In Germany they break their bones on the wheel itself. Of this cruel punishment it is not certain who was the inventor: it was first used in Germany, and was indeed but rarely practised anywhere else, till the time of Francis I. of France, who, by an edict of the year 1534, appointed it to be inflicted on robbers on the highway.

Wheel -Carriages. See Mechanics for an account of the general principles.
WHEELER, Sir George, a learned traveller and divine, was the son of Colonel Wheeler of Charing in Kent, and was born in 1650 at Breda, where his parents, as royalists, were then in exile. In 1667 he became a commoner of Lincoln College, Oxford, but did not take a degree. He travelled through various parts of Greece and the East, in company with Dr Spon of Lyon; and taking orders on his return, was installed a prebendary of Durham, made vicar of Basingstoke, and afterwards rector of Houghton le Spring. He published an account of his Journey into Greece in 1682 in folio; and in 1689 an Account of the Churches and Places of Assembly of the primitive Christians, from the Churches of Tyre, Jerusalem, and Constantinople, described by Eusebius. He is likewise author of a [7:21:870]work entitled “The Protestant Monastery, or Christian Oeconomics.” In 1702 he was created D. D. by diploma. He died in 1724.
WHIDAH, a kingdom of Africa, on the coast of Guinea, and to the west of the Gold Coast; extending about ten miles along the sea. It is a populous country, well furnished with large villages; and there are so many small ones, that they are not above a musket-shot from each other. Whidah was conquered by the king of Dahomy. Its trade consists of slaves, elephants’ teeth, wax, and honey.
WHIDBEY’S Isles, seven small islands on the south coast of New Holland, about seven or eight miles from Whidbey Point, which is a rocky promontory in long. 135. 6. W. and lat. 34. 36. S.
WHIRLPOOL, an eddy, vortex, or gulf, where the water is continually turning round. Those in rivers are very common, from various accidents, and are usually very trivial, and of little consequence. In the sea they are more rare, but more dangerous.
WHIRLWIND, a wind which moves in a spiral direction, as well as horizontally, which is exceedingly rapid and impetuous, but only of short duration. Of some kinds of whirlwinds the motion is slow, and they are only injurious by their vortex; while others seem to do mischief as well by their progressive as their whirling motion. Of this kind are those called typhons, which, by their frequently following the course of rivers, seem thus also to discover their electrical origin.
WHISKEY, a term signifying water, and applied in Scotland and in Ireland to a distilled liquor drawn from barley.
WHIST, a well-known game at cards, which requires great attention and silence; hence the name.
WHITBURN, a parish and village situated on the high road from Edinburgh to Glasgow, in the county of Linlithgow. The inhabitants of the village are mostly weavers. It contains two places of worship belonging to the dissenters. In 1831 the population of the parish amounted to 800.
WHITCHURCH, a market-town of the county of Hants, in the hundred of Evingar, and division of Kingsclere, fifty-seven miles from London. It is an ancient borough, and returns one member to parliament. It is now a place of little trade, with a small market on Friday. The river that runs by it produces the finest trout, and is much visited by anglers. The population amounted in 1821 to 1434, and in 1831 to 1673.

Whitchurch , a market-town of the county of Salop, in the hundred of North Bradford, 160 miles from London. It is a well-built place, whose greatest ornament is the parish church, erected in 1722. It is a fine building of the Tuscan order, standing on the site of an ancient Gothic structure, having a stately square tower with eight bells, and elaborately finished in the interior. There is also an excellent endowed grammar-school, with houses for the several masters. There is a well-attended market on Friday. The population, which is principally employed in the malt and hop trade, and in making shoes, amounted in 1821 to 5376, and in 1831 to 5736.
WHITE, one of the colours of natural bodies.
WHITE Friars, a name common to several orders of monks, from being clothed in a white habit.
WHITE Sea is a bay of the Frozen Ocean, so called in the north part of Muscovy, lying between Russian Lapland and Samoieda; at the bottom of which stands the city of Archangel. This was the chief port possessed by the Russians before their conquest of Livonia.
WHITE Island in the South Pacific Ocean, near the east coast of New Zealand, north of Cape Runaway. Long. 186. 36. W. Lat. 26. N.
WHITEHAVEN, a large seaport and market town in the parish of St Bees and ward of Allerdale, on the west coast of the county of Cumberland. It is situated at the upper end of a small creek of the Irish Sea, and comprises a number of handsome straight wide streets, which intersect each other at right angles, and are well paved, and lighted with gas. The town has advanced to its present state of prosperity from being, in 1566, a small place, containing six fishermen’s huts. For this progress it is indebted to the family of Killigrew, and more particularly to their successors the Lowthers, who, having large estates around the town, and valuable possessions of coal underneath it, have liberally come forward, when opportunities occurred, to promote its prosperity. There are three churches, and various places of worship belonging to dissenters. The institutions for educational purposes are numerous, and educate more than 1700 children. There are also an infirmary, a fever hospital, a dispensary, and a house of industry. The public buildings, including a theatre and news-room, are well adapted for the instruction and amusement of the inhabitants, as well as for the business of the port. Its harbour is spacious and commodious, having seven piers extending into the sea in different directions, and affording ample security to the shipping. There is attached to the harbour a patent slip, erected at the expense of Lord Lonsdale. There are two light-houses at the entrance of the harbour, and a third is situated on the promontory of St Bees’ Head, three miles to the south-west. The commerce of this port is very extensive; the principal export articles being coal, iron and lead ore, grain, and lime. The chief manufactures are coarse linens, and articles connected with the fitting out of vessels. The town contains iron and brass founderies, and breweries. The coal-works are, next to those of Newcastle and Sunderland, the most important in the kingdom, and are the principal source of wealth to the town. There are five principal shafts or entrances to the mines, called Bearmouths, three on the north and two on the south side of the town. They are 320 yards in depth, and extend to a considerable distance under the sea; and such vast quantities have been excavated that the mines have the appearance of a subterranean city. In 1837 the quantity of coals shipped from this port amounted to 405,593 tons, and in 1838 to 389,188 tons, exclusive of the cinders and culm. The net amount of customs-duties, after deducting all expenses, paid into the treasury, was, in 1837, L.95,895, and in 1838, L.97,300. There are upwards of 450 vessels belonging this port, engaged in the American, West Indian, Baltic, and coasting trade. Steam-vessels sail regularly to Liverpool, Carlisle, Dublin, the Isle of Man, Annan, Dumfries, Wigton, and Kirkcudbright. The town and port are governed by trustees appointed by the trading community and Lord Lonsdale. Whitehaven returns a member to parliament. The population in 1821 amounted to 12,438, and in 1831 to 11,393.
WHITHAM, a market-town and parish of the county of Essex, which gives its name to the hundred in which it is situated. It stands on a branch of the river Blackwater, thirty-eight miles from London and seven from Chelmsford. It is a well-built town, and pleasantly situated; and being on the great road to Harwich and Ipswich, has much travelling through it. Whitham is said to have been originally built by King Alfred. It afterwards belonged to the Knights Templars, who had a preceptory at Cressing, three miles distant. The church is a neat Gothic structure, containing some ancient monuments. There is a good market on Tuesday. The population amounted in 1821 to 2578, and in 1831 to 2735.