low, the horn-beam; and, finally, superb pines, fit for the masts of our largest ships. Not any of the vegetable productions of this country are unknown in Europe. The rivers are filled with trout, salmon, and other fish. In the woods our hunters met with bears, martins, and squirrels; and the Indians sold us skins of the brown and the black bear, of the Canadian lynx, ermine, martin, little gray squirrel, beaver, Canadian marmot, or monax, and the red fox. We saw tanned skins of the original or elk, and a horn of a wild goat; but the commonest and most precious peltry is that of the sea otter, wolf, and bear. The sides of the harbour are formed by secondary mountains, whose elevation is from 800 to 900 toises. They are covered with pines and verdure, and the snow is only seen on their summits. In the valleys are found specimens of every thing which forms the mass of the mountains, ochre, coppery pyrites, garnets, brittle, but very large and perfectly crystallised, schorle in crystal, granite, schisti, hornstone, very pure quartz, mica, plumbago, and coals. Some of these substances prove that these mountains contain copper and iron ores, but we saw not the least trace of any other metals. The inhabitants appeared to be similar in their habits to those generally found on the coast of North America. They were cruel, deceitful, addicted to quarrelling, and in their domestic habits filthy to an extreme. Long. 137° 10′ W., lat. 58° 37' Ñ. PORT FREDERICK, a harbour on the north side of King George the Third's archipelago. Long. 224° 40′ E., lat. 58° 12′ N. PORT JACKSON, a harbour and English settlement on the east coast of New Holland. Into the entrance, between two ship heads, distant from each other one mile and three-quarters, ships may run safely; there is nothing in the way. It may be entered and departed from in all winds. Within, the port divides into two branches, one stretching sixteen miles west, and the other seven miles north-west,, both containing numerous creeks, on one of which the town of Sydney, the chief of Botany Bay, is situated. See HOLLAND, NEW. Long. of Cattle Point 151° 11′ 49′′ E., lat. 33° 51′ 45′′ S. PORT LOUIS, called also, during the revolution, Port de la Liberté, a sea-port of France, in the department of the Morbihan, on the extremity of a peninsula, at the mouth of the river Blavet, is strongly fortified, and defended by a citadel built on an insulated rock on the north-west of the town. It was founded by Louis XIII., and is supposed to stand near the site of the ancient Blavia. Population 2700, whose chief traffic is in the fisheries. Four miles south by east of L'Orient. PORT LOUIS, the capital of Mauritius, or the Isle of France, in the Indian Sea. It is situated in a low and flat valley, on the west of the island, surrounded by mountains, and covered with rocks and stones, which render the roads rough and irregular; but the streets have been of late carefully levelled. Excellent water is supplied from a river about a league off, whence a canal leads it to the foot of a high mountain at the western extremity of the place. Here boats come and fill their barrels from a large reservoir. The houses of the town are built chiefly of wood, on a foundation of rough stone and lime. The quays are commodious; and there is a great basin for the purpose of repairing vessels. A guard-house is erected on the summit of the mountain at the western extremity of the town, where, in the night-time, a light is kindled. In 1817 Port Louis was almost entirely burnt to the ground. See the article MAURITIUS. Long, 57° 32′ E., lat. 20° 10' S. PORT MACQUARRIE, an inlet on the east coast of New Holland, into which the River Hastings falls. It was surveyed by Mr. Oxley in 1818, who gave it its present appellation. Long. 152° 53′ 54′′ E., lat. 31° 25′ 45′′ S. PORT MAHON, a sea-port of Minorca, and the chief place of a district, is surrounded by the sea, east, south, and west. It is built chiefly on rocks, hollowed out beneath by the water, which, in the course of time, will render the situation dangerous. The houses are in general good; but the streets are uneven, rough, and badly paved. The place d'armes is square, large, and handsome: on one side are barracks for 1200 men. The alameyda, an alley of trees, is the only pub lic walk. This town was founded by Mago the Carthaginian, and afterwards surrounded with a Moorish wall; but of this there are no remains except a gate. The harbour, at its entrance, has some shoals, but in the inside it is one of the safest and most convenient in the Mediterranean. On one side is a dock-yard, and on the other a natural mole. It contains four small islands, on one of which there is a neat hospital, built by the English. On taking it, in 1798, they erected a number of telegraphs, and planned additiona! fortifications here; but the Spaniards, on recovering it in 1802, demolished almost all that had been done. Long. 4° 5′ E., lat. 36° 17′ N. PORT MULGRAVE, or ADMIRALTY BAY, is a harbour on the west coast of North America, formed by islands on the east side of Behring's Bay, near the entrance; it was so named by captain Dixon, in honor of lord Mulgrave; though visited before by Chitrow, master of the Russian fleet, under Behring. Here Dixon saw some of the natives, whose wretched hovels were a complete picture of filth and idleness. Long. 220° 35' E., lat. 59° 34′ N. PORT ORCHARD, a bay or harbour within Admiralty Inlet, so called from a gentleman in Vancouver's vessel, who discovered it in the year 1792. Long. 237° 36′ E., lat. 47° 39′ N. こ PORT AU PRINCE, a sea-port on the west coast of the island of Hispaniola. The environs produce cotton, indigo, sugar, and coffee. In 1770 great part of this town was destroyed by an earthquake in 1791 it was set on fire, and reat part of it burned down; and, in the year 1794, it was taken by the English. Except in time of war it was formerly the capital of the French part of Hispaniola. In 1790 it consisted of about 600 houses, and contained 2754 white inhabitants. The situation is marshy, and the climate unhealthy: both the hills, however, which command the town and harbour, and the valleys, are abundantly fertile. To the east is the plain of Cul de Sac, extending from thirty to forty miles in length, by nine in breadth; and con POR 741 taining 150 sugar plantations, most of which are capable of being watered, in times of drought, by canals, admirably contrived. Long. 73° 10' W., lat. 18° 35' N. PORT RESOLUTION, a harbour north of the most easterly point of the Island of Tanna, one of the New Hebrides, discovered by captain Cook in 1774. The depth of water here is from six to three fathoms, and the bottom is sand and mud. No place can be more convenient for taking in wood and water; but a shoal of sand and rocks lying on the east side makes it narrow. Long. 169° 45' E., lat. 19° 32′ S. PORT ROYAL, a sea-port of Jamaica, situated on a narrow neck of land on the south side of the island. Here 1000 sail of ships could anchor with convenience; and the water was so deep at the quay that vessels of the greatest burden could lay their broadsides to the wharfs, and load or unload with little trouble. It contained 2000 houses, handsomely built; and few places in the world exceeded it for trade, wealth, and dissoluteness of manners-till the 9th of June 1692, when a dreadful earthquake, which seemed to shake the foundations of the island, overwhelmed Port Royal, and buried nine-tenths of it eight fathoms under water: about ten years after, the town having been partially rebuilt, it was laid in ashes by a terrible fire. Still the extraordinary convenience of the harbour tempted them to rebuild; but, in the year 1722, a most dreadful hurricane reduced this place a third time to a heap of rubbish. The custom-house and public offices were now removed, and no market suffered to be held here for the future. It is therefore reduced to two or three streets, a few lanes, and about 200 houses. It contains, however, the royal navy-yard, navy hospital, and barracks for a regiment of soldiers. The fortifications are also kept in excellent order. Twenty miles south-west of Kingston. PORT ROYAL, a post town of Caroline county, Virginia, on the Rappahannock; twenty miles south-east of Fredericksburgh, west, eighty. It was once a place of considerable trade, but is now in a state of decay. Rappahannock Academy is situated about two miles west of the town. It has some funds, and a respectable library. Also a posttown of Montgomery county, Tennessee, at the union of the Sulphur Fork and Red River; twelve miles east of Clarksville. PORT ROYAL ISLAND, an island in Port Royal Entrance, near the coast of South Carolina, about twelve miles long, and five wide. Beaufort is the principal town. Lat. 32° 12′ N. PORT ST. JUAN, a bay or harbour on the south-west coast of the Island of Quadra and Vancouver, at the entrance of the straits of Juan de Fuca. Long. 235° 52′ E., lat. 48° 32′ N. PORT ST. JULIAN, a harbour of the Atlantic, on the east coast of Patagonia, discovered by Magellan in April 1520. Here a mutiny arose, which was quelled by the resolution of the admiral, and the authors punished. He staid here two months, finding plenty of fish, wood, and water. Here were first seen the large inhabitants, named Patagonians by this navigator. Long. 68° 44′ W., lat. 49° 10' S. PORT SANDWICH, a harbour of the Island of Mallicollo, in the South Pacific. Captain Cook says, the night before we came out of Port Sandwich two reddish fish, about the size of a large bream, and not unlike them, were caught with hook and line. On these fish most of the officers, and some of the petty officers, dined the next day. The night following, every one who had eaten of them was seized with violent pains in the head and bones, attended with a scorching heat all over the skin, and numbness in the joints. There remained no doubt that this was occasioned by the fish being of a poisonous nature, and having communicated its bad effects to all who partook of them, even to the hogs and dogs. One of the former died; and, not long after, one of the latter shared the same fate, in about sixteen hours. It was a week or ten days before all the gentlemen recovered. Long. 167° 57' E., lat. 16° 25′ S. PORT TOBACCO, a post-town and capital of Charles county, Maryland, on a small river of the same name, which runs into the Potomac a little below the town; forty-five miles S.S. W. of Annapolis, west, thirty-four. It contains an episcopal church, a warehouse for the inspection of tobacco, &c. In the vicinity are the celebrated cold waters of Mount Misery. PORTA (John Baptist), a learned Italian, born at Naples, in 1445. He held a kind of literary assembly at his house; but the court of Rome, suspecting their motives, prohibited the meetings. He wrote many learned works, particularly one on Physiognomy, and some tracts on Optics; and he discovered the Camera Obscura. See OPTICS, Index. He died in 1519. PORTA (Joseph), an eminent painter, born at Castel Nuova, in 1535. He studied under Salviati, and his works were much esteemed. He died in 1585. PORTA, OF VENA PORTA, in anatomy, a large vein distributed through the liver, in the manner of an artery. See ANATOMY. PORTABLE, adj. Lat. portabilis. Manageable by the hand; such as may be borne along with one. How light and portable my pains seem now, Shakspeare. When that which makes me bend, makes the king bow. All these are portable Most other portable commodities decay quickly in their use; but money is by slower degrees removed from, or brought into the free commerce of any country, than the greatest part of other merchandise. Locke. The pleasure of the religious man is an easy and portable pleasure, such an one as he carries about in his bosom, without alarming the eye or envy of the South. world. PORTE ROMANE, in ancient geography, gates of Rome; according to Pliny, Romulus left but three, or at most four, gates of Rome; afterwards, on enlarging the pomeria, or compass of the city, they amounted to thirty-seven. PORTAL, in architecture, a little gate where there are two gates of a different size; also a little square corner of a room cut off from the rest by the wainscot, and forming a short pas sage into the roon. The same name is also sometimes given to a kind of arch of joiners' work before a door. PORT'ASS, n. s. Sometimes portuis; and by Chaucer, porthose. A breviary; a prayerbook. In his hand his portesse still he bare, Spenser. An old priest always read in his portass mumpsimus domine for sumpsimus; whereof when he was admonished, he said that he now had used mumpsimus thirty years, and would not leave his old mumpsimus for their new sumpsimus. Camden. PORTATE, or a CROSS PORTATE, in heraldry, a cross which does not stand upright, as crosses generally do, but lies across the escutcheon in bend, as if it were carried on a man's shoulder. PORT-CRAYON, a pencil-case, which is usually four or five inches long, and contrived so as that the pencil may slide up and down. Its inside is round, and its outside is sometimes filed into eight sides or faces, on which are drawn the sector lines; sometimes it is made round both without side and within, and has its length divided into inches and parts of inches. PORTCULLIS, or PORTCULLICE, in fortifications, is an assemblage of several large pieces of wood, joined across one another like a harrow, and each pointed with iron at the bottom. They are sometimes hung over the gateway of old fortified towns, ready to let down in case of surprise, when the gates could not be shut. PORTE, a title given, or rather taken by the grand signior. The origin of this title is said to be derived from the principal port or gate of Constantinople, which is so magnificent that the Turks suppose it to have no equal in the world. A favorite porter with his master vie, Be bribed as often, and as often lie. The shoes put on, our faithful portress Admit us in to storm the fortress; While like a cat with walnuts shod, Stumbling at ev'ery step she trod. Swift's Miscel By porter, who can tell whether I mean a man whe bears burthens, or a servant who waits at a gate! PORTER, a kind of malt liquor much drunk in London, which principally differs from ale and pale beer in its being made with high dried malt. See ALE and BREWING. PORTEUS (Dr. Beilby), bishop of London. was a native of Yorkshire, where he was born about the year 1731; but he himself was accus. tomed to trace his descent from a Scottish family. His father, a tradesman of but little eminence, resided for many years in the north of England; and it was at the grammar-school at Ripon, under the care of the Rev. John Hyde, that young Porteus commenced his classical the university, having determined on the church career. By that gentleman he was qualified for as a profession; and accordingly, with a zeal worthy of his future fortune, but an ambition that did not extend beyond a rural cure, he was entered at Christ's College, Cambridge. Mr. Porteus obtained his first degree of B. A. POR 743 1752, when he was only seventeen or eighteen One murder makes a villain, New pains for life-new terrors for the grave! Blast the design, Great God of hosts! nor let thy creatures fall In 1761 his pen was occupied in controversial dowments, that she was determined to complete in 1809. PORT-FIRE, a composition for setting fire to powder, &c. Port-fires are frequently used by artillery people in preference to matches; and they are distinguished into wet and dry port-fires. The composition of the former is saltpetre four parts, sulphur one, and mealed powder four. When these materials are thoroughly mixed and sifted, the whole is to be moistened with a little linseed oil, and rubbed between the hands till all the oil is imbibed by the composition. The preparation for dry port-fires is saltThese compositions petre four parts, sulphur one, mealed powder two, and antimony one. are driven into small paper cases, to be used when necessary. PORTGREVE, or PORTGRAVE, was anciently the principal magistrate in ports and other maritime towns. The word is formed from the Saxon port, a port or town; and geref, a governor. It is sometimes also written port-reve. Camden observes that the chief magistrate of London was anciently called port-greve; instead of whom, Richard I. ordained two bailiffs; and soon afterwards king John granted them a mayor for their yearly magistrates. PÓRTICI, a town and palace of Naples, in Lavora; four miles from the capital, charmingly situated on the sea-side, near mount Vesuvius. It is enriched with a vast number of fine statues, and other remains of antiquity, taken out of the ruins of Herculaneum, over which it stands. The museum consists of sixteen rooms, in which the different articles are arranged with great taste. See POMPEII and NAPLES. PORTICO, n. s. Fr. portique; Ital. portico; On some expensive airy portico; Dryden. A PORTICO, in architecture, is a kind of galiery on the ground; or a piazza encompassed with arches supported by columns, where people walk under covert. The roof is usually vaulted, sometimes flat. The ancients called it lacunar. Though the word portico be derived from porta, a gate or door, yet it is applied to any disposition of columns which form a gallery, without any immediate relation to doors or gates. The most celebrated porticoes of antiquity were those of Solomon's temple, which formed the atrium or court, and encompassed the sanctuary; that of Athens, built for the people to divert themselves in, and wherein the philosophers held their disputes and conversations (see PORCH); and that of Pompey at Rome, raised merely for magnificence, consisting of several rows of columns supporting a platform of vast extent; a draught whereof Serlio gives us in his antique buildings. Among the modern porticoes, the most celebrated is the piazza of St. Peter of the Vatican. That of Covent Garden, London, the work of Inigo Jones, is also much admired. PORTION, n. s. & v. a. Fr. portion; Lat. portio. A part; assigned part; child's part or inheritance. These are parts of his ways, but how little a portion Job xxvi. 14. is heard of him! Should you no honey vow to taste, Milton. Waller. shire town of the county; and, in point of population, wealth, and commerce, the most considerable in Maine. It contains a very elegant court-house, an alms-house, a market-house, a bank, an insurance-office, an academy, a young ladies' boarding-school, a library of 1300 volumes, and eight houses of public worship, three for Congregationalists, two for Baptists, one for Episcopalians, one for Methodists, and one for Friends. The town is generally very well built, a large proportion of the public and private buildings are of brick, and many of them are elegant. The harbour of Portland is one of the best on the continent. It is safe and capacious, easy of access, and is never frozen over, except for a few days during the severity of winter. On a headland, in Cape Elizabeth, near the entrance of the harbour, there is a stone light-house seventy feet high, erected in 1790. The town is defended by Fort Preble and Fort Scammel, two fine forts on opposite sides of the ship channel, one mile and a half from the light-house, both mounting thirtyfive pieces of cannon. At the east end of the town is Fort Burrows, in the rear of which are some other military works. On the highest eminence of Mount Joy's neck, on the north-east side of the town, stands an observatory, about seventy feet high, which affords an extensive, variegated, and beautiful view of the town, the harbour, the islands, and the interior country. The situation of Portland, with regard to an extensive and growing back country, is such as Of words they seldom know more than the gram-mercial importance. The exports consist chiefly to insure to it extensive business and high commatical construction, unless they are born with a poetical genius, which is a rare portion among them. Dryden. As soon as any good appears to make a part of their portion of happiness, they begin to desire it. of lumber, beef, fish, butter, &c. The shipping is principally employed in the fisheries, coasting business, and the trade to the West Indies, Russia, and, of late, to the East Indies. The total amount of shipping belonging to this port, on the 1st of June 1818, was 27,770 tons.-Portland was formerly included in Falmouth; and, in 1775, the principal part of the town was burnt by the British. It was incorporated by its present name in 1786. PORTLAND ISLE, an island, or rather peninsula, of England, in the county of Dorset, op posite Weymouth. Connected with the mainland by a singular ridge of pebbles, called the Chesil Bank, which extends seventeen miles westward from the island, along the coast; the island itself does not extend more than four miles and a half in length, and two in breadth. It consists of one continued mass of freestone, forming the famous Portland stone, of which such quantities have been exported to the metropolis and other parts of England. The rocks form a barrier round the island, except at the landing place on the north, where Portland castle is situated. It was built by Henry VIII., is of great strength. and completely commands Weymouth road. During the great rebellion it was garrisoned for the parliament, but taken, through a stratagem, by the king's troops. The island constitutes only one parish, and has but one church, standing near the sea; it contains, however, several considerable hamlets. The inhabitants are chiefly employed in agriculture, and in the quarries. The arable lands produce all sorts of grain, and |