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ou, as in our; th, as in thin; 'ru, as in this; N, nearly like ng. position of the different parts of the country. North of the Great Salina, they resemble those of the intertropical regions; rice and Indian corn are produced in the lower valleys, and in the more elevated tracts, cotton and tobacco are cultivated on a large scale. South of the great salt desert, the agriculture resembles that of southern Europe; wheat and Indian corn are the principal crops; while among the fruit trees. are to be found the orange, peach, apricot, pear, apple, fig, and vine.

PLATTE, a r. which rises on the E. declivity of the Rocky Mountains, and flows into the Missouri, near 41° N. Lat., and 95° 40′ W. Lon., after a course of 1,600 m. It is not navigable.

PLATTE, a co. in the W. N. W. part of Mo., on the Missouri r. Pop. 8,913.

PLATTEN-SEE, plåt/-ten så, or LAKE BALATONY (bảå-lå-toñ`) a lake in the W. part of Hungary, intersected by the 47th parallel of N. Lat., and the 18th meridian of E. Lon. Length about 50 m.; greatest breadth 10m. Its waters are said to be fresh at its S. W. extremity, but in other parts salt.

PLATTS'-BURG, a port of entry of N. Y., cap. of Clinton co., situated on L. Champlain, at the mouth of the Saranac r. On the lake, near this town, the British squadron was captured by the Americans, under Commodore McDonough, Sept. 11, 1814.

PLAUEN, ploul-en, an important manufacturing t. in the kingdom of Saxony, on the Elster, 60 m. S. by W. of Leipsic. Pop. near 9,000. (P. C.)

PLEISSE, pli-ceh, a small r. of Saxony, which joins the Elster near Leipsic.

PLOCK, plotsk, a t. of Poland, the cap. of a gov. of the same name, on the Vistula. Lat. 52° 34′ N., Lon. 19° 47′ E. Pop. about 8,000. (P. C.) PLYMOUTH, a seaport t. of England, which, with Devonport, forms the second naval port of Great Britain, is situated in Devonshire, on a rocky promontory at the N. end of Plymouth Sound, between the estuaries of the rivers Tamar and Plym. Though many of the streets of this town are irregular and narrow, it is, on the whole, remarkable for the neatness, and even elegance of its houses, and contains a number of very handsome public buildings. The dock of Plymouth is situated 14 m. W. of this town, at Devonport, which was formerly called Ply. mouth Dock. (See DEVONPORT.) The harbour, one of the finest in the world, is double; consisting of the Catwater, formed by the estuary of the Plym, and the Hamoaze (ham/-oze), formed by that of the Tamar. The latter is destined to receive the vessels of the royal navy; it is four miles in length, and half a mile in breadth; its average depth is 9 fathoms at low tide, and the largest ships float close to the quays. The bay, or arm of the sea, into which these harbours open, is a spacious and safe asylum for all sorts of ships in stormy weather. To defend it from the heavy swell of the sea, which formerly rendered it very unsafe for anchoring, a stupendous breakwater, about a mile in length, has been formed in the middle of the sound. Plymouth was formerly called Sutton (i. e. "South Town"), a name which is still re

Fåte. får, fåll, fåt; mê, mit; pine or pine, pin; nỏ, nôt; õõ, as in good;

tained by an inlet of the sound, Sutton Pool, on which the town is partly built. Lat. 50° 22′ N., Lon. 4° 7' 30" W. Pop. 36,527; including the adjacent towns of Devonport and Stonehouse, it will amount to 80,059.

PLYMOUTH, a co. in the S. E. part of Mass., bordering on the sea. Pop. 47,373.

PLYMOUTH, the cap. of the above, is situated on a small bay of the same name, 35 m., in a straight line, S. S. E. of Boston. It is remarkable as being the place where the first settlers of New England landed, December 228, 1620. Lat. of the court-house, 41° 57′ 28′′ N., Lon. 70° 40′ 28′′ W. Pop. of the whole township, 5,281.

PLYMOUTH, a port of entry of N. C., cap. of Washington co., on the Roanoke, 8 m. from its mouth.

Po (Anc. Eridanus and Pa'dus), the largest r. of Italy, rises on the E. side of Mount Viso, in about 44° 40′ N. Lat., and 7° E. Lon. It flows at first easterly, then northerly, till it reaches the point of about 45° 13' N. Lat., and 7° 50′ E. Lon., when its general course becomes and continues almost due E. After passing, with a multitude of windings, through one of the most fertile plains in the world, it empties itself into the Adriatic by numerous mouths, near 45° N. Lat., and 12° 30' E. Lon. The whole length is estimated at 450 m. The principal channel or mouth, which joins the sea almost under the 45th parallel, is called the Maestra (må-ace-trå), and is always navigable for merchant vessels. Boats of 60 tons can, in all seasons, ascend the river as high as Cremona, and, except in times of great drought, as far as Casale (kå-så-là), in Piedmont, in Lon. 8° 27′ E.

Po'-CA-HON-TAs, a co. in the W. central part of Va., on the sources of the Greenbrier r. Pop. 2,922. Co. t. Huntersville.

PODLACHIA, pod-låк'-e-å, a gov. of Poland, N. E. of, and bordering on the Vistula; the Bug runs on its N. W. frontier. Capital, Siedlec. PO-DO-LI-A, a gov. in the S. part of European Russia, bordering on Austrian Galicia. Capital, Kamieniec.

POIN-SETT, a co. in the N. E. part of Ark., on the r. St. Francis. Pop. 1,320.

POINT COUPÉE, koo-pee', a parish in La., on the Mississippi r. Pop. 7,898. Seat of justice, Point Coupee.

POITIERS OF POICTIERS, poi-teerz',* (Fr. pwa-te-à', almost pwi-te-à'; Anc. Limo'num or Lemonum, afterwards Picta'vi;) a city in the W. or W. central part of France, cap. of the dep. of Vienne, and formerly of the prov. of Poitou, situated on an affluent of the r. Vienne. It is surrounded by an ancient wall (sufficiently large to enclose four or five times as many houses as are actually contained in the town), with six gates. Poitiers possesses, among other literary institutions, an acadé mie universitaire, a royal college, and a public library of 22,000 vols. This town occupies a conspicuous place in both ancient and modern

* See Introduction I., page 22.

ou, as in our; th, as in thin; TH, as in this; N, nearly like ng. history, but it is especially memorable for two great battles: the one occurred in 732, in which the Franks, under Charles Martel, totally defeated an immense host of invading Saracens; the other in 1356, when the army of Edward, the Black Prince, routed a greatly superior French force, under king John, and took a great number of prisoners, among whom was the French king himself. Lat. 46° 35′ N., Lon. 0° 21' E. Pop. 22,000. (B.)

POITOU or POICTOU, poi-tool, (Fr. pron. pwâ`-too',) a former prov. of France, now divided among the deps. of Vienne, Deux Sèvres, Vendée, Indre-et-Loire, and Charente.

Po-LA, & decayed seaport t. and once splendid city of Istria, on the N. E. coast of the Adriatic. It is now only remarkable for its fine harbour, which was anciently a station for one of the divisions of the Roman fleet; and for its numerous interesting antiquities, among which is a vast amphitheatre, not much inferior in magnificence to the Coliseum of Rome. Lat. 44° 52′ N., Lon. 13° 50′ È. Present pop. about 800. (B.)

Pol-LAND (Polish, Polska, pole/-skå), formerly an independent and extensive country of Europe, extending from the 48th to the 58th parallel of N. Lat., and from the 15th to the 33d meridian of E. Lon., including a large portion of the present territories of Russia, Prussia, and Austria. But the existing kingdom of Poland, constituted by the congress of Vienna, in 1815, and now united with the Russian empire, is of comparatively limited dimensions; being situated principally between 50 and 55° N. Lat., and 18° and 24° E. Lon.; bounded on the W. and N. W. by the dominions of Prussia, N. and E. by the Russian governments of Wilna, Grodno, and Volhynia, and S. by the Austrian prov. of Galicia and the republic of Cracow. Area estimated at about 50,000 sq. m. Pop. in 1826, 3,900,000. (B.)—Adj. Po'-LISH; inhab. POLE, and Po'-LAK (now obsolete).

r.

POLK, a co. forming the S. E. extremity of Tenn. Pop. 3,570. POLK, a co. in the S. W. central part of Mo., a little S. of the Osage Pop. 8,449. Co. t. Bolivar.

POLTAVA, pol-ta'-vå, (sometimes incorrectly written Pultowa,) a t. in the S. part of European Russia, cap. of a gov. of the same name, remarkable for a great battle fought in its vicinity, in 1709, between Peter the Great and Charles XII. of Sweden, in which the former gained a complete victory. Lat. 49° 33′ N., Lon. 34° 40′ E. Pop. 10,000. (P. C.)

POLYNESIA, pol-e-nee/-she-a, (or Eastern Oceanica,) a name signifying "many islands," applied to one of the three divisions of Oceanica. It comprises the various islands or insular groups in the Pacific Ocean, between 130° E. and 100° W. Lon., with the exception of those adjacent to the eastern or western continent, and of those belonging to Australia, Malaisia, and the Aleutian group. (See AUSTRALIA and MALAISIA.)-Adj. and inhab. POLYNESIAN, pol-e-nee/-she-an.

POM -ER-A-NI-A (Ger. Pom/-mern), an extensive prov, of the Prussian monarchy, lying along the S. coast of the Baltic, between 53° and 54°

Fåte, får, fåll, fåt; mẻ, mêt; pine or pine, pin; nỏ, nôt; õõ, as in good ; 50 N. Lat. and 12° 30′ and 18° E. Lon. Capital, Stettin.—Adj. and inhab. POM-ER-A-NJ-AN.

PO-MO-NA, or MAINLAND, the largest of the Orkneys, situated between 58° 53′ and 59° 10′ N. Lat., and 2° 43′ and 3° 22′ W. Lon. Length, 24 m.; greatest breadth, near 14m. Pop. 16,141.

POMPEII, pom-pȧà/-ye, an ancient city of Italy, situated near the sea, 15 m. S. E. of Naples. In the year 79, A.D., it was overwhelmed, together with Herculaneun and some other towns, by an eruption of Vesuvius, from the crater of which it is distant about 5 m. For more than 16 centuries its existence appeared to be unknown, and its name almost forgotten. But in 1748, some peasants employed in cutting a ditch, met with the ruins of Pompeii, which soon became an object of interest and attention. In consequence of the extensive excavations commenced in 1755, and continued to the present time, a great number of highly interesting antiquities have been brought to light. One may, indeed, at present promenade the streets, and visit the shops, theatres, and temples of this long-forgotten city. Every thing seems to be in a state of extraordinary preservation. Not only statues, medals, jewels, and nearly every kind of household furniture, have been found almost unaltered, but even books and paintings may be seen, far less injured than might have been supposed, when we take into consideration the violent catastrophe which destroyed the town, and the subsequent lapse of so many ages. Pompeii not having been buried by lava, but with tufa, ashes and scoriæ, the excavations are much more easily effected here than at Herculaneum.

PONDICHERRY, pon`-de-sher'-re, (Fr. Pondichéry, pon`-de'-sha`-Re',) a t. of Hindostan, and the principal French settlement on the Asiatic continent, is situated on the Coromandel coast, 83 m. S. S. W. of Madras. It is a handsome and well-built town, and has, from the sea, a very imposing appearance. Lat. 11° 56′ N.. Lon. 79° 52′ E. Pop. about 40,000. (B.)

(B.)

PONTA-DELGADA, pon'-tå dêl-gå'-då, the principal t. though not the cap. of the Azores, situated on the S. side of the island of St. Michael. Lat. 37° 40′ N., Lon. 25° 50′ W. Pop. probably about 16,000. PONTCH`-AR-TRAIN', a lake in the S. E. part of La., communicating, by several outlets, called the Rigolets, with L. Borgne. Length, about 45 m.; greatest breadth, 23 m.

PONTEFRACT, pom'-fret, a small t. of England, in the W. Riding of Yorkshire, 21 m. S. W. of York. Pop. of the township, 4,669.

PON-TO-TOC', a co. in the N. part of Miss., on one of the sources of the Tombigbee. Pop. 4,491. Co. seat, Pontotoc.

POOLE, a t. forming a little county of itself, with an area of only 170 acres, in Dorsetshire, England, 97 m. W. S. W. of London. Pop. 6,093.

Poo-NAH, a city in the W. part of Hindostan, cap. of a dist. of the same name, and formerly of the Mahratta dominions, situated about 80 m. S. E. of Bombay. It is well built, with wide and generally handsome streets, but it has much diminished in population since 1818,

ou, as in our; th, as in thin; TH, as in this; N, nearly like ng. when it ceased to be the residence of the Peishwa or chief of the Mahratta confederation. Lat. 18° 30′ N., Lon. 74° 2′ E. Pop. estimated in 1819, at 115,000. (B.) The district of Poonah now forms a portion of the presidency of Bombay.

POPAYAN, po-pi-yån', a t. of New Granada, cap. of the dep. of Cauca, situated near the source of the river Cauca. It possesses a university, a mint, and other public establishments. Lat. 2° 26' N., Lon. 76° 40' W. The population, greatly diminished since the war, is said not now to exceed 7,000. (B.)

POPE, a co. in the N. W. or N. W. central part of Ark., bordering on the Arkansas r. Pop. 2,850. Co. t. Dwight.

POPE, a co. forming the S. S. E. extremity of Ill. Pop. 4,094. Co. t. Golconda.

PO-PER-ING-EN, (Fr. Poperingue, poper-ân'g',) a flourishing t. of Belgium, in W. Flanders, 7 m. W. of Ypres. Pop. 10,000. (B.)

PO-PO-CAT-A-PETL', a volcanic mountain of Mexico, the most elevated mountain summit in North America, among those which have been measured with any accuracy. Height, 2,771 toises, or 17,723 ft. (B.) Lat. about 19° N., Lon. 98° 33′ W.

PORT-AGE, a co. in the N. E. part of Ohio, intersected by the Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal. Pop. 22,965. Co. t. Ravenna.

PORTAGE, a co. in the S. central part of Wisconsin, on the E. side of the Wisconsin r. Pop. 1,623.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, port o prince, (Fr. pron. port o prânce,) or PORT REPUBLICAN, a seaport t. of Hayti, cap. of the dep. of the West, and of the whole Republic, situated on the Gulf of Gonave, with a safe and convenient harbour. Though the situation is unhealthy, this town is the most flourishing in the whole island. It possesses a lyceum, a school of medicine attached to the Hospital, and a great number of elementary schools. Lat. 18° 34' N., Lon. 72° 27′ W. Pop. estimated by Balbi at about 15,000.

POR-TER, a Co. in the N. W. part of Ind., bordering on L. Michigan. Pop. 2,162. Co. t. Valparaiso.

PORT GLASGOW. See GLASGOW.

PORT-LAND, a city and port of entry, formerly the cap. of Maine, situated on a peninsula in Casco Bay, not far from the S. W. extremity of the state. The harbour is safe, and, though not large, is easy of access, and is defended by two forts. Portland is far before every other town in Maine, in population, wealth and commerce. It is connected with Portsmouth and Boston by a railroad. Lat. 43° 39′ N., Lon. 70° 20′ W. Pop. 15,218.

PORTLAND, a small i. or rather peninsula on the S. coast of England, belonging to Dorsetshire. It is about 44 m. in length (exclusive of the isthmus, consisting of a narrow ridge of pebbles, about 8 m. long); 2 m. in its greatest breadth; and consists of almost one continuous mass of free-stone, forming the famous Portland stone, of which such quantities are exported to the metropolis and other places.

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