s

XALAPA.-

This river, a view of which is given in the precedingsketch, is unequalled in England for beauty of sce-nery. Other rivers possess a longer course, or asuperior width, but none other has the same uninter-rupted succession of exquisite landscape as occur onthe banks of the Wye in its passage from GoodrichCastle to Chepstow. “ Never,” says the author of theTour of a German Prince, “ was I more convincedthan here, that a prophet has no honour in his owncountry, how else would so many Englishmen travelthousands of miles to fall into ecstasies at beauties ofso very inferior an order to these.”

XALAPA. A considerable town of Mexico, towhich the principal inhabitants of Vera Cruz usuallyremove during the excessive heats of summer. Thehigher grounds in the neighbourhood extend to an ele-vation of nearly 8000 feet above the level of the sea.Xalapa has a population of about 15,000 persons, andsince the establishment of freedom in South America,has become a considerable mart for European com-modities.

Xeres. A large Spanish town in the province ofAndalusia. It is the capital of one of the best culti-vated districts in that province, and especially cele-brated for its wines. The town was built on the siteof the ancient Asta Regia, and part of the originalRoman walls are still remaining. The district con-tains about 2,5000 persons.

YAKOUTSK. An extensive province of AsiaticRussia, forming one of the four into which thegovernment of Irkoutsk is divided. It extendsnorth from the boundary of the provinces of IrkoutskProper and of Nertschinsk, as far as the FrozenOcean. It does not, however, reach to the easternextremity of Asia, on which side it is bounded bythe province of Okhotsk. The Lena traverses itthrough its whole extent from north to south.

Yakoutsk. A town of Asiatic Russia, capitalof the province of the same name, situated onthe western bank of the Lena, on a plain sur-rounded by mountains, which enclose it at the dis-tance of ten or twelve miles. It contains 500 or600 houses, and 3000 inhabitants, who for the mostpart are Cossacks or Yakoutes.

Yarm. A market town in the North Riding ofYorkshire. Owing to the low situation of the town,it has suffered greatly from inundation. The first ofthese floods, from which the inhabitants sustainedany considerable damage, took place on the 17th ofFebruary, 1753, when, about four in the morning, thebanks of the river broke, and the town was imme-diately laid under water. About noon, when thetide was at its height, the water was seven feet deepin the highest part of the town, and the lower partswere entirely submerged. This flood was occasionedbv a vast quantity of snow on the hills being sud-denly melted by a heavy fall of rain. On the 16thand 17th of November, 1771, Yarm experienced an-other dreadful visitation from the greatest land floodremembered in the north of England. The waterin many parts of the town rose more than twentyfeet in perpendicular height. To these alarmingvisitations Yarm may ascribe the decline of its tradeand manufactures, and the many large granaries,which have been erected at a great expense for thatbranch of trade, have for some time been almost ;useless.

■YARROW. 933

By the last parliamentary returns, this town con-tained only 1636 inhabitants. It is 249 miles N. byW. of London.

Yarmouth. A sea-port and market-town, inthe parish of West Medina, Isle of Wight, Hants,ten miles N.N.W. of Newport, and 100 S.W.of London. The town stands on a bank slo-ping to the sea, and has evident traces of havingbeen much larger than at present. The castle wasbuilt by Henry VIII., on the site of an ancientchurch.

Yarmouth, commonly called Great Yarmouth.A sea-port, borough, and parish, in Norfolk, situateon a peninsula at the eastern extremity of thecounty, twenty-two miles east by south of Norwich,and 124 north-east of London. It is encompassedon the south and east by the sea; on the northby the main land ; and on the west by the Yare, overwhich is a handsome drawbride, connecting it withSuffolk. It extends more than a mile in length, andhalf a mile in breadth; containing four principalstreets running from north to south. It is flankedwith a wall, with ten gates and sixteen towers. Thechurch, dedicated to St. Nicholas,is a stately pile 250feet long, and, including the aisles, 108 in breadth ; itswooden spire is now taken down. Near the centre ofthe town is a beautiful chapel of ease, dedicated toSt. George. A new church has lately been erectedin this town. It is dedicated to St. Peter, andwas designed by'Mr. Scoles. The total length of theedifice, from the tower door to the east window,is rather more than 130 feet, and its extreme internalbreadth sixty feet. The church is ornamented with asquare tower, which, with its pinnacles, exceed 100 feetin height. The quay, in the centre of which is thetown hall,'forms afasliionable~and delightful promenadeto this much-frequented watering-place ; it is nearlya mile and a quarter in length, and in some parts 150yards wide; from the bridge to the south gate it isdecorated with a fine range of buildings, among whichthe assembly rooms make a conspicuous figure. Thetheatre, erected in 1778, is a neat edifice. The bath-house was erected in 1759 ; it stands on the beach,which is a sinking sand, three furlongs ; from thechapel. On each side of the vestibule are baths ap-propriated to the separate uses of ladies and gentle-men. The sea-water is raised every tide by a horse-mill into a reservoir, about fifty yards from the baths,whence it is conveyed by pipes to the baths. Hereare also commodious bathing machines, but the sandrenders them unpleasant of access. The jetty, closeto the bath-house, is 110 paces long, and forms anagreeable walk after bathing. The fishermen’s hos-pital is of a quadrangular form, containing twentyrooms on the ground-floor. The hospital school wasfounded and is supported by subscription. Themarket-place forms a handsome area.

The situation of this town is very favourable tocommerce, and, besides fishing-smacks, there are up-wards of 300 ships belonging to the port; but themost considerable employment here is its extensivefishery, there being 70,000 barrels of herrings gene-rally taken and cured here in the year. The seasoncommences at Michaelmas, and lasts till the end ofOctober. It has also a considerable coal trade.Yarmouth has a population of 21,448 persons, andsends two members to the British parliament.

; Yarrow. A celebrated Scottish stream passing| through a part of Selkirkshire. It rises at a place