BELISAMA OF PTOLEMY. 377 
the settling the site of Rigodunum, for that was 
upon the north bank of that River, whose mouth 
was the Belisama. 
It appears that Mr. Whitaker had relied too 
much upon the topography of Richard of Ciren- 
cester, for Dr. Whitaker says, (p. 6.) “But Mr. 
Whitaker had an unfortunate theory to support ; 
he had implicitly addicted himself to the dreams 
of a monk, before whose unsupported conjectures 
the contemporary and decisive authorities of Pto- 
lemy and Antonine were equally to give way.” 
Dr. Whitaker then, is opposed to the Manchester 
historian on these points, for he fixes the Belisama 
to the Ribble, and the Portus Setuntiorum at 
Lancaster. The Seteza he places at the estuary 
of the Dee, as he thinks that Ptolemy overlooked 
the mouth of the Mersey, if it existed in his days; 
for Dr. W. says, that there are some natural ap- 
pearances to support the opinion, that at that time, 
the Mersey flowed over the low lands of Wirral. 
I need scarcely mention that Dr. W. moreover 
differed from his namesake as to the site of Coc- 
ciwm, which the historian of Whalley places at 
Ribchester, called also Rigodunum, but which 
Mr. W. fixes at Blackrode, and Rerigoniwm for 
Rigodunum at Ribchester, while he makes the 
