DUNKER DUNOIS. 



753 



ne\v and extensive suburb of Pittencrieff, which is 

 connected with Dunfermline by a bridge of one arch 

 over the river Lyne ; it is rapidly increasing in size 

 and population. The principal part of the town is 

 seated on a declivity, commanding most extensive 

 prospects, and descending towards the Frith of Forth, 

 from which it is distant three miles, but that portion 

 of it termed Nether Town occupies a plain. The 

 streets, though irregular, and many of them narrow 

 and inconvenient, are well built, and the houses 

 abundantly supplied with water, by pipes from several 

 fountains, two miles distant. The parish church, 

 a venerable and interesting object, somewhat resem- 

 bling the cathedral of Durham, is all that remains of 

 a sumptuous and richly endowed Benedictine abbey, 

 founded 'by Malcolm Canmore, and destroyed by 

 Edward I. It was the place of sepulture of the 

 founder, his queen, and seven subsequent monarchs, 

 including Robert Bruce, whose tomb and remains 

 were brought to light in 1818, during the erection of 

 the new church, which adjoins the east end of the 

 ancient pile, and vies with the handsomest temple in 

 the kingdom. Besides these, there are within the 

 town and parish a chapel of ease and places of wor- 

 ship for Burghers, Antiburghers, Methodists, and 

 Baptists. 



The other principal public buildings are the town- 

 house and prison, erected in 1769 ; the guild-hall, built 

 in 1808, under the roof of which are halls belonging to 

 the various incorporated bodies, and apartments csed 

 as assembly rooms. To these are to be added St 

 Leonard's Hospital, and various other charitable in- 

 stitutions, highly beneficial and admirably conducted, 

 including the free grammar-school, the rector of 

 which is nominated by the marquis of Tweeddale, as 

 heritable baillie of regality, and the doctor or usher 

 by the town-council and kirk-session, with suitable 

 salaries, derived from queen Anne's bounty and vo- 

 luntary contributions. This place has long been 

 celebrated for the manufacture of damask ana diaper 

 table-linen, at which no less than 1500 looms have 

 been in operation. The privileges of this town 

 emanated from its monastery for nearly two centuries, 

 but by a charter of James VI. it was erected into a 

 royal burgh, in 1588. The town is remarkable as 

 being the theatre in which the principal dissents from 

 the established church of Scotland have taken their 

 rise ; namely, the Seceders, under Ralph Erskine, 

 and the Relief, under George Gillespie. 



The parish of Dunfermline is about eight miles in 

 length, five in breadth, and includes several villages, 

 of which the most important are Charlestown and 

 Limekilns, on the Frith of Forth, each possessing a 

 harbour, capable of admitting ships of 300 tons bur- 

 den, and convenient for exporting coal, with immense 

 quantities of iron-stone raised here for the Carron 

 company, also limestone, freestone, and granite, the 

 produce of the extensive quarries adjacent. Popula- 

 tion of the parish hi 1831, 17,068 ; of the town 

 10,624. 



DUNKER. See EpArata, also Baptists. 



DUNKIRK (French, Dumcerque, signifying the 

 church on the downs), a strong commercial city, 

 about twenty-seven miles from Calais, containing 

 24,200 inhabitants, in the department du Nrd. It 

 was formerly a constant cause of jealousy between 

 England and France. It was captured from the 

 Spanish, in 1658, by the French and English in con- 

 junction, Cromwell having formed an alliance with 

 the French. It was now put into the hands of the 

 English, and, in 1662, bought of Charles II. by 

 Louis XIV., for .400,000. Louis made every ex- 

 f rtion to fortify the place, and to improve the har- 

 bour. This is capable of accommodating 200 large 

 vessels at anchor, and is one of the most convenient 



in Europe. In the wars between England and 

 France, the freebooters of Dunkirkflid great injury to 

 the English and Dutch trade. This, together with 

 the increasing prosperity of the place, induced Eng- 

 land to make it a principal condition of the peace of 

 Utrecht (1713), that France should demolish the for- 

 tifications, and destroy this master-piece of military 

 architecture. The French attempted, by digging a 

 new canal to Moerdyk, a league from Dunkirk, to 

 indemnify themselves for the loss they had sustained 

 by the treaty : the inhabitants of Dunkirk also occu- 

 pied themselves in quietly restoring the harbour ; 

 but the English, from time to time, urged the des- 

 truction of these works. The peace ot Paris, 1763, 

 which England dictated, repeated the conditions of 

 the peace of Utrecht in relation to Dunkirk. Lord 

 Chatham replied, in answer to the attempts of count 

 Bussi, the French negotiator, to arrange other terms 

 with regard to Dunkirk, that the people of England 

 considered the demolition of Dunkirk as a perpetual 

 memorial of the subjugation of France, and the minis- 

 ter who should dare to change the conditions of this 

 treaty would risk his head. An English commissioner 

 was even established there to superintend the execu- 

 tion of the treaty, who was to be supported by 

 France. But, by the peace of Paris, 1783, this article 

 was annulled. The restoration of the town was 

 afterwards attempted, as far as the condition of 

 France permitted. The importance of the place 

 induced the duke of York, in August, 1793, contrary 

 to the advice of 'Coburg, to advance with his own 

 division, from the main body of the Austrian army, 

 before Dunkirk, and make vigorous preparations for 

 pushing the siege. The surrender was daily ex- 

 pected, when the approach of general Houchard, 

 with a superior force, and the vigorous sorties of the 

 besieged, compelled the duke to raise the siege, and 

 retire in haste, with field-marshal Freitag, under 

 whom he commanded. Dunkirk is a free port, and, 

 in peace, has an extensive commerce. The manufac- 

 ture of tobacco in this place is extensive. 



DUNNING, JOHN, lord Ashburton, an eminent 

 lawyer, was the son of an attorney at Ashburton, in 

 Devonshire, where he was born, October 1,8, 1731 . 

 He was educated at the free-school of his native 

 place, and served his clerkship to his father ; but, 

 early determining to study for the bar, he pursued a 

 course of assiduous application, both before and after 

 his admission. The first thing which established his 

 character, was his employment, in 1759, to draw up 

 a defence of the East India company against the 

 claims of the Dutch. This memorial, being esteemed 

 a masterly production, gained him considerable prac- 

 tice ; which was prodigiously augmented by his be- 

 coming counsel for Wilkes in all the causes produced 

 by the question of the general warrants. He dis- 

 tinguished himself in such a manner, on this popular 

 occasion, as to obtain the character of a sound con- 

 stitutional lawyer ; and his practice soon after became 

 the most lucrative at the English bar. In 1766, he 

 was chosen recorder-of Bristol, and, in 1767, solicitor- 

 general, which office he resigned in 1770, in conse- 

 quence of the resignation of his patron, lord Shel- 

 burne, by whose interest he had been chosen member 

 for Calne, in Wiltshire. From the time of his resig- 

 nation, he remained a firm opponent to the ministry 

 who conducted the American war ; and, on the re- 

 turn of lord Shelburne to power in 1782, he was 

 made chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, and 

 advanced to the peerage by the title of lord Ashbur- 

 ton. He died, August 18, 1783, leaving one son, the 

 present possessor of the titles. 



DUNOIS, JEAN, count of Orleans, and of Longue- 

 ville ; born 1402, died 1468 ; a natural son of Louis, 

 duke of Orleans (who was murdered by the duke of 

 3 u 



