A V A 



with their ancient conquerors, the Avars dissembled 

 ' their resentment, but remembered theinsult. Leaguing 

 with the Lombards, they extirpated the nation of the 

 Gepidie, and received as the price of their alliance the 

 country of Dacia, comprehending the fertile pro- 

 vinces of Wallachia, Moldavia, and Transylvania. 

 Here they erected an empire, which subsisted with 

 splendour for upwards of 230 years. By the depar- 

 ture of the Lombards for Italy, the Avars became 

 masters of their extensive possessions ; and at the be- 

 ginning of the seventh century, the dominions of Bai- 

 an, their chagan or king, extended from the mouth 

 of the Danube to that of the Oder. In the plains 

 of- Hungary, he occupied the rustic palace of Attila, 

 whose character and policy' he seems to have imita- 

 ted. From avarice or caprice, he harassed the em- 

 pire by desolating incursions, or repeated demands of 

 costly presents. After every inroad, the annual sub- 

 sidy or tribute was increased ; and he retaliated upon 

 the successors of Justinian the insult which had been 

 formerly offered to his countrymen. The emperor 

 Maurice could no longer brook the insolence of the 

 chagan, and determined to meet the barbarian in arms. 

 In five successive battles Priscus the Roman general 

 v.as victorious ; 17,200 Avars were taken prisoners, 

 and 60,000, with four sons of the chagan, fell in the 

 field. But Priscus was not allowed to follow up his 

 success, being recalled to defend the capital of the 

 empire. Baian now directed his steps to the fertile 

 plains of Italy. Murder and rapine were the attend- 

 ants of his march. The rights of victory were abu- 

 sed, and the laws of nations violated with the most 

 wanton brutality. His captives were either slain, or 

 reduced to servitude, and the noblest virgins were 

 abandoned to the promiscuous lust of his barbarous 

 followers. Unsated with blood and plunder, the 

 Avars returned to their predatory warfare in Thrace. 

 The emperor Heraclius attempted to buy their friend- 

 ship with intreaties and 200,000 pieces of gold, but 

 the perfidious chagan dissembled his design, and after 

 a fruitless attempt to surprise and take Heraclius pri- 

 soner, he entered into an alliance with Chosroes king 

 of Persia, and threatened to annihilate the empire of 

 the East. Constantinople was invested by 110,000 

 barbarians under the command of the chagan, A. D. 

 626. During ten successive days the assault was re- 

 peated, but a scarcity of provisions, and the deter- 

 mined resistance of the inhabitants, compelled the 

 Avars to retire ; and the empire was rescued from 

 impending ruin, by the alliance of the Turks, and the 

 bravery of Heraclius. These barbarians, however, 

 still continued to be the scourge and terror of the 

 surrounding nations. About the end of the 8th cen- 

 tury, they resisted, for a time, with persevering cou- 

 rage and resolution, the mighty power of Charle- 

 magne, but were at last defeated in a general engage- 

 ment by Henry duke of Friuli, who took their capi- 

 tal Ringa, after an obstinate defence, and carried off 

 immense treasures, the plunder of the neighbouring 

 countries, which they had been amassing for ages. 

 Their reduction was completed by Pepin kmg of Italy, 

 who killed the chagan in battle, and put an end to the 

 war. The remainder of this people, under their 

 leader Thaudin, submitted to Charlemagne, were bap- 

 tised, and received into his protection. 



95 A U B 



A nation of Avars inheriting the bravery of their AvatscUa. 

 ancestors, exists at this day in the mountains of Dag- 



hestan. Living in tents, and wandering from place 

 to place, they have maintained their independence in 

 spite of the repeated attacks of the ' neighbouring 

 princes, who have often attempted to subdue them. 

 See Gibbon's Hist, vol. vii. p. 261 ; and viii. p. 176, 

 &c. Mod. Un. Hist. vol. xxiii. p. 148. (p) 



AVATSCHA, or Awatska, called also St Pe- 

 ter and St Paul, a sea-port of Kamtschatka. It is si- 

 tuated upon a tongue of land, which, like an artificial 

 bank, forms behind the town a harbour enclosed like 

 a circle ; which, during winter, might accommodate 

 three or four dismantled ships. It was proposed by 

 M. Kasloff, the governor, to mark out on the side of 

 this bason the plan of a town, destined to be the ca- 

 pital of Kamtschatka, and perhaps the grand centre 

 of commerce with China, Japan, the Philippines, and 

 America. The bay of Avatscha, which was visited 

 both by Captain Cooke and La Perouse, is represent- 

 ed as the most commodious and safest for shipping in 

 the world. It has excellent holding ground, and its 

 mouth is so narrow, that it could easily be protected 

 by a fort. Two vast harbours, one on the east, and 

 the other on the western coast, could contain all the 

 ships of England and France. E. Long. 158 48', 

 N. Lat. 52 51'. See LaPerouse's Voyage, vol. ii. 

 ch. xxii. p. 117, &c. ; and the Continuation of 

 Cooke's Voyages, (p) 



AUBAINE, the name of the right by which the 

 French king inherited the property of every foreign- 

 er that died within his dominions. As the Scots, the 

 Swiss, the Savoyards, and the Portuguese, were rec- 

 koned natives of the kingdom, they were exempted 

 from the effects of this oppressive and unhospitable 

 custom. See Robertson's Hist. Charles V. vol. i. 

 p. 377 ; and Muratori Annali d' Italia, vol. ii. p. 

 14. (*) 



AUBE, the name of one of the departments of 

 France, which derives its name from the river Aube, 

 which waters it. It is bounded on the north by the 

 department of the Marne, on the west by that of the 

 Seine and the Marne, and by that of the Youne ; on 

 the south, by the same departments and that of the 

 Cote d'Or ; and on the east by that of the higher 

 Marne. The quarter of this department to the west 

 of Troyes has received the name of La Champagne 

 Pouillexise, from its extreme sterility. The southern 

 part of it is, on the contrary, very fertile, and pro- 

 duces abundance of grain and fruits. It contains 

 1,196,370 square acres. The forests occupy other 

 85 thousand hectares, which are divided equally 

 among the nation, the communes, and individuals. 

 Contributions in the year 1803, 2,508,574 frar.es. 

 Population 240,661 . Troyes is the capital of the 

 department, (o) 



AUBLETIA, a genus of plants, of the class Po- 

 lyandria, and order Monogynia. See Botany, (to) 



AUBONNE, the Ai.bonna of the ancients, the 

 name of a river, of a small town, and of a barony con- 

 verted into a village in the Pays de Vaud, in Switzer- 

 land. The town, situated on the banks of the river, 

 has the form of an amphitheatre, with a handsome 

 castle at one end, which commands a view of the lake 

 qf Geneva, and the surrounding country. Aubonnc 



II 

 Aubonnc. 



