A U D 



96 



is inconveniently situated for commerce with the 

 neighbouring towns. It is celebrated for its fine 

 views, and particularly for that which is seen from 

 the place called the Si<j;iifil Population 



1200. E. Long. 6 24', N. Lat. * Diet. 



de la Suisse vol. i. p. 22. (x) 



AUCH, a city of France, and capital of th 

 partment of Gers, situated on a declivity of the hill 

 near the river Gers. The streets, though narro. , 

 are clean and well paved, and the town is adorned 

 with several elegant modern buildings. The cathe- 

 dral is a most magnificent structure, and the painted 

 windows with which it is decorated, are remarkable 

 for the brightness of their colours. Population 7696. 

 Distance from Paris 1 17 leagues south-west. E. 

 Long. 35', N. Lat. 43 40'. (o) 



AUBURN, or Albouhne, a town of England, 

 in Wiltshire, situated on a small river which runs in- 

 to the Kennet. This town had formerly a consider- 

 able trade, but since the great fire in 1 760, which 

 destroyed 70 houses, it has fallen into decay. A 

 considerable trade in fustians is carried on here ; and 

 in the neighbourhood there is an extensive rabbit war- 

 ren, from which great numbers are sent to London. 

 Number of houses 280. Population 1280. See Pen- 

 nant's Tour. (J ) 



AUCKLAND, or Bishop's Auckland, a mar- 

 ket and corporate town of England in Darlington 

 ward, in the county of Durham. It derives its name 

 from the number of oaks that formerly grew near it, 

 and the word Bishop's was prefixed, from the Bi- 

 shops of Durham being lords of the manor, and ha- 

 ving a palace here. The town stands near the con- 

 fluence of the rivers Wear and Wandless or Gaunless. 

 The eminence on which it is situated is of an angular 

 form, and is about 140 feet above the level of the 

 plain below. There is here a large manufactory for 

 printing cotton, muslins, and calicoes. Number of 

 houses 408. Population 1961, of whom 331 are em- 

 ployed in trade. See Leland's Itinerary, vol. i. ; 

 and Hutchinson's Hist, and Antiu. of the County of 

 Durham, (o) 



AUCTION, a public sale, where every kind of 

 property is sold to the highest bidder. The regula- 

 tions respecting auctions, will be found in the statutes 

 27 G. II. cap. 13 ; 17 G. III. c. 50 ; 19 G. III. c. 

 56 ; 27 G. III. c. 13 ; 29 G. III. c. 63 ; 32 G. III. 

 c. 41 ; 37 G. III. c. 14; 38 G. III. c. 54. (j) 

 AUCUBA, a genus of plants of the class Moncc- 

 cia, and order Tetrandria. See Botany, (u) 



AUDE, the name of one of the departments of 

 France, which derives its name from the river Aude, 

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

 departments of Henault and Tarn ; on the west, by 

 those of the higher Garonne and the Arriege ; on 

 the south, by the Pyrenees ; and, on the east, by the 

 sea. The river Aude begins to become navigable 

 when it is about to leave the department. At Nar- 

 bonne it divides into two branches, one of which pre- 

 serving the original name, loses itself in a marsh near 

 the coast, while the other branch, under the name of 

 Robine, terminates near Sigean. The soil of this de- 

 partment is naturally fertile, but ill cultivated. The 

 honey, but particularly that which is got near Nar- 

 bonne, is particularly celebrated. The department 



AVE 



contain* 1,275,593 square acres. The forests occu- 

 py 17 or 18 thousand hectares, more than the half 

 of which belongs to the nation ; 3000 hectares belong 

 to the communes, and the r< it to individuals. Con- 

 tributions in the year 1803, 2,843,800 francs. Po- 

 pulation 226, 1 98. Carcasonne is the capital of the 

 department, (o) 



AUDIENCE, the name of the courts of justice 

 established by the Spaniards in America. See Ro- 

 bertson's Hist, of America, vol. iii. p. 286. (') 



AVEBURY, or Am iiy, a small village of Eng- 

 land, in the county of Wilts, is remarkable for the 

 remains of a druidical temple, which has engaged the 

 researches, and puzzled the conjectures, of our most 

 learned antiquaries. It is situated about five miles 

 west of Marlborough, and nineteen north of Stone- 

 henge, and it claims our attention as being one of the 

 most stupendous monuments of British antiquity 

 which the island affords. From the tradition of the 

 Welch bards we learn, that Avebury was one of the 

 three primary Gorseddau or supreme seats of Britain ; 

 and the great national temple, or circle of convention 

 of the ancient Britons. Here they assembled from 

 all quarters of the island at their solemn festivals, 

 which were held at the solstices and the equinoxes ; 

 and hither, it is supposed, that all (even from foreign 

 countries) who wished to be perfectly skilled in 

 druidical science, repaired for instruction. That this 

 was the grand metropolitan station, is rendered most 

 probable from its magnitude, the convenience of its 

 situation, and the various British roads which con- 

 verged to this spot ; as also from the vast numbers 

 of tumuli or barrows, and other relics of remote anti- 

 quity which are to be found in its neighbourhood. 

 The temple consisted of large unhewn stones placed 

 perpendicularly in the ground at nearly regular dis- 

 tances from each other, and disposed in parallel rows 

 and circles. Most of these stones measured from ten 

 to nineteen feet in height above the ground, forty 

 feet in circumference, and weighed from forty to fifty- 

 four tons each. The principal part of the temple 

 was surrounded by a ditch and vallum about 30 feet 

 in height, which embraced an area of 22 acres. With- 

 in this inclosure stood a large circle consisting of 100 

 stones, and including two double concentric circles, 

 composed with 88 stones, and three others called the 

 cove, with one called the central obelisk. From the 

 large circle proceeded two avenues, extending about 

 a mile in length each way, and consisting of 200 

 stones. The one towards the south-cast, called the 

 Kennet avenue, was terminated with two concentric 

 oval arrangements of stones ; and the other, the 

 Beckhampton avenue, towards the west, had only a 

 single stone at the extremity. The whole work is 

 supposed to have originally consisted of 650 stones ; 

 but most of them have been thrown down, broken to 

 pieces, and appropriated to other purposes, and a very 

 few now remain in their original position. As a do- 

 cument of British antiquity, and a singular monument 

 of ancient customs, the temple of Avebury deserves 

 the attention of the antiquary and historian ; and wc 

 cannot but regret the heedless industry of those who 

 have laboured to destroy these venerable vestiges of 

 former times. See Rees' Cyclopcedia ; and Britton's 

 Beauties of Wiltshire, vol. iii. (;;) 

 2 



Audienrc, 



Avt-burv. 



