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Charlemagne, in 79J, with propofaU for furrindering Iiimfelf 

 and his people to that prince, and for embracing Chrilliaiiity 

 under liis aiifpices. 



At this day there exifls an Avarian nation in Daghcftan, 

 in the diftrift of Derbent and Kubct, who, thougli by their 

 cohabitation for feveral centuries with various nations, they 

 have adopted their languafre and the Mahortietan religion, 

 have neverthelcfs retained foine Sarmatian words, that prove 

 their ancient origin. They marched, fays Mr. Tooke (Hift. 

 RiilT. vol. i. p. 9.), in the fourth century to Pannonia, difpof- 

 feiled the (laves, and eftabhfhed thcmfjlves with thofe that 

 remained. On the arrival of the Malliares and Komanes, 

 they colleftively affumed the name Maihares, and by this 

 name thev are (lill diftinguifhed. 



AVARICUM, called alfo Bituriges, now Bourges, 

 the capital of the Bituriges-Cubi, and afterwards of Aqui- 

 tania Pnma, was one of the moft confiderable t'ties of 

 Gaul at the time of the Roman conqneft. About the 

 forty-feventh Olympiad, or 592 years before the ChrilHan 

 jera, it was the capital of Gaul, or of that part of it which 

 was fubjeft to the Celtes. The Romans ere6\ed an amphi- 

 theatre in this place, which was not demoliflicd before the 

 year Sco ; and alfo a capitol. 



AVARILLO, Cape, lies N. E. from Padaran bay, and 

 nearly in the foiith-eaft extremity of Cambodia. N. lat. 11° 

 35'. E. long. I09°2i'. See CoMORiN Ay. 



AVAROMO Temo, in BolrMy, the name of a filiquofe 

 tree, which grows in the Brafils. The bark is externally of 

 acineritious, and internally of a deep red colour; and is the 

 only part of t!ie plant ufed by the flcilfnl for medicinal pnr- 

 pofes : though the fame aftringent qu;ditic3 are by fome 

 applied to the leaves: forthebaik, which is of a bitter 

 taile, whether reduced to a powder, or boiled a-d ufed by 

 way of fomentation, happily cures inveterate and obilinate 

 ulcers, and, as it is faid, has been found to cure cancers 

 themfelves, by means of its remarkably ckanfmg and dryicg 

 nature. 



Befide thefe purpofes, it is alfo made ufe of on account 

 of its eifetlually aftringent quality, f(;r baths defigned to 

 ilrengthen and invigorate the niufcular parts of the body, 

 when weakened, or too much relaxed. Ray fays it is much 

 ufed by courtezans for contracting the pudenda. 



AVARUM, in Ancient Geography, a promontory of 

 Hifpania Tarragonenfis. Ptolemy. 



AVAS. See Athamania. 



AvAS, in Geography, a mountain of Hungary-, in the di- 

 ftrift of Marmarufs. 



AVAST, a term frequently ufed on board a (hip, fignify- 

 j'ng, to Hop, hold, or ftay. The word is formed of the Italian 

 Villi a, or baja, it is enough, it fujices. 



AVAS rOMATES, in Ancient Geography, a people ot 

 Africa, in Mauritania. Amm. Mare. 



AVATSCHA or AwATSKA, called alfo St. Peter and 

 St. Paul, in Geography, a fea-port of Kamtfchatka, lying in 

 N. lat. S'-° 5 ''• and E. long. 158= 48'. The bay of Avatf- 

 cha lies in the bight of another formed by cape Gavareea to 

 the fouth, and Cheepohfltoi Nofs to the north : the latter 

 bearing from the former N. E. by N. and diftant from it 

 thirty-two leagues. From cape Gavareea to the entrance 

 of Avatfcha bay the coaft bears to the north, extends about 

 eleven leagues, confiils of a chain of ragged chffs and rocks, 

 and prefents in many parts an appearance of bays or inlets, 

 which on a nearer approach are found to be low grounds con- 

 neaine the head-lands. From the entvaice of AvatWia bay, 

 Chceponfkoi-nofs bears E. N. E., at the diilance of feventeen 

 leao-ues. The (liore on this fide ,s flat and low with lulls 

 behind that rife gradually to a cot^Hderabk height. W hcu 



A V A 



navigators Approach this bay from the fouthward, this 

 difference of tlie land on both fides r,f cape Gavai;.ca in lat. 

 52° 2 1', will direct them in their courfe : when they ap. 

 proach it from the luirtliward, Cheeponficoi-nofs becon.ei 

 Very confpicuous, as it is a high projefling head-Ia;id, 

 united to the continent by a large cx'tcnt of level ground 

 lower than the Nufs, and it prefents the fame appearance 

 both from the north and fouth. The fituation of Avatfeiia 

 may be alfo known,, in clear weather, by the two high 

 mountains to the fouth of it ; of which tint neareft to the 

 bay is in the form of a fugar-loaf, and the other flat and not 

 fo high. Thefe very confpicuous mountains alfo appear 

 on the north fide of the bay ; tiiat to the wtfl being the 

 higheil ; the next, which is a volcano, may be known by it» 

 fm.oke ; and the third, which is the moll northcrlv, it, a 

 duller of mountains, with fi veral flat tops. Wit'.iin the 

 capes, the entrance of Avatfcha bay to the north is pointed 

 out by a light-houfe on a perpendicular headland, to the 

 eallward of which are many funkcn rocks, flretching two 

 or three miles into the fea : four miles to the fouth of the 

 entrance lies a (mall round ifland, principally compofed of 

 high pointed rocks. The entrance into the bay is at firll 

 about three miles wide, and in the narrowed part i\ ; the 

 length in a noith-weft direction is four miles. Within the 

 mouth is a noble bafon about twenty-l'ive miles in circum- 

 ference ; in which are the harbours of Rakowecra to the 

 eafl, TarcinfKa to the wefl, and St. Peter and St. Paul to 

 the north. Such is the account of Avatfclia given in the 

 continuation of Cook's voyages. The bay of Avatfcha, ac- 

 cording to the relation of I. a Peroufe, who vifited it in I 787, 

 is certainly th.e fined, mod commodious, and fafid that can 

 poiubly be met with in any part cf the world. Its mouth 

 is narrow, and fliips would be compelled to pafs under the 

 guns of the fort, which might be erected there. It has ex- 

 cellent holding ground, as the bottom is of mud. Two 

 vaft harbours, one on the eaft, and the other on the weilcm 

 coad, would contain all the fhips of England and France. 

 The rivers of Avatfcha and Paratounha empty themfelves 

 into this bay ; but they are impeded by fand banks, and 

 can only be entered at high water. The village of St. Peter 

 and St. Paul is fituated on a tongue of land, which, like an 

 artificial bank, forms behind the village a httle harbour, 

 inclofrd like a circle, which might accomodate three or 

 four difmantled fhips during the winter : its entrance is 

 Icfs than twenty-five tcifes wide. On the fide of this bafon 

 M. Kafloff, the governor, propnftd to mark out the plaa 

 of a town dedined to be the capital of Kamtfchatka, and 

 perhaps the grand centre of commerce with China, Japan, 

 the Philippines, and America. A large lake of foft water 

 lies to the north of the fite of this projected cit'-, and at 

 the didance of only 3C0 toifes are many (ma-U brooks, the 

 junfiion of which would facilitate the conveyance of all the 

 commodities neceffary for a large cdablifhment. M. Kallof 

 gave orders for announcing, that an union of feveral didricls 

 with that of St. Peter and St. Paul would foon take place, 

 and that he intended immediately to build a church. The 

 ice in the bay of Avatfclia never extends within 3 or 400 

 toifes from tlic bank ; and during the winter it often hap- 

 pens, that the land winds d:fptrfe that which obdrucls the 

 pafTa-T-e into the rivers of Paratounha and Avatfcha, wiiea 

 the navigation again becomes practicable. This hay is laid 

 to bear a great refemblance to that of Bred, but it aflords 

 better anchorage by the mud of its bottom ; its mouth is 

 ttaiTower, and of courfc more cafily defended. The two 

 dioals at the entrance of this bay, which are fcparated by a 

 large channel for the pafHige of fhips, may be calJy avoided, 

 by leaving two detached rocks on the eaft. fhore open witd 



• " til* 



