V E D 



V E E 



or to whatever caufes pleafure, pain, &c. This furnifties 

 a reafon why, in fome Vedanta works, language very dif- 

 refpeftful is held towards fuch relatives and friends ; fo dif- 

 ferent to the general rule and ufage of the Hindoos. When 

 by the praftice of rigid aufterity, retirement from the world, 

 and contemplation, this quiefcent ftate is attained, the foul 

 perceives that it is Being, and that Being is all things ; and 

 thus the foul becomes the one Infinite Effence. Some 

 branches of this rigid aufterity and contemplation are called 

 Tapas and Jap. ( See under thofe words for fome account 

 of thefe praftices ; and under Sects of Hindoos, and Yogi, 

 of thofe who praftife them.) Aftion, fay the Vedantis, or 

 religious performances, do not conduft tlie foul to the ftatc 

 of the Eternal but to Swerga (which fee), where it con- 

 tinues, until the holinefs it hath accumulated be nearly ex- 

 pended by the enjoyment of happinefs ; when it returns to 

 earth, and takes a body correfponding to its remnant of 

 virtue. Agreeably to this notion, aftion is condemned, as 

 it tends to retain the foul in the prifon of paffion and affec- 

 tion. Still, while a perion continues to perform the com- 

 mon afts of life, it is incumbent on him to attend to religious 

 duties and rites. 



It has been found expedient farther to modify the doc- 

 trine, in fuch a manner as to reconcile i^ with the ordinary 

 avocations of life, ou which depend the exiftence of fociety. 

 Accordingly it is held, that the renunciation of the world 

 does not require that a perfon ceafe or depart from thofe 

 avocations ; but only that he preferve his mind in a ftate of 

 perfeft indifference and tranquillity. " If it be alleged that 

 the Puranas declare, that Bharata and others did not per- 

 form the afts of life ; we would aflt," fays the Panchdaftii, 

 " why do you not liften to the Vedas, which declare that 

 wife men eat, aft, and procreate ?" 



It will be neceflary to keep in mind that the Vedanta is 

 a philofopliical, not a religious fyftem ; and that a profeflion 

 of its tenets is compatible with all the religious lefts who 

 admit the authority of the Veda. This may be faid like- 

 wife of the Sankya, Nyayai, and other philofophical 

 fyftems. The religious diftinftions of the Hindoos refult 

 from the peculiar or exclufive veneration paid to a particular 

 deity ; and the adoption, as a fpiritual guide, of thofe 

 books which celebrate that deity as the great Being. On 

 this point the reader may confult our articles Krishna, 

 Saraswati, Sects of Hindoos, Sankya, Siva, and 

 others thence referred to, connefted herewith. 



VEDENSKAIA, in Geography, a town of Ruffia, in 

 the government of Irkutflc, on the Irkut ; 34 miles W. of 

 Irkutfi<. 



VEDENSKOI, a town of Ruflia, in the government of 

 Vologda, on the Ufia ; 66 miles E.S.E. of Vielfli.— Alfo, 

 a town of Ruffia, in the government of Archangel, on the 

 Vokfcha ; 200 miles E.S.E. of Archangel. N. lat. 58'^45'. 

 E. long. 46'^ 44'. — Alfo, a town of Ruffia, in the govern- 

 ment of Tobol(l{ ; 36 miles S.E. of Tomflc. 



VEDETTE, in the Military Art, a fentinel on horfe- 

 back, detached from the main body of the army, to difcover 

 and give notice of the enemy's defigns. 



VEDIANTII, according to the orthography of Phny, 

 written Vefdiatii by Ptolemy, in Ancient Geography, the 

 name of a people, whofe capital was Csemelion (Pliny), or 

 Cemenclium (Ptolemy), fituated in the province of the 

 Maritime Alps, according to the Notitia of the provinces 

 of Gaul. 



VEDRA, a river of Britain, the mouth of which is 

 placed by Ptolemy on the fouth-eaft fide, bounded by the 

 German ocean. Horfley differs in opinion concerning this 

 river from Camden and Baxter : he fuppofes it to be the 

 river Tyne, and they conjefture it to be the Were. 



Vedra, Cape, in Geography, a cape of Spain, on tlie 

 coaft of Galicia. N. lat. 42° 19'. W. long. 8° 51'. 



VEDRO, or Weddra, in Commerce, a liquid raeafurc 

 in Ruffia. The cafk, farokowoi, or pipe of wine, contains 

 40 vedros ; the vedro, 8 ofmuchki or kruftikas ; and the 

 kruftika, 1 1 tfcharkays or cups. The vedro in Peterftjurg 

 contains 621 French, or 752 Enghfti cubic inches; hence 

 I vedro = 3^ Englifti wine gallons, and 3 kruftikas =; 

 I Englifti ale gallon. Kelly's Un. Canib. 



VEENE, in Geography. See Vehne. 



VEER, in Sea Language, is varioufty ufed. Veering out 

 the rope, denotes the letting it go by hand, or letting it run 

 out of itfelf : thus, they fay, Fecr more cable ; that is, let 

 more run out. 



Veer is alfo ufed in reference to the wind : for when it 

 changes often, and fuddenly, they fay, the -wind veers. — 

 Or, the wind is faid to -veer and haul, when it alters its 

 direftion, and becomes more or lefs fair : thus it is faid, to 

 •veer aft, and to haul for<ward. 



Veer and haul. To, is to pull a rope tight, by drawing 

 it in and flackening it alternately, till the body to which it 

 is applied requires an additional motion, like the increafed 

 vibration of a pendulum, fo that the rope is ftraightened 

 to a greater tenfion with more facility and difpatch. This 

 method is particularly ufed in hauhng the bow-lines. 

 Falconer. 



VEERAPATCH, in Geography, a town of Hindooftan ; 

 18 miles W.N.W. of Dindigul. 



VEERE, or Vere, or Tervere, a fea-port town of Zea- 

 land, fituated on the northern coaft of the ifle of Walcheren, 

 communicating with Middelburg by means of a canal. The 

 name given it fignifies, in the language of the country, 

 " Paflage," and was probably acquired by its being the 

 place from whence they ordinarily pafs over to North Beve- 

 land. Its ancient name was Kamp Vere. The place is re- 

 gularly fortified towards the laud with ftrong baftions, and 

 a broad ditch ; and towards the fea is a ftrong wall. The 

 harbour is very good, but lies much expofed to inundations. 

 The arfenal is one of the beft in Zealand, and furniftied with 

 all manner of ftores for a confiderable fleet. This is the 

 third walled town in the ifland of Walcheren, and has the 

 fixth place in the aftembly of the ftates of Zealand. It has 

 three gates towards the land, and one towards the fea, where 

 veffels come from Dort, Ziriczee, and other places. The 

 inhabitants are chiefly occupied in the herring-fiftiery, which 

 is their harveft. There is little to be obferved in the town 

 but the ftadthoufe, began in 1704, and the great church, 

 the fteeple of which is low and unfiniftied ; 4 miles N. of 

 Middelburg. N. lat. 51° 37'. E. long. 3'^ 35'. 



Veere Channel, a channel between the Dutch iflands of 

 Walcheren and Schouwen. 



VEERING, in Sea Language, denotes the operation by 

 which a ihip, in changing her courfe from one board to the 

 other, turns her ftern to windward. Hence it is ufed in 

 oppofition to tacking (which fee), wherein the head is turned 

 to the wind, and the ftern to leeward. A fliip, having 

 made the neceiTary difpofitions to veer, bears away gradually 

 before the wind, till it blows obhquely upon the oppofite 

 fide, which was before to leeward ; and as the ftern necef- 

 farily yields to this impreffion of the wind, affifted by the 

 force of the helm, and the aftion of the waves upon the 

 fame quarter, the fide which was before to leeward foon be- 

 comes to windward. Since, by this movement, a ftiip lofes 

 ground confiderably more than by tacking, it is rarely prac- 

 tifed except in cafes of neceffity or delay ; as, when the 

 violence of the wind and fea renders tacking imprafticable ; 

 or when her courfe is flackened to wait for a pilot, or fome 

 other Ihip in company, &c. 



When 



