V E N 



V E N 



citron in bulk, being in fize equal to, and fometimes ex- 

 ceeding a man's head ; the rind is like that of the golden 

 rennet ; the pulp is of a reddifh colour, and its tafte par- 

 takes of fweet and acid, refembling that of grapes not fully 

 ripe. A liquor is prelTed from it, as in Europe from apples, 

 pears, &c. It will keep for a whole year. 



VENDEE, in Law, the perfon to whom any thing is 

 fold, in contradiftinftion to vendor, or the feller. 



Vendee, in Geography, a river of France, which rifes 

 about eight miles N.N.E. from Fontenai-le-Comte, and 

 runs into the Sevre Niortoife, about a mile E. of Marans. 



Vendee, one of the nine departments of the weftern 

 region of France, formerly Lower Poitou, lying between 

 Charente and Lower Loire, in N. lat. 46° 30' ; bounded 

 on the N. by the departments of the Lower Loire and 

 Mayne and Loire, on the E. by the department of the 

 Two Sevres, on the S. by that of the Lower Charente, and 

 on the S.W. and W. by the fea. Its territorial extent is 

 72424 kiliomctres, or 373 fquare leagues, and the number 

 of its inhabitants is 270,271. It is divided into 3 circles or 

 diftrids, 29 cantons, and 324 communes. The three circles 

 are. Sables d'Olonne, including 87,653 inhabitants; Mon- 

 taign, 65,943 ; and Fontenai-le-Peuple, 1 16,675. Accord- 

 ing to HafTenfratz, its extent in French leagues is 24 in 

 length, and 21 in breadth ; its circles are 6, its cantons 58, 

 and its population 305,610. Its capital is Fontenay. Its 

 contributions, in the eleventh year of the French era, were 

 2,438,463 fr. ; and its expences for adminittration, judi- 

 ciary, and for public inttruftion, were 201,615 fr. 33 cents. 

 This department, watered by many copious dreams, is one 

 of the nioft fertile in France. It is divided by nature into 

 the thicket, the marfh, and the plain. The firft, fo called 

 on account of the great quantity of wood that covers it, 

 includes nearly five-ninths of the whole territory. Its foil 

 is of various qualities, yielding grain, wine, and excellent 

 paftures. The fecond, lying on the W. and S. coafts, 

 formerly covered by the fea, is impregnated with faline 

 fubftances. Neverthelefs it is fertile, producing plentiful 

 crops of grain, flax, hemp, and paftures. The third is a 

 fertile and well-cultivated ftrip of land, inclofed between 

 the thicket and the S. border of the department. Bou'w, 

 an ifland containing about three iquare leagues, participates 

 in all the qualities of the marfh. It was feparated, not many 

 years ago, from the main land by a narrow channel, which 

 has now almoft difappeared. Noirmontier (which fee) is 

 a fertile ifland containing about three fquare leagues, oppo- 

 fite to the N. extremity of the department. It has a port 

 capable of receiving veflels of fifty or fi.Kty tons. But 

 downs of fine land, near its N.W. coaft, are frequently 

 raifed by the wind, and driven into the interior part of the 

 ifland. Ijle Dieu is a very fmall ifland, covered with a tliin 

 bed of vegetable foil, mixed with fand, and not produftive. 



VENDELIA, in /indent Geography, a town of Hifpania 

 Citerior, belonging to the Autrigones. Ptolemy. 



VENDELOS, in Geography, a town of the ifland of 

 Ceylon ; 64 miles N.E. of Candi. 



VENDEN, a mountain of the Tyrolefe ; 14 miles 

 N.N.E. of Brixen. 



Venden, a town of Ruffia, in the government of Riga, 

 on the Aa. In the year 1577, Magnus, duke of Holftein, 

 was brought to this town by Ivan Vaflilievitch II. czar of 

 Ruflia, to be made king of Livonia. ; but the new monarch 

 was prevailed upon by his fubjefts, ever averfe to the Ruflian 

 yoke, to fonn a fecret alhance with the king of Poland, and 

 to counteraft the czar's progrefs in Livonia. Ivan, foon 

 apprized of this negociation, laid immediate fiege to Venden, 

 •yvith fo numerous an array, that the inhabitants, finding all 



Vol. XXXVI. 



oppofition iueffeitual, propofed to capitulate. Magnus 

 himfelf carried the terras of capitulation, and advancing to 

 fupplicate the incenfcu monarch, threw himfelf at his feet, 

 and interceded for the town. The czar, fpurning at him 

 with his foot, and ftriking him in the face, loaded him with 

 reproaches for his ingratitude, and ordered him to prifon ; 

 then entering the town, his troops committed every fpecies 

 of horror and devaftation. Many of the principal inhabit- 

 ants, retiring into the citadel, determined to defend it to 

 the laft extrer.iity ; but foon perceiving all refiftance to be 

 fruitlefs, and expecting no quarter, they calmly aflembled, 

 received the facrument, and then deftroyed themfelves, by 

 blowing up the citadel ; 36 miles N.E. of Riga. N. lat. 

 57° 12'. E. long. 25° 14'. 



VENDENIS, in Ancitnt Geography, a town of Upper 

 Moefia, at a dillar.cc from the Danube. Ptolemy. 



VEND EVIL, in Geography, a town of France, in the 

 department of the Aifne ; 8 miles S. of St. Quintin. 



VENDITIONI Exponas, in Law, is a judicial writ, 

 direfted to the fiieriif, commanding him to fell goods, which 

 he has formerly, by commandment, taken into his hands, 

 for the fatisfying of a judgment given in the king's court. 



VENDITOR Regis, the king's faleman, or perfon who 

 expofed to fale gdods or chattels feized or diitrained to 

 anfwer any debt to the king. Thjs office was granted by 

 king Edward I. to Philip de Lardimer, in the county of 

 York, " Ita quod ipfe, vel certus fuus attornatus, ibit ad 

 mandatum vicecomitis de loco in locum infra com. praed. 

 fumptibus fuis, ad venditiones faciendas, & capiat de una- 

 quaque venditione pro feodo fuo xxxii. den. ;" but the office 

 was feized into the king's hands for the abufe thereof, 

 anno 2 Ed. II. 



VENDOEUVRES, in Geography, a town of France, 

 in the department of the Aube ; 1 1 miles W. of Bar-fur- 

 Aube. 



VENDOME, a town of France, and principal place of 

 a diftridl, in the department of the Loir and Cher, on the 

 Loir. Before the revolution, it gave name to a county in 

 Beauce, called Vendomois ; 7^ polls N.E. of Tours. N. lat. 

 47° 48'. E. long. 1° 8'. 



VENDRE le Port, a fmall fea-port town of France, in 

 the department of the Eaftern Pyrenees ; 12 miles S.S.E. 

 of Perpignan. 



VENDRELL, a town of Spain, in the province of 

 Catalonia; 25 miles W.S.W. of Barcelona. 



VENDRESSE, a town of France, in the department of 

 the Ardennes ; 9 miles S. of Charleville. 



VENDUE, denotes an auftion or public fale. 



VENDUM, in Ancient Geography, the name of one of the 

 four towns poflefled by the Japodes, in the country that 

 extended itfelf from the Pannonians to the Adriatic fea. 

 Strabo. 



VENECA, a town of Afia, in the interior of Media. 

 Ptolemy. 



VENEDI, a people originally of Sarmatia, who occu- 

 pied the whole coaii of the Venedic gulf, and who pafled 

 from thence into Germania with the Slavi, where they in- 

 habited the territory abandoned by the Germans. Ptolemy. 

 Jornandes fays that thefe people, before this migration, had 

 been vanquiflied and fubjugated by Hermanricus, king of 

 the Goths. 



VENEDICI MoNTES, mountains of European Sar- 

 matia. Ptolemy. 



VENEDICUS Sinus, a port of the Baltic fea, in which 

 were found the mouths of the Turuntua, Chefinus, Rubo, 

 and Chronus. Ptolemy. 



VENEDITOVA, in Geography, a town of Ruffia, in 

 4 X the 



