V I s 



in their ftead, we cannot but think him full as deferving of 

 commemoration as many of our own horticulturifts, who do 

 but follow a fafhion, and therefore are not entitled to literary- 

 honours, in a fcience which they perhaps " ignorantly wor- 

 (hip." If they ftudy its principles, they rank as botanifts, 

 and render eminent fervices to thofe who have not the means 

 of promoting the fame purfuit in the fame way. — Linn. 

 Suppl. 36. Schreb. Gen. 327. Willd. Sp. PI. v. 2. 926. 

 Mart. Mill. Did. V. 4. Lamarck Dift. v. 4. 208. (Mo- 

 canera ; Juff. 318.) — Clafs and order, DodecnnJriaTrigynia. 

 Nat. Ord. Calycanthaiiie, Linn. Onagra, Juff. 



Gen. Ch. Cnl. Perianth half fuperior, of five lanceolate, 

 recurved, permanent leaves, the three outermoft hairy. Cor. 

 Petals five, equal, elliptical, undivided, fpreading, longer than 

 the calyx. Stam. Filaments twelve, inferted into the recep- 

 tacle of the flower, erect," thread-fhaped, fhorter than the pe- 

 tals ; anthers erett, quadrangular, each tipped with a brittle. 

 Ptjl. Germen half inferior, hairy, taper-pointed ; Ityles three, 

 thread-fhaped, fmooth ; iligmas fimple. Perk. Nut ovate, 

 pointed, fmooth, of two or three cells, half inferior, coated, 

 or covered, above half way up, with what might be called 

 the tube of a monophyllous calyx, and furrounded with its 

 converging fegments. Seeds foUtary. 



Efl". Ch. Calyx half inferior, of five leaves. Petals five. 

 Stigmas fimple. Nut of two_ or three cells, coated 

 below. Seeds folitary. 



I. V. Mocanera. Linn. Suppi. 251. Willd. n. I — 

 Gathered by Mr. Mafibn, in the mountainous woods of 

 the Canary iHands. A fmall (lirub, with a round, rugged, 

 or fomewhat warty, Jlem. Leaves alternate, ereft, on (hort 

 ftalks, coriaceous, elliptical, veiny, ferrated, very Imooth. 

 Fhiver-Jlalhs axillary, folitary, drooping, fcarcely longer 

 than the footilalks, naked, each bearing one fmall yellow 

 jlower. After impregnation the Jlalhs become ereft, the 

 calyx clofes and thickens, its three outer fegments turning 

 brown and hairy. This, the only known fpecies, is a ftranger 

 to our gardens. 



VISNAGA, Matth. Valgr. v. i. 477. t. 479. Rivin. 

 Pentap. Irr. t. 84, an herbaceous plant of the fouth of Eu- 

 rope, is the Daucus Vifrtaga of Linn. Sp. PI. 348. Gaert- 

 ner, t. 21, eftablifhes it as a genus by itfelf. Desfontaines, 

 and the author of this article, in Prodr. Fl. Grsec. Sibth. 

 V. I. 186, have referred the plant to Ammi. There is fome 

 reafon to believe it the y.-yyioio-i of Diofcorides. See Gm- 



GIDIUM. 



VISNAVITRA, in Biography. See ViswAMiTRA. 



VISNE, ViSNETUM, in Laiu, a neighbouring place, or 

 a place near at hand. See Venue. 



VISNEA, in Botany, Linn. Suppl. 36. See Vismea. 



VISNIZA, in Geography, a town of European Turkey, 

 in Moldavia ; 30 miles N. of Suczava. 



VISO, El, a town of Spain, in Nev.' Caftile ; 25 miles 

 S.S.E. of Civdad Real. 



Viso, a mountain of France, in the department of the 

 Stura, fuppofed to be one of the higheft parts of the Alps. 



Viso Marfo, a town of Naples, in Calabria Citra ; 13 

 miles W.N.W. of Scalea. 



VISOKICH, a town of Ruflia, in the government of 

 Irkutfl<, on the Lena ; 8 miles N.N.W. of Orlenga. 



VI SON, a town of France, in the department of the 

 Tanaro ; 3 miles E.S.E. of Acqui. 



VISONTIUM, in Ancient Geography, a town of Hifpania 

 Citerior, belonging to the Pelendones. Ptol. — Alfo, a town 

 of Higher Pannonia, of the number of thofe which were 

 remote from the Danube. 



VISP, in Geography, a town of the Vallais, and chief 

 place of a dixain, ortytliing ; 22 miles E. of Sion. 



U I s 



VISPE, or UsPE, in Ancient Geography, a town belong- 

 ing to the Saracens, in the vicinity of the Bofphorus of 

 Thrace ; and not far from the river Pania. Tacitus fays 

 that it was ilronglv fortified. The Romans befieged it and 

 were repulfed. When they afterwards attacked the place 

 by cfcalade, the inhabitants fent a deputation to petition 

 for the life of free perfons, with an offer of 10,000 flaves. 

 The befiegers rejedled thefe conditions, and revolting at the 

 cruelty of maffacring perfons who voluntarily furrendered 

 themfelves, and imprifoning fo great a number of perfons, 

 they recurred to the right of war, which exhibits a hon-ible 

 example of the ferocity of the Romans. They gave the 

 fignal for efcalade, but afterwards entered into treaty. In 

 confequence of this event, which was attended with the de- 

 ftruftion of Vifpe, no record of it remains. 



VISPELLIONES, among the Romans, were flaves 

 who could not be manumitted. 



VISRAVA, in Alythol'jgy, a name of the Hindoo 

 Plutus, who is more commonly called Kwvera ; which fee. 

 See alfo Vaisrava, another mode of pronouncing this name, 

 which is likewife given to the father of Kuvera and of his half- 

 brother Rave:;a. (See Ravena.) Thefe two laft named 

 half-brothers are alfo called Paulaftya, or Pulaftya. Vifrava, 

 or Vaifrava, is fometimes named Vifwafrava and Vifravana. 



VISRUTI, one of the three daughters of Swayam- 

 bhuva, a perfonage of importance in their fabulous legends. 

 Some notice of him occurs under his name in this work. 



VISSE, in Geography, a town of the Popedom, in the 

 marquifate of Ancona ; 15 miles S. of Camerino. 



VISSEGRAD, a town of Bof.iia ; 40 miles S.E. of 

 Bofnaferai. 



ViSSEGRAD. See ViCEGKAD. 



VISSEHOVEDE, a town of Germany, in the county 

 of Verden ; 19 miles E. of Verden. 



UIST, North, one of the iflands of the Hebrides, in 

 the fhire of Invernefs, Scotland, is of a very irregular fhape, 

 and extends in length about twenty miles, and from twelve 

 to eighteen in breadth. The word Uijl is faid to be taken 

 from the Scandinavian word vifl, which fignifies luefi, and 

 was given by the Danes, when in pofTeffion of thele coun- 

 tries, on account of its wefterly fituation. The weftern 

 part of the coaft, which is wadied by the Atlantic, is 

 inaccefTible to vefTels, or even to fifhing-boats, except 

 in tiie calmeft weather, on account of rocks and fhoals. 

 On the eaftern coaft are feveral inlets of the fea, which 

 form fafe and commodious harbours. Of thefe, the befl 

 is loch Maddie, which affords good anchorage for vefTels 

 of any burden. Along the coaft round thefe harbours 

 the ground is barren, hilly, and almoft uninhabited. The 

 weftern and northern parts of the ifland, almoft the only 

 cultivated parts, are low and level for about a mile and 

 a half from the fea, when the furface becomes moory, 

 with hills of fmall height covered with black heath. It has 

 moftly a fandy foil, which, as it approaches the moorlands, 

 is a thin black loam, on a gravelly, or on a free-ftone bottom. 

 In favourable fummers, the cultivated parts yield luxuriant 

 crops of oats and barley ; but as there are no trees to afford 

 fhelter during the inclemency of winter, the appearance is 

 then greatly changed, and verdure is fcarcely to be feen ; fo 

 that the cattle, in thefe feafons, are fed partly on ftraw, and 

 partly on fea-weed thrown up by ftorms. The number of 

 cows kept on the ifla:id is about 2000, of which 300 are 

 annually exported ; the number of horfes is about 1600. 

 Agriculture is in a low flate ; and the implements of huf- 

 bandry, with a few exceptions, are the fame kind that were 

 ufed a century paft. Here are numerous freih-water lakes, 

 abounding with excellent trout, and frequented by innuraer- 

 10 able 



