VIS 



V 1 s 



able flocks of aquatic fowls. Kelp is maiiufaftured to acoii- 

 fiderable ext'^iit, the annual produce being about 1200 

 tons ; of wl.ich the greater part belongs to lord Macdonalci, 

 the fole proprietor of the ifland, from which he derives a 

 yearly rent of 2100/. fterling, befides the profits of the 

 kelp. A parochial fchool is ellabliflied here, from which 

 one fcholar is annually fent to the univerfity. The parifh of 

 North Uiit comprehends feveral adjacent ifles. In the year 

 i8ii, the population was eftimated at 3773. Here are the 

 remains of feveral Dani(h forts : and alfo of fomeDruidical 

 temples,' which arc defcribed by Dr. Smith, in his Hiftory 

 of the Druids — Beauties of Scotland, vol. v. Invernefs- 

 ihire, i8o8. Gazetteer of Scotland, 1806. Carlifle's To- 

 pografffiical Diftionary of Scotland, 18 13. 



UisT, South, another of the Hebrides iflands, alfo in- 

 cluded in the (hire of Invernefs, is in length about thirty 

 miles, and the grcateft: breadth may be eftimated from feven 

 to nine miles ; affording an area of about 40,000 acres, ca- 

 pable of cultivation. Towards the weft and north-weft, 

 where it is bounded by the ocean, the foil is light and fandy, 

 and moft part rendered ufelefs by the feverity of the ftorms : 

 further inland is a feries of lakes, which abound with a variety 

 of tifh ; and to the caft are high and rugged mountains, co- 

 vered with heath and a partial degree of verdure, which 

 afford pafturage in the fummer and autumn months for black 

 cattle, horfes, fhecp, and goats ; but the grain produced on 

 the ifland does not ferve the inhabitants more than nine 

 months in the year. About 7000 flieep are generally kept 

 here, and about 3000 cows ; but the greateft fource of 

 emolument (as well as in North IJift) is the manufafture of 

 kelp, to the amount of 1 100 tons annually : its firft intro- 

 duAion into thefe iflands was in the year 1750, by a Mr. 

 Macleod, who brought it from Ireland, where it had been 

 carried on for feveral years. The parifh of South Uift, 

 ■which includes fome fmall contiguous iflcs, contained, in 

 the year 181 1, a population of 4825; being more than 

 doubled fince the year 1755, nolwithftanding numerous emi- 

 grations. — Beauties of Scotland, vol. v. Invernefsfhire, 

 1808. Carlifle's Topographical Dictionary of Scotland, 

 18 1 3. Gazetteer of Scotland, 1806. 



VISTAMENTE, in th- Ilalhm Mufic, is ufcd to give 

 notice to play or fiiig quick, brifldy, &c. 



VISTE, in Botany, a name given by fome authors to the 

 comnaon wliite mountain coralloides : it is the Lapland name 

 for the fame plant ; the rein-deer and many other creatures 

 feeding on it, when all other vegetables are deilroyed. 



VISTER, in Geography, a town of European Turkey, 

 in Bulgaria; 44 miles S.W. of Ifmail. 



VISTNOU, ViSTNUMjOr Vijhnu, in the Modern Hiflory 

 of Mythology, a name given in the theology of the Brahmins, 

 to one of the three great gods of the iirft clafs, which are the 

 objefts of worlhip to the inhabitants of Hindooftan : the other 

 two are Brahma and Ruddircn. 



According to the Vedam, thefe three gods were created 

 by the Supreme Being, to be his minifters in nature. Brahma 

 is reprefented as the creator, Viftnou as the preferver, 

 and Ruddiren as the deftroyer of beings. However, there 

 are fome fefts which maintain, that Viilnou is fuperior to 

 Brahma, and that he gave himexiflence. Viftnou, it is faid, 

 diftributed mankind into three claffes, the rich, the poor, 

 and thofe of middle ftato ; and created many worlds, inha- 

 bited by fpirits deftincd for the prefervation of other beings. 

 Viftnou is moft refpefted in the kingdom of Carnata, Bralima 

 in the Mogul empire, and Ruddiren in Malabar. Uu. Hift. 

 vol. vi. 8vo. Sec Vishnu. 



VISTRITZA, in Geography, a river of European 



Turkey, which runs into the Viftriza, 16 miles E.S.E. o* 

 EdefTa, in Macedonia. 



VISTRIZA, a river of European Turkey, in Mace- 

 donia, which runs into the Varder, 25 miles N.W. of 

 Saloniki. 



VISTl'L A, a river which rifes in the fouth-eaft part of 

 Silefia, on the borders of Poland, pafles by Cracow, San- 

 domirz, Zawichoft, V^arfaw, Wladillaw, Thorn, Culm, 

 &c. and runs into the Baltic, at Dantzic. 



VISUAL, fomething belonging to the light, or feeing. 



Visual Angle. See Angle. 



Visual Line. See Line. 



Visual Point, in PerfpeHive, is a point, in the horizontal 

 line, in which all the ocular rays unite. See Point. 



Thus, a perfon ftanding in a ftraight long gallery, and 

 looking forwards ; the fides, floor, and cieling, feem to 

 meet, and touch one another in a point, or common centre. 



Visual Rays, are lines of light, imagined to come from 

 the objeft to the eye. See Ray. 



All the obfervations of aftronomers and geometers are per- 

 formed by means of the vifual rays, received in at the fights, 

 or pinnulx, or alhidades. 



VISUM. See HABERE/ja'jj vifum. 



VTSURGIS, the Wefer, in Ancient Geography, a very 

 confiderable river of Germany ; it made a feparation be- 

 tween the Romans and Cherufci, according to Phny, and 

 became celebrated by the defeat of the Roman army on its 

 banks, according to Velleius Paterculus. 



VISWADEVA, a facrifice or oblation offered by pious 

 Hindoos to all their gods collectively. Tlie word means all 

 the gods. " One oblation to the affembleJ gods, thence 

 named Vifwadeva, is ordained both for evening and morn- 

 ing." Inft. of Menu, lii. 121. (See Menu.) Of other 

 fttcrifices of the Hindoos, fee Skadha. 



VISWAJENNI, in Mythology, a name of the Hindoo 

 goddcfs Par-vali; which fee. it means all-prolifc, and is 

 applied to her in her charadter of Prakriti, or nature. See 

 Pkakiuti. 



VISWAKARMA, is a perfonage of confiderable im- 

 portance, and his name frequently occurs in Hindoo books. 

 Sir W. Jones (Af. Ref. vol. i. ) thinks Vifwakarma to be 

 the Vulcan of the Greeks and Romans ; being, like Vulcan, 

 tlie forger of arms for the gods ; and inventor of the Ag- 

 niaftra, or fiery fliaft, ufed in the wars between them and 

 the Daityas, or Titans. He is deemed the architeft of the 

 univerfc, and cliief engineer of the gods. He revealed the 

 fourth Upaveda in various treatifes on fixty-four mechanical 

 arts, for the improvement of fuch as exercife them ; and he 

 is the infpeftor of all manual labours and mechanical arts. 

 See Veda. ' 



It is fabled that Vifwakarma was employed by Krilhna to 

 build for him the city of Dwarka, in Guzer.it ; and it is 

 not unufual for any very m.-ignificcnt or ftupendous work of 

 antiquity to be attributed to liim : the excavations at EUora, 

 forinftancc. (See Elloha. ) Between Vifwakarma and the 

 Pandus, the labour and honour of the excavations at Ellora, 

 Elephanta, Karly, &c. are lliarcd. See Elki'HANTA, 

 Kahly, and Paniju. 



Vifwakarma is the reputed fon of Bliuvana, and a daugh- 

 ter of liis is fometimes mentioned, named Barhilmati ; but 

 their names feldom occur. A fon of the divine artilt is 

 named Vifb'warupa (which fee), father of the wives of 

 Ganefa, or Pollear. Under our article Taiia is a ridiculous, 

 but charafteriftic legend of Vilwak:irma having, like moft 

 of the oilier Hindoo deities, begotten an ape ! Twaflita is 



another 



