WED 



rhis territory is adjacent to the river Akafla, called by feme 

 Wed Noon, that is, the river of Noon. Jackfon dates the 

 copulation of Wedinoon at 200,000 perfons. In this dif- 

 ;riA the fovereignty of the emperor of Morocco is fcarcely 

 icknowledged ; and the difficulty of paffing an army over 

 ;hat branch of the Atlas, vehich feparates Sufe from Haha, 

 'ecures to the Wedinoonees their arrogated independence. 

 IV^edinoon is a kind of intermediate depot for merchandize 

 3n its way to Soudan, and for the produce of Soudan con- 

 veyed to Mogodor. Gums and wax are produced here in 

 ibundance ; and the people, living in a ilateof independence, 

 ndulge in the luxuries of drefs, and ufe many European 

 :ommodities. A great quantity of gold duft. is bought and 

 'old at Wedinoon. The inhabitants fometimes trade to Mo- 

 godor, but piefer felling their merchandize on the fpot, as 

 they do not wifh to truft their perfons with property within 

 the territory of the emperor of Morocco. With Tombuc- 

 too they carry on a conftant and advantageous trade, and 

 many of the Arabs are immenfely rich. They alfo fupply 

 the Moors of Morocco with (ftatas) convoys through the 

 defert, in their travels to Tombuftoo. The coaft of Wedi- 

 noon extends a long way to the fouthward, nearly as far as 

 Cape Bojador. The river Akafla, commonly called the river 

 of Non or Nun, and in feme maps Daradus, is a large ftream 

 from the fea to the town of Noon, which is about fifteen 

 miles inland, and about two miles in circumference : from 

 hence the river becomes fhallow and narrow ; and it is to the 

 fouthward of this river that fhips are generally wrecked. 

 The dillrift of Wedinoon is nominally in the dominions of 

 the emperor of Morocco ; but lately an army having been 

 fent farther fouth than Terodaiit, and the Pacha Alkaid Ma- 

 hommtd ben Delamy being dead, that diftrift has fuffered 

 negleft, and the people pay no tenth, according to the 

 mode of raifing taxes in Weft Barbary, viz. ten per cent, on 

 the produce of the land, and two per cent, on that of cattle ; 

 and the emperor has recently ordered his Pacha of Haha to 

 purchafe the Britifh flaves that had been wrecked there. 

 This place being only thus nominally in his dominions is 

 another impediment to the redemption of the failors who 

 happen to be (hipwrecked about Wedinoon ; for if the em- 

 peror had the fame authority over this dillritt, tliat he has 

 over the provinces north of the river Sufe, meafures might 

 be adopted by the conful, afting under his orders, for their 

 delivery, without pecuniary dift)urfements. Jackfon's Mo- 

 rocco. See Vled de Nun. 



WEDLOCK. See Marriage, Wife, Husband, &c. 

 WEDNESBURY, in Geography, an ancient market- 

 town in the fouth divifion of the hundred of OfBow, and 

 county of Stafford, England, is Ctuated at a fhort dillance 

 from the fource of the river Tame ; 19 miles S.S.E. from 

 the county-town, and 125 miles N.W. from London. In 

 the time of the Mercians, this place had a noble caftle, which 

 was fortified by Adelfleda, who was forfome time governefs 

 of this extenfive kingdom : but no part of the fortrefs now 

 remains, except a few traces of its foundations. At the 

 Norman Conqueft, the manor became a portion of the royal 

 demefnes. Henry II. beftowed it on the family of the He- 

 ronviles, from whom it pafled, after various fucceffions, to 

 j the Beaumonts. The town is diilinguiftied for its numerous 

 1 and valuable manufaftures, the principal of which are of 

 I guns, coach-harnefs, iron axle-trees, faws, trowels, edge- 

 i tools, bridle-bits, ftirrups, nails, hinges, fcrews, and caft- 

 • iron works of every defcription. For their proficiency in 

 j thefe various branches, tlie inhabitants are chiefly indebted to 

 I the abundance and excellence of the coal obtained in the 

 I immediate vicinity. This coal is indifputably the bell in the 

 kingdom for the fmith's forge, on account of the intenfe 



WEE 



heat which it produces. It extends in a variety of feparate 

 veins or ftrata, which are particularized by the miners with 

 the greateft accuracy. Here is alfo found that peculiar . 

 fpecies of iron-ore denominated blond-metal, ufed in the 

 manufafture of horfe-fhoes, hammers, axes, and heavy tools. 

 Some fpots hkewife abound with a fort of reddifli earth, 

 called hip, employed in painting and glazing vefTels of varioui 

 kinds. A weekly market on Wednefday affords the town a 

 plentiful fupply of all kinds of provifions. The population 

 of the parifh, in the return of the year 181 1, was ftated to 

 be 5372. the number of houfes 1004. One of the collateral 

 branches of the Birmingham canal, entering this parifii, 

 affords the inhabitants great facility of commercial commu- 

 nication. The church is an ancient ftrufture, and fome 

 writers abfurdly relate, that it waS built in the year 7 1 1 , by 

 Dudo, lord of Dudley. At one end rifes a tower, fup- 

 porting a lofty fpire : the interior is divided into a chancel, 

 nave, and two aifles ; the latter are feparated from the nave 

 by a range of arches, fupported by odtagonal pillars. In 

 the chancel are feveral prebendal ftalls, ornamented with ex- 

 quifite carved work. Here is alfo a variety of monuments 

 in honour of the anceftors of the Dudley and Harcourt 

 families, and feveral other ancient tombs and memorials. 

 Round the church-yard fome veftiges of the caftle may be 

 diftinaiy traced. — Shaw's Hiftory of Staffordftiire, folio, 

 1798. Beauties of England and Wales, vol. xiii. Stafford- 

 fhire, 181 1. 



WEDNESDAY, the fourth day of the week, formerly 

 confecrated by the inhabitants of the northern nations to 

 Woden or Odin, who, being reputed the author of magic 

 and inventor of all the arts, was thought to anfwer to the 

 Mercury of the Greeks and Romans, in honour of whom 

 they called the fame day dies Mercurii. 



Wednesday, yljji. See Asti-lVethefday. 



WEDNOCH, in Geography, a river of England, which 

 joins the Wever, near Northwich, in Cheftiire. 



WEDUM, a town of Sweden, in Weft Gothland; 18 

 miles S. of Skara. 



WEE-CHAUNG-HOO, an extenfive lake of China, 

 which divides the province of Shan-tung from that of 

 Kiang-nan, and fupplies an adjoining canal when it is de- 

 ficient of water. This lake affords a charming profped, 

 particularly at fun-rife ; when its borders fringed with wood- 

 houfes and pagodas on the floping grounds behind, and the 

 furface of the water almoft covered with veffels crofting it in 

 different direftions, and by all the various modes of naviga- 

 tion that poles, paddles, oars, and fails, could furnifh, are 

 exhibited to advantage. Fifhing forms a confiderable part 

 of the occupation of the people on this lake, and they have 

 various modes of condufting it. Befides nets, which are in 

 moft common ufe, they have another method, which is more 

 fingular : to one fide of a boat a flat board, painted white, 

 is fixed at an angle of about forty -five degrees, the edge in- 

 clining towards the water on moon-light nights ; the boat is 

 fo placed that the painted board is turned to the moon, from 

 whence the rays of light ftriking on the whitened furface 

 give it the appearance of moving water, on which the fi(h 

 being tempted to leap as on their element, the boatman raif- 

 ing with a ftring the board, turns the fifti into the boat. 

 Water-fowl are alfo taken upon this lake by a peculiar 

 device. Empty jars or gourds are fuffered to float upon 

 the water, that inch objetts may become famihar to the 

 birds ; the fiflierman then wades into the lake with one of the 

 empty veffels on his head, and walks gently towards a bird, 

 and lifting up his arm draws it down below the furface of 

 the water, without difturbing or alarming the reft, and thus 

 prefently fills the bag with which he was provided for fecur- 

 G g 2 ing 



