WES 



WES 



Westport, a fea-port and poft-town of Ireland, in the 

 county of Mayo, fxtuated on a beautiful bay, wooded to the 

 water's edge, in the S.E. angle of that large haven called 

 Clew bay, founded by the late marquis of Sligo, whofe re- 

 fidence was within half a mile of it. Weftport is a neat 

 regular well-built town, 123 miles W.N. W. from Dublin, 

 and 8i S.W. from Caftlebar. The following account, 

 extrafted from a late report to the Linen Board by Peter 

 Bernard, efq. (hews what judicious indulgence and liberal 

 proteftion on the part of a landlord, afliiled by the exer- 

 tions of an induftrious individual, may do. Were the exam- 

 ple univerfally imitated, many fqualid and decayed villages 

 would quickly aflurae a more comfortable and exhilarating 

 afpeft. " The ellablifhment and fuccefs of the hnen ma- 

 nufadlure in Weftport, is due to the perfevering attention 

 of the marquis of Shgo and Robert Patten, efq. The 

 latter, moft fortunately for the neighbourhood, fettled here 

 in the year 1787 ; at that period Weftport was a very in- 

 confiderable town, containing but few houfes, and its general 

 market attended only by two or three hundred perfons ; now 

 it is a beautiful well-built town, with 3700 induftrious inhabit- 

 ants, and many gentlemen of the higheft refpeftability re- 

 fiding in it. Its market at prefent (1817) is attended by 

 from 4000 to 5000 perfons, whofe manners, appearance, 

 and drefs, befpeak moit ftrongly the happy effefts of a well- 

 regulated fyftem of induftry." " The firft linen-market was 

 held in 1790. For the firft five years it produced only eight 

 webs per week, and Mr. Patten was the only buyer ; but 

 he, by giving fair and liberal encouragement to the weavers, 

 gradually but firmly advanced the trade, which now ftands 

 on a foundation not likely to be ftiaken. An accefTion of 

 fettlers from Ulfter in the years 1797, 98, and 99, who 

 brought their looms, fome capital, and their accuilomed 

 habits of induftry, completed what Mr. Patten had fo for- 

 tunately begun." At prefent the market is held every 

 Thurfday in a fpacious linen-hall built by the marquis of 

 Sligo, where the goods are meafured by a machine. The 

 linens are all feven-eighths of three different qualities, and 

 are all brought to market in a brown ftate. There are fold 

 weekly about 200 webs, the value of which is eftimated at 

 above 20,000/. per annum. There are about 1 50 weavers 

 and about 20 buyers, two of whom have bleach-greens at 

 Weftport. Mr. Patten has alfo fuccefsluUy introduced at 

 Weftport the provifiou and corn-trade, and alfo the oil 

 bufmefs, which is carried on to a confiderable extent, and 

 gives employment in the feafon to a great number of fifher- 

 men and boats. In March and April a number of fiih 

 appear off the coaft, which, from their appearing only on a 

 funny day, the inhabitants C2&funjijh, though they differ from 

 the fifti ufually fo called. The fifhermen ftrike thefe with 

 harpoons, then cut out the liver, and abandon the reft of the 

 fifh, the liver being fufiicient to load one boat of four tons 

 burden. A large fifti yields eight barrels of oil and two of 

 fediment. This trade amounts to fome thoufands annually, 

 and Mr. Patten's houfe has often bought in one year near 

 3000/. worth. The oil is efteemed as good as fpermaceti 

 oil, and is particularly well-fuited for lamps, as it has no 

 offenfive fmell. The price of the prefent day is five fhiUings 

 per gallon ; the dregs are ufed by tanners. Bernard's Re- 

 port to the Linen Board in 1817. 



WEST RAY, one of the Orkney iflands, terminating the 

 clufter on the N.W. quarter, is fituated 20 miles N. from 

 Kirkwall, and 347 miles in the fame bearing from Edin- 

 burgh. Its ftiape bears fome refemblance to that of a 

 ^crofs ; of which the longer part extends about eight miles, 

 the arms or tranfverfe part not more than five, and compre- 

 hends in the whole about fourteen fquare miles. The ifland 

 Vol.. XXXVIII. 



comprifes two parifties, St. Mary's and Crofs Kirk ; an^ 

 in the population return of the year 181 1 was ftated to con- 

 tain 248 houfes, and 1396 inhabitants. The only manu- 

 fafture is that of kelp, of which are produced on an average 

 300 tons annually. Much corn is raifed, but of an indiffer- 

 ent quality ; the grafs is excellent for the dairy, and for 

 the pafturage of black cattle ; and the boifterous feas which 

 furround the ifland afford great plenty of fifti, of a very 

 fuperior kind. On the eaft and fouth are two bays ; but 

 the only harbour that can be depended on is on the north- 

 eaft, and this is fit for fmall veffels only : formerly it re- 

 ceived ftiips of much greater burthen ; but from the blow- 

 ing of the fand the water has become fo ftiallow, they are 

 now compelled to anchor in a more open road. In two ex- 

 tenfive plains near the fea-fide, one on the fouth, the other 

 on the north part of the ifland, a multitude of graves have 

 been difcovered, all formed in nearly the fame manner ; and, 

 though tradition is filent, they were probably formed after a 

 fanguinary conflift at fome remote period ; fome of thefe 

 graves, on the north fide, have been opened, and were found 

 to contain flceletons in a reclining pofture, with weapons, 

 domeftic utenfils, and feveral other articles, the ufe of which 

 could not be afcertained, — Beauties of Scotland, vol. v. 

 Orkneys, 1808. CarUfle's Topographical Diftionary of 

 Scotland, 181 3. 



WESTRINGIA, in Botany, was fo named by the 

 author of the prefent article, in honour of Dr. John Peter 

 Weftring, phyfician to the king of Sweden, member of the 

 Royal Society of Stockholm, and author of feveral learned 

 papers on the Lichen tribe, publiflied in the Tranfaftions of 

 that body. He has alfo publiflied feven numbers in 8vo. on 

 the dyeing properties of many Swedifli lichens, comprehend- 

 ing a full hiftory of the modes of applying them to ufe, 

 and accompanied with moft elaborate and complete coloured 

 figures, drawn by the celebrated profeffor Acharius himfelf. 

 — Sm. in Stockh. Tranf. for 1797, 171. Trafts relating 

 to Nat. Hift. 277. Mart, Mill. Did. v. 4. Brown Prodr, 

 Nov. Holl. V. I. 501. Ait. Hort. Kew. v. 3. 372 — 

 Clafs and order, Didynamla Gymnofpermia. Nat. Ord. Ver- 

 ticillat£, Linn. Labiat£, Juff. Brown. 



Gen. Ch. Cal. Perianth inferior, of one leaf, tubular, 

 fomewhat bell-ftiaped, with five fides and five prominent 

 angles, but no furrows, divided about half way down into 

 five equal, ereft, lanceolate, beardlefs fegments, permanent. 

 Cor. of one petal, ringent, twice as long as the calyx : 

 tube the length of the calyx, hairy in the throat : limb 

 two-lipped ; the upper lip flat, ereft, divided, rather the 

 longeft ; low,er in three oblong, equal, fpreading, entire 

 fegments. Stam. Filaments four, ftiorter than the limb, 

 divaricated, the two upper ones longeft ; authers of the 

 two upper ftamens roundifti, halved, thofe of the two lower 

 deeply divided, imperfeft. P'lfl. Germen in the bottom 

 of the calyx, four-lobed ; ftyle thread-ftiaped, the length cf 

 the longer ftamens ; ftigma fmall, cloven, acute. Perk. 

 none, except the hardened calyx. Seeds four, obovate, 

 naked. 



Eff. Ch. Calyx five-cleft half way down, five-fided. 

 Upper lip of the corolla flat, cloven ; lower in three deep 

 equal fegments. Stamens diftant ; the two upper with 

 halved anthers ; two lower with divided abortive ones. 



A genus of New Holland ftirubs, chiefly from the colder 

 parts of that country, having the appearance of our rofe- 

 mary, deftitute of glands, but moltly downy. Lea-oes 

 whorled, entire. Flo'wers axillary, fohtary, oa ihort ftalks, 

 with a pair of IraSeas clofe to tlie calyx. Corolla white, 

 fometimes dotted with purple or violet. One fpecies only 

 was, for a long time, known to us, but Mr. Brown has 

 U u afeeri- 



