W H I 



t the whole of the Saco defcends from the fouthern fide. 



The higheft fummit of thefe mountains is in about 44° N. lat. 



White Oak Creek, a river of North Carohna, which runs 



into the Atlantic, N. lat. 34° 39'. W. long. 77° 26'. 



\ White Oak Mountains, mountains in the weft part of 



North Carolina. N. lat. 36° 10'. W. long. 82° 30'. 



White Point, a cape on the coaft of Cape Breton, near 



Louifburg Alfo, a cape on the fouth coaft of Jamaica ; 



20 miles E. of Port Royal — Alfo, a cape on the north 

 ; coaft of the iflaud of Cumbava. S. lat. 8° ij'. E. long. 

 I 118° 51'. 



, White River, a river of Louifiana, formerly thought to 

 I be a ftream of inconfiderable magnitude, but now known to 

 ' be one of the moft confiderable in the weftern country, and 

 , likely to become of ftill greater importance. It rifes in the 

 Black Mountains, which feparate the waters of the Ar- 

 kanfas from thofe of the MifTouri and MiffifGppi. Several 

 of its branches interlock with thofe of the Ofage river, the 

 Maramak, and the St. Francis. It is navigable about 1200 

 miles, without any confiderable interruption ; 800 of which 

 may be made with barges, and the reft with canoes or 

 fmaller boats. Its waters are clear and limpid, its current 

 gentle, and even in the drieft feafon, plentifully fupplied 

 from the numerous and excellent fprings which are every 

 where found. It alfo receives many confiderable rivers in 

 its courfe, the largeft of which is Black river. The country 

 which it waters is defcribed by thofe who have traverfed it 

 as generally well wooded, and abounding in fprings and 

 rivulets : the foil is rich, though hilly ; and it is faid, that 

 on the borders of this river a country may be chofen, at 

 leaft 100 miles fquare, not furpafled by the beft parts of 

 Kentucky, and one of the beft for fettlements in the weft- 

 ern world. This river is fituated on the S.W. fide of 

 the MifTouri, and is 300 miles wide at its mouth. 



White River, a river of Guadaloupe. — Alfo, a river of 

 America, which runs into the Connefticut, 4 miles eaft 

 of Norwich. — Alfo, a river of Jamaica, which runs into the 



fea, 4 miles W. of Morant bay Alfo, a river of Indiana, 



in the county of Koog, which rifes about N. lat. 40° 45', 

 and W. long. 85" 5', and runs into the Wabafti, N. lat. 38° 

 19', and W. long. 88° 20'. — Alfo, a river of America, which 

 runs into lake Michigan, N. lat. 43° 40'. W. long. 85° 35'. 

 — Alfo, a river of Vermont, which runs into the Connefti- 

 cut, N. lat. 43'' 38'. W. long. 72° 16'. 



White Rock, a rocky iflet in the Eaft Indian fea, near 

 the fouth coaft of Java. 



White Rocks, a range of buildings, accommodated for 

 fmelting-houfes, about a mile from Swanfea, in the county 

 of Glamorgan, fituated on the river. 



White'j Bay, a bay on the coaft of Newfoundland. N. 

 lat. 50=17'. W. long. 56° 15'. 



WHITEBURN, a town of Scotland, in the county of 

 Linlithgow ; 21 miles W. of Edinburgh. 



WHITECLAY Creek, a hundred of Delaware, in 

 Newcaftle county, with 1701 inhabitants. 



WHITEFIELD, Geohge, in Biography, one of the 

 founders of Methodifm, (fee Methodists,) was the fon of 

 an innkeeper at Gloucefter, where he was born in 17 14, 

 and where he received the rudiments of literature, fo as to 

 be fufficiently qualified for his father's bufinefs, for which 

 he was defigned. Accordingly he commenced it as drawer 

 at the Bell-inn. At fchool he is faid to have been diftin- 

 guiftiedby a retentive memory and good elocution. Of his 

 early years, he gives a very unfavourable account, fo that 

 there was nothing about him but a fitnefs to be damned, 

 with occafional gleams of grace that afforded fome indica- 

 tion of his future deftination. About the age of 18, 



W H I 



he was admitted a fervitor at Pembroke college, Oxford, 

 and affociated with thofe young perfons whofe difpofitions 

 and habits refembled his own, and whofe converfation and 

 manners contributed to cherifti that religious enthufiafm to 

 which he was ftrongly addifted. As foon as Dr. Benfon, 

 bifliop of Gloucefter, received information concerning the 

 ftate of his mind and the courfe of his general conduft, he 

 made him an offer of ordination, when he was about 21 

 years of age, and he was accordingly ordained a deacon in 

 1736. Upon his return to Oxford, after preaching hisfirft 

 fermon at Gloucefter, he took the degree of bachelor, and 

 diligently employed himfelf in communicating inftruftion to 

 the poor and the prifoners. During the two following 

 years, he acquired a great degree of popularity by his pub- 

 lic fervices in London, Bath, Briftol, and other places ; col- 

 lefting large auditories, and interefting the attention of his 

 hearers. His voice was ftrong and mufical, his pronun- 

 ciation clear and diftinft, his imagination was lively, and his 

 feelings were warm ; and to thefe natural powers of elo- 

 quence we may add his feleftion of fubjefts, which were 

 adapted to roufe the inconfiderate, and to comfort thofe 

 that were awakened to a fenfe of their guilt and danger : fo 

 that we need not wonder that he fhould command a nu- 

 merous audience. Upon receiving information that the pro- 

 vince of Georgia was likely to open to him an extenfive field 

 of ufefulnefs, he determined to vifit it, and in May 1738, 

 arrived at Savannah. Here he met with much greater fuc- 

 cefs than his predeceflbr Wefley ; and in order to fupply the 

 defeft of education which he was concerned to obferve in 

 this province, he refolved to found an orphan-houfe, and in 

 1739 returned to England in order to colleft money for this 

 purpofe. In England few of his clerical brethren were dif- 

 pofed to take much notice of him ; neverthelefs, his original 

 patron, the bilhop of Gloucefter, gave him prieft's orders : 

 but upon afterwards vifiting London, none of the churches 

 into which he obtained admiffion were large enough to ac- 

 commodate the crowds of people that aftembled to hear him. 

 It was about this time that he commenced his praftice of 

 preaching in the open fields, and the firft fcene of his exhi- 

 bition in this way feems to have been Kingfwood, near 

 Briftol, where he collefted thoufands, chiefly of colliers, who 

 without doubt derived benefit from his difcourfes. He alfo 

 preached at Briftol in the open air, when he was refufed ac- 

 cefs to the pulpits of the churches ; and he likewife purfued 

 the fame praftice in Moorfields and Kennington-common, 

 near London, where, amijft the immenfe multitude that at- 

 tended him, fome perfons occafionally treated him with rudo- 

 nefs, but the greater number were commanded by his pecu- 

 liar power of addrefs into refpeftful attention. Having 

 fucceeded beyond his expeftations in foliciting contribu- 

 tions for his projefted orphan-houfe in Georgia, he returned 

 to America in Auguft 1739 ; and in the following January 

 laid the foundation of the building at Savannah. He then 

 extended his tour as far as Bofton, preaching to immenfe 

 crowds, and coUefting confiderable fums for the completion 

 of his defign ; and upon his return to Savannah he found 

 his orphan family comfortably fettled in their houfe ; and in 

 January 1 741, he embarked for England. His abfence had 

 occafioned a declenfion among his followers ; fome other 

 circumftances, befides the intermiffion of his perfonal labours 

 amongft them, might probably have contributed to produce 

 this eff'eft. Whilft he was in America he had written, as he 

 himfelf acknowledges, " two well-meant but injudicious 

 letters againft England's two great favourites, the Whole 

 Duty of Man, and archbifhop Tillotfon, who, I faid, knew 

 no more of religion than Mahomet." His fociety had fuf- 

 fered from the influence of the Moravians. Mr. Wefley 



3 F 2 had 



