WIG 



oF Galloway : in the wellern fide of it rifes a very elevated 

 coaft : it is about the extent of a mile, and projefts itfelf 

 as the boundary between the Irifh fea and the bay of Luce. 

 In a high vifefterly wind a prodigious fwell of fea rolls round 

 the point, and is then awfully grand. Here the fea has 

 formed caverns, which are rendered dreadful by a fetting-in 

 tide and a ftrong wefterly wind. The noife is like loud 

 claps of thunder. Ships pafs and repafs this point from 

 England, Ireland, and the weft of Scotland. 



Though the agriculture of this county is yet but in an in- 

 ferior ftate, great exertions are making to bring the foil 

 under the bell management of which it is capable. Still, 

 however, the defefts of the foil, added to the imperfeft 

 ftate of the hufbandry which has hitherto exifted, greatly 

 deprefs the value of the territory. The earl of Stair's 

 eftate is faid to extend to about 55,000 acres, but produces 

 an annual rental of no more than 11,000/. fterhng. There 

 are in this county great trafts of flow mofs, of that foft 

 confiftence which renders it almoft inacceflible, and of no 

 utility either for agriculture or paiturage. Little hopes are 

 yet entertained of the prafticability ol improving this fort 

 of territory. But it is confidently afferted, that an immenfe 

 field of mofs of this defcription below Newton Douglas 

 might by proper management be floated into the fea, leav- 

 ing fome thoufand acres of rich clay behind. The great 

 trunks of trees that are found in the mofles of this county, 

 afiford full proof of its having been formerly covered with 

 wood. The renewal of the forefts, however, proves a very 

 arduous tafl< ; and in certain expofures on the coaft has re- 

 peatedly baffled the hopes of the moft ingenious and atten- 

 tive planters. Wood, corn, and potatoes, in thisexpofure, are 

 more or lefs injured, according to their vicinity to the fea ; 

 whereas, when protefted from it, they are found to grow 

 with their ufual vigour. Shelter, therefore, either natural 

 or artificial, muft be had on this coaft before wood can be 

 planted with any chance of fuccefs. Scottifli firs, which 

 ierve to nurfe up plantations in many other parts of the 

 country, are unfortunately found to thrive worfe here than 

 any other fpecies of wood. Under this difficulty, the earl 

 of Galloway fortunately difcovered the valuable proper- 

 ties of the pinafter, or maritime pine, which he obferved to 

 grow with a degree of luxuriancy fuperior to any other in 

 his plantations. He has fince increafed the propagation of 

 that tree, and now finds that under its proteftion, almoft 

 any other wood may be planted with fuccefs. Attempts are 

 making to introduce dairy-farms into this county, for the 

 purpofe of fupplanting the univerfal pradlice of breeding 

 cattle. One farmer, upon this plan, has no lefs than eighty 

 milking cows : he ufes his whole milk in the manufafture of 

 cheefe, which he exports to the Clyde. A remarkable 

 breed of fmall white-faced flieep, peculiar to the coaft of 

 this county, deferves notice. It is called the Mochrum 

 breed. Thefe are faid to be of Spanifti extraftion, an idea 

 the more readily adopted, from the quahty of their wool, 

 which is of the fine clothing fort, of a texture fuperior to 

 moft in Scotland, and but little inferior to real Spanifh. 

 This breed, wliich is at prefent of an under fize, is well- 

 fhaped, hardy, and found by proper attention to improve 

 much, both ni weight of carcafe and wool. 



The mineral produftions of the county are but few : the 

 parifti of Kirkmaiden, which forms the fouthcrn part of 

 the peninfula that bounds the bay of Luce on the weft, 

 contains valuable quarries of flate, of which confiderable 

 quantities are wrought and fent to market. Here are feve- 

 ral natural caverns, in one of which is a petrifying water, 

 dropping from the roof. In the parifti of Inch, fituatcd 



W I L 



upon Loch-ryan, are feveral mineral fprings : one, with a 

 fulphurous impregnation, has been found ufeful in ftomachic 

 and fcorbutic complaints. There is alfo a chalybeate fpring. 

 Some appearances of coal have been thought to exift here • 

 but that valuable mineral has hitherto been fought in vain. 

 In this quarter, towards Ayrfliire, is a bold rocky (hore, 

 containing feveral natural excavations or caverns, extending 

 eighty or an hundred yards under ground. The parifti of 

 Whitehorn, in the fouth-eaftern part of the county, pro- 

 duces very fine variegated marble, and alfo flate of a ftrong 

 quality. The chief natural defeft incidental to this county 

 is the want of coal, a defcft common to it with almoft the 

 whole of the fouthern border of Scotland. Was it not for 

 this check to the eftabliftiment of manufaftures, it might be 

 likely to atTume fome fliare of commercial importance. 

 Though of fmall extent, it has an ample fea-coaft, which af- 

 fords great facility for exporting the produce of its agricul- 

 ture and dairies. This facility is fo great, that the inhabit- 

 ants of Wigtownfliire are fometimes in dread of fcarcity, in 

 confequence of the greater part of their produce being car- 

 ried to Glafgow, Paifley, or Liverpool, where a market is 

 always to be obtained. — Beauties of Scotland, vol. ii. Wig. 

 townftiire, 1805. Gazetteer of Scotland, 1806. 



WIG WORM Point, a cape on the coaft of Patagonia, 

 in the ftraits of Magellan ; 3 miles N.E. of Cape Pro- 

 vidence. 



WIHACS, or WiHATS. See Bihacs. 



WIHENAIS, a town of Sweden, in the province of 

 Savolax ; 40 miles N. of Chriftina. 



WIHR, or Weyer, a town of France, in the depart- 

 ment of the Upper Rhine ; 6 miles W. of Colmar. 



WIHRBACH, a river of France, which runs into the 

 Rhine, 7 miles above Germerflieim. 



WIKES, in Agriculture, a term ufed to fignify temporary 

 boundaries or marks, fet up in order to divide the fwaths 

 to be mown ; fuch as the boughs of trees, in the common 

 fields and meadows in different diftrifts ; as well as fuch 

 boughs when fet upon hay-cocks and ifouks of corn for the 

 taking of tithes, and other fuch purpofes. 



WIKINISH Creek, in Geography, a river of Pennfyl- 

 vania, which runs into the Sufquehanna, N. lat. 40° 32'. 

 W. long. 77° i'. 



WILAUF, a river of Wurtemberg, which runs into the 

 Rems, near Schorndorf. 



WILBASSEN, or WiLBADESSEN, a town of Weft- 

 phalia, in the biftiopric of Paderborn ; 8 miles S.E. of 

 Dringenberg. 



WILBRAHAM, a townfhip of MafFachufetts, in the 

 county of Hampftiire, with 1776 inhabitants ; 10 miles E. 

 of Springfield. 



WILBURG, a citadel of Auftria ; 8 miles E.S.E. of 

 Ips. 



WILBYE, John, in Biography, one of our beft madri- 

 galifts of queen Elizabeth's reign. In his firft fet, the fol- 

 lowing are well-known : " Lady, when I behold the rofes 

 fprouting ;" and " Flora gave me faireft flowers :" but, 

 " Hard by a cryftal fountain," which, according to Hearne, 

 (Lib. Nig. Scacc. ) ufed annually tobefung by the fellows 

 of New college, Oxon, we are unable to find. Thofe 

 words are adjufted to the mufic of Giov. Croce, in the 

 fecond book of Mufica Tranfalpina, and are fet by Morley 

 in the Triumphs of Oriana ; but appear not either in the 

 firft or fecond fet of Madrigals publiflied by Wilbye, and 

 we know of no other. 



WILD Alben, in Geography, a mountain of the duchy 

 of Stiria; 7 miles N.N.W. of Muertzcnfchlag. 



' ' Wild 



