W I L 



W 1 L 



he conceived to be truth of importance, and ' purfued 

 what he thought right with a blunt integrity and unfhakcn 

 refohition.' At tlie fame time his candour towards thofe 

 who differed from him, his kind treatment of perfons who 

 had endeavoured to injure his own reputation, and his con- 

 fcientious tender regard for that of others, were prominent 

 features in his charafter. He was a fleady non-conformift 

 upon principle ; yet he maintained a charitable difpofition 

 towards the cilabhflied church, and at the Revolution was 

 very dcfirous of promoting the fcheme of a coinprehenjt'jn. 

 Though he poifeiTed an ample fortune, he exercifed great 

 frugality in his perfonal expences, for the noble purpofe of 

 being more ufeful to others who if ood in need of afliftance, 

 and of more effeftually ferving the great interefts of truth 

 and virtue. The fame laudable views governed him in the 

 final difpofril of his property. By his Lift will, befides 

 liberal bcncfaftions to numerous benevolent and charitable 

 inftitutions in London and Dublin, he provided for the 

 fupport of an itinerant preacher to the native Irifh, of two 

 perfons to preach to the Indians in North America, and of 

 feveral charity-fchools in England and Wales. He directed 

 that a certain fixed fum, from the income of his eftates, 

 Ihould be appropriated to the afliftance of poor mini Iters, 

 the widows of poor minifters, ftudents for the miniilry, and 

 to other benevolent purpofes. He alfo left eftates to the 

 univerfity of Glafgow, which at prefent furnifti handfomc 

 exhibitions to fix ftudents for the miniftry among Protcftant 

 diffenters in South Britain, who arc to be nominated by liis 

 truftees. The laft grand bequelt in his will was for the 

 eftablifhment of a library in London, for the benefit of the 

 pubhc. Having formed this defign, he purchafed Dr. 

 Bates's curious coUeftion of books, which he added to his 

 own, and direfted his truftees to provide a proper building 

 for their reception. Such an edifice was erefted by them 

 in Red-Crofs-ftreet, Cripplegate, where the library was 

 opened in 1729, and admiffion to it is eafily obtained by 

 perfons of every defcription, without any exception, upon 

 application to one of the truftees. Since it was firft efta- 

 bliflied, very confider.able additions have been made to it by 

 legacies, as well as gifts of money and books ; and it now 

 contains upwards of 16,000 volumes, many of which are 

 very valuable and rare, in the various departments of Hte- 

 rature and fcience. The founder's works were coUefted 

 together, and printed at different periods, in 6 vols. 8vo. ; 

 the laft confifting of Latin verfions of feveral of his trafts, 

 which he direfted to be publiftied in that language for the 

 ufe of foreigners." Memoir prefixed to his Works. 



Williams, in Geography, a townfliip of Pennfylvania, 

 in Northampton county, with 1243 inhabitants; 60 miles 

 N. of Ealton. 



William'^ Port, a town of Maryland, on the Potomack ; 

 5 miles S.W. of Hagars Town. 



William'^ River, a river of Vermont, w-hich runs into 

 the Connefticut, N. lat. 43° 10'. W. long. 72° 24'. 



WILLIAMSBOROUGH, a poft-town of North 

 Carolina, on a creek which falls into the Roanoke ; 48 

 miles N.E. of Hillftiorough. 



WILLIAMSBURG, a county of the ftate of South 

 Carolina. — Alfo, a county of the itate of Virginia. — Alfo, 

 a town of Virginia, fituated on an ifthmus between York 

 river and James river, a creek from each river coming up 

 within a mile of the town, but not navigable for large 

 veflels. It was at one time the feat of government and 

 refidence of the governor, now removed to Richmond. It 

 contains about 200 houfes, and 1200 inhabitants. The 

 principal buildings are a college and town-houfe, an epif- 

 copal church, and an hofpital for lunatics ; 50 miles E.S.E. 

 of Richmond. N. lat. 37° 13'. W. long. 76° 50' Alfo, 



a town of Maffachufetts, in Hampfliire, with 11 22 inhabit- 

 ants ; 8 miles N.W. of Northampton Alfo, a town of 



New York, on the Genefee ; 2SS miles N.N.W. of 

 Philadelphia. — Alfo, a town of the ftate of Ohio, on the 

 Little Miami, in the county of Clermont, with 125 1 

 inhabitants — Alfo, a town of Maryland ; 4 miles N. of 

 Talbot. 



Williamsburg, or Jonejlonvn, a poft-town of Pennfyl- 

 vania ; 23 miles E.N.E. of Harrilburg. 



WILLIAMSON, a townftiip of Ontario county, in 

 Nev/ York, 206 miles from Albany, bounded N. and W. 

 by lake Ontario. In i8ia the whole population confilled 

 of II 39 perfons, and it had ^^ fenatorial eleftors. A red 

 oxyd of iron is found in this town, which is a good pigment 

 for painting. 



Williamson, a county of Weft Tennefiee, with 13,153 

 inhabitants, including 3985 flaves. 



WILLIAMSPORT, a poft-town of Pennfylvania, on 

 the weft branch of the Sufquehanna, in the county of Ly- 

 coming, with 344 inhabitants. 



AVILLIAMSTOWN, a townftiip of the ftate of Ver- 

 mont, in Orange county, with 1353 inhabitants; 60 miles 

 N. of Norwich. — Alfo, a poft-town of North Carolina, on 

 the Roanoke ; jj mites W. of Halifax. — Alfo, a town of 

 Maftachufutts, in the N.W. corner of the ilate, in the county 

 of Berkftiire, with 1843 inhabitants; 132 miles W.N. W. 

 of Bofton. — Alfo, a poft-townfhip of Oneida county, 

 in New York, crefted in 1 805, from a part of Mexico, 

 and confifting of two townftiips of Scriba's patent, each being 

 fix miles fquare. The population in iSio confifted of 562 

 perfons, and 82 fenatorial clcftors. The poft-office was 

 eftabliftied in 1812. 



WILLICHIA, in Botany, was fo called by Mutis, 

 after Dr. Chriftian Lewis Willich, a phyficiau at Claufthal, 

 in Lower Saxony, who publiflied at Gottingen, in 1747, 

 1762, and 1766, vai'ious obfervations and illuftrations of 

 Botany, of more or lefs importance, chiefly relating to the 

 determination of fpecies and their fynonyms, with curfory 

 remarks on variations or irregularities of itrufture, exceptions 

 to received charadlers, &c. The author died in 1776. 

 — Linn. Mant. 553. Schreb. Gen. 32. Willd. Sp. PI. 

 V. I. 1 89. Vahl Enum. v. 2. 39. Mart. Mill. Dift. 



V. 4. Juft". 418. Poiret in Lamarck Dift. v. 8. 798 



Clafs and order, Triandrla Monogynia. Nat. Ord. uncer- 

 tain, Juft". We ftiould prefume Scropbulari^. 



Gen. Ch. Cal. Perianth inferior, of one leaf, in four 

 ovate, acute, fpreading, permanent fegments. Cor. of one 

 petal, wheel-ftiaped, twice the length of the calyx : tube 

 fcarcely any : limb flat, in four roundifli, convex fegments. 

 Stam. Filaments three, inferted into the clefts of the limb, 

 except the lowermoft, and Ihorter than its fegments ; anthers 

 ereft, i-oundifli, of two cells. Pijl. Germcn fuperior, 

 roundifh, comprefled ; ilyle thread-fliapcd, the length of 

 the ftamens, declining towards the lower cleft of the corolla ; 

 ftigma obtufe. Perk. Caplule roundifli, comprefled, 

 fliarp-edged, of two cells and two valves, with an oppoCte 

 partition. Seeds feveral, roundifli, minute. Receptacle glo- 

 bular, formed of two hemifpheres. 



Efl". Ch. Calyx four-cltft. Corolla four-cleft. Sta- 

 mens in three of its clefts. Capfule fuperior, of two cells, 

 with many feeds. 



I. W. repens. Creeping Willichia. Linn. -Mant. 558. 



Willd. n. I. Vahl n. i Gathered in Mexico, by Mutis, 



whofe defcription, communicated to Linnaeus, is our only 

 fource of information concerning this plant. The root is 

 fibrous, annual. Stem herbaceous, creeping, thread-fhaped, 

 branched, hairy, about two feet in length. Leaves alter- 

 nate, flalked, rather diilant, orbicular, fomewhat peltate, 

 3 M 2 crenate. 



