Z I s 



Jcetaif of ZiVcoma— This fait has an aftrmgent tafte. It 

 does not cryaaUize. It is very foluble in water and 



ThV other falls of zirconia are moftly white infoluble 

 powders, very little known, and apparently poffeffing very 

 little intereft. With refped to the general properties of 

 zirconia and its compounds, it may be remarked, that 

 the alkalies and alkalme earth feparate this earth from its 

 combinations with acids. The falts of z.rcoma have an 

 aftringent, harfli, difagreeable tafte, fimilar to lome of the 

 metallic falts. They are moft of them infoluble in water. 

 Thofe which are foluble yield white precipitates when ful- 

 phuric acid, carbonate of ammonia, oxalate of ammonia, 

 tartrate of potafh, and infufion of nut-galls, are dropped 

 into their folutions. Thefe properties fufficiently diilin- 

 gui(h this earth from alumina and yttria. For further par- 

 ticulars refpefting this earth, fee the articles above re- 

 ferred to. 

 ZIRCONITE. See Zircon. 



ZIRCONIUM, the metallic bafis of zirconia. See 

 Zirconia /y/ra. 



ZIRIANKA, in Geography, a fmall river of Ruflia, 

 which runs into the Enifei, near its mouth — Alfo, a town 

 of Ruffia, on the Niznei Tunguflca. N. lat. i6° i6'. E. 

 long. 1 06^ 54'. 



ZIRICZEE, a town of Holland, one of the moft an- 

 cient in Zealand, and capital of Schouwen, built and fur- 

 rounded with walls in the year 859, by a perfon named 

 Ziringus, from whom it is called. It was the ancient refi- 

 dence of the comtes of Zealand, and was at that time a 

 place of much more confequence than it is at prefent, the 

 port being filled with fand. The inhabitants carry on a 

 confiderable trade in grain, fait, and fifti : the town is large 

 and populous, and has feveral good buildings ; the church, 

 called the " Munfter," dedicated to St. Levinus, is a hand- 

 fome ftrufture. N. lat. 51° 40'. E. long. 30° 48'. 



ZIRKNA, a river of Syria, which runs into the Medi- 

 terranean, 8 miles S. of Tortura. 

 ZIRKNITZ. See Cirknitz. 



ZIRKWITZ, a town of Silefia, in the province of 

 Oels ; 14 miles N. of Breflaw. 



ZIRL, or CiRL, a town of the county of Tyrol, on 

 the Inn ; 7 miles W. of Innfpruck. 



ZIRNOE, a town of Ruflia, in the government of Sa- 

 ratov; 32 miles S.W. of Saratov. 



ZIRO, Lo, a town of Naples, in Calabria Citra ; 9 

 miles E. of Umbriatico. 



ZIROVAIA, a fmall river of Ruflia, which runs into 

 the Penzinllcaia gulf, 32 miles S.W. of Oklanfk. 



ZIRUA, a fmall ifland in the Mediterranean, near the 

 coaft of Tunis. N. lat. 33° 39'. E. long. 1 1° 39'. 



ZIRWITZ, a town of Silefia, in the principality of 

 Oels ; 3 miles E. of Trebnitz. 



ZIRZING, a town of Auftria ; 6 miles E. of 

 Steyregg. 



ZIS, a river of Africa, which rifes in the Atlas, paffes 

 by Sugulmefl'a, and lofes itfelf in the fands, in the country 

 of Tafilet.— Alfo, a mountain of Africa, between Sugul- 

 mefla and Fez ; 40 miles S.S.E. of Fez. 



ZISEL, in Zoology, a name given by BufFon to the 

 earlefs marmott, or mus citellus of Linnxus. See Citellus. 

 ZISKA, John, in Biography, a diftinguifhed leader 

 among the Huflites, was the fon of a Bohemian gentleman, 

 named " De Trocznou," and celebrated for military valour 

 in his youth. Ziflia, denoting " one-eyed," was an appella- 

 tion, which he bore in confequence of having loft an eye in 

 a combat, on occafion of the perfidious execution of John 



Z 1 V 



Hufs and Jerome of Prague, at the council of Conftance. 

 Their followers took up arms, and invited Zilka to be their 

 commander. In 15 19 he accepted the invitation ; and hav- 

 ing aflembled a body of peafants, he foon difciplincd them 

 fo as to be equal- to veteran troops. From a fortrefs vi-hich 

 he conttrufted on an elevated fituation, and called Thabor, 

 the Huflites derived the name of Thaborites. At the fiege 

 of Rabi he loft his other eye ; but though totally blind, 

 he executed his ofRce as commander with great vigour and 

 fuccefs. At AufTig on the Elbe he gained a complete vic- 

 tory over the Catholics, and left 9000 of them on the field, 

 retaliating the feverities which they iiiflided on the Re- 

 formers, by demolifhing their churches, committing their 

 pricfts to the flames, maffacring thofe who were prifoners, 

 and laying wafte their country, and thus rendering his name 

 formidable. Having made himfelf mafter of the new town 

 of Prague, it was inverted by the emperor Sigifmund and 

 other princes : but Sigifmund, being defeated with great 

 flaughter by the Thaborites, was obliged to retreat into 

 Moravia, while Ziika laid fiege to Wifrhade. When the 

 emperor with a frefli acceflion of forces renewed the attack, 

 he loft his whole army, and the town furrenderod to Ziflca. 

 He alfo difperfed an army of crufaders commanded by an 

 archbifliop ; and in 1422 he again routed the army of Sigif- 

 mund. In the mean time the Huflites renounced their 

 allegiance to Sigifmund, and chofe for themfelves a king ; 

 but this meafure was difapproved by Ziflfi and the Thabo- 

 rites, becaufe they were inclined to a republican govern- 

 ment ; and the new king was compelled to abdicate his 

 crown. Such were the reputation and importance which 

 Zidca acquired, that Sigifmund propofed to him terms of 

 accommodation ; but in his journey to hold a conference 

 with the emperor, he was feized with the plague, which 

 terminated his life in 1524. Although the ftory of his 

 having ordered his flefh to be given to the birds and beafts, 

 and his fliin to cover a drum, for the purpofe of founding 

 difmay to his enemies and courage to his friends, be fabulous, 

 it is certain that the Bohemians regarded his memory with 

 fuperftitious veneration. Un. Hift. Gilpin. Gen. Biog. 

 ZISPATA, in Geography, a bay of the Spanifti Main, 

 on the coaft of South America ; 80 miles S. of Carthagena. 

 ZISTERSDORF, a town of Auftria, with a citadel. 

 In the year 1704, this town was miferably laid wafte by the 

 Hungarian rebels ; 20 miles N.E. of Vienna. N. lat. 48° 

 z8'. E. long. I e^" 43'. 



ZITARA, a town of South America, in New Grenada, 

 and capital of a diftrift, to which it gives name, in the pro- 

 vince of Chocos ; 120 miles S.W. of Santa Fe de Antiquia. 

 N. lat. 6°. W. long. 76° 30'. 



ZITHA, or SiTHA, in Ancient Geography, a town of 

 Afia, in Mefopotamia, on the bank of the Euphrates. 

 Ptolemy. 



ZITTAU, in Geography, a river of Germany, which 

 runs into the Saal, 4 miles S.S.E. of Bernburg — Alfo, a 

 town of Lufatia, on the river Neifle. This town is con- 

 fidered as one of the beft in Lufatia, and fortified in the 

 ancient manner ; it contains two churches within the walls, 

 and three without, with three hofpitals and an orphan-houfe; 

 17 miles S. of Gorhtz. N. lat. 50° 49'. E. long. 14° 56'. 

 ZITWA, a river of Lithuania, which runs into the 

 Niemen, 20 miles S.E. of Lida, in the palatinate of 

 Wilna. 



ZIVAGEE, or Archachera, a town of Hindooftan, 

 in Concan, on the Pirate coaft ; 30 miles S. of Severn- 

 droog. 



ZIUF, a town of Africa, in the kingdom of Tunis. 

 ZIVOLO, in Ornithology, a name by which fome authors 



have 



