K K S 



Kersey, a kind of coarfe woollen cloth, made cliicily in 

 Kent and Devondiire. 



KERSHAW, in Geography, a diftria of South Caroli- 

 na, on Wateree river, wliich foparates it from Richland dif- 

 trift ; 35 miles long, and 30 broad, containing 7340 inha- 

 bitants, of whom 2530 are flaves. 



KERUA, a town of Pcrfia, in the province of Kernian ; 

 go mi'es S.S W. of Sirgian. 



KERVIKER, a town of Natolia ; 28 miles S.W. of 

 Aphiom-kara-hitTar. 



KE RUN, a lake of Egypt, in a diftrid forming a kind of 

 excrefcence to the weft, about 30 miles long, and lix broad ; 

 which has no appearance of being artificial. 



KERYE', a town of Hindooilan, in Baglaoa ; 25 miles 

 W. of NafTuck. 



KESALAX, a town of Sweden, in the government of 

 Kuopio ; 84 miles S.S.E. of Ku'ipio. 



KESAVA, in Mytholo^, a name of the Hindoo deity 

 Vi(hi;u ; and of his principal avatara or incarnation of 

 Kriftina, and is faid to refer to the beauty of his hair. The 

 name is alfo written Kefavi, and fometimes pronounced Keifu. 

 Budha, or V'iflinu in that avatara, is alfo fometimes addreiled 

 as Kefava. 



KESAW, in Geography, a town of Hindooilan, in Ba- 

 har ; 48 miles S.S.W of Patna. 



KESBAH, a town of Bengal ; 23 miles S.S.E. of 

 Moorfliedabad. 



KESCHIM, or Kesem, a fea-port town of Arabia, in 

 the province of Hadramaut, and therefidence of a i'overeign 

 prince. Its inhabitants are faid to be lu;jhly civilized, and 

 to receive all ftrangers hofpitably. The Englilh fometimes 

 vifit this harbour. The fcheick of Kefchim is fometimes 

 called king of Fartak ; and his dominions comprehend a 

 confiderable number of cities, among which is that of Far- 

 tak. Belides his poIFefiions on the continent, the fcheick 

 of Kefchim is likewife head of the ifland of Soccatra, fa- 

 mous for its aloes. N. lat. 15- 20'. E. long, jo 2'. 



KESELBAUDEN, a town of Bohemia, in the circle 

 of Konigingratz ; 18 miles N.N. E. of Gitfchin. 



KESELDORF, a town of Bohemia, in the circle of 

 Konigingratz; 10 miles E. of Gitfchin. 



KESH, Kech, or Selz, a town of Grand Bucharia, and 

 capital of adiftria, of which Tinuir Bee was governor in 1360. 

 This town was famous on account of its univerfity for the 

 ftudy of fcienccs and law. It was the ordinary fummer re- 

 fidcnce of Timur, and declared by him to be the fecond feat 

 of his empire : lie encompancd it witli walls, and built a 

 new palace in 1379. It was alfo called " Cliaber-Sebz," or 

 the green city, from the verdure of the gardens and meadows 

 celebrated for rare and beautiful plants ; and alfo " Coubbet 

 Elilmi Veladeb," which iignifies tlie dome of fcience and 

 virtue ; 30 miles S. of Samarcand. N. lat. 39^ 10'. E. long. 

 64" 10'. 



KESHAM, a town of Grand Bucharia ; 70 miles 

 W.S.W. of Badakfhan. 



KESHIK-DAG. See Oi.y.mi'LS. 



KESHO, Kec iio, or Kacho, a city of Afia, capital of the 

 kingdom of Tonquin and the royal refidcnce, is fituated upon 

 the navigable river Songkoy, or San Koy, about 40 leagues 

 from the fca, and about 21 N. lat. With regard to fize it. 

 may be compared with the mod cek-brated cities of Afia, 

 and may at leall equal that of Paris. On the ill and 15th 

 days of every moon are held great markets, which attracl 

 moft of the inhabitants of the furrounding towns and villages 

 to a confiderable diftancc. The crov/d is there fo immenfe, 

 that, tliougli tlie llreets be very wide, it becomes difficult to 

 advance 100 paces in half an hour. Yet great order prevails, 

 each merchandize and \illagc having dillicCt flreets for the 



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expofure of their articles. The ftreets are paved with brick, 

 except fome parts which are left for the paffage of horfes, 

 elephants, and the king's carriages. Two-thirds of the 

 houfes are of wcod, others of brick, among wliich are the 

 faflories of foreign merchants, diftinguifhcd amidft a multi- 

 tude of huts conlhuaed of bamboos and clay. The palaces 

 of the Mandarins, and the public buildings, which occupy 

 large fpaces of ground, are chiefly built with wood in a neat 

 and folid manner, and decorated with fculptures and paint- 

 ings. The roofs confift of tiles of difFercut colours. The 

 common houfes are compofed of a roof placed on wooden 

 columns, commonly covered with llraw, reeds, or large 

 leaves of trees, wliich, accidents excepted, will lafl 30 or 

 40 years. Thefe houfes have no cieluigs or ftories, but are 

 divided by partitions, on a ground floor ; and the numerous 

 windows are covered with gauze, or fine mullin, glafs being 

 almoft unknown. This construction being very liable to take 

 fire, the police only permits it to be lighted during certain 

 hours t)f the day. The trade is very confiderable ; and the 

 great river is crowded with barks and boats, conveying the 

 merchandize of the provinces to the capital. Each boat 

 pays about two-pence for the right of anchorage, and this 

 fmali tax forms a coniiderable revenue. The royal palace 

 occupies a confiderable fpace in the finell quarter of the city, 

 fituated amidll groves, gardens, and canals, and difficult of 

 accels. The women and eunuchs never quit its prccincls. 

 Before a recent revolution, the triple %valls of the ancient 

 city and palace, the courts paved with marble, and other 

 features of grandeur, difplayed one of the moft beautiful 

 and vaft edifices of Afia ; for the circumference of the pa- 

 lace and gardens is faid to have been from fix to feven French 

 miles. At prefent the capital is only defended by a quick 

 hedge of bamboos. In the neighbourhood is quartered a body 

 of foldiery ; the arfeiial and other magazines of ammunition 

 being on the banks of the river. On the other fide is the 

 Chinele town, cftablifncd by precaution ; nor are other 

 ilrangers allov.ed to enter the city without a fpccial permif- 

 fion. Abbe Richard cited in Pinkerton"s Geography, 

 vol. ii. 



KESI, in Hindoo Mythology, a monfter flain by Vilhnu, 

 or Krifhna. 



KESIRMAK, in Geography, a town of Poland, in the 

 palatinate of Braclaw, near the Dneiftcr; 72 miles S. of 

 Braclaw. 



KESITAH. This word is to be met with in Gencfis, 

 and in Job ; and is tranflated in the Sepluagint and Vulgate, 

 (licep or lambs. But the Rabbins and modern interpreters 

 are generally of opinion, that Kefitah fignifies rather a piece 

 of money. Bochart and Eugiibinus are of opinion the Sep- 

 tuagint meant iit'tru, and not lamls ; in Greek ZYi-<7/(3B mnoJi, 

 iy.y.~vi /uiv., inftead of ^jiktov af*>iv. Now a mina was worth 

 fixty Hebrew fiiekels, and confequently (\-i. pounds fixteen 

 (hillings and ten-pence halfpenny fterling ; or nine pounds 

 Engliih, fuppofing, as Dr. Prideaux does, that a Hiekel is 

 worth three (hillings. M. de Pelletier of Koueu is of 

 opinion, that Kefitah was a Perfian coin, (lamped on one 

 fide with an archer, {Ke/uah, or Kefeth, in Hebrew fignifying 

 a lo'w,) and on the other with a lamb ; that this was a gold 

 coin known in the Eall; by the name of a Daric, and was isi 

 value about twelve livres and ten-pence Frencli money. A 

 Daric is a piece of gold, worth, as Dr. Prideaux fay?, five 

 and twenty (hillings Englifli. Several learned men, without 

 mentioning the value of the Kefitah, fay it was a filvcr coin, 

 the impreffion whereof was a flieep ; for which reafon tho- 

 Septuagint and Vulgate trandate it by this name. Calmet 

 is of opinion, that Kefitah was a purfe of gold, or filver. 

 In the Eall they reckon at prefent by piirles : a purfe in 

 Pcrfia confiding of 50 tomans, which make 35 iS penny 

 5 A i pieces 



