LOW 



LOW 



Upper Canada, oppofite to Queenftown on the Niagara-fort 

 fide. 



Lower Marlhorovgb, a poft-town of America, in Mary- 

 land, 30 miles fronii Annapolis, and 1 2 from Calvert court- 

 houfe. 



Lower Milford, a towndiip of America, in Burk's county, 

 Pennfylvania. 



Lower Penn's K'ecl, a townfKip of America, in Salem 

 county, New Jerfey. 



Lower ff^eau Tazuns, lie in the territory N \V. of the 

 Ohio, 20 miles below Rippacanoe creek, at its mouth in 

 Wabafh river. 



Lower, in Rural Economy, a term provincially applied to 

 a lever in fome places. 



LOWERING, in the DiflllUry, a term ufed to exprefs 

 the debafing of the llrength of any fpirituous liquor by mixing 

 water with it. The ilandard and marketable price of thefe 

 Lquors are fixed, in regard to a certain ftrength in them called 

 proof ; this is that ftrength, which makes them, when fliook 

 in a phial, or poured from on high into a glafs, retain a froth 

 or crown of bubbles for fome time. In this ftate fpirits con- 

 fift of about half pure or totally inflammable fpirit, and half 

 water ; and if any foreign or home fpirit is to be expofed 

 to fale, and is found to have that proof wanting, fcarce any 

 one will buy it, til^it haj been diililled again and brought to 

 that ftrength ; and if it is above that ftrength, tlie proprietor 

 ufually adds water to it to bring it down to that ftandard. 

 This addition of water, to debafe the ftrength, is what is 

 called lowering it. People well acquainted with the goods 

 ■will indeed buy fpirits at any ftrength, only lowering a fam- 

 ple to the proof ftrength, and by that judgmg of the ftrength 

 of the whole ; but the generality of buyers will not enter 

 into this, but have it all lowered for them. 



There is another kind of lowering in pratlice among the 

 retailers of fpirituous liquors to the vulgar : this is the re- 

 ducing it under the ftandard of proof. They buy it proof, 

 and afterwards increafe their profit upon it, by lowering it 

 with water one-eighth part. The quantity of fpirit is what 

 they generally allow themfelves for the addition of water ; 

 and whoever has the art of doing this, without deftroying 

 the bubble proof, as this is ealily done by means of fome ad- 

 dition that gives a greater tenacity to the parts of the ipirit, 

 will deceive all that jv.dge by this proof alone ; that is, very 

 nearly all who are concerned in the ipirit trade. Such an ad- 

 ditional quantity of water as one-eighth makes the fpirit tafte 

 fofter and cooler, and will make many prefer it to the 

 ftronger fpirit, which is hotter and more fiery ; but unlefs 

 the fpirit, thus lowered, were tolerably clean, or the proof be 

 fome other way prefervcd, the addition of the water lets loofe 

 fome of the coarfe oil, which makes the liquor milky, and 

 leaves a very naufeous talle in the mouth. Shaw's Effay on 

 Diftillery. 



The w-ay to judge of fpirits not being thus lowered or 

 debafed in ftrength, is to examine them by the eye and 

 tongue ; and in buying a quantity of proof goods, fuch 

 ihould always be chofen as are clean, thin, and light, ar.d 

 have a good crown of froth, which goes off^in large bubbles, 

 fuch as tafte foft and uniform, and are not high flavoured, 

 of an alkaUne guft) nor acrid and fiery, but loon quit the 

 tongue. 



Lowering the Flag. See Flag. 



LOWES Water, in Geography, a lake of England, in 

 the county of Cumberland, about fix miles in circumference ; 

 10 miles S. of Cockcrmouth. 



LOWEST Region. See Region-. 



LOWESTOFF, in Geography, a market-town and parifh 

 in the hundred of Mutford and Lothingland, on the coall of 



Vol. XXL 



Suffolk, England. For a confiderable period it wag deno- 

 minated Lothnwiftoft, as' fome think, from Lothbroch, a 

 noble Dane, who landed in this neighbourhood about the 

 year 864, and 'w'l/la, a half hide of land. This derivation of 

 its name is extremely doubtful. The town, however, is cer 

 tainly of much eariicr origin. Mr. Gillingwater, in hia "Hif- 

 tory of Loweftoft," fays it can be traced back to a period 

 anterior to the fourth century. This town has fuffered 

 much from the plague at dilTerent periods, particularly in the 

 years 1:48 and 1547. It has likewife fuHained frequent 

 pimidering and dep^redations, on account of the attachnxei.t 

 of its in!ial)itants*to the caufe of royalty. 



The fituation-of this town is lofty, and exhibits a fine 

 and commanding appearance. It extends about a mile ia 

 length, and confifts chiefly of one principal ftrcct, running 

 in a gradual defcent from north to fouth, which is inter- 

 fetted by feveral fmaller ftrtets or lanes from the weft. 

 The whole is, in general, well paved, and many of the 

 houfes, having been lately rebuilt in the modern llyle, give 

 the town an appearance of great neatnefs. From its fitua- 

 tion and expofure to the northern ocean, over which it 

 commands an extenfive pn fpeft, it enjoys a moft falubrious 

 air, keen, but bracing. On the declivity of the cliff a num. 

 ber of hanging gardens are formed, which are intcrfperfed 

 with alcoves and fummer-houfes. At the foot of thefe 

 gardens is a long arrangement of fiftiing-houfes, extending 

 the whole length of the town. Between thefe and the 

 beach ftand the boats employed in the herring- fifiiery, which 

 is thechieffupportof thetown, 70,000 barrels being exported 

 from hence every feafon. fiere are alfo two hght-houfes, 

 conveniencies for boat-building, and accommodations for 

 bathing. A confiderable number of families refort here for 

 the benefit of the falt-water. Befides thefe fources of wealth 

 to the inhabitants, there is a tolerable mackarel fifliery, whicli 

 commences in May and continues till the latter end of June, 

 and fupplies the adjacent markets, as well as the metropolis. 

 A fmall china manufaclory, and a ropery, alfo belong to 

 the town. 



The church, fituated about half a mile weft from the 

 town, is a very fine building, in the pointed ftyle of archi- 

 tecture, and confills of a nave with two fide aifles. The 

 prmcipal entrance is by a ftately porch, on the fouth fide of 

 which are three niches, the centre one intended for the re- 

 Cijption of a ftatue of St. Margaret, the faint to whom the 

 church is dedicated. The chancel is particularly neat and 

 elegant. The font, which is very ancient, is afcended by 

 three Hone fteps, the upper one bearing an infcriptior, but fa 

 much corroded as to be almoft unintelligible, li is fur- 

 rounded by three rows of faints, each row containing twelve 

 ficrures, and is otherwife finely adorned by carved work. 

 Mr. Whifton, the friend of fir ll'aac Newton, and fome time 

 profelTur of mathematics in the univerfity of Cambridge, 

 from which he was expelled for his Arian principles, was 

 long vicar of this church. This town had likewife for- 

 merly three chapels of eafe, but only one of them now con- 

 tinues to be ufed. There are dillenting mecting-houfeS 

 here for Methodifts and Prefbyterians. A theatre was credcd 

 in 1790. 



Loweftoff is protefted by ftrong batteries on the fea.^de. 

 From its extenfive fiftiery, it is a good nurfery for feamcn, 

 and has given birth to feveral eminent naval officers. A 

 great fea-fight took place off this town on the 3d of J^nne, 

 1665, between the Britiih fleet under the duke of York, 

 and the Dutch fleet, which was commai.dcd by admirals 

 Opdam and Van Tromp, in which the latter were defeated 

 with the lofs of eighteen ftiips taken and fourteen funk. 

 In this adlion, admiral fir Thomas Alien, a native of this 

 3Y to.vn. 



