120 
DUN 
Perhaps a thoufand other worlds, that lie 
Remote from us, and latent in the fky, 
Are lighten’d by his beams, and kindly ntirft:, 
Of which our earthly dunghill is the word. Dry dm. 
Any fituation of meannefs: 
The poor he raifeth from the dud, 
Ev’n from the dunghill. lifts the juft. Sandys. 
A term of reproach for a man meanly horn.—Out, dung- 
kill! dar’ft thou brave.a nobleman ? Shakrjpeare. 
DUNG'HILL, adj. Sprung from the dunghill; mean; 
low; bale; vile; vvorthlefs: 
His dunghill thoughts, which’ do themfelves enure 
To dirty drofs, no higher dare afpire. Spcnfcr. 
DUNG'ING, part. adj. Manuring; making rich with 
dung; voiding excrements. 
DUNG'MEER, y. A pit, where dung, weeds, &c, 
are mixed to lie and rot together fome time, for improve¬ 
ment in hufbandry. 
DUNG'Y, adj. Full of dung; mean; vile; bafe; low; 
odious; worthlefs: 
We need no grave to bury honefty: 
There’s not a grain of it, the face to fweeten 
Of the whole dungy earth. Skakefpeare. 
DUNG'YARD, /. The place of the dunghill.—Any 
manner of vegetables caft into the dungyard. Mortimer. 
DU'NIO,/ in old records, a double, a fort of bafe 
coin lefs than a farthing. 
DUNK, an ifland on the north-eaft coaft of New Hol¬ 
land. Lat. 17.20. S. Ion. 145. 30. E. Greenwich. 
DUN'KELD, a town of Scotland, in the county of 
Perth, feated on the river Tay, in a fituation truly ro¬ 
mantic, under and among very high and almoft inaccef- 
fible Graggs, part naked and part wooded. It is the chief 
market town of the Highlands, and lias been greatly im¬ 
proved witli buildings by the dukes of Athol. It is a 
place of great antiquity, and was the capital of ancient 
Caledonia. 
DUN'KIRK, or Dunkerque, [from dun, a hill, and 
kirk, a church.] A fea-port of France, in the department 
of the North, and chief place of a canton, in the diftridt 
of Bergues. It is the mod eafterly harbour on that (ide 
of France which is oppolite to Great Britain. It was 
only a fmall village, inhabited by fifhennen, till St. Eloy, 
bifliop of Noyon, built a church there in the feventh cen¬ 
tury. In 9S0, it was furrounded with walls, by Bald¬ 
win III. furnamed the Young, count of Flanders, and many 
inhabitants induced to refide there by particular privi¬ 
leges and immunities granted them by him and his fuc- 
celfors. In 1388, it was attacked and burnt by the Eng- 
lifh. The Spanilh emperor Charles V. who held it as a 
part of Flanders, erefted a caftle for its defence. In 1558, 
it was taken by the French, but retaken by the Spaniards 
in 1585. In the year 1646, it was taken by the French, 
a (lifted by the navy of Holland, commanded by Van 
Trump. In 1655, a league being made between the pro¬ 
testor Cromwell and the French, againft the Spaniards, 
twelve Englilh men of war blocked up the port; but to 
little purpofe, as the privateers continued to fail out and 
in, and to make many rich captures. Two years after, 
the two courts having determined to undertake the fiege 
of this obnoxious place, Cromwell lent over 6000 men 
to reinforce the French army under marftial Turenne. 
Mardyke was taken in Oftober, 1657, and delivered up 
to the Englifti commiffary, who placed a fufficient garri- 
fon in it. Not long after, the marquis of Caracena, at 
the head of 6000 Spaniards, attempted to retake it; but 
met with fo warm a reception, that he was obliged to 
retire with the lofs of one-fixth of his force. Next fpring, 
Lockhart arrived with frefti troops from England to join 
Turenne, and the fiege of Dunkirk was opened by 22,000 
men on the ift of June, 1658. The lines of circumval- 
latioti and countervallation began on the weft at the.fea, 
DUN 
and continued to the ftrand on the eaft fide, which being 
left dry at low tide, was defended by pallifadoes. Crom¬ 
well took care alfo to prevent all fuccour from the fea 
by means of a powerful fleet. The marquis of Ley.da 
commanded the Spanifh garrifon in the town, and don 
John of Auftria, and the prince of Conde, then in re¬ 
bellion, were encamped at Furnes. The trenches were 
opened on the 4th of June, by two feparate attacks, one 
on the fide of the gate of Nicuport, by the French ; the 
other near Fort Leon, by the Englilh : the garrifon made 
feveral bold, but unfuccefsful, forties; and the befiegers 
puflied their works with fuch vigour, that in five days 
they made a lodgment in the covert way. As this place 
was of the utmoft importance to the Spaniards, they de¬ 
termined to relieve it, if poftible, by attacking the enemy 
in their intrenchnients. To this effeft their army ap¬ 
peared in fight on the 13th of June, and, although it was 
unprovided with artillery and tools for an encampment, 
pitched its tents within two cannon (hot of the French 
lines. Turenne perceiving clearly what their intentions 
were, and being informed by deferters of their want of 
cannon, took all neceftary precautions againft the garri¬ 
fon, and marched out of his intrenchnients before day¬ 
break to attack the Spaniards with a fuperior force. His 
infantry amounted to 9000 men, his cavalry to 6000; the 
Spaniards had only 6000 of each. After the French had 
cannonaded the enemy, the Englifti began the attack with 
great intrepidity, and routed the whole left wing; foon 
after the marftial, at the head of the French corps, to¬ 
tally defeated, and drove out of the field, the reft of their 
army, notvvithftanding all the valour and efforts of the 
great Conde. Though deprived of all hopes of relief, 
the garrifon held out, with great obftinacy, for ten days. 
Louis XIV. came from Mardyke to fee i t march out, and 
after taking polfelfion, delivered up the city to the Englifti; 
fo that, by a lingular combination of circumftances, Dun¬ 
kirk belonged in the fame day, at different times, to the 
three greateft powers of Europe. The Englifti being peace¬ 
able pofleflors of Dunkirk by the peace of the Pyrenees, 
fet about repairing the fortifications without lofs of time. 
They began to build a citadel on the (ite of Fort Leon, 
a crown-work on the eaft fide, and feveral other works 
were planned. But Louis XIV. whole mi'lifters were 
too folicitous for the profperity of French commerce to 
let any opportunity (lip of increafing or fecuring it, or¬ 
dered his ambaffador, the count de Eftrades, to treat with 
lord Clarendon for the purchafe of Dunkirk. After 
fome dirty bartering, Claries II. confented to yield it up, 
with all its appurtenances, ammunition, and artillery, for 
5,000,000 livres Tournois. Thus, in 1662, did Dunkirk 
pafs for ever under the dominion of the French monarchs. 
Louis XIV. now made it one of the ftrongeft places in 
Europe, and rendered the harbour commodious. By an 
article of the treaty of peace figned with the Englifti at 
Utrecht, it was agreed, that all the fortifications ftiould 
be demolifhed, and the harbour filled up. This article 
was renewed in every fubfequent peace, till the peace of 
1783, after the American war. Since that time the. har¬ 
bour has again been cleared, and the fortifications re¬ 
paired. In 1694, fir Cloudefly Shovel bombarded Dun¬ 
kirk ; but after having thrown in 1200 bombs, retired 
without having done any confiderable damage. In 1793, 
the Englifti army, under the duke of York, attempted to 
befiege it, but were compelled to retire. It is the 1110ft 
important town and harbour on the whole coaft ; and, 
having been declared a free port, had a great deal of 
commerce. By means of a fluice forty-two feet wide, 
the bafon within the town will hold forty (hips of the 
line always floating. Dunkirk is divided into Old and 
New Town. The city is large and commodious, well 
fupplied with provifions of all kinds; the buildings fpa- 
cious, and laid out in feveral elegant fquares. The num¬ 
ber of inhabitants is eftimated at 25,000. It is thirty-fix 
pofts and three-quarters north of Paris. Lat. 51. 2. N. 
Ion. 20. 2. E. Ferro. 
DUNLA'VIN, 
