F E R 
FERNAN'DES, a town of Portugal, in the province 
of Tra-los-Montes : fixteen miles weft-fouth-weft of 
Outciro. 
FERNAN'DEZ (Anthony), a Portuguefe jefuit, born 
at Coimbra, in 1558. He principally devoted his time 
to the duties of the pulpit, and to write commentaries on 
the (acred fcriptures. He died in 1628. He publifhed 
in the Latin language, Commentaries on the Vifions of 
the Old Teftatnent, 1616 and 1622, folio; and left behind 
him another Commentary on Ifaiah, which was prepared 
for the prefs at the time of his death. 
FERNAN'DEZ (Alphonfo), a Spanifh dominican 
monk, and voluminous writer in the latter end of the fix- 
teenth and beginning of the feventeenth century, born at 
Palencia in Leon, in 1572. He was appointed preacher- 
general of his order, and prelided over different houfes 
belonging to it. Thefe engagements, however, did not 
prevent him from devoting much time to the compofition 
of various works, of which the hiftorical are dill held in 
eftimation. In 1611 he publifhed an ecclelialtical hiftory 
of his time; and, in 1617, a treatife concerning the bene¬ 
fits conferred by his order oil the kingdom of Spain, by 
the inftitution of the inquifition. In 1627 he publifhed, 
Annals of the Town and Church of Palencia. He alfo 
employed himfelf in compiling ecclefiaftical annals of 
Spain, and fome other works, which have nut been com¬ 
mitted to the prefs. 
FERNAN'DEZ (Benedidt), a Portuguefe jefuit, na¬ 
tive of Borba, in the diocefe of Evora; died at Lifbon, 
in 1630. He left behind him a work in 3 vols. folio, 
entitled Cummentationes & Olfervationes in Genefim, which was 
printed at Lyons, in 1621, 1627, and 1631. He likewife 
wrote A Commentary on the Gofpel of St. Luke, which 
was never printed. 
FERNAN'DEZ, or Juan Fernandez, an ifland in 
the Southern Pacific Ocean, about no leagues weft from 
the coaft of Chili ; about four leagues long, and hardly 
two wide, of an irregular fhape. It is faid to owe its 
name to a Spaniard, who formerly procured a grant of it, 
and began a fettlement, but afterwards abandoned it. 
The only fafe anchoring place on the ifland is on the 
north coaft, in Ctimberland-bay. 'The northern part of 
the ifland is compofed of high craggy hills, many of them 
inacceffible, though generally covered with trees. The 
foil of this part is loofe and fhallow, fo that very large 
trees on the hills foon perifti for want of root, and are 
eafily overturned ; which occafioned the unfortunate death 
of one of commodore Anfon’s failors, who being upon the 
hills in fearch of goats, caught hold of a tree upon a de¬ 
clivity to aftift him in his afcent, and this giving way, he 
immediately rolled down the hill, and though in his fall 
he faftened on another tree of confiderable bulk, yet that 
too giving way, he fell amongft the rocks, and was daftied 
to pieces. The fouthern, or rather the fouth-weft, part 
of the ifland, is widely different from the reft, being dry, 
ftony, and deftitute of trees, but very flat and low, com¬ 
pared with the hills on the northern part. This part of 
the ifland is never frequented by (hips, being furrounded 
by a fteep fhore, and having little or no frefti water. The 
trees of which the woods on the northern fide of the ifland 
are cdmpofisd, are mod of them aromatics, and of many 
different forts : there are none of them of a (ize to yield 
any confiderable timber, except the myrtle-trees, which 
are the largeft on the ifland; but even thefe would not 
work to a greater length than forty feet. The pimento 
and cabbage-tree grow there, though in no great plenty. 
There are feveral hills of a peculiar fort of red earth, 
exceeding Vermillion in colour, which, perhaps, might 
prove ufeful for many purpofes. Great quantities of 
water.crefles and purflane were found, with excellent wild 
Jorrel, and a vaft profufion of turnips and Sicilian radifties. 
Lat. 33. 40. S. Ion. 78. 52. W. Greenwich. 
FERNAN'DO DE NORONHA, or Naronho, an 
ifland in the Atlantic, full of mountains, which have the 
appearance of volcanos, but covered with verdure ; rot 
F E R 327 
above a league in length, and its form is faid to be like 
a laurel-leaf. It is defended with many forts, the water 
is in general brackifli, and fometimes no rain falls for 
three or four years together: the foldiers who guard the 
forts, and the few inhabitants who live there, are fup- 
ported with turtle five months, and the reft with pro- 
vilions from the continent. Lat. 3. 55. N. Ion. 32. 33.W. 
Greenwich. 
FERNAN'DO-PO, or Fernand-Pao, an ifland of 
Africa, in the Atlantic, near the coaft of Benin, about 
twenty leagues in circumference ; the land lies high, and 
the foil is fertile in manioc, fugar-canes, rice, fruit, and 
tobacco : the inhabitants are rude and uncivilifed. Lat. 
3. 20. N. Ion. 10. 45. E. Greenwich. 
FERNDORF', a town of Germany, in the circle of 
Wcftphalia, and principality of Nalfau Siegen : five miles 
north of Siegen. 
FERNE'BO, a town of Sweden, in the province of 
Geftricia: twenty-five miles foutli of Geffle. 
FER'NEL, or Fernelius (John Francis), an eminent 
phyfician of the Parifian fchool, horn at Mont-didier, in 
Picardy, in 1506. After laying a folid foundation of phi- 
lofophy and mathematics, he applied to the ftudy of phy- 
fic, in which he attained a perfedt knowledge of all the 
dodtrines of the ancients, together with a pradtical lkill 
refulting from attentive and fagacious obfervation. He 
became firft phyfician to Henry II. and is faid, by his 
prefcriptions, to have removed that fterility with which 
his queen, Catharine de Medicis, was for fome years af- 
fedted. He received confiderable rewards for his Cervices, 
and rofe to high profeffional diftindtion. He gave public 
ledhires on the works of Hippocrates and Galen, and upon 
his own fyftem, in which he employed the Latin language 
with a degree of purity not furpafled by the beft fcholars 
of Italy. His works embrace a wide compafs. The prin¬ 
cipal is UniverJ'a Medicina, feu Opera Medicinalia, compre¬ 
hending feven books of phyfiology, feven of pathology, 
and feven of therapeutics ; feveral times printed. After 
his death appeared De Luis Venerea Curatione, in which he 
inveighs againfl the ufe of mercury, trufting chiefly to 
guaiacum : alfo, Confdiorum Mcdiciualium liber. He died in 
155?, at the age of fifty-two. 
FER'NESS, a cape on the weft coaft of Eda, one of the 
Orkney Iflands. Lat. 59. 2. N. Ion. o. 30. E. Edinburgh. 
FER'NESS BAY, a bay on the weft coaft of Eda, one 
of the Orkney Iflands, eaft of Cape Fernefs. 
FER'NEX, a town of France, in the department of 
the Ain, and chief place of a canton, in the diftridt of 
Gex; many years the reftaence of Voltaire : four miles 
north-north-weft of Geneva. 
FER'NITZ, a town of Germany, in the duchy of Sti- 
ria : eight miles fouth-eaft of Gratz. 
FERNS, a village of Ireland, in the county of Wex¬ 
ford, the fee of a bilhop : fifteen miles north of Wexford. 
FER'NY, aaj. Overgrown with fern ; 
The herd fuffic’d, did late repair 
To ferny heaths, and to their, foreft-lare.. Dryden. 
FERO'CIOUS, adj. [/m>x, Lat . ferocc t Fr.] Savage;, 
fierce ; 
Smedley rofe in majefty of mud ; 
Shaking the horrors of his ample brows. 
And each ferocious feature grim with ooze. Pope. 
Ravenous; rapacious.—The hare, that becometh a prey 
unto man, unto beads and fowls of the air, is fruitful even 
unto fuperfcetation; but the lion, a ferocious animal, hath 
young ones but feldom. Brown. 
FERO'CITY, f. [ferocilas, Lat. ferodte, Fr.] Savage- 
nefs; wildnefs; fiercenefs.—An uncommon ferocity in my 
countenance, with the remarkable flatnefs of my nqfe, 
and the extent of my mouth, have procured me the name 
of lion. Addifon. 
FER'OL, a fea-port and good harbour of Peru, on the 
coaft of the Pacific Ocearij in the archbiihopric of Lima: 
s feventy. 
