F R A 
FRA 
0'43 
TR AM'INGHAM, a townfhip of the American States, 
in Middlefex county, Maflachufetts, containing 1598 
inhabitants. It was incorporated in 1700 ; twenty-four 
miles weft-louth-weft of Bollon. 
FR AM'LINGHAM, an ancient town in the county of 
Suffolk, eighty-eight miles from London, thirty-four from 
Norwich, and eighteen from Ipfwich. Here are the ruins 
of a noble caftle, fuppofed to have been built by fome of 
the firft kings of the EafI Angles : the walls, yet fianding, 
are forty-four feet high, eight thick, with thirteen towers 
fourteen feet above them, two of which are watch-towers. 
To this cafile the princefs, afterwards Mary I. retired, 
■when lady Jane Grey was her competitor for the crown. 
The town (lands on a'pleating eminence, in a fruitful foil 
and healthy air, near the Tource of the river Ore, by fome 
called Wincknel, which runs through it to Orford. It 
has a fpacious place For the market kept on Saturdays ; 
and a large (lately church, built of black flint, with 
a (leeple one hundred feet high. Several of the Mow- 
brays, dukes of Norfolk, lie buried in this church. 
Here are two almflioufes with good endowments, two 
free-fchools, and a Sunday fchool. Fairs, Whit-Monday, 
Tuefday, and Wednefday, and September 29. 
FRA'MONT, a mountain, one of the higheft parts of 
the Vofges, about fifteen miles from Molflieim. 
FRAM'POLD, or Frampul, /. [etymology uncer¬ 
tain.] Peevifh ; boiflerous ; ruggetj ; croffgrained.—Her 
hufband ! Alas, the fweet woman leads an ill life with 
him : (he leads a very frampold life with him. Shakcfpeare. 
—The frampul man could not be pacified. Hackct. 
FRAM'FOLE FENCES, in law, fuch fences as the 
tenants in the manor of Writ tie in Effex fet up again(l 
the lord’s demefnes ; and they are intitled to the wood 
growing on thofe fences, and as many poles as they can 
reach from the top of the ditch with the helve of an axe, 
towards the reparation of their fences. It is thought the 
word frampolcQomzs from the Sax. pperripul, profitable; 
or that it is a corruption of francpole, becaufe the poles 
are free for the tenants to take : but chief juftice Bramp¬ 
ton, whilfl he was (leward of the court of the manor of 
Writtle, acknowledged that he could not find out the 
re.Ton why thofe fences were called frampole; fo that 
we are at a lofs to know the truth of this name etymo¬ 
logically. Blount. 
FRAMP'TON, or Fro'meton, a fmall town in the 
county of Dorfet, on the river P'rome : fix miles weft- 
north-weft of Dorchefter, and 126 weft-fouth-weft of 
London. It has a market on Thurfdays; and fairs 
March 4, Auguft 1, and September 4. This townwas al- 
moft entirely confumed by fire on the 20th of April, 1796. 
FRANC, f. [French.] A livre, an imaginary coin in 
value iod. 
FRAN'CA, f. in botany. See Frankenia. 
FRAN't^AISE PORT, a Isay of the Atlantic, on the 
coaft of Brafil, in South America. Lat.7. S. Ion. 17. W. 
Ferro. 
FRANCAS'TEL, a town of France, in the department 
of the Oife : five miles fouth-weft of Breteuil. 
FR ANCAVIL'LA, a town of Italy, in the kingdom of 
Naples, and province of Otranto : three miles and a half 
north-weft of Oria. 
FR ANCAVIL'LA, a town of Italy, in the kingdom of 
Naples, and province of Bafilicata : fifteen miles fouth- 
weft of Turfi. 
FR ANCAVIL'LA, a town of Italy, in the kingdom of 
Naples, and province of Calabria Ultra : thirteen miles 
weft-fouth-weft of Squillace. 
FRANCAVIL'LA, a town of Italy, in the kingdom of 
Naples, and province of Calabria Citra : four miles north- 
eaft of Caflano. 
FRANCAVIL'LA, a town of Italy, in the kingdom of 
Naples, and province of Abruzzo Citra : nine miles 
north-eaft of Civita di Chieti. 
FRANCE, or the Gaui.ic Empire; a country dif- 
tinguiftied amongft the moft eminent of the European 
dates. It was probably known to the Phoenicians, as early 
as that remote era in which they explored the (bores of 
Britain. In the year 600 before the birth of Chrift, ac¬ 
cording to the chronology of Uflier, the Phocasans failing 
from Ionia, founded the city of Maflilia, or Marfeilles. 
The ancient inhabitants of France, like thofe of Britain, 
were the Celts. The fouthern parts of Gaul, or ancient 
France, became known at an early period to the Romans, 
who firft entered that country about 220 years before tiie 
Chriftian epoch, and foon afterwards founded the pro¬ 
vince termed Gallia Bxacata : but the remainder of this 
large and fertile empire was referved for the difcovery and 
eonqueft of Julius Caefar. The ancients fometimes (tyled 
it the country of the Celts ; but the only general name 
feems to have been Gallia, which, after the fall of the 
Roman empire, was fupplanted by that of Francia , or 
France, becaufe it was fubdued and poflefted by the 
Franks, an aflemblage of heroic tribes from lower 
Germany. 
The extent of France, before the revolutionary acqui- 
fitions, was computed at 148,840 fquare miles ; and lup- 
pofing the then population to be 26,000,000, would ren¬ 
der 174 inhabitants to each mile fquare. The boundaries 
arc, on the weft, the Atlantic ocean ; on the fouth, the 
Mediteranean fea, and the Pyrenees; on the eaft, Savoy, 
Swifterland, and Germany ; on the north, the Auftrian 
Netherlands, the German fea, and Englifh channel. It 
extends from about the 42d to near the 51ft degree of 
north latitude ; from about the 7th degree of longitude 
weft from Paris to about the 5th on the eaft; being in 
length north to fouth, about 600 Britifh miles, and in 
breadth weft to eaft about 560. This was the ftatement: 
before the revolution. The modern ftatement, by Daru t 
given in October 1804, is the following: “ France con¬ 
tains from north to fouth 240 leagues, and 220 leagues 
from eaft to weft. Its fuperncies confifts of 32,000 fquare 
leagues, and its population of 32,691,265 inhabitants, 
equal to 1000 individuals upon each league. It is divided 
into 108 departments, 108 prefedlures, 417 diftrifls, and 
47,468 communes. Its military (late contains 27 divi¬ 
sions, commanded by fo many generals of divifions. Its 
ecclefiaftical eftabliftiment confifts of 11 archbiftiops, 58 
bifliops, 4600 curacies, 31,800 under curacies, and Socorr- 
ftftorial or proteftant churches. The war eftablifliment of 
the army confifts of 554,407 men, viz. of the infantry of 
the line 341,411, light infantry 100,130, cavalry of the 
line 14,120, light cavalry 68,988, artillery on foot 20,6565 
artillery on horfeback 3229, pioneers, miners, engineers, 
5873; in the whole, 554,407. The yearly confcriptiom 
alone gives a mafs of near a million of foldiers.”— 
M. Daru has further obferved, that “ France, when in 
danger, can choofe her defenders from among fix millions 
of men able to carry arms.” 
The Romans firft illuftrated the geography of Gaul, 
which they divided into three chief regions, the Celtic, 
the Belgic, and Aquitanic ; the Provincia Bracata being 
abforbed in the extent of their fubfequent conquefts. 
Thefe regions were again fubdmded into feventeen pro¬ 
vinces ; and on the fubverfion of the Roman power, new 
names and divifions fucceeded, as Flandria, Lotbaringia, 
Neuftria, Burgundia, Vafconia, &c. as laid down by Dan¬ 
ville. Thefe were fucceeded by divifions yet more mo¬ 
dern ; all of which have lately given way to a general 
fubdivifion by departments ; as illuftrated by the annexed 
map of France, viz. 
Ancient Provinces. 
Departments. 
Chief Torn 
Flandre Franfoife 
Nord . . . 
Douai. 
Artois . . . 
Pas-de-Calais . 
Arras. 
Picardie . . 
Somme . 
fSeine Inferieure 
1 Calvados 
Amiens. 
Rouen. 
Caen. 
Normandie , . 
<( Manche 
I Orne 
l Eure . . . 
Coutances. 
Alengon 
Evreux, 
Afttient 
