G . U E 
There are very few countries in the world where the 
inhabitants have more reafon to be i'atisfied with the 
inheritance that nature has afligned them, fmce fcarcely 
any part of tiie ifland is incapable of improvement. 
Mod of the riling grounds afford a Ihort thick grafs* 
equally {beautiful to. the eye, and fu ecu lent as pafiure. 
It produces excellent roots and herbs pf all kinds, as 
well medical as aromatic, with a profufion of flowers 
that grow wild, and are exquifi.fely fragrant. All forts 
of fhrubs and fruit-trees llourilh here; and there is 
fome, though but little, timber, not through any defect 
of foil or climate, but becaufethey cannot-conveniently 
afford it room. Grain they have of every fpecies we 
cultivate in Britain, but more efpecrally wheat ; and, 
though they have hot either lime, chalk, or marl, yet 
the fea-weeds anfwer all the purpofes of manure, fo 
well as, to keep their ground in conftant heart. They 
have large quantities of Iheep, but fmall in fize. They 
have black cattle in filch abundance, as not only to 
l’upply their own ufe, but tofurnifh alfo a confidcrable 
exportation; and their horfes, though fmall, are both 
ftrong and hardy. The fea alfo furniflies them with a 
prodigious variety as well as plenty of fifli, more efpe- 
cially red and grey mullet, excellent mackrel, and, 
above all, conger eels. To thefe advantages we may 
add", the Angular privilege of being free from all veno¬ 
mous reptiles. 
There are in this ifland ten pariflies, each of which 
is divided into feveral diffindl parts, for the more eafy 
management of affairs, civil, eccleflaffical, and'military. 
When the reformation was firft introduced into the 
ifland, the Genevan ritual was obferved, but for a long 
time a tranflation of the Liturgy, of the church of Eng¬ 
land ha? been ufed univerfally. The convention of the 
dates confifts of a governor, coroners, jurats, clergy, 
and conftable, by whom the laws are difpenfed. Though 
the country is very fully peopled, yet the houfes are 
fcattered up and down, according to the convenience of 
the inhabitant ; fo that there is, properly fpeaking,' 
but one town in the ifland, which is likewife the only 
haven of any refort ; though there are fome creeks on 
tiie north and weft Ades of the ifland', fuel's as Bazon, 
l’Aucreffe, Ferminer, St. Sampfon, and the Weft Paifage. 
The town of St. Pierre is (ituated on the eaff fide of 
the ifland, where the land binds in, and makes a fafe 
capacious bay. It has a very handfome appearance 
from the fea, and confifts of about eight hundred houfes, 
which are"ftrong ftone edifices ; but in general the place 
is fo ftraitened by the hills behind it, that it cannot be 
much enlarged. The peopie in it have been computed 
at about four thoufand; and thofe of the whole ifland 
at fifteen thoufand. 
The harbour, which is called Port St. Pierre, or Port 
de la Chaufle, is Angularly commodious.. Ships pafs 
into it from a very good road, diredtly under the guns 
of the caftle, and moor clofe to the town. The piers, 
or caufeways, are compofed of-vaft ftones, piled up 
very artificially, one upon another, to thirty-five feet in 
height, and laid with fo much fkill and regularity, that 
it has flood all the violence of the fea between fo'ur 
and five hundred years. This not only affords a fecu- 
rity .to the (hipping, but being paved with fine flag 
ftones on the top, and guarded witli parapets, ferves as 
a veryiplealant parade for the inhabitants, affording a 
fine profpedl of the fea, and of the adjacent iflands. 
This commodious port is covered by Caftle Cornet, 
built entirely upon a rock, at fix hundred paces from 
the fhore; fo that at full Tea it is a complete ifland, 
and the fpace between it is fcarcely paflable at the low¬ 
ed ebb after fpring tides. This is the refidence of the 
governor, or deputy-governor, and his garrifon. It 
was blown up by lightning in 1672, when lord vifeount 
Hatton held that office, who efcaped himfelf, almoft 
miraculoufly, bufloff his mother and his wife. 
The woollen is their principal manufacture, for the 
G U E ?5 
carrying on of which they are allowed to import two 
thoufand tods of wool annually from England, which 
they work up chiefly in ftockings, waiftcoat pieces, &c. 
They might certainly make their fifliery turn to profit, 
more efpecially as of late years they have fet up falt- 
works ; but thefe objects Teem to give way to a very 
confidcrable trade which the inhabitants carry on with 
Newfoundland and the Mediterranean. 
The feveral iflets, and vaft chains of rocks, that fur- 
round this country on every fide, and caufe fuch va¬ 
riety of tides and currents, add much to the fecurity of 
the place, by rendering it equally difficult and dan¬ 
gerous for flilps to approach it, unlefs they have pilots 
on-board extremely well acquainted with the coaft- 
On the.fouth fide, the cliff's are prodigioufly high, fo 
that the old writers fay, it looks like a park in the fea 
impaled with rocks. On the weft fide lie the Hanoys, 
or, as the French write them, Hanovaux, which cover 
tlrat coaft fo effectually, that a defeent there is never to 
be feared. At the north-weft extremity lies a little 
ifland called the Howe, which would be a very commo¬ 
dious place for a falt-work, glafs-houfe, or manufadtory 
of foap. At,the north-eaft extremity we meet with 
St. Michael in the Vale, a peninfula fome miles in ex¬ 
tent, connedted. with Guernfey by a very narrow ifth- 
mus, with bays that might be rendered ufeful on both 
fides. This peninfula is likewife guarded by rocks and 
iflets, the rnoff confiderable of which are, the Bryants, 
tiie Hummer, and the Hays. South-eaff from the vale, 
lies-tfie ifland of Harmit, or Arne, about a league in 
compafs, formerly a defert, but now cultivated. At a 
league fouth from thence lies Brichoej of lefs extent; 
and between both is the little ifland of Gythau, or Je- 
tiiau', which ferves the governor for a kind of park, and 
fupplies pafturage for his cattle. Lat. 49. 30. N. Ion. 
2. 56. V/. Greenwich. 
GUERRICAIZ', a town of Spain, in the province 
of Bifcay : nine miles eaft of Bilboa. 
GUES'CAR. SeeHuESCAR. 
GUES'CHART, a. town of France, in the depart¬ 
ment of the Somme, and chief place of a canton, in the 
diftridb of Abbeville: four leagues nor,th-north-eaft of 
Abbeville. 
GUES'CLIN (Bertrand dii), conftable of France- in 
the fourteenth^ century, and one of the mofc famous 
warriors of his time, born in Britany in 1311. His edu¬ 
cation was fo much neglefted, that he was never able 
to.read or write. He grew up flout and vigorous,; but 
hard-featured. “ I am too ugly (laid he) ever to 
pleafethe ladies ; but I can,at leaff make myfelf feared 
by the enemies of my king.”' After the battle of Poi¬ 
tiers, in which king John of Trance was made prifoner 
by Edward the Black Prince, Du Guefclin flew to the 
fuccour of theVegent Charles, heir of the throne, and 
aided him. in recovering Melun and feveral other-places. 
On the accefiion of Charles V. in 1364, the command of 
the royal army was entrufted to him ; and he defeated 
at Cocherel the troops of the king of Navarre. For 
this fervice he was prefented with the county of Lon- 
gueville. Fie was afterwards Cent to the alliftance .of 
Charles de Blois, competitor for the duchy of Brittany 
again!! Montfort; when Charles, raflily engaging againff 
his qdvice, was killed at the battle of' Auray, and 
Du Guefclin, covered with wounds, was made prifoner 
by the Englilh under the earl of Chandos. It being 
refolved to free France from the mercenary troops 
called the companies, by fending them to the afliftance of 
Henry de Traftamare againff Peter the Cruel king of 
Caftille, Du Guefclin was ranfomed at a high price, 
and placed at their head. He took Avignon in his way, 
where he exacted one hundred thoufand livres, and an 
abfolution, from pope Urban V. He was oppoled by 
Edward, the Black Prince, who again made him pri¬ 
foner, at the battle of Navarette, in 1367. The prince, 
difeontented with his ally Peter, gave Du Guefclin his 
' liberty 
