H A N 
203 
HAN 
tile and rich counties in Germany-, producing grain, 
legumes, exquifite wine, and delicious fruits. It con¬ 
tains magnificent foirefts, a rich falt-mine, a copper-mine, 
and a mine of cobalt. It was erefted into a county in 
1429. By the extinction of its hereditary counts it fell 
by. cotnpaCt to the landgrave of Heffe Caffel in 1736. Its 
afleflment for a Roman month was 230 florins, and taxed 
to the chamber of Wetzlar 160 rixdollars 25 kruitzers. 
HAN'AZO, a river of Africa, which rifes in Abyflinia, 
and runs into the Arabian Sea, fixty-five miles fouth from 
the Straits of Babelmandel, near the town ol Zeila. 
HAN'CES,/ [In a fliip. ] Falls of the fife-rails placed 
on bannifters on the poop and quarter-deck down the 
gang-way. Harris. 
HAN'CES,/ [In architecture.] The ends of ellip¬ 
tical arches ; and thefe are the arches of fmaller circles 
than the fcheme, or middle part of the arch. Harris .—• 
The fweep of the arch will not contain above fourteen 
inches, and perhaps you mud cement pieces to many of 
the courfes in the kance, to make them iqng enough to 
contain fourteen inches. Moxon. 
HANCK'ENBUTTEL, a town of Germany, in the 
circle of Lower Saxony, and principality of Luneburg 
Zell: twenty-four miles eaft of Zell. 
HAN'CLING, / With cockfighters, the aft of mea- 
furing the body of a cock by the grafp of the hand. 
HAN'COCK, a large maritime county of the Ame¬ 
rican States, in the diftrift of Maine, bou tded north by 
Lower Canada, fouth by the ocean, euft by Wafhington 
county, and weft by Lincoln county. It is 196 miles 
long from north to fouth, and nearly fixty broad. It 
contains twenty-tour townftiips and plantations; of which 
Penobfcot and Cafttn&are the-chief. The number of in¬ 
habitants is greatly increafed fince 1790. At th.it time 
there were 9549 taken by the cenfus. It is remarkably 
well watered by Penobfcot rivdr and its branches, Union 
river, and other finali ftreams. The northern part of 
the county fends its waters in one ftream from numerous 
branches, in a north-eaft courfe to St. John’s river. On 
the fea-coaft are many harbours and inlets, hid by a mul- 
titude of fertile iflands; the largeft of thefe in a fouth- 
weft direction from GoldlborOugh, are Mount Defart, 
Swan Ifles, Vinal Haven, Haut lfle, Deer, and Iflefbo- 
rough ; all fituated in Penobfcot Bay. The towns along 
the fea-coaft, and on the banks of Penobfcot and Union 
rivers, are the molt fertile and populous. Caftine is the 
Ihire town. 
HAN'COCK, a townlhip of the American States, in 
Addifon county, Vermont. 
HAN'COCK, a townlhip of the American States, in 
Lincoln county, Maine, embofomed by the Kennebeck 
and Sebalticook rivers, bounded-north-weft by Canaan, 
and feven miles north of the confluence of the two rivers. 
It contains 278 inhabitants. 
HAN'COCK, a townlhip of the American States, in 
Hilllborough county, New Hamplhire,, fituated between 
two weftern branches of Contoocook river, fourteen miles 
e..ft of Keene, and between fix-ity and feventy weft-by- 
fouth of Portsmouth.'. It was incorporated in 1779, and 
contains 634 inhabitants. 
HAN'COCK, a long, narrow, and mountainous, town¬ 
lhip of the American States', on the New-York line, in 
Befkfhire county, Mallachufetts, having the towns of 
Lanelborough and Partridgefield on the northward, and 
Pittsfield on the fouth. It was incorporated in 1776, has 
mi inhabitants, and lies twenty miles north-by-weft of 
Lenox, and 150 weft of Bofton. 
HAN'COCK, a poft-town of the American States, in 
Maryland, liquated'in Walhington county, on the north 
bank of Patow.mack river, between Conolvvy and Little 
Conolwy creeks, about twenty-five miles iouth-euft of 
Bedford in Pennfylvania, thirty-four north.eaft of Old 
Town in Maryland, and 119 north-weft of Baltimore. 
HAN'COCK, a new county of the American States, 
in the upper diltrict of Georgia, 
HAN'COCK, a river of Walhington ill and, on the 
north-weft coaft of North America, called Mafheet by the 
Indians, difcovered by captain Crowell, in 1791. It 
empties into the fea from the-north end of the largeft 
ifland. At its mouth it is nearly three nautical miles 
wide; and a confiderable fize ten miles up. It has at 
its mouth five fathoms water, gradually increafing in 
breadth ; and for feven miles and a half up, to Goofe 
Ifland, has not lefs than ten fathoms. Capt. Ingraham.ex¬ 
amined it about twelve miles 5 but by the information of 
the natives, he judged that it communicates with Skiti— 
kifs Bay, or near it, on the eaft fide of the ill.inds. It is 
by far the molt eligible for a new fettlement, of any place 
the captain had feen on the coaft. The land is low, and 
apparently very fertile; and the river abounds with 
falmon. Beautiful vales of grafs occupy the flcirts.of 
the woods. The mouth of the river is in lat. 54. 7. N f 
Ion. 131. 54. W. 
HAN'COCK HARBOUR, a harbour of North Ame¬ 
rica, called by the Indians Clioquot, fituated about twenty 
leagues eaft-fouth-eaft of Nootka, in lat. 48. 30. N. Ion- 
125. 26. W. from Greenwich. The entrance is near five 
miles in length, and has good anchorage; about it are 
fcattered a number of iflands, and feveral fand-banks or 
fpits. It has alfo a number of fine coves. The land 
round the harbour is generally uneven, rocky, aiid moun¬ 
tainous; covered however with pine, fir, fpruce, cedar, 
cyprefs, and other trees of a remarkable fize. The cli¬ 
mate is much milder than in the fame latitude on the 
eaftern fide of the continent; the, fro ft in winter being 
feldom lo levere as to prevent vegetation/ An eafterly 
wind is confidered here as a prognoftic of a ftorm, and 
weft winds bring fair weather. Deer, racoons, wolves,' 
bears, fquirrels, martins, land-otters, beaver, and wild¬ 
cats, are the animals which inhabit the fordfts; The 
amphibious animals are the common feal and the fea- 
otter. The fkin of the latter is very valuable. The in¬ 
habitants are. laid to be cannibals. This and other places 
of the fame name have their appellation in honour of 
the late governor Hancock, of Maflaelfufetts. 
HAND,/ [hanb, honb, Sax. and in all the Teutonic 
dialefts.] The palm with the fingers; the member with 
which we hold or life any inftrument.—That wonderful 
inftrument the hand, was it made to be idle f Berkley, 
They hand in hand, with wandering fteps and flow. 
Through Eden took their folitary way. Milton'. 
Meaftire of four inches; a meafure ufed in meafufing a 
horfe ; a palm. Side, right or left.—For the other tide 
of the court gate, on this hand and that hand, were hang¬ 
ings of fifteen cubits. Exod. xxxviii. 15.—Part; quarter ; 
fide.—It is allowed on all hands, that the people of Eng-' 
land are more corrupt in their morals than any other 
nation this day under the fun. Swift. —Ready payment 
with refpeft to the receiver.—Theie two niuft make our 
duty very eafy ; a confiderable reward in hand, and the 
afl'urance of a far greater reconipence hereafter. Tillotfon ; 
—Ready payment with regard to the payer.—Let not 
the wages of any man tarry with thee, but give it him 
out of hand. Tob. iv. 14.—Rate ; price.—Time is the 
meafure ol bufinefs; money of wares : bufinefs is bought 
at a.dear hand, where there is fmall nifputth. fiaavz.— 
Terms; conditions ; rate.—With fimplicityadmire and 
accept the inyftery; but at no hand My pride, ignoiiancey-. 
intereft, or vanity, wreft it to ignoble fenfes. Taylor. - 
Act ; deed ; external action.— Thou faweft the contra- 
diftion between my heart and hand. King Charles.y- La¬ 
bour ; att of the hand.—Ainafchar jvas a very idle fel- 
low,. that never would let his hand to any.bufinefs during 
his father’s life. Addifon .—Performance : 
Where are thefe porters, . 
Thefe lazy knaves ? Y’ave made a fine hand!' fellqws. 
Shakejpeare. 
Power of performance'.—A friend'of mine lias .1 veiy fine 
hand q'n the violin. Addifon, —Attempt; undertaking.— 
Gut 
