834 J I D 
thic kings, to which are added the old Weft-Gothic laws. 
In his tour differtations De Runorum 'Antiquitate, Patria, 
Origine, & Occafu, he afferts that the Runic writing was 
formerly ufed in the greater part of Europe, was intro¬ 
duced into Sweden about the fixth century, and became 
entirely extinft in the beginning of the fifteenth. Thefe 
works will be lafting monuments of Hire’s great learning 
and induftry. He was of a mild difpofition ; loved in¬ 
nocent mirth j had an open friendly heart, and entertain¬ 
ed the utmoft refpeft and reverence for the Supreme Be¬ 
ing. In the year 1756, king Adolphus Frederic raifed 
him to the rank of a counfellor of the chancery; two 
years after to that of patrician; and in 1759, Conferred 
on him the order of the Polar Star. During the laft four 
years of his life he was very infirm ; and died in the month 
of November, 1780, in the feventy-fourth year of his age. 
JHY'LUM, a town of Alia, in the country of Lahore : 
feventy-t-hree miles north-north-weft of Lahore. 
FJA, a river of Ruffia, which runs into the Oka near 
Archangellkoi. 
I'JAR, the month otherwife called Zif. 
JIB,/ The foremoft fail of a fhip, being a large ftay- 
fail extended from the outer end of the bowlprit prolong¬ 
ed by the jib-boom, towards the fore-topmaft-head. The 
jib is a fail of great command with any fide-wind, but ef- 
pecially when the lhip is clofe hauled , or has the wind upon 
her beam ; and its effort in cajling the ftfip, or turning 
her head to leeward, is very powerful, and of great utility, 
particularly when the lhip is working through a narrow 
■channel. 
JIB-BOOM, f. A boom run out from the extremity of 
the bowfprit, parallel to its length, and ferving to extend 
the bottom of the jib, and the (lay of the fore-top-gallant 
Tnaft. This boom, which is nothing more than a conti¬ 
nuation of the bowfprit forward, to which it may be con- 
fiderecl as a topmaft, is ufually attached to the bowlprit 
by means of two large boom-irons, or by one boom- 
iron and a cap on the outer end of the bowfprit ; or, final¬ 
ly, by the cap without and a ftrong lalhing within, in¬ 
stead of a boom-iron, which is generally the method of 
fecuring it in fmall merchant-lhips. It may therefore be 
drawn in upon the bowlprit as occafion requires; which 
is ufually praftifed when the lhip enters a harbour, where 
at might very foon be broken, or carried away, by the vef- 
fiels which are moored therein, or palling by under fail. 
JXB'BEL-AUREZ, the Mons Aurafms of the middle 
age, an affemblage of many very rocky mountains in 
Africa, in the kingdom of Algiers. Here Mr. Bruce met 
with a race of people much fairer in the complexion than 
any of the nations to the fouthward of Britain; their hair 
was red, and their eyes blue; they maintain their inde¬ 
pendence, and are of a favage difpofition, fo that our tra¬ 
veller found it difficult to approach them with fafety. 
They are called Neardia ; and each of them has a Greek 
crofs in the middle between the eyes, marked with anti¬ 
mony. They are divided into tribes, but, tinlike the 
other Arabs, have huts in the mountains built of mud 
and draw.; and are, by our author, fuppofed to be a rem¬ 
nant: of the Vandals. He even thinks that they may be 
defcended from the remainder of an array of Vandals 
mentioned by Procopius, which-was defeated among thefe 
mountains. They live in perpetual war with the Moors, 
and boalt that their ancellors were Chriltians. 
JIB'BING,/. [from jib.'] The adlof fhifting the boom- 
fail. 
JIBE, / See Gibe. 
JIB'SAM, [Hebrew.] The name of a man. 
JID'DA, a town of Arabia, filuated in a very unwhole- 
fotne, barren, and defert, part of the country. Immedi¬ 
ately without the gate to the eaftward, is a defert plain 
filled with the huts of the Bedoweens, or country 
Arabs, built of long bundles of fpartum or bent-grais 
put together like fafcines. Thefe people fupply the town 
with milk and butter. “There is no ftirring out of the 
town (lays Mr, Bruce), even for a walk, unlefs for about 
half a mile in the fouth fide by the fea, where there is a 
JIB 
number of (linking pools of ftagnant water, which cost- 
tributes to make the town very unwholefome.” 
From the difagreeable and inconvenient fituation of 
this port, it is probable, that it would have been long ago 
abandoned, had it not been for its vicinity to Mecca, and 
the vaft annual influx of wealth occafioned by the India 
trade; which, however, does not continue, but palfes 011 
to Mecca, whence it is dilperfed all over the call. The 
town of Jidda itlelf receives but little advantage, for all 
the cuftoms are immediately fent to the needy and rapa¬ 
cious fheriff of Mecca and his dependents. “The gold 
{fays Mr. Bruce) is returned in bags and boxes, and paffes 
on as rapidly to the (hips as the goods do. the market, and 
leaves as little profit behind. In the mean time provi- 
flons rife to a prodigious price, and this falls upon the 
townfmen, while all the profit of the traffic is in the hands- 
of (trangers; molt of whom, after, the market is over* 
(which does not laft fix weeks,) retire to Yemen and 
other neighbouring countries, which abound in every 
fort of provifion. From this fcarcity;Mr. Bruce fuppofes 
it is that polygamy is lefs common here than in any other 
part of Arabia. “Few of the inhabitants of Jidda ((ays 
our author) can avail themfelves of the privilege granted 
by Mahomet. He cannot marry more than one wife, be- 
caufe he cannot maintain more; and from this caufe arifes 
the want of people and the number of unmarried women.” 
The trade at Jidda is carried on in a manner which 
appeared very ftrange to dur traveller. “ Nine (hips (fays 
he) were there from India; fome of them worth, I lup- 
pofe, 200,000k One merchant, a Turk, living at Mecca* 
thirty hours journey off, where no Chriftian dares go 
whillt the continent is open to the Turk, for efcape, of¬ 
fers to purchafe the cargoes of four out of thele nine 
fhips himfelf; another of the fame caft comes and fays he 
will buy none unlefs he has them all. The famples are 
fliown, and the cargoes of the whole nine (hips are car¬ 
ried into the wildeit parts of Arabia by men with whom 
one would not wi(h to trull himfelf alone in the field. 
This is not all ; two India brokers come into the room, 
to fettle the price; one on the part of the India captain, 
the other on that of the buyer, the Turk. They are nei¬ 
ther Mahometans nor Chriltians, but have credit with 
both. They fit down on the carpet, and take an India 
(hawl which they carry on their lhoulder like a napkin* 
and fpread it over their hands. They talk in the mean 
time indifferent converlation, as if they were employed in 
no ferious bufinefs whatever. After about twenty minutes 
fpentin handling each other’s fingers below the (hawl, the 
bargain is concluded, fay for nine (hips, without one ward 
ever having been fpoken on the fubjeft, or pen or ink 
ufed in any manner whatever. There never vitas one in- 
(lance of a difpute happening in thefe fales. But this is 
not all; the money is yet to be paid. A private Moor* 
who has nothing to fupport hint but his character, be¬ 
comes refponfible for the payment of theie cargoes. This 
man delivers a number of coarfe hempen bags full of 
what is fuppofed to be money. He marks the contents 
upon the bag, and puts his feal upon the firing that ties- 
the mouth of it. This is received for vyhat is marked 
upon it without any one ever having opened one of the 
bags; and in India it is current for the, value marked 
upon it as long as the bag lallg. 
The port of Jidda is very extenfive, and contains num- 
berlefs (hoals, fmall iflands, and funk rocks, with deep 
channels, however, between them ; but in the harbour it- 
felf (hips may ride fecure, whatever wind blows. The 
only danger is in the coming in or going out; but as the 
pilots are very (kilful, accidents are never known to hap T 
pen. The charts of this harbour, as Mr. Bruce informs 
us, are exceedingly erroneous; While he (laid here, he 
was delired by captain Thornhill to make a new chart of 
the harbour ; but, finding it had been, undertaken by 
another gentleman* captain Newland, he dropped it. He. 
argues in the ftrongell terms againlt the old maps, which, 
lie (ays, can be of no ufe, but the contrary; and he gives 
it as a charadterillic of the Red . Sea, “Scarcely to have 
1 foundings 
