LAP 
the loi'd-chancellor. Over this marble table are now 
erected the courts of chancery and king’s bench. Orig. 
jfurid. 37. 
LA'PIS NEPHRIT'ICUS, or Jade-Stone. See Ser- 
pentinus. 
LA'PIS OBSIDIA'NUS. See Obsidian. 
LA'PIS OLLA'RIS. See Talcum. 
LAP'ITHA, Lapathus, Lapethus, or Lapito, in 
ancient geography, a town of Cyprus, about the mid¬ 
dle of its north fide, with a port or ftation for fliips, and 
a cognominal river. It was built by a colony of Phoeni¬ 
cians, according to Scylax ; by Belus king of Tyre, ac¬ 
cording to Alexander Ephefius. According to Strabo, it 
was built by a colony of Spartans; and one of the nine 
kings refided here, the laft of whom was Pififtratus, who 
commanded the naval army of Alexander the Great. 
There was a temple here dedicated to Venus. The terri¬ 
tory round it is called Lapithia by Diodorus and Ptole¬ 
my 5 Lapitkii, the people, tainted with a degree of fatuity; 
lienee lapathius denotes foolifh. Hejyckivs. Now a village 
called Lapitha ; but, according to the abbe Mariti, the 
longed: and molt extenfive in the illand. Befides the ad¬ 
vantage of a fine fituation, it furnifiies the belt produc¬ 
tions in the country ; and, though Cyprus is in general 
not very abundant in fruits, Lapitha feems a favoured 
fpot in this refpecT, and may be called the garden of the 
tfland. 
LAP'ITHzE, in ancient geography, a people of Thef- 
faly. See Lapithus. 
LAPITHiE'UM, a mountain of Laconia. Stcph. Byz. 
Paufanias ( 1 . iii. c. 20.) mentions a town of this name in 
the Peloponnefus, on Mount Taygetus, in the fame canton. 
LAP'ITHUS, in fabulous hiltory, a fon of Apollo by 
Stilbe. He was brother to Centaurus ; and married Orfi- 
nome, daughter of Euronymus, by whom he had Phorbas 
and Periphas. The name of Lapitha: was given to the 
numerous children of Phorbas and Periphas, or rather to 
the inhabitants of the country of which they had obtained 
the fovereignty. The chief of the Lapithae afiembled to 
celebrate the nuptials of Perithous, one of their number. 
Among them were Thefeus, Dryas, Hopleus, Mopfus, 
Phalerus, Exadius, Prolochus, Titarefius, See. The Cen¬ 
taurs were alfo invited to partake the common feftivity ; 
and the amufements would have been harmlefs and inno¬ 
cent, had not one of the intoxicated Centaurs offered vio¬ 
lence to Hippodamia the wife of Perithous. The Lapithae 
refented the injury, and the Centaurs fupported their 
companions; upon which the quarrel became univerfal, 
end ended in blows and flaughter. Many of the Centaurs 
were flain, and they at laft were obliged to retire. The¬ 
feus among the Lapithae Ihowed himfelf brave and intre¬ 
pid in fupporting the caufe of his friends; and Neftor alfo 
was not lefs aCtive in the protection of chaftity and inno¬ 
cence. Hefiod has deferibed the battle of the Centaurs 
and Lapithae ; as has alfo Ovid, in a more copious man¬ 
lier. The invention of bits and bridles for horfes is at¬ 
tributed to the Lapithae. 
LAP'LAND, the moft northerly country in Europe, 
extending from the North Cape, latitude 71 § N. to the 
White Sea, under the Ariiic circle, is inhabited by the 
fame people, though the country is fubjedt to different 
powers. When the name Lapland was firft given to the 
country, and that of Laplanders to the people, is uncer¬ 
tain. Saxo Grammaticus, in his commentaries; Adam 
of Bremen, in his account of the Danes; and Sturlefton 
of Iceland ; have been cited on this fubjecl, as having 
named the people in queltion Scrittfinnar, or Finnar ; and 
at prefent they are generally called Finns by the Norwe¬ 
gians. The name of Laplanders has been luppoled to 
originate from their attachment-to forcery; lapp , in their 
language, fignifying a wizard. 
Lapland is bounded on the north by the North Sea and 
Frozen Ocean; on the eaft by the White Sea; on the 
fouth by Sweden and the gulf of Bothnia ; and on the 
weft by Norway. On the northernmoft fide, are what 
have been denominated the Frozen Alps, or Alps of Snow, 
VjOl. XII. No. 825. 
LAP 223 
which compofe that chain of mountains called Severnot, 
the declivity of which, towards the eaft and fouth, con- 
fifts of lower mountains, deferts, forefts, fens, and lakes. 
The furface is fuppofed to contain from feventy to eighty 
thoufand fquare miles, but its population cannot be af- 
certained with any degree of precifion. 
Lapland is divided into three parts, viz. 1. That which 
is fubjeCt to Denmark, and is called Norwegian Lapland; 
this part lies between the Northern Sea, the river Pais, 
and the lake Enarak. 2. Swedifh Lapland, which in¬ 
cludes all the country from the Baltic to the mountains 
that feparate Norway from Sweden. It is divided into 
fix diftridts, denominated marcks, or territories, which are 
diftinguilhed by the names of rivers, as Aungnerland, 
Elma, Peta, Lula, Torna, and Kimi. 3. The eaftern part 
is fubjedt to the czar of Mufcovy, fituated between the 
lake Enarak and the White Sea ; this part of Lapland i» 
divided into three prefectures; namely, that of the fea- 
coaft to the north, called Mourmankoi Leporie; that upon 
the coaft of the White Sea, denominated Jerlkoi Leporie; 
and the inland part, known by the name of Beliamore- 
fkoi Leporie. In Swedilh Lapland, the provinces or 
marcks are fubdivided into fmaller diftriCts called biarr, 
confiding each of a number of families, among which the 
land is parcelled out by government, or the prefedf of the 
diftridl: appointed by the king of Sweden. 
Lapland may be termed a huge congeries of frightful 
rocks and itupendous mountains ; interlperfed, however, 
with many pleafant valleys, watered by an infinite num¬ 
ber of rivulets that run into the rivers and lakes, which 
difeharge themfelves into the gulf of Bothnia. The names 
of the principal lakes in Lapland are the Great Uma, the 
Great Windel, the Oreavan, the Stor-avan, the Great 
Lula; the lakes of Kartom, Kali, Torno, Enara, and Kimi. 
Some of thefe extend fixty leagues in length, and contain 
a great number of iflands. Stor-avan is faid to contain 
365 ; and Enara contains an archipelago of iflands lo large, 
that no Laplander has lived long enough to vifit each par¬ 
ticular ifland. 
The natives believe this country to be the terreftrial pa- 
radife; and indeed nothing could be more enchanting than 
fuch vaft profpe&s of mountains, hills, forefts, lakes, ri¬ 
vers, &c. if the country was in a moderate climate; though 
even here, in fummer, the rofes are feen blowing wild on 
the bank of the lakes and rivers, with all the beautiful 
glow of colour which appears in thofe cultivated in our 
gardens. But all the intervals between the mountains 
are not engrofled by thefe agreeable profpects ; great part 
of the flat country is covered with brown dulky forefts of 
fir and pine-trees ; and thefe are often flatted by wide ex¬ 
tended morafles, the ftagnating waters of which in fum¬ 
mer produce myriads of mifehievous infects, that are more 
intolerable than even the cold of winter. 
The cold of Lapland is very intenfe during the feafon, 
freezing even brandy and the watery part of fpirit of 
wine, if the latter is not highly rectified. All the lakes 
and rivers are frozen to a prodigious thicknefs ; and the 
whole face of the country is covered with fnow to the 
depth of four or five feet. While this continues loofe, it 
is impoflible to travel; for a man’s eyes are not only 
blinded with it, but if a ftrong wind fliould rife he will 
be buried in the drifts of fnow ; yet, fhould a partial thaw 
take place for a few hours, the lurface of this fnow is 
formed by the fucceeding froft into a hard impenetrable 
cruft, over which the Laplander travels in his fledge with 
great celerity. While the thaw prevails, the air is fur- 
charged with vapours, and the climate is rainy ; but, while 
the north wind blows, the Iky is beautifully ferene, and 
the air very clear. 
The North Cape is an enormous rock, which, projecting 
far into the ocean, and being expofed to all the fury of 
the waves and the outrage of tempefts, crumbles every 
year more and more into ruins. Here every thing is Mi¬ 
litary, every thing is fteril, every thing fad and defpon- 
dent. The fliadowy foreft no longer adorns the brow of 
the mountain j the finging of the biidsj which enlivens 
2 N eve# 
