440 
LEE 
fails whofe tops and bottoms are parallel to the deck, or 
at right angles to the mail, are denominated from the 
(hip’s fide, and the fail to which they belong ; as the far- 
board -leech of the main-fail, the /ec-Ieech of the fore-top 
fail, See. But the fails which are fixed obliquely on the 
marts have their leeches named from their lituation with 
relpeft to the (hip's length; as the /ore-leech of the mi- 
zen, the after -leech of the jib or fore-ftay fail, &c. 
Leech-Lines, ropes fartened to the middle of the 
leeches of the main-fail and fore-fail, and communicat¬ 
ing with blocks under the oppofite (ides of the top, 
whence they pafs downwards to the deck, lerving to trufs 
up thofe fails to the yard as occafion requires. 
Leech-Rope, that part of the bolt-rope to which the 
border or lkirt of a fail is fewed. In all fails whofe op¬ 
pofite leeches are of the fame length, it is terminated 
above the earing, and below' the clue. 
LEE'CHING, J. The ait of treating with medica¬ 
ments; of praitifing the art of healing. 
LEE'CHMAN (William), a learned and excellent 
Scotch divine, was born at Dolphinfton, in Lanerkfhire, 
in the year 1706. He was initiated in grammar-learning 
at his native place, whence he removed to the univerfity 
of Edinburgh. Here he diftinguifhed himfelf by his 
great proficiency in different branches of learning. He 
began his theological ftudies in 1724.; and in 1727 he was 
introduced into the wettern part of Scotland, which was 
deftined hereafter to be the principal feene of his ufeful- 
nefs. He undertook the education of a young gentleman 
at Caldw'ell, in Renfrewfhire, where he refided in the 
fummer-months ; but, during the remainder of the year, 
he lived at Glafgow ; and was honoured with the friend- 
fliip of profellors Hutchefon and Dunlop. About the 
beginning of 1731 he was licenfed as a preacher; but it 
was not till the year 1736 that he had any profpedl of 
preferment. He was now ordained minifter of Beith, 
and-remained in the difeharge of the duties attached to 
that office during feven years. In 1740 he was elefled 
moderator of a meeting of the fynod at Irvine, and opened 
the artembly at Glafgow on the 7th of April, 1741, with 
a fermon to the clergy, “ On the temper, character, and 
duty, of a minifter of the gofpel.” This is thought to 
be one of the ableft charges ever delivered from the pul¬ 
pit ; it has parted through many editions, and is ftill in 
very high reputation. In 1743 he publiflied a much 
longer difeourfe on “ The Nature, Reafonablenefs', and 
Advantages of Prayer; with an Attempt to anfwer the 
Objections againlt it.” This fermon, as well as that juft 
noticed, excited great attention at the time of the publi¬ 
cation, and it has been frequently reprinted fince. He 
was, about this time, invited to fettle with a congrega¬ 
tion at Belfaft, in Ireland, with the promife of a better 
fa 1 ary than that which he enjoyed at Beith. This offer, 
upon due deliberation, he declined ; and he was (hortly 
after elefled to the profefl'orfhip of theology at the uni¬ 
verfity of Glafgow, u’hich he obtained only by the cart¬ 
ing vote of the prefident. Soon after he had been efta- 
blifhed in the profefforfhip, he took the degree of D. D. 
He continued in the theological chair feventeen years, 
vindicating and eftablifliing the grand truths of natural 
and revealed religion, in anfwer to the principal objec¬ 
tions made to them by Hume, Bolingbroke, and other 
fceptical writers. He had, in his leflures, a remarkable 
talent of felefling wh 3 t was mod important and ftriking 
on every fubjetl that he handled ; his arguments were 
folid, founded on indifputable faffs; and were urged 
with a degree of warmth which carried his auditors along 
with him ; for they were addreffed equally to the judg¬ 
ment and the heart. Dr. Leechman’s fame extended far 
and wide; the divinity-hall at Glafgow was crowded, 
in his time, with a greater number of fcholars than any 
other in Scotland ; and his numerous pupils, however 
they might differ in their fentiments on fpeculative theo¬ 
logy and church-government, were all cordially united in 
affeflion and veneration for their mailer. In the year 
LEE 
1761, Dr. Leechman was raifed to the office of principal 
of the univerfity of Glafgow by a prefentation from the 
king. He had previoufly to this been in a very bad (late 
of health; and this change in his avocations was proba¬ 
bly the means of prolonging his valuable life for five-and- 
twenty years. Though releafed from the more fatiguing 
part of his duties, he could not remain inactive, but en¬ 
tered warmly into every lcheme for the benefit and im¬ 
provement of the fociety propofed by other profeffors, 
and profecuted fome fchemes of his own fuggeftion. He 
gave a lefture, for fome time once a-week, to the Un¬ 
dents in divinity, and weekly lectures to the whole uni¬ 
verfity. Dr. Leechman’s faculties remained in full vi¬ 
gour amidlt the increafing infirmities of old age, and his 
tafte for valuable knowledge continued as acute as ever. 
His mind feemed to he in a great mealure independent of 
all bodily infirmities and connexions. In September 
1785, he experienced a violent paralytic Itroke, from the 
effects of which he fpeedily recovered ; but a f'eccnd (hock 
of the fame kind in the following month deprived him of 
the power of his whole left fide. Still he continued in 
the full poffeffion of his mental faculties, and was as in¬ 
telligent, judicious, and even as acute, as ever. Another 
attack carried him off on the third of December, 1785, 
when he was almoft eighty years of age. Dr. Leechman 
committed nothing to the prefs, except nine fermons, 
which went through feveral editions during his life-time. 
Thefe were re-publifhed, with others, forming together 
two volumes, in the year 1789. To the firil of thefe vo¬ 
lumes is prefixed an account of the author, to which the 
reader is referred for farther particulars. 
LEEDS, a populous market-town in the Weft Riding 
of the county of York, fituated on the north fide of the 
river Aire, over which is a liandfome (lone bridge. It is 
a place of great antiquity, and its name is regiftered in 
the Domefday furvey. Here was formerly a ftrong caftle, 
probably built by Ilbert de Lacy, which was befieged by 
king Stephen in 1139; and here the unfortunate Rich-*- 
ard II. was confined about the year 1399. No veftige of 
this fortrefs remains ; but its fite is (aid to have been at 
a place called Mill-hill. 
Leeds has long been diftinguifhed as a clothing-towm ; 
though the pre-eminence it now enjoys is not of a very 
remote date. Leland fays it is “a pretty market-town, 
fubfilted chiefly by clothing, realonably well builded, and 
as large as Bradford, but not fo quick as it.” Its growth, 
however, probably Coon became confiderable, as it was in¬ 
corporated by king Charles I. At the commencement of 
the troubles of that reign, it was held for the king by fir 
William Saville; but, after a (harp aclion, its fortifications 
were ftormed by the forces which marched out of Brad¬ 
ford under fir Thomas Fairfax. A fecond charter was 
granted on the 1.3th of Charles II. under which the town 
is now governed. The trade in woollen cloth, which has 
raifed Leeds to its prefent confequence, is carried on here 
to an extent unequalled in any place in the kingdom. 
The cloth-markets are held only on Tuefdays and Satur¬ 
days, and then only for an hour and a half each day ; and 
the merchants are not allowed to buy, or even to look at 
cloth, but at thefe appointed hours. At fix in the morn¬ 
ing in fummer, and feven in winter, the market-bell rings; 
and in a few minutes, without the leaft dilorder, the whole 
market is filled, and all the benches are covered with 
doth, each proprietor at the fame time (landing behind 
his own goods. As foon as the bell has cealed the buyers 
enter, and, having fixed on certain lots or pieces of cloth, 
they proceed in a very expeditious and fecret manner to 
bargain for the fame. In thefe places it is related that 
from ten to twenty thoufand pounds worth of cloth, and 
fometimes more, is fold with a whifper only. The laws 
of the market are certainly more ftriflly obferved than in 
any other place in England. The time of fale is termi¬ 
nated by another bell; and any merchant, (laying in the 
hall after the bell has ceafed, forfeits five (hillings. This 
extenfive buiinefs, which ufed formerly to be carried oh 
3 in 
