L E R 
525 
Although the Segre in the neighbourhood of Lerida 
Sows in genera!, as Lucan lays, with a. gentle Jlream, be- 
caufe there it has extricated itfelf from the mountains, 
and has fpace to enlarge its channel through the plain, 
yet it is fubjeCI to fudden tilings, either after rains or the 
melting of the fnows in the Pyrenees, where it has its 
fources. Both above and below' Lerida, the river is di¬ 
vided into feveral channels enclofing fandy Blands, of 
which fome are bare, and others are covered with grafs and 
bullies, but none of them fafe from occafional inunda¬ 
tion. The body of water is much diminifhed in the pre¬ 
fent times by drains opened for the purpoles of irrigation 
on each fide, from the river itfelf, as well as from fome 
tributary ftreams, particularly from one which falls into 
the Segre two leagues above Lerida. The drain or canal 
from this ftream, the Noguera, is taken up fix leagues 
from the town, and carried along the fide of the hills 
which bound the plain to the weftward, and which are 
walked on the oppolite fide by the Cinca. The canal dif- 
charges itfelf into the Segre, four leagues to the fouth- 
ward of Lerida ; having at different points of its courfe 
collateral cuts to allow the u'ater to go off, in order to be 
conducted round the fields and gardens with which the 
plain of Lerida is covered. This plain, or as it is called 
the huerta or garden of Lerida, is in general elevated one 
hundred feet above the Segre, but varied by fome flat 
eminences to the fouthward of Lerida. One of thefe emi¬ 
nences is fituated about live hundred yards from the foot 
of the hill of Lerida, its eaftern bafe having probably 
once been walked by the Segre, although at prefent they 
are feparated by a narrow flip of low land, at times co¬ 
vered by the river. This eminence is much lower than 
the fummit of the hill, being level and of a triangular 
ihape, bounded by fteep fides on the eaft and fouth ; but 
the fide facing the north-weft finks down with a gradual 
Hope to the plain. About midway between this eminence 
.and the hill of Lerida is a femicircular promontory of the 
great piain, advancing towards the Segre, but in faCt more 
elevated than the contiguous parts of the plain. When 
this is feen from the weftward, its projection gives it the 
appearance of an elevation ; and the fame effeC! is pro¬ 
duced to the obferver on the banks of the river below it. 
We are told in the Commentaries, that Ccefar, on his 
arrival in the plain of Lerida, joining his forces under 
C. Fabius, offered battle to the troops under Petreius and 
Afranius, who were polted on the eminence juft defcribed'; 
But, Ihe enemy declining to come down to the plain, he 
withdrew, and fortified a camp about fix hundred paces 
from their pofition. The level ground between this emi¬ 
nence and the town of Lerida, C^far fays, was about 
three hundred paces, a diftance correfponding very accu¬ 
rately with that of five hundred yards, which a late tra¬ 
veller recently eftimated on thefpet. In the midft of this 
level ground was a gentle fwelling, (tumulus paullo edition,) 
which Caefar wiflied to occupy; by which ftep, he would 
cut off the communication between the enemy and the 
town. It Las been already obferved, that the round pro¬ 
montory on the edge of the plain would, to an obferver 
on the weft fide, particularly if viewed from an elevation, 
prefent the appearance of an eminence. Caefar might 
therefore naturally term it a tumulus, although it is, in fafl, 
level with the reft of the plain. In attempting to feize 
this.poft, anadtion commenced with the enemy, who, ob- 
ferving his motions, and being nearer to the fpot, took 
poffefiion of it before Casfar’s men could get to it. A 
long conteft with various fuccefs took place, which ended 
'in that party of the enemy being forced to retire under 
the walls of Lerida, whither they were followed by Ctefar’s 
troops, w ho mounted by a part of the hill which ran out 
to a confiderable length, but w’as narrow on the ridge; 
and the fides were fo abrupt, that neither infantry nor 
cavalry could be brought up to cover their flanks. This 
projecting and floping ritlge was moft probably that part 
of the hill of Lerida already defcribed as running out 
like a fpur or counterfort into the plain on the weft fide. 
Upon this fpot, therefore, a very obftinate conteft happened, 
Vol. XU. No. 849. 
L E R 
which ended in both parties withdrawing within their 
W'orks; the enemy not a little elated becaufe they had 
been able to withftand all Casfar’s affaults, whilft his 
troops confidered it little lefs than a victory to have main¬ 
tained for five hours together a clafe engagement with an 
enemy who had the advantage of the ground, and even 
to have driven them within the cover of the town. 
Owing to the high, ftate of cultivation which prevails 
all over the plain of Lerida, no veftiges of the entrench¬ 
ments of the rival armies are now to be feen; and the 
eaft banks of the Segre, although now in general in paf- 
turage, have in former times been cultivated for fome 
leagues below Lerida, fo that it would require fome time 
and care to trace the operations of Caefar and his oppo¬ 
nents in that traCt. 
The prefent town of Lerida confifts of one narrow irre¬ 
gular ftreet confined between the river and the hill, up 
the flopes of which run a few other ftreets. The fummit 
of the hill is occupied by the remains of a palace of the 
kings of Arragon, who were alfo mafters of Catalonia. 
It paffed into the hands of the Knights Tempiars; and 
part of it is now ufed as a powder-magazine. On a level, 
ipot a little lower down ftands the old cathedral, with its 
tower, cloifters, Sec. of Gothic architecture, erefled by 
one of the Jamefes, kings of Arragon, of whom the firft 
died in 1276, and the other in 1327. In the cloifters is a 
fpacious well, funk it is faid three hundred feet to the le¬ 
vel of the Segre. This ancient edifice will, while it re¬ 
mains, be a formidable rival to the new cathedral in the 
lower town, ereCted before that attention to purity in ar¬ 
chitectural defign, which diftinguiflies moftgf the late build¬ 
ings in Spain, had been generally introduced. 
From the many revolutions undergone by Lerida, no 
traces of the ancient Uerda can now be difeovered; fome 
monumental inferiptions however are ftill to be feen, and 
coins are frequently met with ; this being one of the 
cities of Spain endowed by the Romans with the privi¬ 
lege of coining money. Some of the coins of Uerda are 
of that very ancient fort which feein peculiar to Spain, 
having on them characters hitherto unintelligible, al¬ 
though bearing a ftrong refemblance to the Phoenician or 
Carthaginian. 
Lerida at prefent is the fee of a bilhop, fuffragan of 
Tarragona. Here are a court of inquifition, an univer- 
fity, fix parilhes, eleven convents, and an hofpital. Le¬ 
rida was taken from the Moors in 1149. In 1643, it was 
taken by the French ; in 1646 it was attacked by the fame 
enemy, but without fuccefs. It declared for king Charles 
after the reduction of Barcelona in 1705 ; but it was taken 
By the duke of Orleans, for king Philip, in 1707, after the 
battle of Almanza. Lat. 41. 31. N. Ion. o. 35. E. 
LERI'KA, a toqpi of Swedilh Lapland: one hundred 
miles north-weft of Tornea. 
LERILLO'N, a fmall ifland in the Grecian Archipe¬ 
lago, near the north coaft of the ifland of Lero. 
LE'RIN,‘a town of Spain, in Navarre: fifteen miles 
eaft of Eftella. 
LERI'NA, in ancient geography, an ifland of the Me¬ 
diterranean, upon the coaft of Gallia Narbonnenfis, fouth- 
weft of Nicsea. Strabo, who calls it Planajia from its 
form and fituation, fays that it had a garrifon. 
LE'RINS, the name of two iflands in the Mediterra¬ 
nean fea, lying on the coaft of Provence in France, five 
miles from Antibes. That near the coaft, called St. Mar¬ 
garet, is guarded by invalids, llate-prifoners being fent 
here: it was taken by the Englifli in 1746, but marftial 
Belleifle retook it in 1747- The other is called St. Honorat ; 
it is lefs than the former, but has a benediftine abbey. 
There are fome other very fmall illands near. 
LER'MA, a town of Spain, in Old Caftile, on the Ar- 
lanza, difmantled in 1336, for fiding with fome nobles 
again!! the king of Caftile. It is twenty-three miles fouth 
of Burgos. 
LER'MA, a town of Mexico, in the province of Yu¬ 
catan : twelve miles fouth of Campeachy. 
LER'MOSZ, a village of the county of Tyrol, where, 
6 S it 
