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L I T 
partition of the year 1795, the laft remains of Lithuania 
alfo Fell to the Ruffian empire, of which at prefent the 
vice-royalties of VVilna and Slonimfk are formed. Thefe 
provinces of the Ruffian empire are therefore thofe in which 
Lithuanians reiide; but the number of people of which 
this nation confifts can hardly be given with any degree 
of accuracy, as they arc every-where mingled with Ruf¬ 
fians and Poles. 
LITHUA'NIA (Little, or Pruffian), a province of Pruf- 
fia, about 100 miles in length and 50 in breadth. This 
country was anciently over-run with thickets and woods; 
and, in the year 1710, it was almoft depopulated by a pef- 
tilence. In 1720, king Frederic William, at the expenfe 
ef 5,ooo,oooof rix-dollars, induced20,000 Switzers, French 
Proteftants, Palatines, and Franconians, to fettle in this 
country; and,in 173a, 350,000 dollars were alfo diftributed 
among a frefh colony of 12,500 Salzburgers. By the fkill 
and induftry of the emigrants, this defolate country has 
been extremely well cultivated; the fuperfiuous woods 
have been rooted up, the moraffes drained, and a great 
number of towns, villages, ’farm-houfes, and churches, 
built;To that in a few years the country has put on quite 
a new appearance, and now makes ample returns for the 
money which his Pruffian majefty laid out upon it. The 
richnefs of the pafhires; the many thoufand' lads of corn, 
which are either laid up in the king’s granaries, or ex¬ 
ported; the fine horned cattle, excellent horfes, and nu¬ 
merous flocks of flieep, with the excellent butter, cheefe, 
&c. which this country affords ; are inconteftible proofs 
of its uncommon fertility. It likewife abounds with wood 
for fuel, and has plenty of fifti and game. Several manu¬ 
factures are alfo eltablifhed here ; particularly for coarfe 
and fine cloth, leather, &c. The ancient inhabitants of 
this country have a peculiar language, into which the 
Bible and foine other books of devotion have lately been 
tranflated. Among thefe colonilts, the Switzers are mofily 
employed in grazing and breeding cattle; the French are 
very well verfed in trade, and fkilful in the cultivation of 
tobacco, which they have introduced into this country; 
and the Salzburgers are remarkable for their fkill in agri¬ 
culture. The Switzers, French, and Franconians, are all 
Calvinifls; fo that there are ten German and French re¬ 
formed parifhes, as they are called, in Little Lithuania. 
The re it are Lutherans, with a very few papifts among 
them. The principal towns are Memel, Tilfit, Ragnit, 
and Infterburg. 
LI'THY, adj. [from litk .] Humble, quiet, fubmiffive. 
Chaucer. 
LIT'IGANT,/ [ litigans , Lat. litigant, Fr.] One en¬ 
gaged in a fuit of law.—The call litigant fits not down 
with one crofs verdict, but recommences his fuit. Decay 
of Piety. —The litigants tear one another to pieces for the 
benefit of fome third interelt. VEjlrange's Fables. 
LIT'IGANT, adj. Engaged in a juridical conteft.—■ 
Judicial a£ts are thofe writings and matters which relate to 
judicial proceedings, and are fped in open court at the in- 
ftancc of one or both of the parties litigant. Aylijfe's Pa¬ 
rergon. 
To LIT'IGATE, v.a. [litigo, Lat. ] To conteft in law ; 
to debate by judicial procefs. To bring into litigation : 
What Temples, left fome future birth 
Should litigate a fpan of earth. Skenflone. 
To LIT'IGATE, v. n. To manage a fuit; to carry on 
a caufe.—The appellant, after the interpofition of an ap¬ 
peal, (till litigates in the fame caufe. Aylijfe's Parergon. 
LIT'IGATING, f. The act of contelting in law. 
LITIG A'TION,/ Judicial conteft; fuit of law.—Ne¬ 
ver one clergyman had experience of both litigations, that 
hath not confefled, he had rather have three fuitsin Weft- 
minfter-hall than one in the arches. Clarendon. 
LITIG'IOUS, adj. Inclinable to law-fuits; quarrel- 
fome ; wrangling.—His great application to the law had not 
infected his temper with any thing pofiti ve or litigious. Add fort. 
Vol. XII. No. 874. 
L I T 
Soldiers find wars, and lawyers find out Itill 
Litigious men, who quarrels move. Donne. 
Dilputable ; controvertible.—In litigious and controverted 
caules, the will of God is to have them to do whatfoever 
the fentence of judicial and final decilion (hall determine. 
Hooker. 
No fences parted fields, nor marks, nor bounds, 
Diftinguilh’d acres of litigious grounds. Dry den's Georg. 
LITIG'IOUSLY, adv. Wranglingly. 
LITIG'IOUSNESS, f. A wrangling difpofition ; incli¬ 
nation to vexatious fuits. 
LITISPEN'DENCE, f. [from the Lat. lis litis, ftrife, 
and pendeo, to hang.] The time in which a law-fuit is 
depending. Not ufed. 
LI'TIZ, a Moravian town of Pennfylvania : eight miles 
from Lancafter, and feventy weft of Philadelphia. 
LIT'MUS, or Lacmus, f. A blue pigment, formed 
from Archil ; which fee, vol. ii. p. 59, 60. 
LI'TOMYSL. See Leutmischl, p. 558. 
LPTOWISCH, a town of Poland, in Volhynia : fifty- 
fix miles fouth-weft of Lucko. 
LI'TRE, f. A French meafure of capacity, equal to 6o> 
Englilh cubic inches, or nearly 25 wine pints. 
LI'TRON, f. A meafure for corn and dry commodi¬ 
ties, in the old fyftem of France ; 16 litrons being equal 
to a boifleau, each boiffeau being 780 Englifh cubic inches, 
and 11 boiffeaux, 4 Englifh bufhels. 
LITROTOND', a town of Afiatic Turkey, on the fouth- 
weft coaft of Natolia. Lat. 36. 51. N. Ion. 27. 35. E. 
LIT'SCHAU, a town of Aultria : fourteen miles weft- 
north-weft of Bohmifch Waidhofen : feventy miles north- 
weft of Vienna. Lat.48.48. N. Ion. 14. 55. E. 
LIT'TAU, a town of Moravia, in the circle of Olmutz s 
eight miles north-north-eaft of Olmutz. Lat. 49. 28-N. 
Ion. 16. 59. E. 
LIT'TER, f. \litiere, Fr.] A kind of vehiculary bed.—• 
He was carried in a rich chariot titter-wile, with two horfes 
at each end. Bacon's New Atlantis. 
Litters thick befiege the donor’s gate, 
And begging lords and teeming ladies wait 
The promis’d dole. Dry den's Juvenal. 
Du Cange derives the word from the barbarous Latin 
leLleria, ftraw or bedding for beafts. Others will rather 
have it come from ledlus, bed ; there being ordinarily a 
quilt and a pillow to a litter, in the fame manner as to a 
bed. The litter was much in ufe with the Romans,among 
whom it was borne by flaves kept for that purpofe; as it 
ftill continues to be in the eaft, where it is called a palan¬ 
quin. The Roman lectica, made to be borne by four men, 
was called tetraphorum ; that borne by fix, kexaphorum ; and 
that borne by eight, otdaphorum. 
The invention of litters, according to Cicero, was ow¬ 
ing to the kings of Bithynia. In the time of Tiberius 
they were become very frequent at Rome, as appears from 
Seneca; and even flaves themfelves were borne in them, 
though never by more than two perfons, whereas men of 
quality had fix or eight. Befides this, the litter was of 
two kinds, covered and uncovered. The covered is called 
by Pliny cubiculum viatorum, traveller’s bedchamber: and 
indeed we are informed that Auguftus frequently ordered 
his fervants to flop his litter that he might fleep upon the 
road. This vehicle differed from the uncovered litter, or 
fella ; for in the firft the traveller could recline himfelf for 
fleep, in the latter he was obliged to fit. The covered 
litter was invented in Bithynia ; the fella was a Roman 
machine, and efteemed the more honourable of the two. 
LIT'TER,/. The ftraw laid underanimals, oron plants. 
—Take off the litter from your kernel-beds. Evelyn. —- 
Their 'litter is not tofs’d by fows unclean. Dryden's Virgil. 
—A brood of young.— A wolf came to a fow, and very- 
kindly offered to take care of her litter. L'Ejlrange, 
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