842 
L I V 
poftng their landing; but, becoming more traflable by 
degrees, they trafficked together. Thefe beginnings the 
Bremeners improved by referring hither in greater num¬ 
bers with commodities to trade with the natives ; and, 
with the confent of the inhabitants, went about fix miles 
up the Dana, where they pitched their tents. After this, 
they built a ftrong warehoufe of timber, on an eminence 
in which they depofited their goods. The German colo- 
nifts increafed in number, brought with them, probably 
about the year 1186, an ecclefiaftic, of the name of Mein- 
hard, who was an Auguftine monk. This monk, having 
learned the language of the country, perfuaded fome of 
the inhabitants to be baptized. From this time, feveral 
German families came and fettled in Livonia. About the 
fame sera, namely, 1196, Canute VI. king of Denmark, 
made an expedition into Efthonia; and, having fubdued 
that province, he introduced Chriftianity, erefted churches 
in the country, and fent priefts to officiate in them. To¬ 
wards the middle of the fixteenth century, the czar Ivvan 
Bafilovvitz formed the defign of conquering this country ; 
which induced the city of Revel and the duchy of Elt- 
lionia to put themfelves under the protection of Sweden; 
and on this was grounded the claim of that crown to Li¬ 
vonia, and the fuperior privileges which Efthonia enjoyed 
beyond Livonia. Gotha Ketler, who was chief of the 
order, gave up Livonia to the king of Poland, as great 
duke of Lithuania, upon which it was annexed to that 
crown ; folemnly refigned his command ; and, in 1561, was 
created the firft duke of Courland, but was to hold this 
duchy as a fief of Poland. The Poles alfo got pofleffion 
of Riga and Lettonia; and now this country became the 
caufe, as well as the difmal fcene, of very bloody wars 
betwixt Rufila, Sweden, and Poland, for a whole century ; 
namely, from the year 1561 to 1660. By the peace of 
Oliva, which was concluded in 1660, Livonia was given 
up by Poland to Sweden ; and the Duna was agreed on 
as the boundary betwixt the Swedilh and Polifti domi¬ 
nions. In 1681, the decrees of the diet, held at Stock¬ 
holm in 1680, concerning the re-aflumption of alienated 
crown-lands, began to be putin execution here; which 
was an extreme grievance to the nobility. In the famous 
northern war, which broke out in the beginning of the 
laft or eighteenth century, this country was miferably ra¬ 
vaged ; till at laft, by the treaty of Nyftadt, concluded 
in the year 1721, Sweden agreed to cede Livonia forever 
to Ruffia. 
The Efthonians, and the Lieves or Livonians, are of 
Finnilh origin; they appear to have been the mod an¬ 
cient inhabitants of maritime Livonia and Courland Pro¬ 
per. The Lettons are evidently the fame nation as the 
Lithuanians, their language and manners prove it incon- 
teftibly, but their origin is uncertain ; it is, however, a fact, 
that the Lettons, as well in Livonia as in Courland, were 
conftantly at variance with the Lieves, whom by degrees 
they opprefled, and compelled to adopt the Lettonian lan¬ 
guage in their divine worlhip. At prefent, there are very 
few of the Lieves; they are confounded with the Lettons. 
From thefe two races is compofed the mafs of the people 
in the provinces of Courland, Livonia, and Efthonia. 
Bent under the fame yoke, they yet preferve, on both 
fides, their national pride and their hereditary hatred ; 
they rarely contrail marriages together. Their mutual 
averfion is manifeft even in the colour of their clothes; 
an Ellhonian always wears brown, and a Lettoni never 
leaves off grey. 
Livonia confifts partly of woods and moraffes, and 
partly of a fertile foil which yields the inhabitants all 
the neceffaries of life in great plenty. The air is clear 
and falubrious; and, though the winter be long and fe- 
vere, and the fummer, confequently, but ftiort; yet the 
heat of the climate during the latter feafon is fuch, that 
the grain fown both in fummer and winter ripens at the 
proper time. In a plentiful year, when the crops have 
not failed, the inhabitants export many thoufand lafts of 
rye and barley to Plolland, Spain, and other foreign 
L I Y 
countries: hence Livonia is called the granary of the 
north. Before the corn is threfhed, it is dried and har¬ 
dened in kilns, heated by large ftoves or ovens, which 
are built contiguous to their barns; however, this does 
not render it unfit for fowing, or for making bread and 
malt; befides, it keeps the better for it. The horned 
cattle, horfes, and goats, of this country, are very nu¬ 
merous, and much efteemed ; but the fheep are not extra¬ 
ordinary, their wool being coarfe, and refembling goat’s 
hair. Vaft quantities of Hax, hemp, linfeed, leather, and 
Ikins, are exported from hence. It is now called The 
Government of Riga, from the capital. Malteburn's Pic¬ 
ture of Poland. Cruttwell's Gaz. 
The trail: of country called Polijh Livonia , which, un¬ 
der the government of the Teutonic order, formed like- 
wife a part of the Livonian ftate, reverted in the year 
1561, with the whole province of that name, to Poland. 
At the peace of Oliva, by which Livonia came under the 
fovereignty of Sweden, this foie diftriil however remained 
to the Polifh ftate, retaining from that time its name in 
contradiftinclion to Swedifti Livonia. On the partition in 
1773, this country, which had hitherto conftituted its 
particular vaivodeihip, was annexed to Ruffia, and now 
comprehends the two circles of Dunaburg and Refitza, in 
the viceroyalty of Polotlk. Toohe's View of the Ruffian Enjfire, 
LIVO'NI AN, f. An inhabitant or native of Livonia. 
LIVO'NIAN, adj. Belonging to Livonia; brought 
from Livonia. 
LIVO'NIAN EARTH, a kind of fine bole ufed in the 
fhops of Germany and Italy, of which there are two fpe- 
cies, the yellow and the red. The red is the beft, though 
both are dug out of the fame pit, in the place whence 
they have their name, and in fome other parts cf the 
world. They are generally brought to us made up in lit¬ 
tle cakes, and fealed with the impreffion of a church, and 
an efcutcheon with two crofs keys; and recommended in. 
diarrhoeas, dyfenteries, See. 
LIV'OR, f. [Latin.] With furgeons, a livid appearance 
on any part of the body. 
LIVOR'GNE, a town of France, in the department of 
the Dora : feven miles weft of Aofia. 
LIVORNI'NA, f. An old coin of Leghorn, equal in 
value to 4s. 5^d. fterling. 
LIVOR'NO. See Leghorn, p. 449. 
LIVOR'NO, a town of France, in the department of 
the Sefia : four miles north of Crefcentino, and eleven 
north-eaft of Chivafio. 
LI'UR, a town of Sweden, in Weft Gothland: thirty- 
three miles north-eaft of Gotheborg. 
LFVRE, f. A French money of account, in the old 
fyftem, confifting of twenty fols; each fol containing 
twelve deniers and four liards. The origin of the word 
is derived hence, that anciently the Roman libra , or 
pound, was the ftandard by which the French money was 
regulated ; twenty fols being made equal to the libra. 
By degrees the libra became a term of account; fo that 
any coin juft worth twenty fols was a livre, or libra 5 and, 
fince the time of Charlemagne, all contrafls have been 
made on the foot of this imaginary coin ; though the fols 
have frequently changed their weight and alloy. 
The livre is of two kinds, Tournois and Parilis. The 
livre Tournois, as above, contains twenty fols Tournois, and 
each fol twelve deniers Tournois. The livre Parifis, is 
twenty fols Parifis, each fol Parilis worth twelve deniers 
Parifis, or fifteen deniers Tournois ; fo that a livre Pa¬ 
rifis is equivalent to twenty-five fols Tournois ; the word 
Parifis being ufed in opposition to Tournois, on account 
of the rate of money, which was one-fourth higher at 
Paris than at Tours. 
The franc and livre were formerly fynonymous ; but, in 
the coinage of 1795, the franc was made too heavy, and 
its value was accordingly raifed per cent, thus, 80 francs 
= 81 livres. In 1796, it was ordered that the piece of 
five francs Ihould pafs for five livres one fol three deniers 
Tournois, from which the proportion of the franc to the 
3 livre 
