754 K I R 
has given Dr. Kippis a high rank among the literati of his 
country, and will tranfmit his name with diftinguiflied re¬ 
putation to pofterity. Dr. Kippis did not live to carry 
on this edition of the Biographia farther than to about a 
third part of the fixth volume, which has not yet made 
its appearance. General Biogr. 
KIPPU'RE, mountains of Ireland : nine miles fouth- 
fouth-welt of Dublin. 
KIP'SCHAK, or Capschac, a confiderable country of 
Tartary, which extends to Europe and Afia, between the 
Jaick and the Nieper. It is the country from which the 
Coffacks fprung. It abounds in grain and cattle; and is 
fubject to a khan and feveral other princes. The people 
are warriors. Its capital is Serai. 
KIR, f. [Heb. a wall.] A city in the land of Moab. 
KI'RA, a fmall Bland in the gulf of Engia: nine miles 
well of Engia. 
KIRAHIA'NA, a towm of Hungary : fifteen miles eaft- 
fouth-eall of Munkacz. 
KIRA'LI, a town of Afiatic Turkey, in Caramania: 
thirty-five miles weft-fouth-weft of Cogni. 
KIRANOO'R, a town of Hindooltan, in the Carnatic c 
twenty-two miles north of Nattani. 
KIRANO'RE, a town of Hindooftan, in Marawar: 
twenty miles fouth of Tripatore. 
KI'RAT, f. A weight of three grains. Scott. 
KIRCAGAT'CH, a town of Afiatic Turkey, about forty 
miles north-ealt of Magnifi, or Magnefia, on the route to 
Prufa, which has rifen to confiderable population from 
the cultivation of cotton. 
KIRCAJAN', a town of Perfia, in the province of Ker¬ 
man : 117 miles ealt of Sirgian. 
KIRCH (Godfrey), an able German aftronomer, was 
born at Guben, in Lower Lufatia, in the year 1640. Not 
finding in his native place fufficient encouragement in the 
profecution of his mathematical Itudies, he removed to 
Leipfic, where he acquired confiderable reputation by the 
almanacs which he publiflied. In 1693, he married Mary- 
Margaret Winckelmann, who will be noticed in the next 
article, with whom he returned to Guben, and derived 
much ufeful affifiance from her in making his aftronomi- 
cal obfervations, and the compofition of his Ephemerides. 
On the eftablifhment of the Academy of Sciences at Ber¬ 
lin, 1701, by Frederic I. king of Prufiia, that prince in¬ 
vited M. Kirch to that city, and appointed him a mem¬ 
ber of the fociety, as well as his afironomer in ordinary, 
with an honourable penfion for his fupport. He died at 
Berlin in 1710, when about feventy-one years of age. He 
corresponded with men of fcience in all the learned focie- 
ties of Europe, and publiflied a variety of afironomical 
treatifes which are in great repute; the chief of which are, 
Ephemerides Anni 1698 ; and Admonitio ad AJlronomos, de re¬ 
ditu Stella Baycriana in Collo Cygni. 
KIRCH (Mary-Margaret,) wife of the preceding, and 
diftinguilhed for her attachment to afironomical Itudies, 
was the daughter of a Lutheran clergyman at Panitzlh, a 
village in the vicinity of Leipfic, where file was born in 
the year 1670. Having lolt her father when file was about 
twelve years of age, (he was educated by his fucceflor, 
and indulged in the inclination which fhe difeovered for 
the acquiiition of knowledge, and particularly that of af- 
tronomy. This partiality for his favourite purfuit was 
no little recommendation of her to M. Kirch, who, as we 
have feen above, obtained her hand in marriage, and found 
heramoft valuable helpmate in his fcientific labours. She 
was not contented, however, with only rendering affift- 
ance to her hufband in making his obfervations, but (bow¬ 
ed herfelf capable of viewing the heavens with the eye of 
a difeoverer. In the year 1702, (lie difeovered a comet, 
upon which M. Kirch publifhed his obfervations. In 
1707, fhe made a difeovery of an aurora borealis ; of which 
.mention is made in the Memoirs of the Academy of Sci¬ 
ences at Paris, for the year 1716. Thefe exertions of her 
genius procured her the efieem of all the learned at Ber- 
sn; but the reputation which file derived from them did 
K I R 
not fecure her the patronage and fupport which fiie merit¬ 
ed, when fhe was deprived by death of her hulband in 
1710. Being by this event reduced to low circumltances, 
file neverthelefs contrived to maintain herfelf, and edu¬ 
cate her children, by conltru&ing almanacs adapted to the 
meridians of Breflau and Nuremberg. In 1711, file pub- 
lifhed a diflertation, entitled “Preparations for obferving 
the grand Conjunctions of Saturn, Jupiter, &c.” which 
the journalifts of Leipfic warmly recommended, and ren¬ 
dered juftice to the author’s merits. In 1712 fhe found a 
patron in the baron de Throfick, who furniflied her with 
apartments in his houfe for carrying on her afironomical 
obfervations; in wdiicli file was agreeably accommodated 
till the death of that friend, about two years afterwards. 
She now removed to Dantzic, where a fon of lier’s, of 
whom particulars are mentioned in the next article, had 
an eftablifiiment in the obfervatory. She refided at this 
place, when Peter the Great, of Rufiia, vifited it in the 
courfe of his travels; who was defirous of engaging her 
to fettle in his empire. She gave the preference, how¬ 
ever, to her native country ; and in 1716 accompanied 
her fon to Berlin, where he was appointed afironomer ta 
the Academy of Sciences in that city. Here file continued 
her employment of making almanacs, not only adapted to 
the meridians of Breflau and Nuremberg, but for Drefden 
and Hungary; and here fhe acquired the friendfliip of M. 
Leibnitz, wdio introduced her to the court of Berlin, and 
fecured to her the patronage of fome of the royal family. 
She died in 1720, in the fifty-firft year of her age. 
KIRCH (Chriftian-Frederic), fon of the two prece¬ 
ding, was born at Guben, in the year 1694. In very early 
youth, he difeovered as ftrong a bias and inclination for 
mathematical, and particularly afironomical, fcience, as 
had marked the genius of both his parents, and conduct¬ 
ed them to celebrity. He commenced his Itudies at Ber¬ 
lin, and afterwards continued them at Halle; wdience he 
made excurfions for improvement to Nuremberg-, Leipfic, 
and Prufiia. He was employed in the obfervatory at 
Dantzic for a confiderable time, wdiere he was very affi- 
duous in making obfervations, and had the honour to 
have the czar Peter the Great among the perfonal witneffes 
of his labours. That prince made an offer to M. Kirch 
of an eftablifiiment at Mofcow ; but his attachment to his 
mother, who was averfe to remove from Germany, led him 
to decline it, with due acknowledgments to the czar for 
his goodnefs. Not long after this, the Academy of Sci¬ 
ences at Berlin chofe him to the fame offices and honours 
among them, as had been formerly conferred upon his fa¬ 
ther. In 1717 they added him to the number, of their 
members, appointing him at the fame time their obferver, 
and afterwards their aftronomer inordinary. In 1723, he 
was chofen a correfponding member of the Royal Acade¬ 
my of Sciences at Paris ; and ffiowed himfelf worthy of 
that diftinCtion by the frequent valuable contributions 
which he tranfinitted to them during the remainder of hii 
life. He alfo maintained a fcientific correfpondence with 
aftronomers in every other part of Europe. He died in 
1740, in the forty-lixth year of his age. His works, 
which are held in high eftimation, are, 1. Afironomical 
Ephemerides for the years 1714, 1715, and 1716, in Ger¬ 
man. a. Account of an Aurora Borealis obferved the 
16th March, 1716, in the fame language. 3. Obfervati- 
ones Aftronotnicae Seleitiores, in Obfervatorio Regio Be- 
rolinenfi habitae, 1730. 4. Eclipfes circum Jovialium ad 
Annos 1734, 1739, fupputatas, 173+- 5 - Celeftial Obfer¬ 
vations for the Year 1739, in the German language. Moreri. 
KIRCH'BACH, a town of the duchy of Stiria : four¬ 
teen miles fouth-eaft of Gratz. 
KIRCH'BAUM, a town of Auftria: five miles north 
of Freuftndt. 
KIRCH'BERG, a town of France, in the department 
of the Sarre : twenty-two miles weft-north-welt of Creutz- 
nach, and forty-one welt of Mentz. Lat. 49. 57. N. Ion. 
7. 22. E. 
KIRCH'BERG, a town and caftle of Bavaria : four¬ 
teen 
