O R M 
flat, fmooth on both Tides; legume downy. Native of 
Jamaica, and other parts of the Weft Indies; brought by 
Capt. Bligh in 1793 to Kew, where it flowers in the 
Hove in June and July. The legume is often orbicular, 
with one Teed only ; Tometimes oblong, with two or three. 
One of the oblong t'nree-feeded legumes is fhown at < 1 ; 
and the Tame expanded, to ftiow the Teeds, or beads, at e. 
3. Ormofia coarftata, the cloTe-flowered necldace-tree: 
leaves pinnate; leaflets unequal; naked above; rulty 
and hairy beneath. Gathered by Mr. Alexander Ander- 
Ton in Guiana. The leaves are Trnaller than in the laft; 
their leaflets gradually larger as they recede from the 
branch. Panicle denfe and ftiort, though of many flowers. 
Seeds like the laft, but fmalier. Linn. Trim/, vol.x. 
OR/MSIDE, a village of Weftmoreland, near Appleby. 
A great number of veflels of brafs. Tome of which Teemed 
to have been gilt, were difcovered Tome years ago near 
the manor-houfe, by the water wafhing away the Toil. 
OR'MSKIRK, a market-town in Lancaftiire. It con- 
Tifts chiefly of four principal ftreets, which interfefl each 
other nearly at right angles. The property of this town 
anciently belonged to Burfcough priory, of which the 
ruins are ft ill tobefeenin the neighbourhood. Edward I. 
conferred on it the privilege of a market and fair; and this 
grant was renewed and confirmed by his fucceffor, with ad¬ 
ditional immunities. Ormfkirk at prefent is a confiderable 
manufacturing place; a large quantity of cotton, and thread 
for making Tail-cloth, being fpun here, both by the hand, 
and by means of machinery. Here are held the petty-fef- 
fions for the Ormfkirk-divifion of the hundred. The mar¬ 
ket-day is Saturday, (Wilkes fays Thurfday, Crutwell 
Tuesday;) and there are two fairs in the year, Whit 
Monday and Tuefday, and the 8th of September. The 
church, an ancient ItruClure, with a fquare tower at one 
end, poflefles the remarkable feature of having a fpire- 
fteeple entirely detached from it. The reafon of this 
ftrange circumftance remains unknown ; but, as it is an 
anomaly in our facred architecture, it Teems not unlikely 
to have been merely the refult of whim, to which fource 
indeed it is afcribed by tradition ; for it is faid, that the 
church was built at the expenfe of two fillers ; and that 
one of them was for having a tower, while the other pre¬ 
ferred a Tpire-lleeple: to pleafe them both, both were 
ereCted ; and thus, at a diftance from the town, it appears 
as if there were two churches. It is added, that Orm 
was the name of the fillers, and that the town was named 
Orm’s Kirk after them. 
There is nothing el fie remarkable at Ormfkirk, if we 
except the monuments of Tome of the ancient family of 
the Stanleys before they were ennobled. Not far from it 
is Latham Houfe, to which belongs a large ellate, and a 
fine park. It is noted for having been gallantly defended 
in the civil wars by Charlotte countefs of Derby, who 
held it to the laft extremity againlt the parliament-forces, 
who could never oblige her to capitulate : fhe kept it glo- 
rioufly till Ihe was relieved by prince Rupert. It was how¬ 
ever ruined in a Tecond fiege, and fold by the family to 
fir Thomas Bootle, who built a very magnificent houfe 
upon the ruins, which is now’ in the polTeflion of Ed¬ 
ward Bootle Wiibraham, efq. M. P. 
We are told that there is in this neighbourhood a bi¬ 
tuminous earth, from which oil of amber is extradited, 
that preferves raw flefh, and ferves the poor inltead of 
candles. According to the parliamentary returns of 1811, 
Ormfkirk comprifes 678 houfes, and 3064 inhabitants ; 
which is an increafe, fince 1S01, of 64 houfes, and 510 
perfons. It is fourteen miles from Liverpool, nineteen 
from Prefcot, forty-one from Lancafter, and 217 north- 
north-weft from London. Lat. 53. 22. N. Ion. a. 49. W. 
Wilkes's Britijh BireEory, vol. iv. Crittwell's Gaz. Beau¬ 
ties of England and Wales, vol. iv. 
OR'MUS, an ifland of Alia, at the entrance of the 
Gulf of Perfia, about ten miles in circumference. If is, 
ltrictiy fpeaking, no better than a rock of fait, the very 
dull of the country within-lancl being.white and pure, as 
Vol. XV.II. No, 1214. 
ORM 757 
well as very pungent to the tafte. Springs there are none, 
and the fmall lakes of frefh water are no more than cavities 
filled with rain, which, however, falls but feldom in that 
climate. In this ifland is a good city, and a flrong for- 
trefs, in which the kings of Ormus formerly relided, who 
had likewife Tome dominions, though not of large extent, 
upon the continent of Perfia. It was from its commo¬ 
dious fituation that it became the greateft mart in the haft, 
to which fhipping repaired from all parts of the Indies, 
from the coafts of Africa, Egypt, and Arabia, befides a 
regular trade carried on by caravans acrofs the country. 
This made the fovereigns of Ormus rich and relpeCfed, 
if not great and potent monarclis ; and, at proper feafions 
of the year, there was a prodigious refiort of merchants 
from all countries, befides factors, that refided conllantly 
there, particularly the Venetians, who drove great tradp 
in jewels tranfiported from thence to Baflora, and by ca¬ 
ravans to Aleppo, or to Suez by Tea, then overland, by 
the Nile, to Alexandria, where they were delivered to the 
merchants to whom they were configned. A Venetian 
poet defcribes it in the following lofty terms: 
Si terrarum orbis, quaqua patet, annulus efiet, 
Illius Ormufium gemma, decufque foret. 
It was the known wealth, and prodigious commerce of 
this place which excited the Portuguefe to attempt the 
conqueft of it, which they achieved. As it was not for 
their intereft, they did not deprive the king either of his 
title or of his dominions; but were content he Ihould re¬ 
tain the one, and pay a tribute for the other. They were, 
however, abfolute mailers of the town and citadel. The 
former Hood upon the fea-coaft, and confifted of about 
3000 houfes. The fettled inhabitants were for the moft 
part Arabians, Mahometans, and fubjeCts to the fove- 
reign, a few Indians, who were pagans, and about 100 
families of Jews; To that, in all, they were computed at 
40,000 fouls. The fortrefs or citadel, built on a point of 
land extending towards the Perfian coaft, was regular, 
beautiful, and very ftrong, furnilhed by degrees with 
nolefsthan 300 pieces of cannon. Caravans from Aleppo 
fet out twice a-year, in the months of April and Sep¬ 
tember, for Baflora, with a vaft number of camels, efi- 
corted by janifiaries; and from thence themlelves 
and their merchandife were eafily tranfiported by Tea to 
Ormus. Thefe caravans confifted of from two or three to 
five or fix thoufand perfons, and the wealth they brought 
was prodigious. On the other hand, the regular trade 
from Malacca, private fhips from all parts of the Indies, 
and the caravans that palled through the provinces of 
Perfia, brought likewife the richelt and moft valuable 
commodities in vaft quantities. 
The famous Perfian monarch Shah Abbas had long me¬ 
ditated the conqueft of this important place ; but, for 
want of naval force, found it altogether impracticable. 
The Portuguefe, now under the dominion of Spain, Tup- 
plied him with a fleet, by their indifcretion, which all the 
power of his monarchy could not have railed, or his po¬ 
licy obtained ; in fliort, they quarrelled with and infulted 
the Englifh, who were become lately confiderable in the 
Indies. Thefe entered into a treaty with the Perfians, 
furnilhed a fquadron of nine Tail, with which they 
blocked and battered the city and caftle, and landed an 
army of 3000 Perfians on the ifland. The befieged had a 
great ftrength, and a good fleet; but all was ill-managed. 
The city furrendered Toon, Tome writers luggeft through 
treachery, but it Teems to have been rather through in¬ 
difcretion and folly : the fleet was for the moft part burnt 
and dellroyed. After all, the citadel made a good de¬ 
fence, and might have been preferved, if the governor 
had not been obftinate, in refilling to let the Tea through 
the peninfula which joined the point of land upon which 
the fortrefs flood to the ifland, becaufe it was an expedi¬ 
ent that did not occur firft to himfelf. In fine, after about 
two months’ difipute,the garrilon of that important place 
capitulated with the Englilh; and thus, after remaining 
9 G in 
