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170 
portico of the Compofite order. “ Thus, Oxyrinchus, 
once a metropolis, furrounded by a fertile plain, two 
leagues off the Lybian range of hills, has difappeared be¬ 
neath the fand ; and the new town has been obliged to 
retreat from this defolating invafion, leaving to its rava¬ 
ges houfe after houfe; and the inhabitants muft at laft 
be driven beyond the canal Jufef, on the border of which 
they will be ftill menaced.” Denon’s Travels in Egypt, vol.i. 
OXYR'RFIODINE, f. [from the Gr. ofv?, lour, and (octov, 
rofe.] A mixture of two parts of oil of rofes and one 
part of vinegar, ftirred together for fome time. To thefe 
are fometimes added diliilled waters. It is ufed for in¬ 
flammations, and to dry up tetters. Scultetus prefcribes 
it as follows: Two whites of eggs beaten, one ounce 
and a half of vinegar of rofes, four ounces of rofe-water, 
and two ounces of oil of rofes.—The fpirits, opiates, and 
cool things, readily compofe oxyrr/iodines. Floyer on the 
Humours. 
OX'YS, f. in botany. See Oxalis. 
OXYSAC'CHARUM, f. [from the Gr. ofu?, four, and 
crciK^aspoy, fugar.] A liquid medicine, compofed of fugar 
and vinegar. The name is more peculiarly given to a 
fyrup prepared with vinegar, the juice of four pomegra¬ 
nates, and fugar ; ufed to cool, refrelh, and refill the ma¬ 
lignity of peccant humours. 
OXYSTEL'MA,/ in botany. See Periploca. 
OXYTRO'PIS, f. [from the Gr. lharp, and TpoTn?, 
carina, or keel.] In botany, a genus of plants inftituted 
by Monf. A. P. Decandole, in his Hiltory of the Aftra- 
gali, &c. 1802. The fpecies of this genus are furnifhed 
with a mucronated keel, and a legume divided into two 
compartments by a partition originating in the upper fu¬ 
ture. Of thefe feveral have been removed from Astra¬ 
galus, feveral which Pallas had defcribed under Phaca, 
and fome not formerly publilhed ; in all thirty-three fpe¬ 
cies. See thofe articles. 
OYACA'CHA, a town of South America, in the pro¬ 
vince of Quito: twenty-five miles eaft of Quito. 
OYAM'BRE, See Cape Oyambre, vo!. iii. 
OYAPOO'K, a river of Guiana, which runs into the 
Atlantic near Cape Orange. 
O'YE, a town of France, in the department of the 
Straits of Calais, fituatedon a river, a branch of the Aa, 
to which it gives name; formerly in poffeflion of the 
Englilh : five miles weft of Gravelines, and feven eaft- 
north-eaft of Calais. 
O'YE, (Norder and Sander,) two fmall iflands of Den¬ 
mark, in the North Sea, two and three miles north of 
Nordftrand. 
O'YER, a town of Norway: eighty-eight miles north 
of Chriftiania. 
O'YER, /! [Fr. to hear.] A word which feems to have 
been anciently ufed for what we call affifes. Hence, 
Oyer and Terminer is a commiflion directed to the 
judges and other gentlemen of the county to which it is 
ifl'ued, by virtue whereof they are empowered to hear and 
determine treafons, and all manner of felonies and tref- 
pafles. See Assises, vol. ii. and Justice, vol. xi. p, 
558, 60. 
OYES', f. [ oyez , hear ye, Fr.] The introduction to 
any proclamation or advertifement given by the public 
criers both in England and Scotland. It is often thrice 
repeated : 
Fairies, black, grey, green, and white, 
Attend your office and your quality. 
Crier hobgoblin, make the fairy O Yes. Shakefpeare. 
The crier of a court.—Good faith ! he looks like an O Yes. 
Suckling's Goblins. 
O'YEST. See Uyste. 
OYL CREE'K, a river of Pennfylvania, which runs 
into the Alleghany in lav. 41. 26. N. Ion. 72. 43. W. 
OY'LET-HOLE, j. [from ceillet, Fr. but EYELET is 
better, as being Englilh. See that word.] 
O Y S 
Diftinguilh’d Hallies deck the great, 
As each excels in birth or ftate ; 
His oylet-holes are more and ampler ; 
The king’s own body was a fampler. Prior. 
OY'ON, a town of Spain, in the province of Alava : 
twenty-two miles fouth-fouth-eaft of Vittoria. 
OYON'NAX, a town of France, in the department of 
the Ain : feven miles north of Nantua, and twelve fouth- 
fouth-weft of St. Claude. 
OY'SSEL, a town of France, in the department of the 
Lower Seine : feven miles fouth of Rouen. 
OY'STER, / [o£tp, ofcpe, Sax. oyfire, old Fr.] A 
bivalve teftaceous filli.—There may be many ranks of 
beings in the invifible World as fuperior to us as we are 
fuperior to all the ranks of being in this vifible world; 
though we defcend below the oyfier to the leaft animated 
atoms difcovered by microfcopes. Watts's Improv. of the 
Mind. —The world’s mine oyjler , which I with fword will 
open. Shakefpeare's M. Wives of Windfor. —Rich honefty 
dwells like your mifer, fir, in a poor houfe ; as your pearl 
in your foul oyfier. Shakefpeare. 
For fundry curious particulars on the fubjeCt of oyfters, 
fee the article Ostrea, p. 32, 3, 4. The oyfter-filhery, 
in the river Medway, is regulated by flat. 2 Geo. II. c. 19. 
and a court is kept for that purpole at Rochefter yearly, 
where, by a jury of free dredger-men of the oyfter-filh¬ 
ery, the fame is to be inquired into ; and they may make 
rules and orders when oyfters {hall be taken, what quan¬ 
tities in a day, and to preferve the brood of oyfters, &c. 
and may impofe penalties not exceeding 5I. Alfo water- 
bailiffs (hall be appointed to examine boats, &c. By ftat. 
31 Geo. III. c. 51. amended by 48 Geo. III. c. 144. for 
regulating oyfter-filhing in general, fine and imprifonment 
may be inflicted on perlons unlawfully fifning for oyfters. 
And thofe who fteal them are puniftiable as felons, by 
feven years tranfportation. 
Fossile Oysters. Seethe article Conchology, voh 
v. p. 31. 
OYSTER BA'Y, a townfliip of New-York, fituated in 
Queen’s county, Long-ifland, extending from the found 
fouth to the Atlantic Ocean, and including Lloyd’s Neck, 
or Queen’s-village, and Hog-ifland. It contains 4548 in¬ 
habitants, of whom 134 are Haves. 
OYSTER BA'Y, a harbour for fmall veffels, in the 
fouth-weft limits of Barnftable, Maffachufetts. It derives 
its name from its excellent oyfters. 
OYSTER CREE'K, a river of North Carolina, which 
runs into the Atlantic in lat. 34. 50. N. Ion. 76. 45. W. 
OYSTER CREE'K, a river of New Jerfey, which runs 
into the Atlantic in lat. 39. 44. N. ion. 74. 20. W. 
OYSTER HAR'BOUR, a bay on the fouth-weft coaft 
of New Holland, and north-part of King George the 
Third’s Sound, difcovered by Capt. Vaucouver in the 
year 1791 ; and fo called from the plenty of oyfters found 
there. Oyfter Harbour is rendered admiflible alone for 
veffels of a middle fize, by the fiialiownefs of the water 
on the bar, extending from fnore to faore, on which were 
found feventeen feet w r ateronly, although the depth in- 
creafed from five to feven fathoms on each fide. The deep 
water within the harbour did not feem of any great ex¬ 
tent. In both thefe harbours th§ communication with 
the country is rendered unpleafant/by the fhallow depth 
of water in moft places extending to h great diftance from 
the ftiore. This inconvenience could be eafily remedied, 
fliould it ever be an cbjeft fo to do, by wharfs. Lat. 34. 
58*S. Ion. 118.15. E. 
OYSTER HA'VEN, a harbour on the fouth coaft of 
Ireland : three miles eaft of Kinfale Harbour. 
OYSTER I'SLAND, in the bay of Bengal, near the 
coaft of Aracan. Lat. 30.11. N. Ion. 92. 43. E. 
OYSTER I'SLAND, a fmall ifland near the weft coaft 
of Ireland, in Sligo Bay: four miles weft-fouth-weft of 
Sligo. 
OYSTER 
