782 PET 
Wild Boy, lies buried in this church-yard, oppofite to 
the porch. In the year 1725 he was found in the woods 
near Hamden, a fortified town in the electorate of Ha¬ 
nover, when his majefty George I. with his attendants, 
was hunting in the foreft of Hertfwold. He was fup- 
pofed to be then about twelve years of age, and had fub- 
fifted in thofe woods upon-the bark of trees, leaves, ber¬ 
ries, &c. for fome confiderable length of time. How 
long he had continued in that wild (fate is altogether 
uncertain ; but that he had been formerly under the care 
of fome perfon, was evident from the remains of a fhirt- 
collar about his neck at the time when he was found. 
As Hamelen was a town where criminals were confined 
to work upon the fortifications, it was then conjectured 
at Hanover that Peter might be the ill'ue of one of thofe 
criminals, who had either wandered into the woods and 
could not find his way back again; or, being difcovered 
to be an idiot, was inhumanly turned out by his parents, 
and left to perifh or fhift for himfelf. In the following 
year, 1726, he was brought over to England, by the or¬ 
der of queen Caroline, then princefs of Wales, and put 
under the care of Dr. Arbuthnot, with proper mailers to 
attend him. But, notwithftanding there appeared to be 
no natural defeCt in his organs of fpeech, after all the 
pains that had been taken with him, he could never be 
brought diftinCtly to articulate a fingle fyllable, and 
proved totally incapable of receiving any inftrudtion. 
He was afterwards intruded to the care of Mrs. Titch- 
bourn, one of the queen’s bedchamber-women, with a 
liandfome penfion annexed to the charge. Mrs. Titch- 
bourn ufually fpending a few weeks every fummer at 
the houfeofMr. James Fenn, a yeoman farmer at Axter’s 
End, in this parifh, Peter was left to the care of the faid 
Mr. Fenn, who was allowed 35I. a-year for his fupport 
and maintenance. After the death of James Fenn, he 
was transferred to the care of his brother Thomas Fenn, 
at another farm-houfe in this parifli, called Broadway, 
where he lived with the feveral fuccelfive tenants of that 
farm, and with the fame provision allowed by government, 
to the time of his death, Feb. 22, 1785, when he wasfup- 
pofed to be about 72 years of age. 
“ Peter was well made, and of the middle fize. His 
countenance had not the appearance of an idiot, nor was 
there any thing particular in his form, except that two of 
the fingers of his left hand were united by a web up to 
the middle joint. He had a natural ear for mufic, and 
was fo delighted with it, that if he heard any mufical in- 
ftrument played upon, he would immediately dance and 
caper about till he was almoft exhaufted with fatigue ; 
and, though he could never be taught the diftin£t utter¬ 
ance of any word, yet he could eafily learn to hum 
a tune. "All thofe idle tales which have been pub- 
lifhed to the world about his climbing up trees like a 
fquirrel, running upon all-fours like a wild beaft,&c. are 
entirely without foundation ; for he was fo exceedingly 
timid and gentle in his nature, that he would fuffer him¬ 
felf to be governed by a child. There have been alfo 
many falfe ftories propagated of his incontinence; but 
from the minuteft inquiries among thofe who conftantly 
lived with him, it does not appear that heever difcovered 
any natural paflion for women, though he was fubjedt to 
the other paflions of human nature, fuch as anger, joy, 
&c. Upon the approach of bad weather he always ap¬ 
peared fullen and uneafy. At particular feafons of the 
year he fhowed a ftrange fondnefs for Healing away into 
the woods, where he would feed eagerly upon leaves, 
beech-maft, acorns, and the green bark of trees; which 
proves evidently that he had fubfified in that manner for 
a confiderable length of time before he was firlt taken. 
His keeper therefore at fuch feafons generally kept a llridl 
eye over him, and fometimes even confined him, becaufe, 
if he ever rambled to any diftance from his home, he 
could not find his way back again ; and once in particu¬ 
lar, having gone beyond his knowledge, he wandered as 
1 E R. 
far as Norfolk, where he was taken up, and, being carried 
before a magiltrate, w'as committed to the houfe ofcorrec- 
tion in Norwich, and punifhed as a fturdy and obftinate 
vagrant, who w'ould not (for indeed he could not) give 
any account of himfelf: but, Mr. Fenn having advertifed 
him in the public papers, he was releafed from his con¬ 
finement, and brought back to his ufual place of abode. 
“ Notwithflanding the extraordinary and favage ftate in 
which Peter was firlt found greatly excited the attention 
and curiofity of the public; yet, after all that has been 
faid of him, he was certainly nothing more than a com¬ 
mon idiot without the appearance of one. But, as men 
of fome eminence in the literary world have in their 
works publilhed ftrange opinions and ill-founded conjec¬ 
tures about him, which may fe6m to ftamp a credit upon 
what they have advanced ; that pofterity may not through 
their authority be hereafter milled upon the fubjedt, this 
Ihort and true account of Peter is recorded in the parifh- 
regifter by one who conftantly refilled above thirty years 
in his neighbourhood, and had daily opportunities of fee¬ 
ing and obferving him.” 
PE'TER (St.), a town of the duchy of Stiria : four 
miles fouth-eaft ofLandfperg.—Alfo, a town of the fame 
duchy: three miles weft-north-weft of Windifch Weif- 
tritz.—Another town in the fame duchy : fix miles weft 
of Cilley.—A town of Auftria : twelve miles weft-fouth- 
weft of Freuftadt.—An ifland on the river Rhine, rtrongly 
fortified, near Mentz.—A town on the fouth-weft coaft 
of the ifland of Cape Breton, in a bay to which it gives 
name, and which is a very commodious place for carry¬ 
ing on the filhery.—A fmall ifland in the Weft Indies, 
among thofe which form the duller called Virgin Iflands, 
dependent on Virgin Gorda.—A town of the ifland of 
Antigua.—A town of the ifland of Stronfa. Lat. 59. N. 
Ion. 2.31. W. 
PE'FER’s (St.), a river on the coaft of Labrador, 
about four leagues from the ifland of Belle-ifle, in the 
llraits of that name.—A river of Louifiana, being one 
of the north-weftern branches of the Milfiflippi river, 
which it joins in about lat. 45. 6. N. Ion. 94. 22. W. 
PE'TF.R’s (St.), a fmall ifland on the weft coaft of St. 
John’s Ifland, near to, and north-by-weft of, Governor- 
ifland, in the narrowed: part of the ftrait between New 
Brunfwick and St. John’s ifland. 
PE'TER’s BAN'K, a large fifhing-ground off the fouth 
end of Newfoundland, extending from Cape Race to St. 
Peter’s-ifland, oppofite Placentia, St. Mary, and Trepafl’y, 
bays. It has on it from forty-five to thirty fathoms of water. 
PE'TER’s BA'Y, a bay on the fouth coaft of Cape 
Breton ifland. 
PE'TER’s FO'RT, a fort in the ifland of Martinico, 
in the Weft Indies. Lat. 14. 44. N. 
PE'TER’s HAR'BOUR, on the north coaft of the 
ifland of St. John, in thegulf of St. Lawrence, about eight 
leagues weft of Eaft-point. Lat. 46. 25. N. Ion. 62.20. W. 
PE'TER’s HAVEN, a harbour on the eaft coaft of 
Labrador. Lat. 56. 31. N. Ion. 60. 42. W. 
PE'TER’s I'SLAND, in the lake of Bienne, in Swif- 
ferland, remarkable for being one of the retreats of Rouf- 
feau;.whence it has alfo got the name of Roujjeau's 
Ifland. It lies towards the fouth fide of the lake, and 
produces a great variety of Ihrubs and trees, particularly 
large oaks, beech, and Spanilh cheftnut. The fouthern 
lhore Hopes gradually to the lake, and is covered with 
herbage; the remaining borders are fteep and rocky; 
their lummits in a few places thinly covered with flirubs; in 
others their perpendicular fides are clothed to the water’s 
edge with hanging woods. The views from the different 
parts of the ifland are beautiful and diverfified ; that to 
the north being the moft extenfive and pleafing. It com¬ 
mands the prolpedl of the lake, which is of an oval form ; 
its cultivated borders, interfperfed with villages and caf- 
tles, with the towns of Nidau and Bienne Handing upon 
the farther extremity. Agreeable walks are carried 
through 
