PET 
hi its confequences been the mod beneficial. Indeed it 
is at leaft probable, that, if through any revolution the 
feat of government fliould be again transferred to Mof- 
cow, vve fliould nowhere fee the traces of thofe memora¬ 
ble improvements, which the pafling century has given 
birth to, but in the annals of hiftory ; and Ruflia would 
again, in all probability, relapfe into her original barba- 
rifm. 
The chief publications confulted in this article are— 
Tooke’s Tranflations from MM. Falconet and Diderot, 
particularly on the celebrated Statue of Peter the Great, 
now finifliing by the former at Peterlburg, with a Plate of 
the Statue; 1777. Coxe’s Travels in Poland, Ruflia, See. 
1784. Clarke’s Travels, 1823. Gent. Mag. 1775, 1777, 
1782,1783. Monthly Review for 1784. Times, Apr. 3, 
1823. 
PETERSBURG, a town of Weftphalia, in the bifhop- 
rick of Ofnabruck : one mile fouth of Ofnabruck. 
PETERSBURG, a poll-town of Virginia, of confider- 
able trade, in Dinwiddie county, on the fouth-eaft bank 
of Appamatox river, twenty-five miles fouth of Rich¬ 
mond. It contains about 400 houfes, irregularly built, 
an epifcopal church, a court-houfe, and a gaol. The 
Freemafons’ hall is a handfome building. Here are fe- 
veral tobacco-warehoufes, (lores of dry goods, and fome 
few neat and commodious dwelling-houfes. In 1790 it 
contained 2828 inhabitants, including 1265 flaves. Its 
lituation is rather low and unhealthy. The whole ex¬ 
ports of this town, valued at the ufual peace-prices, 
amount to 1,389,300 dollars, befides the value of peach 
and apple brandy, whifkey, &c. It is 80 miles well by north 
from Norfolk. Like Richmond, Williamlburgh, Alexan¬ 
dria, and Norfolk, it is a corporation ; and, what is lingu¬ 
lar, Peterlburg city comprehends part of three counties. 
The celebrated Indian queen, Pocahonta, from whom 
defeended the Randolph and Bowling families, formerly 
refided at this place. In July 1815, a dreadful fire took 
place here, which confumed 300 houfes, deltroying two- 
thirds of the town, the office of difeount, depofit, tobacco- 
warehoufe, and its contents. Many lives were loll, 
owing to feveral houfes being blown up. Lat. 3/. 14. N. 
Ion. 78. 8. W. 
PETERSBURG, a very flourilhing poll-town of 
Georgia, in Elbert county, in a pleafant and falubrious 
fituation, on the point of land formed by the confluence 
of Broad river with the Savannah. Several refpeftable 
merchants have fettled in this town : twenty miles north 
by eaft from Walhington. It contains, together with the 
county and Elberton-town, 12,156 inhabitants; the 
flaves of the county being 4291, thofe of the town 225, 
and thofe of Elberton 58. Lat. 33.46. N. Ion. 81.32. W. 
PETERSBURG, a town ol the Hate of Kentucky, 
on the river Kentucky •. twelve miles fouth-eall of Frank- 
fort. Lat. 37. 52. N. Ion. 85.4. W. 
PETERSBURG, a townfliip of America, in New York, 
in Renflelaer county, eaft of the village of Troy, incor¬ 
porated in 1793, and containing 4322 inhabitants.—A 
poll-town of Pennfylvania, in York-county, two miles 
north of the Maryland line; containing a Roman Ca¬ 
tholic Church, and about eighty houfes: twenty-five 
miles north-weft of Yorktown.—A town of Pennfylvania, 
in Huntingdon-county, with 194 inhabitants. 
PE'TERSDORF, a town of Pruflia, in the province of 
Sam land : twenty-four miles eall of Koniglberg. 
PE'TERSDORF, or Petramstorff. See Berch- 
THOLDSDORFF, vol. ii. 
PE'TERSFIELD, a borough-town, in the county of 
Southampton, or Hamplhire: fifty-five miles fouth-weft 
from London. Though but a chapelry to the parilh of 
Burifon, Petersfield is a market and borough town of 
confiderable antiquity. Its firft charter of incorporation 
was granted by queen Elizabeth, who veiled its govern¬ 
ment in a mayor and commonalty, and empowered them 
to return two members to parliament; but two returns 
PET 793 
had been previoully made, one in the thirty-fifth of Ed¬ 
ward I. the other in the time of Edward VI. 
The right of eledlion, as determined by the houfe of 
commons in 1727, is “ in the freeholders of lands, or an¬ 
cient dwelling-houfes or lhambles, or dwelling-houfes or 
lhambles built upon ancient foundat ion s,wi thin the laid bo¬ 
rough.” The right has been more clearly Hated by a com¬ 
mittee of the houfe of commons, May 29, 1821, to belong 
to “ the burgefles, and the freeholders of lands, houfes, and 
tenements, within the borough.” Itlignifies little, how¬ 
ever, in what manner the right is exprefled, as the whole 
property of the borough is in the hands of Hylton Jolliffe, 
efq. lord of the manor; and the titular mayor, who is 
the returning officer, is appointed by him at his court- 
leet. This gentleman, therefore, appoints the returning 
officer, and names both the members: he has named hitn- 
felf for one; fir Philip Mufgrave, bart. is the other. 
The dwelling-houfes and lhambles give the right of vo¬ 
ting, not to the occupiers or proprietors, but to the in¬ 
dividual who has purchafed the freeholds of thofe places, 
and conveys a few of them on the day of election to his 
fervants or dependents, who thereby become voters for 
the day, and return the perfon they are directed. The 
members are never feen in this borough, nor known to 
any perfon connected with it, except the proprietor. 
There are thirty-fix of thefe clofe or nominal boroughs 
in England, which fend feventy-two members to the im¬ 
perial parliament, fome of them deftitute of a Angle 
houfe or inhabitant: their eftablilhments all exifting in 
fiction. The borough itfelf, like Old Sarum, is a fic¬ 
tion, there exifting no fuch place but by name. The 
eleClors in all thefe boroughs are fictions named upon 
parchment for the day. The returning officer is alfo a 
fictitious character, called a bailiff, lleward, portreve, or 
titular mayor, having no office, function, or power, but 
that of fetting his name to the inftrument which concludes 
thefe fictitious proceedings. Thefe burgage-tenure bo¬ 
roughs are a greater abomination than even the corpora¬ 
tion boroughs; for there, there are a certain number of 
individuals with an efficient officer at their head; but 
here, everything is nominal except the members. 
The regular place of worfliip is a chapel of eafe, and 
near it Hands an equeftrian llatue of William III. ereCted 
by William Jolliffe, efq. with an infeription on the pe- 
deftal. The paflage of travellers from London to Portf- 
mouth, forms the principal fupport of Petersfield. It has 
a market on Saturday; and two annual fairs, July 10 and 
December 11. The petty feifions are holden here. The 
number of houfes is Hated to be 192, of inhabitants 1159. 
But this town, which if it has not been going to decay, 
has experienced no improvement for fome time paft, is 
now, we are told, once more rearing its head, by tile re¬ 
moving of nuifances, the repairing of houfes, and the 
building of new ones ; and it is confidently anticipated 
that, when the bridge and caufeway between Havant 
and Hayling-ifland are finilhed, Petersfield will once 
more become a flourilhing town. It was formerly a 
very confiderable manufacturing place for woollen- 
cloths, at which upwards of a thoufand perfons were 
employed. 
Mapledurham, about two miles fouth of Petersfield, 
was fome time the feat and refidence of the hiftorian 
Edward Gibbon, efq. At Butfer-hill, a fliort diftance 
from Mapledurham, Aubrey placesaconfiderableencamp- 
ment. 
A few miles to the weft of Petersfield are the villages 
of Eaft and Weft Meon, mentioned in the Dotnefday- 
book as the property of the bifhop of Winchefter, and 
then known by the general name of Menes. In the 
church at Eaft Meon is a very ancient font, bearin~an 
exact refemblance to that in Winchefter cathedral, and 
molt probably the work of the fame artifl, and given by 
the fame bifhop. The upper part, or bafin, is placed on 
a circular fliaft of three large Angle ltones, and its corners 
are 
