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574 
castle, which is in this parish, is situated on an eminence 
above the river Lynher. It was held under Robert, earl 
of Moreton and Cornwall, in the reign of William Rufus, 
by Rejenald de Valletort. There are still some considerable 
remains of the original structure. Population 1121. 
STEPHENS, Cape, a cape on the north-west coast of 
America. Lat. 63. 33. N. long. 197. 41. E. 
STEPHEN'S ISLAND, an island on the north-west coast 
of North America, about 30 miles in length, so called by 
Vancouver. It is about 10 miles to the north of Pitt’s 
archipelago. On the north-west side of the island, a range 
of innumerable rocky islets and rocks extends for about a 
league and a half, and occupies a space of about two miles 
in width. Lat. 54. 11. N. long. 229. 30. E. 
STEPHEN’S ISLAND, a small island in the north-west 
part of Cook’s straits, in New Zealand. Lat. 40. 36. N. 
long. 185. 6. W. 
STEPHEN’S ISLANDS, two small islands in the Eastern 
seas, discovered by Captain Carteret in 1767. They had a 
green pleasant appearance, and were well covered with trees; 
but whether they were inhabited he did not know. They 
run about north-west-by-west, and south-east-by-east: one 
is about three miles long, and the other about six. The 
passage between them appeared to be about two miles broad. 
They are surrounded with extensive reefs. Lat. 0. 22. S. 
long. 138. 39. E. 
STEPHEN’S ISLAND, in Torres strait, north of Darn- 
ley’s island, lying about long. 143. E. lat. 9. S. The 
cocoa nut grows abundantly here, and a tree which produces 
fruit resembling almonds. The natives dwell in huts, 
wherein are images of their gods; also several human 
skulls. 
STEPHEN’S PASSAGE, the strait which divides Ad¬ 
miralty island from the west coast of North America. Its 
general direction is nearly north, in which direction it 
extends along the eastern shore of Admiralty island, when 
at Point Salisbury, on the continental shore, it divides into 
two branches. One of these, running in a north-west 
direction, along the north-east shore of Admiralty island, is 
separated into two channels by Douglas’s island, and com¬ 
municating with Chatham’s strait and Cross sound, leads by 
this passage to the ocean. The channel between Douglas’s 
island and the mainland, was found by Captain Vancouver’s 
exploring party, to be interrupted with ice, even in the 
month of August. The other takes a north-east direction 
from Point Salisbury about 13 miles, and was encumbered 
with a great quantity of floating ice, the weather also being 
extremely cold. The shores at its termination spread out 
to east and west, and form a basin about a league broad, 
and two across. From the shores of this basin, Vancouver’s 
party saw a compact body of ice extending some distance 
all around ; and the adjacent region is composed of a lofty 
range of frozen mountains, whose sides, almost perpendicu¬ 
lar, are formed entirely of rock, excepting close to the water 
side, where a few scattered dwarf pine trees found sufficient 
soil to vegetate in. Above these the mountains were wrapt 
in undissolving frost and snow. From the rugged gullies 
in their sides were projected immense bodies of ice, that 
reached perpendicularly to the surface of the water in the 
basin, and exhibited as dreary and inhospitable an aspect 
as the imagination can suggest. Lat. 57. 29. N. long, of 
the south entrance, 226. 35. E. 
STEPHENS, Point, a cape on the east coast of New 
Holland. Lat. 33. 41. S. long. 207. 50. W. 
STEPHENS, St., a parish of England, in Cornwall, 
adjoining to Launceston. Population 896. 
STEPHENS, St., a parish of England, in Cornwall; 4| 
miles west-north-west of St. Austell. 
STEPHENS, St., a parish of the United States, in South 
Carolina, Charleton district. 
STEPHENS, Fort St., a newly established town of the 
United States, in Washington county, Albania territory. It 
is situated on the west bank of the Tombigbee, at the head 
of the sloop navigation, and is in a state of rapid improve- 
S T U 
ment. It contains about 250 houses, a printing office, an 
academy, and 15 stores or shops. It is built on very uneven 
ground, but in a healthy situation. It is the seat of govern¬ 
ment for the Alabama territory. Population in 1817, 800. 
100 miles above Mobile by land, 120 or 130 by the river; 
1081 miles from Washington. Lat. 31. 33. N. 
STEPHENTOWN, a post township of the United States, 
in Rensselaer county, New York; 22 miles south-east of 
Albany. Population 2567. 
STEPNEY, a large and populous village and parish of 
England, in the county of Middlesex, being one of the out 
parishes of the city of London, and which may be regarded 
as a suburb to the metropolis, being connected with it by 
ranges of buildings. It was formerly of such vast extent, 
that in subsequent times the following parishes have been 
produced out of it, viz., St. Mary Stratford, at Bow; St. 
Mary, Whitechapel; St. Ann’s, Limehouse; St. John’s 
at Wapping; St. Paul’s, Shad well; St. George, Ratcliffe 
Highway ; Christ Church, Spitalfields; St. Matthew’s, 
Bethnal Green, and Poplar; all which have been separated 
from it, and yet it still remains one of the largest parishes 
within the bills of mortality. It contains the hamlets of 
Mile End, Old and New Towns, and Ratcliffe. In the year 
1794, it contained, according to Mr. Lysons, about 1530 
acres of land (exclusive of the site of buildings), of which 
about 80 were then arable, about 50 occupied by market 
gardeners, and the remainder meadow, pasture, and marshy 
land. But since that year, the increase of buildings has 
reduced nearly to nothing the ground appropriated to these 
purposes. The church of Stepney, dedicated to St. Dunstan 
and All Saints, is a large building, consisting of a chancel, 
nave, and two aisles, separated by columns and pointed 
arches. At the west end is a square tower. Here are tombs 
of several illustrious characters, especially of Sir Henry Colet, 
lord mayor in 1486 and 1495, the father of Dr. John Colet, 
who founded St. Paul’s school; Sir John Berry, a distin¬ 
guished officer in the reign of Charles II.; Sir Thomas 
Spert, comptroller of the navy to Henry VIII. and founder 
of the Trinity-house. The font stands on a circular pillar, 
surrounded by four others of a smaller size. On the south 
side of the church are sculptures of the crucifixion, &c. In 
the wall of one of the porches is a stone, on which some 
verses are inscribed, dated 1663, and stating it to have been 
brought from Carthage. The churchyard contains, with 
many other celebrated names, those of Dr. Richard Mead 
and his father. Besides the church, this parish contains 
several Methodist meeting-houses. Adjoining to Poplar is 
Stepney Marsh, peculiarly celebrated for the richness of 
its pasture. The hamlet of Ratcliffe lies in the western 
division of the parish. It is about two miles and a half 
in circumference. The charity school here was begun in 
1710; and the school-house in White horse-street was 
built by subscription in 1719, and has since received great 
additional benefactions. In this hamlet are the church, the 
Friends’ meeting, the Mercers’ alms-houses, a cemetery 
belonging to the Protestant dissenters, with dwellings for 
seven poor persons, and a school instituted by them in 1783. 
Mile End occupies the greater part of the northern division 
of the parish. In this hamlet is Brewer’s meeting-house 
and a Methodist chapel. On the north side of the road are 
two Judaic cemeteries. Several other charitable institu¬ 
tions belonging to public bodies, are situated on this road. 
The origin of the name of Stepney is uncertain, but it is 
supposed to be derived from the Saxon for a timber wharf, 
or from Stiben, a corruption of Stephen. In 1299 Ed¬ 
ward I. held a parliament here, in the house of Henry 
Walleis, lord mayor of London, and gave his confirma¬ 
tion to the great charter. Lands in the manors of Step¬ 
ney, Poplar, and Bromley, descend by the custom of gavel¬ 
kind. 
STEPPE, a name given in Russia to its plains and flats, 
which are very extensive, and are interspersed among its 
mountainous tracts, 
STE'PPING, s. The act of going forward by steps. 
Though 
