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V I M 
Voh. 4to. under the title of “ Anecdota Graeca." He also 
found a very valuable MS. of Homer’s Iliad, with scholia 
by ancient grammarians, which he committed to the press 
in 1788, accompanied with learned prolegomena. About 
this time he received an invitation from the duke and duchess 
of Saxe-Weimar, to visit their court, the most literary in 
Germany; and here he collected various readings and emen¬ 
dations of the text of several Greek authors, which he printed 
at Zurich, under the title of “ Epistolse Vimarienses.” An¬ 
other of his publications is that of a translation of part of the 
Old Testament, by a Jew of the ninth century, which he 
had found in the library of St. Mark; and of this he gave 
an edition, with notes, at Strasburgh in 1781. Soon after 
his return to Paris, and his marriage of an interesting young 
woman, he formed the purpose of searching for MSS. in the 
East, and in 1785 he visited Constantinople, and afterwards 
Smyrna, and several islands in the Archipelago, and Greece; 
and the result of his researches and observations was read 
before the Academy of Belles Leltres, on his return to Paris 
in 1787. At the commencement of the Revolution he retired 
to Orleans, for the pursuance of his literary plans; and the 
fruits of his consultations of ancient and modern authors 
were 15 large volumes in 4to. He also contemplated a larger 
work, which was a new edition of father Montfaucon’s 
“ Palseographia Graeca.” When the revolutionary tempest 
subsided, he returned to Paris, with literary treasure, in 
amassing which he had expended three-fourths of his mo¬ 
derate fortune; and he was therefore under a necessity of 
commencing a course of lectures in the Greek language, which 
proved unsuccessful. He therefore gladly accepted the pro¬ 
fessorship of modern Greek, which the government esta¬ 
blished, and discharged its duties till it was suppressed by 
Napoleon. From respect to his merit, a professorship of 
ancient and modern Greek was created for him alone in the 
college of France; but he was carried off by a lingering 
malady in April 1805, at the age of 55 years. In verbal 
knowledge Villoison w*as deemed a profound scholar; but 
to the higher qualities of intellect he is said to have had no 
just pretensions. Gen . Biog. 
VI'LLOUS, ad). Shaggy; rough; furry.—The liquor of 
the stomach, which with fasting grows sharp, and the quick 
sensation of the inward villous coat of the stomach, seem to 
be the cause of the sense of hunger. Arbutlinot. 
VILM, a small island in the Baltic, near the island of 
Rugen, belonging to Prussia. 
VILQUES, the name of three inconsiderable settlements 
in Peru. 
VILS, a river of Bavaria, which rises to the east of Erding, 
and falls into the Danube, on the south side, near Vilshofen. 
Another Vils, also in Bavaria, flows through Amberg, and 
joins the Nab, at Calmunz. 
VILSBIBURG, a small town of Germany, in Bavaria, on 
the Vils, with 1100 inhabitants; 9 miles east-south-east of 
Landshut. 
VILSECK, a town of Bavaria, at the source of the Vils; 
10 miles north-by-west of Amberg. 
VILSHOFEN, a town of Bavaria, on the Danube; 11 
miles west-norlh-west of Passau. Population 1600. 
VILVORDEN, or Villeforte, an inland town of South 
Brabant, on the canal of Brussels, at the confluence of 
the small rivers Senne and Woluwe; 6 miles north of 
Brussels. 
VIMEIRA, or Vimiero, a village of Portuguese Estre- 
madura. This place is remarkable for the battle between the 
British and the French, on 21st August 1808 ; 3 miles north, 
west of Torres Vedras, and 28 north-north-west of Lisbon. 
VIMERCATO, a small town of Italy, on the river Mor- 
gara; 13 miles north-east of Milan. 
VIMIEIRO, a town of Portugal, in Alentejo; 15 miles 
west-south-west of Estremos. Population 1800. 
VI'MINAL, aclj. [ viminalis , Lat.] Applied to trees pro¬ 
ducing twigs fit to bind with. Cockeram. 
VIMI'NEOUS, adj. [vimincus, Lat.] Made of twigs. 
As in the hive’s vimineous dome. 
Ten thousand bees enjoy their home; 
Each does her studious action vary. 
To go and come, to fetch and carry. Prior. 
VIMIOSO, a strong town of Portugal, in the province of 
Traz os Montes, near the Spanish frontier; 19 miles west of 
Miranda de Duero. Population 1300. 
VIMOUTIERS, an ill built town of France, department 
of the Orne, on the Vire; 17 miles north-east of Argentan. 
Population 3100. 
VINA, a settlement of Peru, in the province of Huamanga; 
23 leagues distant from Guancavelica. 
VINA'CEOUS, adj. [vinaceus , Lat.] Of or belonging 
to wine and grapes.—The general colour of the bird is brown, 
changing to vinaceous red on the breast. White. 
VINADIO, a town of Piedmont, on the Stura; 24 miles 
west-south-west of Coni. Population 2600. 
V1NALHAVEN, a township of the United States, in 
Hancocke county, Maine; 210 miles north-east of Boston. 
Population 1052. 
VINARA, a settlement of South America, in the pro¬ 
vince of Tucuman; 56 miles north-north-west of St. Jago 
del Eslero. 
VINAY, a town of France, department of the Isere, on 
the Trery ; 17 miles west of Grenoble. Population 2400. 
VINAY, a small islet on the south-west coast of the 
island of Skye. 
VINCA, a town of France, department of the Eastern 
Pyrenees; 4 miles east-north-east of Prades. Population 
1400. 
VINCA [from vinco or vincio; because it subdues other 
plants by its creeping, or binds them by its runners], in 
Botany, a genus of the class pentandria, order monogynia, 
natural order of contort®, apocineae (Juss.) —Generic Cha¬ 
racter. Calyx: perianth five-parted, erect, acute, permanent. 
Corolla one-petalled, salver-shaped; tube longer than the 
calyx, cylindric below, wider above, marked with five lines, 
the mouth a pentagon ; border horizontal, five-parted ; seg¬ 
ments fastened to the apex of the tube, wider outwards and 
obliquely truncate. Stamina: filaments five, very short, 
indexed and retroflexed; anthers membranaceous, obtuse, 
erect, curved in, fariniferous on both sides at the edge. 
Pistil: germs two, roundish, with two roundish, little bodies 
lying by their sides. Style: one common to both, cylindric, 
length of the stamens. Stigma capitate, concave, placed on 
a flat ring. Pericarp: follicles two, round, long, acuminate, 
erect, one-valved, opening longitudinally. Seeds numerous, 
oblong, cylindric, grooved, naked.— Essential Character. 
Contorted. Follicles two, erect. Seeds naked. 
1. Vinca minor, or small periwinkle.—Stems procumbent ; 
leaves elliptic lanceolate, smooth at the edge; flowers pe- 
duncled; calyx-teeth lanceolate. Root perennial, creeping, 
with branched fibres. The whole plant smooth and shining. 
—Native of Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy, Britain, &c. 
2. Vinca major, or great periwinkle.—Stems nearly erect; 
leaves ovate, ciliate; flowers peduncled; calyx-teeth bristle¬ 
shaped, elongated. This is larger in all its parts than the 
preceding.—Native of France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, 
England, and Algiers. 
3. Vinca lutea, or yellow periwinkle.—Stem twining; 
leaves oblong. This has the appearance of an eehites.— 
Native of Carolina. 
4. Vinca rosea, or Madagascar periwinkle..—Stem suf- 
frutescent, erect; flowers in pairs, sessile; leaves ovate- 
oblong; petioles two-toothed at the base.—It has been found 
in Java, China, Cochinclvna, and Japan. 
5. Vinca parviflora, or small-flowered periwinkle.—Stem 
herbaceous, erect; leaves lanceolate, acute—Native of the 
East Indies. 
Propagation and Culture.- —The 1st and 2d are easily 
propagated by their trailing stalks, which put out roots very 
freely: and if the stalks of the large sort are laid in the 
ground, they will root very soon, and may be cut off and 
transplanted 
