WAG 
WAG 529 
born in 1709, at Amsterdam, of which he was appointed 
historiographer in 1758. He died in 1773. His principal 
work, which is reckoned one of the chief ornaments of 
Dutch literature for depth of research and purity of style, is 
a “ History of Holland from the earliest Period till 1751,” 
in 21 vols. 8vo.; of which a second edition with engravings, 
both maps and portraits, was printed at Amsterdam in 1752 
—-1759. Among his other performances are enumerated, 
“ An Historical Description of the City of Amsterdam,” 
Amst. 1760, 3 vols. folio; “ The Character of John De 
Witt placed in its true Light;” and “ Historical and Politi¬ 
cal Miscellanies,” Amst. 8vo. 1776. Gen. Biog. 
WAGENDRUSSEL, a village of Hungary, on the 
Golnitz; 5 miles south of Kapsdorf. 
WAGENINGEN, an inland town of the Netherlands, in 
the province of Gelderland, situated in a marshy district on 
the north side of the Leek, a branch of the Rhine; 10 miles 
west of Arnheim. Lat. 51.57. N. long. 5. 46. E. 
WAGENSEIL (John Christopher), was born at Nurem¬ 
berg, in 1633, and having studied at several universities, he 
became tutor to the son of a nobleman at Altdorf, and ac¬ 
companied him in his travels through a great part of Europe. 
At Turin he discovered in the cabinet of the duke of Savoy 
the famous Isiac Table, which had been lost ever since the 
pillage of the duke of Mantua’s cabinet. In the progress of 
his life he acquired a high degree of reputation, and was dis¬ 
tinguished among other foreign literary persons by the mu¬ 
nificence of Lewis XIV. Having been honoured with the 
degree of LL.D. at Orleans, he became professor of law and 
history in the university of Altdorf, in ] 667, and afterwards 
was advanced to the chair of Oriental languages, and the 
station of public librarian. He was also a member of the 
academies at Turin and Padua; and died at Altdorf, at the 
age of 72, in the year 1705. The most distinguished of his 
writings are, “ A Dissertation on a supposed Fragment of 
Petronius“Fasciculus Opusculorum variorum Historico- 
rum et Philologicorum“ Tela ignea Satanae,” 2 vols. 4to., 
being a collection, with a refutation, of some of the principal 
Jewish works against Christianity; “ Dissertatio de Mone- 
tali velerum Romauorum;" “ Commentatio de Civitate Nor- 
imburgensiand “ Dissertatio de Acadeniiis.” He had a 
daughter, named Helen-Sibilla, celebrated for her knowledge 
of the Latin, Greek, and Hebrew languages. Moreri. 
WA'GER, s. A bett; any thing pleaded upon a chance 
or performance. 
Full fast she fled, ne ever look’d behind; 
As if her life upon the wager lay. Spenser. 
Subject on which betts are laid —The sea strove with the 
winds which should be louder; and the shrouds of the ship 
with a ghastful noise to them that were in it, witnessed 
that their ruin was the wager of the other’s contention. Sid¬ 
ney. —[In law.] An offer to make oath.—The next species 
of trial is still in force, if the parties choose to abide by it. 
I mean the trial by wager of battle Blackstone. —Multi¬ 
plication of actions upon the case were rare formerly, and 
there by wager of law outsted, which discouraged many 
suits. Hale. 
To WA'GER, v. a. To lay; to pledge as a belt; to 
pledge upon some casualty or performance.—Worthy to 
wager heart with mine, accept it. Beaum. and FI. 
To WA'GER, v. n. To offer a wager.—’Twas merry 
when you wager'd on your angling. Shakspeare. 
WAGER’S STRAITS or River, a river of North America, 
which empties itself into Hudson’s bay. Lat. 65. 8. N. long. 
87. W. 
WA'GERER, s. One who bets; one w'ho wagers.— 
Desire your wagerer from me to be more cautious in deter¬ 
mining on such matters, and not to venture the loss of his 
money and credit with so much odds against him. Swift. 
WA'GES, s. See Wage. 
WAGGERY, s. Mischievous merriment; roguish trick; 
sarcastical gaiety.—’Tis not the waggeries or cheats prac¬ 
tised among school-boys, that make an able man ; but the 
principles of justice, generosity, and sobriety. Locke. 
Vol. XXIV. No. 1654. 
WA'GGISH, adj. Knavishly merry; merrily mischie¬ 
vous; frolicksome. 
Change fear and niceness, 
The handmaids of all women, or, more truly, 
Woman its pretty self, to waggish courage. Shakspeare. 
WA'GGISHLY, adv. In a waggish manner.—Now we 
are in private, let’s wanton it a little, and talk waggishly. 
B. Jonson. 
WA'GGISHNESS, s. Merry mischief.—A Christian boy 
in Constantinople had like to have heen stoned for gagging, 
in a waggishness, a long-billed fowl. Bacon. 
To WA'GGLE, v. n [wagghelen , Dutch.] To wad¬ 
dle ; to move from side to side.—Why do you go nodding 
and waggling so, as if hip shot ? says the goose to her gosse- 
ling. L' Estrange. 
WAGHEN, or Wawn, a parish of England, in the East 
Riding of Yorkshire; 5 miles south-east-by-east of Beverley. 
WAGNAGUR, a town of Hindostan, province of Gujerat, 
situated on the sea coast of the peninsula, belonging to an 
independent chief. Lat. 21. 3. N. long. 71. 58. E. 
WA'GON, or Waggon, s. [paegen, Sax. waeghens, 
Dutch ; vagn, Icelandick. Wagon is strictly conformable 
to the etymology ; but waggon is the prevailing form.] A 
heavy carriage for burthens.—The Hungarian tents were 
enclosed round with waggons, one chained to another. 
Knowles. —A chariot. Not in use. 
Then to her waggon she betakes. 
And with her bears the witch. Spenser. 
WA'GGON-WAY, s. [A provincial term.] A road, 
more usually termed a rail-road. 
Since the article Rail-road was written, the following 
communication has been sent to us; and since it comprehends 
the account of a very important improvement in rail-road¬ 
making, we think proper to insert it here under the old and 
original, though not most elegant and generally adopted 
title. 
Aug. 7th, 1826.—A trial was made at Bedlington Iron 
Works, of the strength of the Malleable Iron Patent Rail¬ 
way Bars, which produced the following results:— 
A rail 9 feet long, weighing 16lbs. per single yard, sup¬ 
ported at each end of the centre yard, and the steel-yard 
attached to the swell or middle of that yard, sprung \ of an 
inch, when 3.56 lbs. weights w’ere put on equal to 42cwt.; 
and when they were removed, returned to the straight line. 
A weight of lewt. 3qrs. lllbs. was then suspended, equal to 
51|cwt., with which the rail sprung f of an inch, and on 
their being removed again, resumed the straight line. A 
weight of 2cwt., was next suspended, equal to 56cwt., and 
the rail sprung § of an inch, and on its being removed, the 
rail became permanently bent ^ of an inch. 
If the load was divided upon 4 wheels, the rails would 
require 11 ton 4cwt. to bend them permanently, or would 
bear as per No. 2 Trial, 10 ton 7 cwt. without bending. But 
if the weight of a 4-wheel coal-waggon in motion, is borne 
by the two opposite rails, and upon one fore and one hind 
wheel, then these rails will bear 5 ton 3cwt. 2 qrs.: and 
even allowing one-half of this for the additional momentum, 
arising from the velocity with which the waggons travel, 
the rails appear strong enough to carry a waggon of 12 cwt. 
containing 40 cwt. coals. The 16 lbs. rails have been in use 
at the colliery attached to the works, four years, and have 
not at all bent by the waggons passing over them; the 
waggon weighing 21 cwt., and containing 45 cwt. of coals, 
making a gross weight of 66 cwt. 
Bedlington Iron Works, 
6th Dec. 1824. 
Trial of Malleable Iron Rails. 
Present: 
Messrs. Wood, Langridge, Buhmshaw, Biddulph, jun., and 
Adamson. 
1st Rail.—9 feet long, 2 j inch broad at the top, depth in 
the middle, 3/ s inches, and thickness f inch, 
depth at the bearings 2{ s inches, and thickness 
| inch, weight 281bs. per yard : 
5 R 
Supported 
