WELLS. 
rising towers, give to the city an air of dignify and grandeur, 
and deeply impress the religious visitant with feelings of piety 
and veneration. The cathedral, the greater part of which, as it 
now stands, was erected in the early part of the 13th century, 
by bishop Joeeline de Wells, has always been considered one of 
the most splendid specimens of religious architecture in Eng¬ 
land. The plan of this edifice is in the form of a cross. Its in¬ 
ternal length from east to west is 381 feet, and its breadth 
131. In the centre of the transepts rises a large quadrangular 
tower, 178 feet high, the base of which rests upon four 
arches, with inverted arches, and large massy piers. The 
length of the nave is 190 feet, which is separated from the 
two side aisles by 18 clustered pillars, nine on each side, 
supporting pointed arches. The extent, from the choir to 
the altar, is 111 feet. Behind the latter is the truly elegant 
chapel of the Blessed Mary, which is 52 feet in length, and 
35 in breadth, ornamented with large windows, of the most 
beautiful and delicate workmanship, and filled with splendid 
specimens of painted glass. The western front is flanked by 
two smaller towers, 125 feet in height. This front is esteemed 
one of the finest and most splendid pieces of ecclesiastical 
architecture in Europe. It is adorned with a great variety 
of figures, of exquisite workmanship, placed in ornamented 
niches, with canopies, supported by elegant slender pillars 
of Purbeck marble. At the top are the images of the twelve 
apostles, and below them are the hierarchs, popes, princes, 
and bishops. One whole line of this front is occupied in 
the display of a curious grotesque representation of the re¬ 
surrection, in which are expressed the various attitudes of the 
resuscitated bodies, emerging from their earthly mansions. 
The larger statues, which adorn the lower part of this front, 
are also interspersed with other scriptural representations, 
pourtrayed in groups of high relief. Each side of the 
great buttresses is filled with figures, as large as life, of kings, 
queens, abbots, popes, and cardinals. Southward, a short 
way from the cathedral, stands the bishop’s palace, a noble 
old building, of an august and venerable appearance, and 
more resembling the fortified mansion of a military baron, 
than the residence of a peaceful minister of religion. Its 
walls encompass a space of seven acres of ground, and are 
flanked by bastion towers at the angles. A deep fosse, or 
moat, supplied with water from St. Andrew’s well, surrounds 
the whole; and on the north side is a bridge and stately 
gate-house serving as an entrance to the exterior court. On 
the east side of the court is the dwelling-house, containing 
several large and handsome apartments, with an elegant 
chapel. On the east side of the city is a spacious open 
market-place, where formerly stood a curious cross, built in 
1342. Near the site of this cross stood a conduit, erected 
by bishop Beckington, about the year 1451, which has 
lately given place to a tasteless structure in the form of a 
triangle. The water of this conduit, which supplies the city, 
is conveyed by leaden pipes, from an aqueduct, also the 
gift of bishop Beckington, situated near the source of St. An¬ 
drew’s spring, between the cathedral and the bishop’s palace. 
The name of this city is said to be taken from a remarkable 
spring called St. Andrew’s well, rising near the palace, and 
emitting a copious stream, which, after filling the moat, 
thence flows through the south-west part of the town. 
Wells was first incorporated in the reign of Richard I. and 
created into a free borough by a charter of king John, by 
the title of the master and commonalty of the borough of 
Wells; but in the reign of queen Elizabeth, the corporation 
was formed, as it now consists, of a mayor, recorder, 7 
masters, and 16 common councilmen. It returns 2 members 
to parliament, elected by a mayor, masters, burgesses, and 
freemen; number of voters about 500; returning officer the 
mayor; about 2 miles north-west of Wells is a remarkable 
cavern in the rocks, under the Mendip hills, called Wookey 
Hole. It is entered by a small aperture, near the base of an 
almost perpendicular rock, which rises nearly 200 feet. 
The whole length of this cavern is at least 600 feet, and it 
is separated into several varied compartments. Market on 
Wednesday and Saturday. Fairs 14th May, 25th July, 
607 
25th October, and 30th November; 19 miles south-west 
from Bath, 20 from Bristol, and 121 west-by-south of Lon¬ 
don.—2. A small seaport town of England, in the county 
of Norfolk. It has a harbour at the mouth of a small river, 
but difficult of access, owing to the shifting sands; 34 miles 
north-west-by-north of Norwich, and 118J north-north¬ 
east of London. Population 2683.—3. A town of West 
Florida, situated on the west side of St. Andrew’s bay. Lat. 
30. 25. N. long. 85. 50. W.—4. A post township of the 
United States, in York county, Maine, about 10 miles long, 
and 7 broad; 88 miles north-north-east of Boston. Popu¬ 
lation 4489.—5. A township of the United States, in Rutland 
county, Vermont; 50 miles north of Bennington.—6. A 
post village of the United States, in Beaufort district, South 
Carolina.—7. A township of Montgomery county, New 
York; 40 miles north of Johnston.—8. A river of the 
United States, in Vermont, which rises in Groton, and runs 
into the Connecticut, north of Newbury. 
WELLS’ CREEK, a river of the United States, in Ken¬ 
tucky, which runs into the Ohio. Lat. 38. 47. N. long 
84. 27. W. 
WELLS’ FALLS, a cataract of the United States, in 
the river Delaware; 13 miles north-west of Trenton. 
WELLS’ PASSAGE, an inlet on the west coast of North 
America, branching off from Broughton’s archipelago. 
WELLSBOROUGH, a post township of the United 
States, and capital of Tioga county, Pennsylvania : 45 miles 
north-by-west of Williamsport. 
WELLSBURG, formerly Charlestown, a post town 
of the United States, in Brooke county, Virginia ; 24 miles 
west-north-west of Washington. 
WELLSPE'NT, adj. Passed with virtue. 
The constant tenour of their well spent days, 
No less deserv’d a just return of praise. Pope. 
WELLSPO'KEN, adj. Speaking well; speaking finely; 
speaking gracefully; speaking kindly.—A knight well-spo¬ 
ken, neat, and fine. Shakspeare. 
WE'LLSPRING, s. [poelljej-ppig, Saxon.] Fountain; 
source.—Understanding is a wellspring of life. Prov. 
WELLWI'LLER, s. One who means kindly.—Disarm¬ 
ing all his own countrymen, that no man might shew him¬ 
self a well-wilier of mine. Sidney. 
WELLWl'SH, s. A wish of happiness.—Let it not enter 
into the heart of any one that hath a well-wish for his friends 
or posterity, to think of a peace with France, till the Spanish 
monarchy be entirely torn from it. Addison. 
WELLWI'SHER, s. One who wishes the good of ano¬ 
ther.—No man is more your sincere wellwisher than myself, 
or more the sincere wellwisher of your family. Pope. 
WELMICH, a small town of Germany, in the duchy of 
Nassau, on the Rhine. 
WELNETHAM, Great and Little, adjoining parishes 
of England, in the county of Suffolk, near Bury St. Ed¬ 
mund’s. 
WELNEY, a parish of England, in the Isle of Ely, 
Cambridgeshire, situated among the Fens, on the river Wen. 
—2. A hamlet in the county of Norfolk, near Downham. 
WELS, a small town of Germany, in Upper Austria, on 
the Traun; 17 miles south-south-west of Lintz, and 108 
west of Vienna. Population 3800. 
WELSCH-B1RKEN, a town of Bohemia; 5 miles north- 
north-west of Prachatitz. Population 900. 
WELSE, a small river of Prussia, in the Ucker Mark of 
Brandenburg. It falls into the Oder; 4 miles below New 
Angermunde. 
WELSH, adj. Relating to the people or country of 
Wales.—Heavens defend me from that Welsh fairy ! Shak¬ 
speare. 
WELSH, s. The people of Wales.—Dathan said that 
he was provoked to it by the Welshman, who pretended 
that the Welsh were an ancienter people than the Jews. 
Addison. 
WELSHPOOL, a market town of North Wales, in Mont¬ 
gomeryshire. 
