WHITE FRIARS. These were an order of Carmelite mendicants, who took their name from Mount Carmel, lying south-west of Mount Tabor, in the Holy Land. They pretended that Elijah and Elisha were the founders of their order, and that Pythagoras and the ancient Druids were professors of it. At first they were very rigid in their discipline, but afterwards it was moderated, and about the year 1540 divided into two sorts, one following and restoring the ancient severities, and the other the milder regimen. They had numerous monasteries throughout England; and a precinct in London without the Temple, and west of Blackfriars, is called Whitefriars to this day, after a community of their order, founded there in 1245. WHITEHALL, LONDON. Originally built by Hubert de Burgh, earl of Kent, before the middle of the 13th century. It afterwards devolved to the archbishop of York, whence it received the name of York-place, and continued to be the town residence of the archbishops till purchased by Henry VIII. of cardinal Wolsey, in 1530. At this period it became the residence of the court. Queen Elizabeth, who died at Greenwich, was brought from thence to Whitehall, by water, in a grand procession. It was on this occasion, CAMDEN informs us, that the following quaint panegyric on her majesty was written :

"The queen was brought by water to Whitehall,

At every stroke the oars did tears let fall.

More clung about the barge; fish under water

Wept out their eyes of pearl, and swam blind after.

I think the bargemen might, with easier thighs,

Have rowed her thither in her people's eyes;

For howsoe'er, thus much my thoughts have scann'd,
She had come by water, had she come by land."

In 1697, the whole was destroyed by an accidental fire, except the banquetting-house, which had been added to the palace of Whitehall by James I., according to a design of Inigo Jones, in 1619. In the front of Whitehall Charles I. was beheaded, Jan. 30, 1649. George I. converted the hall into a chapel, 1723-4. The exterior of this edifice underwent repair between 1829 and 1833.

WHITE PLAINS, BATTLE OF. Between the revolted Americans and the British forces under sir William Howe. This was the most serious of the early battles of the war, and terminated in the defeat of the Americans, who suffered considerable loss in killed, wounded, and prisoners; fought November 30, 1776.

WHITE ROSES. The insignia of the house of York, in contradistinction to Red roses, the symbol of the house of Lancaster, during the intestine wars that prevailed, particularly in the reigns of Henry VI. and Edward IV., and between the years 1455 and 1471. The union of the two houses, consummated in the marriage of Henry VII. with the princess Elizabeth of York, shortly after the battle of Bosworth, which was fought in 1485, put a final termination to those wars, which had so long devastated the whole kingdom, and during which the scaffold as well as the field streamed with the noblest blood of England.-Hume.

WHITE TOWER. The keep or citadel in the Tower of London is a large, square, irregular building, erected in 1070, by Gandulph, bishop of Rochester: it measures 116 feet by 96, and is 92 feet in height. The walls, which are eleven feet thick, have a winding staircase continued along two of the sides, like that in Dover Castle. It contains the sea armoury, and the volunteer armoury-the latter for 30,000 men. Within this tower is the ancient chapel of St. John, originally used by the English monarchs. The turret at the N.E. angle, which is the highest and largest of the four by which the White Tower is surmounted, was used for astronomical purposes by Flamsted, previously to the erection of the Royal Observatory at Greenwich. WHITSUNTIDE. The festival of Whitsunday is appointed by the church to commemorate the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the apostles: in the primitive church, the newly-baptized persons, or catechumens, used to wear white garments on Whitsunday. This feast is moveable, and sometimes falls in May and sometimes in June; but is always exactly seven weeks after Easter. Rogation week is the week before Whitsunday; it is said to have been first instituted by the bishop of Vienne in France, and called Rogation week upon account of the many extraor dinary prayers and preparatory petitions made for the devotion of Holy Thursday for a blessing on the fruits of the earth, and for averting the dismal effects of war and other evils.

WHITTINGTON'S CHARITIES. Sir Richard Whittington, a citizen and mercer of London, served the office of lord mayor three times, the last time in 1419. But the marvellous stories connected with his name are totally destitute of truth, though they still maintain much credit with the vulgar. His munificent charities are little known and seldom praised, yet no man previous to the time in which he lived had been a greater benefactor to the metropolis. He founded his college, dedicated to the Holy Ghost and Virgin Mary, in 1424; and his almshouses in 1429; the latter stand on Highgate hill, and near them is the famous stone which commemorates "his return to London, after leaving it in despair, the church bells chiming him back by a promise of his future greatness." WICKLIFFITES. The followers of John Wickliffe, a professor of divinity in the university of Oxford. He was the father of the Reformation of the English church from popery, being the first who opposed the authority of the pope, the jurisdiction of the bishops, and the temporalities of the church, in 1377. Wickliffe was protected by John of Gaunt, Edward's son and Richard's uncle, yet virulently persecuted by the church, and rescued from martyrdom by a paralytic attack, which caused his death December 31, 1384, in his 60th year.-Mortimer.

WIDOWS. For the burning of widows in India, see Suttees. In numerous countries widows are devoted to great privations from the time their husbands die; and at the isthmus of Darien, when a widow dies, such of her children as, from tender age, cannot provide for their own subsistence are buried in the same grave with her. Abbé Raynal. Among the numerous associations in London, for the relief of widows, are, one for the widows of musicians, instituted in 1738; one for widows of naval men, founded in 1739; for widows of medical men, 1788; Law society, for widows of professional gentlemen, 1817; and for artists' widows 1827. Widowers were taxed in England, as follows; a duke, £12. 10.; lower peers, smaller sums; a common person 1s., 7 William III. 1695.

WIGAN, BATTLES OF. In the civil war, between the king's troops commanded by the earl of Derby, and the parliamentary forces under sir John Smeaton; the former defeated, and driven from the town, 1643. The earl was again defeated by colonel Ashton, who razed the fortifications of Wigan to the ground, same year. The earl of Derby was once more defeated here by a greatly superior force commanded by colonel Lilburne, 1651. In this last engagement, sir Thomas Tildesley, an ardent royalist partisan, was slain: a pillar was erected to his memory in 1679. WIGHT, ISLE of. This isle is called Vecta, or Vectis, in the writings of the Roman historians, who inform us that it was conquered by Vespasian in the reign of the emperor Claudius. In the beginning of the fifth century, the island was conquered by the Saxons. It was captured in 787 by the Danes, and again in 1001, when they held it for several years. It was taken by the French, July 13, 1377, and has several times suffered from invasions by that people. In the year 1442, Henry VI. alienated the Isle of Wight to Henry de Beauchamp, first premier earl of England, and then duke of Warwick, with a precedency of all other dukes but Norfolk, and lastly crowned him king of the Isle of Wight, with his own hands; but this earl dying without heirs male, his regal title died with him, and the lordship of the isle returned to the crown. In the time of Charles II., timber was so plentiful here, that, it is said, a squirrel might have travelled on the tops of the trees for many leagues together; but it is now inuch reduced, from supplying the dockyards for the British navy. WILDFIRE. An artificial fire, which burns under water. The French call it feu Grecquois, because it was discovered by the Greeks, by whom it was first used, about A.D. 660. Its invention is ascribed to Callinicus of Heliopolis.-Nouv. Dict. See article Greek Fire.

WILKES' NUMBER. The designation given to the 45th number of a paper styled the North Briton, published by Mr. Wilkes, an alderman of London. He commenced a paper warfare against the earl of Bute and his administration, and in this particular copy, printed April 23, 1763, made so free a use of royalty itself, that a general warrant was issued against him by the earl of Halifax, then secretary of state, and he was committed to the Tower. His warfare not only deprived him of liberty, but exposed him to two duels; but he obtained £1,000 damages and full costs of suit for the illegal seizure of his papers. He further experienced the vengeance of the court of King's Bench, and both houses of parliament, for the libel, and for his

obscene poem "An Essay on Woman;" and was expelled the commons and outlawed: he was, however, elected a fifth time for Middlesex in October 1774, and the same year served the office of lord mayor; but was overlooked in a subsequent general election, and died in 1797. See North Briton.

WILLIAM III.; ERA OF THE REVOLUTION. William landed at Torbay, in Devonshire, November 4, 1688; according to Bishop Burnet, who was with the prince, on November 5. Called to the throne, by a resolution of both houses of parliament, February 13, 1689; and crowned, with his queen, Mary II., daughter of the exiled James, on April 11, same year. See England.

WILLIAM AND MARY PACKET. This packet, regularly plying between Bristol and Waterford, struck on the rocks called the Willeys, or Wolvers, about three miles N.W. of the Holmes lighthouse, on the English coast, and sunk in about fifteen minutes. By this disastrous occurrence, nearly sixty persons, of whom more than fifty were passengers, unhappily perished. Many ladies of fortune, beauty, and accomplishments, lost their lives: the Misses Barron, four young ladies, sisters, were among the drowned, and sunk a group in each other's arms. Nine persons (being most of the crew, and two passengers) were saved, Oct. 24, 1817. WILLS, LAST, AND TESTAMENTS. Wills are of very high antiquity. See Genesis, c. 48. Solon introduced them at Athens, 578 B.C. There are many regulations respecting wills in the Koran. The Romans had this power, and so had the native Mexicans; so that it prevailed at least in three parts of the globe. Trebatius Testa, the civilian, was the first person who introduced codicils to wills at Rome, 31 B.C. The power of bequeathing lands, by the last will or testament of the owner, was confirmed to English subjects, 1 Henry I., 1100; but with great restrictions and limitations respecting the feodal system; which were taken off by the statute of 32 Henry VIII., 1541.-Blackstone's Commentaries. The first will of a sovereign on record is stated (but in error) to be that of Richard II., 1399. Edward the Confessor made a will, 1066. The following is the will of Napoleon Buonaparte, a document of great interest, from the extraordinary character of the man, his prodigious exaltation and power, and the space he filled in the world. He died May 5, 1821, eleven days after he had signed this instrument.

LAST WILL OF NAPOLEON, LATE THE EMPEROR OF FRANCE.

"This day, April 24, 1821, at Longwood, in
the Island of St. Helena. This is my testa-
ment, or act of my last will:

"I leave to the comte de Montholon,
2,000,000 francs, as a proof of my satisfaction
for the attentions he has paid to me for these
six years, and to indemnify him for the losses
which my residence in St. Helena has occa-
sioned him. I leave to the comte Bertrand,
500,000 francs. I leave to Marchand, my first
valet-de-chambre, 400,000 francs: the services
he has performed for me are those of a friend.
I desire that he may marry a widow, sister,
or daughter of an officer or soldier of my old
guard. To Saint Denis, 100,000 francs.
To
Novarre, 100,000 francs. To Pijeron, 100,000
francs. To Archambaud, 50,000 francs. To
Cuvier, 50,000 francs. To Chandelle, idem.
"To the abbé Visnale, 100,000 francs.
desire that he may build his house near Ponte
Novo de Rossino. To the comte Las Cases,
100,000 francs. To comte Lavalette, 100,000
francs. To the surgeon in chief, Larrey,
100,000. He is the most virtuous man I have
known.

I

"To general Lefevre Desnouettes, 100,000 francs. To general Drouet, 100,000 francs. To general Cambronne, 100,000 francs. To the children of general Muton Duvernais, 100,000 francs. To the children of the brave Labédoyère, 100,000 francs. To the children of general Girard, killed at Ligny, 100,000

To

francs. To the children of general Chartran, 100,000 francs. To the children of the virtuous general Travost, 100,000 francs. general Lallemand, the elder, 100,000 francs. To general Clausel, 100,000 francs. To Costa Bastilica, also 100.000 francs. To the baron de Menevalle, 100,000 francs. To Arnault, author of Marius, 100,000 francs.

"To colonel Marbot, 100,000 francs: I request him to continue to write for the defence and glory of the French armies, and to confound the calumniators and the apostates. To the baron Bignon, 100,000 francs: Irequest him to write the history of French Diplomacy from 1792 to 1815. To Poggi de Talaro, 100,000 francs. To the surgeon Emmery, 100,000 francs.

"These sums shall be taken from the six millions which I deposited on leaving Paris in 1815, and from the interest at the rate of 5 per cent. since July 1815; the account of which shall be adjusted with the bankers by the counts Montholon and Bertrand, and by Marchand.

"These legacies, in the case of death, shall be paid to the widows and children, and in their default, shall revert to the capital. I institute the counts Montholon, Bertrand, and Marchand my testamentary executors. This present testament, written entirely by my own hand, is signed and sealed with my "NAPOLEON.

arms.

"April 24, 1821, Longwood."

The following is the Codicil to the preceding will of the emperor :

"On the liquidation of my civil list of Italy-such as money, jewels, plate, linen, coffers, caskets, of which the viceroy is the depositary, and which belong to me, I dispose of two millions, which I leave to my most faithful servants. I hope that without their showing any cause, my son Eugene Napoleon will discharge them faithfully. He cannot forget the forty millions which I have given him in Italy, or by the right (parage) of his mother's inheritance.

LETTER TO M. LAFITTE.

"MONSIEUR LAFITTE.-I remitted to you in 1815, at the moment of my departure from Paris, a sum of nearly six millions, for which you gave me a double receipt. I have cancelled one of these receipts, and I have charged comte de Montholon to present to you the other receipt, in order that you may, after my death, deliver to him the said sum with interest, at the rate of five per cent., from the 1st of July, 1815, deducting the payments with which you have been charged in virtue of my order. I have also remitted to you a box containing my medallion. I beg you will deliver it to comte Montholon.

"This letter having no other object, I pray God, Monsieur Lafitte, that he may have you in his holy and worthy keeping.

"NAPOLEON.

"From the funds remitted in gold to the empress Maria Louisa, my very dear and wellbeloved spouse, at Orleans, in 1814, there remain due to me two millions, which I dispose of by the present codicil, in order to recompense my most faithful servants, whom I beside recommend to the protection of my dear Maria Louisa. I leave 200,000 francs to count Montholon, 100,000 francs of which he shall pay into the chest of the treasurer (Las Cases) for the same purpose as the above, to be employed according to my dispositions, in legacies of conscience." Various laws have regulated the wills and testaments of British subjects, statutes of 32, 34, 35 Henry VIII.; 10 Charles I.; all the statutes relating to wills of Charles II.; the statute 7 William III., and various statutes of Anne and George II., were repealed by the statute 7 William IV. & 1 Victoria, and the laws with relation to wills thereby amended. By this act, no will made by any person under twenty-one years of age, is valid. July 3, 1837.

"Longwood, in the island of St. Helena, April 25, 1821.”

The

WINCHESTER, BISHOPRIc of. This see is of great antiquity, and has always continued in this place, which was the capital of the West Saxon kingdom. The cathedral church was first founded and endowed by Kingil or Kenegilsus, the first Christian king of the West Saxons. The church first built becoming ruinous, the present fabric was begun by Walkin, the 34th bishop, 1073; but not finished till the time of William of Wickham, 1405. The church was first dedicated to St. Amphibalus, then to St. Peter, and afterwards to St. Swithin, once bishop here. St. Birine was bishop A.D. 636. The see has given to the church of Rome ten saints and two cardinals, and to the English nation nine lord chancellors, two lord treasurers, and one chief justice. It is valued in the king's books at 27937. 4s. 2d. annually. WIND-MILLS. They are of great antiquity, and some writers state them to be of Roman invention; but certainly we are indebted for the wind-mill to the Saracens. They are said to have been originally introduced into Europe by the knights of St. John, who took the hint from what they had seen in the crusades.-Baker. Wind-mills were first known in Spain, France, and Germany, in 1299.-Anderson. Wind saw-mills were invented by a Dutchman, in 1633, when one was erected near the Strand, in London.

WINDOWS. See Glass. There were windows in Pompeii, A.D. 79, as is evident from its ruins. It is certain that windows of some kind were glazed so early as the third century, if not before, though the fashion was not introduced until it was done by Bennet, A.D. 633. Windows of glass were used in private houses, but the glass was imported 1177.-Anderson. In England about 6000 houses now have fifty windows and upwards in each; about 275,000 have ten windows and upwards; and 725,000 have seven windows, or less than seven. The window-tax was first enacted in order to defray the expense of and deficiency in the re-coinage of gold, 7 William III., 1695. The tax was increased Feb. 5, 1746-7; again in 1778; and again, on the commutation tax for tea, Oct. 1, 1784. The tax was again increased in 1797, 1802, and 1808; and was reduced in 1823. The revenue derived from windows is at present about a million and a quarter sterling.

WINDS. Their present names were given to the winds by Charlemagne, A.D. 788. When the wind blows strong or flies swift, it is called a high wind, and moves above fifty miles an hour. In one of Dr. Lind's experiments he found that the velocity of the wind was ninety-three miles an hour; a swiftness of motion which, since

M. Garnerin's aërial voyage to Colchester, must be considered within the limits of probability.

WINDSOR CASTLE. A royal residence of the British sovereigns, originally built by William the Conqueror, but enlarged by Henry I. The monarchs who succeeded him likewise resided in it, till Edward III., who was born here, caused the old building, with the exception of three towers at the west end, to be taken down, and re-erected the whole castle, under the direction of William of Wykeham. He like. wise built St. George's chapel. Instead of alluring workmen by contracts and wages, Edward assessed every county in England to send him so many masons, tilers, and carpenters, as if he had been levying an army. Several additions were made to this pile of building by Henry VIII. The Cottage, Windsor, first built 1543. Henry VIII, Edward VI., and Mary caused water to be brought into the fountain from Blackmoor-park. Queen Elizabeth made the grand terrace on the north side; and Charles II. thoroughly repaired and beautified it, 1680.-Camden; Mortimer. The chapel thoroughly repaired and opened, October 1790. The castle repaired and enlarged, 1824-8; and his majesty George IV. took possession of it, Dec. 8, in the latter year. WINES. The invention of wine is given to Noah.-Abbé Lenglet. The art of making wine from rice is ascribed by the Chinese to their king, Ching Noung, about 1998 B.C.-Univ. Hist. The art of making wine was brought from India by Bacchus, as other authorities have it. Hosea speaks of the wine of Lebanon as being very fragrant.-Hosea, xiv. 7. Our Saviour changed water into wine at the marriage of Cana in Galilee.-John ii. 3, 10.

"The conscious waters saw their God, and blush'd."-Addison.

No wine was produced in France in the time of the Romans.-Bossuet. Spirits of wine were known to the alchymists.-Idem. Concerning the acquaintance which our progenitors had with wine, it has been conjectured that the Phoenicians might possibly have introduced a small quantity of it; but this liquor was very little known in our island before it was conquered by the Romans. Wine was sold in England by apothecaries as a cordial in A.D. 1300, and so continued for some time after, although there is mention of "wine for the king" so early as 1249; and we are even sent to a much earlier period for its introduction and use in Britain. In 1400 the price was twelve shillings the pipe. A hundred and fifty butts and pipes condemned for being adulterated, to be staved and emptied into the channels of the streets by Rainwell, mayor of London, in the 6th of Henry VI., 1427.-Stowe's Chron. The first importation of claret wine into Ireland was on June 17, 1490. The first act for licensing sellers of wine in England passed April 25, 1661. In 1800 England imported 3,307,460 gallons of all kinds of wine. In 1815, the United Kingdom imported 4,306,528 gallons. In 1830 were imported 6,879,558 gallons; and in the year ending Jan. 5, 1840, were imported 9,909,056 gallons, of which 7,000,486 were for home consumption.-Parl. Ret. Wine-duties to be 2s. 9d. per gallon on Cape wine, and 5s. 6d. per gallon on all other wines, 2 William IV., 1831. WINIFRED'S WELL, HOLYWELL. At this place is a well mentioned as early as A.D. 660. It is an extraordinary natural spring, of which popish superstition has availed itself. The rock from which it flows discharges 20 tons a minute, which, in two miles, falls into the Dee, and in the intermediate space turns from 15 to 20 water-wheels connected with some large manufactories. The well is the drainage of three stupendous hills which lie above it. St. Winifred, who was born at Kirton in Devonshire, took the name of Boniface, and adopted a missionary's life: he was killed by the pagans in East Friesland, June 5, A.D. 754. WIRE. The invention of drawing wire is ascribed to Rodolph of Nuremberg, A.D. 1410. Mills for this purpose were first set up at Nuremberg in 1563. The first wire-mill in England was erected at Mortlake in 1663.-Mortimer. The astonishing ductility which is one of the distinguishing qualities of gold, is no way more conspicuous than in gilt wire. A cylinder of 48 ounces of silver, covered with a coat of gold weighing only one ounce, is usually drawn into a wire two yards of which only weigh one grain; so that 98 yards of the wire weigh no more than 49 grains, and one single grain of gold covers the whole 98 yards; and the thousandth part of a grain is above one-eighth of an inch long.-Halley. Eight grains of gold covering a cylinder of silver are commonly drawn into a wire 13,000 feet long ; yet so perfectly does it cover the silver, that even a microscope does not discover any appearance of the silver underneath.--Boyle.