A.

Abyssinia [Arab.], a mixed race or people. Accomac [Ind.], land on the other side, or beyond (the water).

Adirondack [Ind.], the Iroquois name of the
Algonquins, signifying "he cats bark."
Adrianople, named after the Emperor Hadrian, or
Adrian, its founder. See POLIS in Part I.
Adriatic, sea of Adrian, or Hadrian.
Affghanistan, the country of the Affghans.
Agamenticus [Ind.], on the other side of the river.
Agawam [Ind.], low land, marsh, or meadow; also
a place below, or down-stream, with reference to
some place above, or up-stream.
Agiochook [Ind.], place of the spirit of the pines.
Agulhas [Port.], "needles," from its pointed
shape.

Åland, "water-land."

Albania, for Alania, said to be from a German race called the Alains..

Albany, according to some authorities, originally the same as Albyn, the Celtic name of Scotland. Albany, N. Y., was named in honor of the Duke of York and Albany, afterward James II., at the time it came into possession of the English, in 1664. Albuquerque, Lat. alba, white, quercus, oak. Aleppo, Arab. halab, milk.

Aleutian Islands, from Russ. aleut, a "bald rock."
Alexandria, named after Alexander the Great.
Algesiras, Algiers, Arab. al, the, and jazira,
island, peninsula.

Alleghany [Ind.], river of the Alligewi.
Almaden [Arab.], the mine.

Altamaha [Ind.]. the place of the village, where the village is.

Amazon, from Amassona, the Indian name, signifying "boat destroyer," in allusion to the great height and violence of the tide. It was named Amazon by Francisco d'Orellana, in 1580, from the companies of women in arms which he professed to have seen upon the banks. Probably the Indian name of the river may have suggested to him the fable of the Amazons.

America, named after Amerigo Vespucci, who, in 1497, landed upon the continent south of the equator.

Amiens, Lat. Ambianum, from ambientibus aquis, because surrounded by water. Ammonoosuc [Ind.], fish-story river. Amoy, a corruption of Chinese Heamun, pronounced by the natives, Ha-moy. Hea is the name of a dynasty.

Anatolia, from Gr. dvaroλn, the east;- applied usually to Asia Minor, or the Levant. Ancona, from Gr. dykov, angle, named from its position in an angle of the coast. Andalusia, probably a corruption of Vandalusia, i. e., country of the Vandals. Andes, from Peruvian anti, signifying copper, or metal in general.

Androscoggin, a name changed, in compliment to Gov. Andros, from amaskohegan, "fish-spearing." Annapolis, city of Anne;-named in honor of Queen Anne, who bestowed several valuable pres

ents on the town.

Antigua [Sp.], old, ancient. Antwerp, Lat. Antuerpum, Flem. Aenwerp," added;" so called because built upon successive deposits from the waters of the Scheldt. Appalachicola [Ind.], town of the Appalachites. Arabia, from Heb. arab, or ereb, the "west;" also, "merchandise, traffic.""

Aral," island sea," from Tartar aral, island. Araucania [Ind.], from Arauko, the name of the principal town, and this probably from reche, pure, unmixed men.

Archangel, named after Michael, the archangel.
Argyll [Gael.], country of the Gael.
Arizona, sand hills.

Arkansas, from Kansas, with the French prefix of arc, a bow.

Arles, a corruption of the ancient name, Arelatum. Aroostook [Ind.], good river. Ascension, named by Albuquerque, on his voyage to India, in 1503, probably from having been seen on Ascension day.

Ascutney [Ind.], fire mountain, from having been burned over. Assiniboin [Ind.], Stone Sioux, a wandering band of the Sioux. Astrachan, the dominion or district of a khan; according to some, of a Tartar king, Astra khan, who gave it his name. Atchafalaya [Ind.], long river. Athabasca [Ind.], swampy. Athens, city of Minerva, from Gr. 'Ahn, Minerva, or Pallas, goddess of wisdom, the tutelary goddess

Atlantic, from Gr. ArλavɩKós πíλayos, i. c., the "sea beyond Mt. Atlas."

Atlas (Mts.), said to have been derived from Atlas, king of Mauritania, who, according to ancient fable, supported the heavens upon his shoulders. Attakapas [Ind.], men-eaters. Augsburg. See AUGUSTA, Part I. Australia, from Lat. australis, southern. Austria, Lat. form of the Ger. Oesterreich, "Eastern Empire," so called in contradistinction from the western dominions of Charlemagne. Autun, a corruption of its Latin name, Augustodunum (town of Augustus).

Avignon, a corruption of the ancient name Avenio. Azores, Port. açores, pl. of açor, a hawk, so called from the great number of hawks found there.

B.

Badajoz, Arab. beled aix, land of life or health. Balaklava, corruption of Ital. bella chiave, “beautiful quay. "The town was founded by the Genoese. Balearic, from Gr. Báλλv, to throw, because the inhabitants were noted slingers.

Balize, corruption of Waliz, a name given by the Spaniards to the place, from its having been discovcred and resorted to by an English pirate named Wallace.

Baltimore, named after Lord Baltimore, who settled the province of Maryland in 1635. Bangor (A-S. or Gael.], "high choir." "Malgo Conan, not long after (A. D. 516), built a city, which, for the beauty of its situation, he called Ban-côr, i. e., the high or conspicuous choir." Cressy. Barbary [Arab.], an uncultivated country, a desert, from Berber, an appellation by which the Arabs designated the region before the Saracen invasion. Some derive the name from Barbarus, barbarian. Barcelona, a corruption of its Latin name Barcino, from Hamilcar Barca.

Basle, or Bâle, from Gr. Baciλeia, queen, princess, also kingdom.

Baton Rouge, “red staff." It is said that when the place was first settled, there was growing on the spot a cypress (the bark of which tree is of a reddish color) of immense size and prodigious height, entirely free from branches, except at its very top. One of the settlers playfully remarked that this tree would make a handsome cane; whence the place has since been called Baton Rouge. Bavaria, [Lat.], anciently Boiaria; i. e., the country of the Boii.

Bayonne, from Basque bayou, bayona," a port." Behring's Straits, named by Captain Cook after Behring, their discoverer.

Belgium [Lat.], country of the Belgae, who derived their name from the Bolga, or Volga, on the banks of which they originally dwelt. Bergen, probably from Dan. bierg (Ger. berg), a mountain, being surrounded on the land side by high mountains.

Berlin, from Slav. berle, uncultivated land. Bermudas, named after Juan Bermudez, their Spanish discoverer.

Berne, from Ger. bären, pl. of bär, a bear, which animal figures on the armorial bearings of the town, on fountains, and public buildings. Besançon, a corruption of its Low Latin name, Ve

sontio.

Birmingham [A-S.]," the broom place dwelling." Biscay, from bascoa, a forest.

(through which the Avon finds its way to the sea).

Bruges. See BRIDGE, in Part I.
Brunn, derived from its native name, Bron, i. eq
ford.

Bucharest, "city of enjoyment."
Buda, said to be named from Buda, a brother of
Attila, who resided in it, and improved it.
Bulgaria [Lat.], country of the Volgarians, or Huns.
Burgos, probably from the same root as Ger. burg,
a tower, or castle.

C.

Cadiz, from Lat. Gades, a corruption of l'hen. Gadir, signifying "shut in," " inclosed."

Cairo [Arab, al kahirah], the victorious. Calcutta, from cutta, a temple, dedicated by the Hindoos to Caly, or Kali, the goddess of time. California, a name given by Cortés, in the year 1535, to the peninsula now called Lower or Old California, of which he was the discoverer. He probably took it from the old Spanish romance of "Esplandian," by Garcia Ordoñez de Montalvo, which was first published in 1510. In this work, the name is given to an imaginary island "on the right hand of the Indies, very near to the Terrestrial Paradise," abounding in great treasures of gold. The root of the word is perhaps the Sp. califa, caliph, from the Arabic khalifah, successor, from khalafa, to succeed, the caliphs being the acknowledged successors of Mohammed. In some old geographics, California is laid down as an island. Campeachy, from Quimpech, the aboriginal name. Cambray, or Cambrai (Lat. Camaracum], derived by some from the number of caverns (in O. Gaul cambres), where the inhabitants were wont to put their goods for safety.

Canada [Ind.], a collection of huts; a village; a town.

Canandaigua [Ind.], a town set off or separated
(from the rest of the tribe).
Canton [Chin.], Kwang-tung, "large-cast" city;
properly, the name of the province of Canton, ap
plied by Europeans to the town itself.
Cape of Good Hope [Pg. Cabo de Boa Esperança],
named by John II., King of Portugal, who re-
garded it as the goal of the circumnavigation of
the African continent.

Cape Verde, the green cape.
Capri, formerly Caprea [Lat. capra, a goat], from
having been famous for its wild goats.
Carmel [Heb.], vine of God; otherwise, a garden,

orchard.

Carnarvon [Gael. Cær yn Arvon], the stronghold opposite to Mona.

Carnia, a corruption of the ancient name, Acarnania. Casco [Ind.], "crane."

Caspian, according to Strabo, named after the

Caspii, who inhabited the south coast of this sea. Cassel, a corruption of its Lat. name, Castellum. Castile, from Lat. Castellum, a fort, or castle; named from the numerous forts erected by A phonso for its defense.

Catskill [D. Katzkill] Mts., so called from the panthers or lynx, that formerly infested them. Cattaraugus [Ind.], bad-smelling shore. Cayuga [Ind.], long lake. Carolina, named after Charles I., of England. Caroline Islands, named by Lopez de Villalobos, in 1513, after Charles V. Caucasus, said to be a corruption of a Scythian word, meaning "white mountain." Ceylon, from Pg. Selen, or Ceilão, a corruption of Sinhaladwipa, I. e., the island of the lions."

nonia.

Bombay. See BAY, in Part I.

Boothia, named in honor of Sir Felix Booth. Borneo, from the Sanskrit Bhurni, or Bhoorni, land, the name of its principal city, applied by Europeans to the whole island. Bornholm, anciently Burgundaland, land of the Burgundians, Burgunda, corrupted into Born, and land, changed into Dan. holm, an “island.” Bosphorus, from Gr. Bous, and ópos, ox-ford; or from Bous, and pipe, to bear, because Io, changed into an ox, was borne over this strait. Boston, originally St. Botolph's town. Botany Bay, so named from the great variety of herbs found there.

Boulogne, from Lat. Bononia, by metathesis of n into 1; Bononia, Bologna, Boulogne. Brazil, from the Sp. or Pg. name of the dye-wood exported from the country.

Brest, probably from Celt. bras, or bres, "great; " i. c., great port.

of the extreme heat at the time of its discovery. Champlain, named from the French officer, Samuel Champlain, who discovered it in 1609. Charleston (S. C.), named after Charles I., of England.

Chatauqua [Ind.], corruption of an Indian phrase signifying "foggy place." Chattahoochee, figured, or painted, stone. Chemung [Ind.], big-horn;- from a fossil tusk found in the river.

Chesapeake [Ind.], great waters. Chesuncook [Ind.], great goose lake. Chicago, Fr. form of an Indian word signifying a skunk; also a wild onion, from its strong and disa greeable odor.

Chicopee [Ind.], cedar-tree; otherwise, birch-bark place.

Chili [Peruv.], land of snow.
Chimborazo [Sp.], a chimney.
China, from Chin. chung-kwo," the middle nation."
Christiana, named after Christian IV., by whom it

Maestricht, & corruption of the Latin name Mosa
Trajectus, ford of the Meuse.
Magdeburg, derived by Boethius and others from
Ger. magd, a virgin, and burg, a town, said to have
been named by the Empress Edith, who had received
this town as a marriage portion from the Emperor
Otho, her husband.
Magellan, Straits, named after their Portuguese
discoverer, Magalhaens or Magellan.
Maine, from its ancient name, Manus, Mænis.
Majorca, from Lat. major, greater [Balearis Major].
Malta, a contraction of its ancient name, Melita.
Manhattan [Ind. munnoh-atan], the town on the
island.

Manitoulin [Ind.], Spirit islands.
Margarita, from the Lat. margarita, a pearl.
Marmora, from Lat. marmor, marble,- -name of
an island famous for its marble quarries.
Marseilles, corruption of Massilia, its ancient

Massachusetts [Ind.], about the great hills, i. e., the "Blue Hills.

Mauritius, named by the Dutch after Maurice, Prince of Orange.

Mayence, or Mentz, a corruption of its Latin name Magontiacum.

Medina [Arab.], THE city.

Mediterranean, from Lat. medius, terra, from being, as it were, in the middle of the land. Medway, A-S. Medwaege, the river which runs through the middle of the kingdom of Kent, the syllable mad, mid or middle, having been prefixed by the Anglo-Saxons to Vaga, the ancient British name of the river.

Memphremagog [Ind.], lake of abundance.
Melbourne, variously derived from mill-burn, from
being situated on a stream that turned a mill, or
from "Michael's bourne," or boundary.
Menan [Ind.], island.

Merida, from its Latin name, Augusta Emerita.
Merrimac [Ind.], swift water.

Memphis, the temple of the Good God.
Messina, founded by colonists from Messene, in
Greece.

Mexico [Aztec], the place of Mexitli, the Aztec god of war.

Michigan [Ind.], a weir for fish.

Michilimackinac [Ind.], great turtle place. Milan, corrupted from Lat. Mediolanum, variously translated "meadland," "harvest-full." Milwaukie [Ind.], rich land.

Minnehaha [Ind.], laughing water, curling water;

a waterfall.

Minnesota [Ind.], cloudy water, whitish water.
Mississippi [Ind.], great and long river.
Missouri Ind.], muddy.

Minorca, from Lat. minor, less [Balearis Minor].
Mobile, corrupted from Mouvill.

Modena, from its ancient name, Mutina. Mohawk, men-eaters. R. Williams. Literally, it signifies, eaters of live food, a name given by the New England or eastern Indians to the Iroquois.

Montpellier [Fr.], mountain of the young girls. Moldavia [Lat.], from the River Moldau, which runs

through it.

Monadnock [Ind.], the spirit's place.
Monongahela [Ind.], falling-in bank river.
Montauk [Ind.], a manito-tree.
Montreal [Fr.], Royal Mountain, so named by the
French explorer, James Cartier, in 1534-35.
Moravia, from the Marsch or Morawa [Lat. Maro],

the largest of its rivers.

Nahant [Ind., at the point.

Namur, from its ancient name, Namurcum.
Naples [It. Napoli], from its ancient Greek name,
Neapolis," new city."

Nantes, corruption of Namnetes, its ancient name;
also, the name of a Celtic people.
Narbonne, a corruption of its Latin name, Narbo
Martius.

Nashua [Ind.], between [the rivers].
Natal, named by Vasco de Gama, because he discov-
ered it upon Christmas day (day of the Nativity).
Naugatuck [Ind.], fork of the rivers, point be-
tween two rivers.

Nebraska [Ind.], water valley, shallow river,
Nepissing [Ind.], at the small lake.
Neshotah [Ind.], twins (the "Two Rivers", Wis-
consin).

New Hampshire, named after the county of Hampshire in England. New Jersey, named in honor of Sir George Carteret, an inhabitant of the Isle of Jersey. New York, named after the Duke of York, afterwards James II.

connecting Lake

Niagara [Ind.], neck of water,
Erie with Lake Ontario.
Nicobar [Malay.], nine islands.
Niger, from Lat. niger, black; - also called Joliba,
"great river."

Nimes, or Nismes, from its Latin name, Nemausus.
Niphon, fountain or source of light.
Normandy, the part of France occupied by the
Normans, or Northmen.

Norridgewock [Ind.], place of deer.
North River (i. e., the Hudson at New York), so
called in distinction from the Delaware, which was
styled the South River.

Norwalk [Ind.], the middle land (a tract between two rivers).

Nottingham, "the home of caverns," from the vaults or dwellings excavated in the rock on which the town is built.

Nova Scotia [Lat.], New Scotland.
Nova Zembla. See NEW, Part I.

0.

Ocmulgee [Ind.], the rivers, the water-courses.
Oconee [Ind.], water-course, small river.
Odessa, said to be from Odyssos, or Odyssora, an an-
cient Greek colony in the neighborhood.
Ohio [Ind.], beautiful.

Oneida [Ind.], people of the beacon stone.
Onondaga [Ind.], place of the hills.
Ontario [Ind.], from Onontué, "a village on a
mountain," the chief seat of the Onondagas.
Oporto [Pg. o porto], the harbor.
Oregon, named by Carver, Oregon or Oregan; i. e.,
River of the West. According to others, derived
from Sp. oregano, wild marjoram, which grows
abundantly on the Pacific coast.
Orinoco [Ind.], coiling snake.
Orkneys [Gael.], the isle of whales."
Orleans, named after the Emperor Aurelian, or
Aurelianus.

Osage [Ind.], the strong.
Ossipee [Ind.], stony river.

Ostend [D. oost, east, einde, end], the "east end of the kingdom.

Oswego, the Onondaga name for Lake Ontario,
Ottawa [Ind.], traders.
Ouse [A-S.], water.

Owasco [Ind.], a bridge.

P.

Greece.

Piscataqua [Ind.], great deer river.
Poitiers, city of the Pictones or Pictavi.
Poland, flat land.

Polynesia [Gr.], "many islands."
Pomerania [Slav. Pomoré], upon the sea.
Porto Rico. See PORT, Part I.

Portugal, corruption of Portus Cal, the harbor of
Cal [Lat. Cale], -the original name of the modern
Oporto, afterward transferred to the kingdom it
self.

Potomac [Ind.], place of the burning pine, resem bling a council fire.

Poughkeepsie [Ind.], shallow inlet, safe harbor

for small boats.

Prague [Lat. Praga], enlarged by Libussa in 723, and by him named "Praha, from Bohem, prah, á threshold.

Prairie du Chien [Fr.], dog prairie.
Presque Isle [Fr.]," peninsula."
Prussia, formerly Borussia, i. e., country of the
Borussi. According to others, a contraction of Po
Russia [Slav. po, adjacent], i. e., next to Russia,
Pruth, from Slav. prud, river.

Q.

Quebec, an Algonquin term meaning "take care of the rock."

Quinebaug [Ind.], long pond.
Quinnipiac [Ind., the surrounding country.
Quinsigamond [Ind.], fishing-place for pickerel.

R.

Raleigh, named in honor of Sir Walter Raleigh, who planted a colony on the Roanoke about 1585. Rapidan, or Rapid Ann, said to have been named in honor of Queen Anne, Rappahannock [Ind.], river of quick rising

waters.

Palestine [Heb.], "the land of wanderers," the ancient Philistia, or Palæstina, named from the Pampeluna, or Pamplona, corruption of Pompeiopolis, e., the city of Pompey, its reputed founder.

Papua, "frizzled," from the enormous frizzled

heads of hair of the natives. Paris [Lat. Lutetia Parisiorum], named from its Parana [Braz.], the sea. inhabitants, the Parisii. Pascagoula, nation of bread. Passamaquoddy [Ind.], great place for pollock. Passaic [Ind.], valley. Passau [Lat. Batavia, Batava Castra], probably

named from the Batavi.

Passumpsic [Ind.], much clear river. Patagonia, so called by Magellan, from Sp. patagon, a large, clumsy foot, a name given by him to the inhabitants, on account of the supposed magnitude of their feet. Pawcatuck [Ind.], clear river. Pawtucket Ind., at the falls. Pawtuxet [Ind.], at the little falls. Pemigewasset [Ind.], crooked place of pines. Pennsylvania, Penn's woods [Lat. sylva, a wood], named after William Penn, who settled the country in 1681.

Penobscot, at the rock, rock land; applied originally to a place near Castine-near to the river. Perekop, a Slavonic name signifying a "cut," applicable to the ditch dug here, in remote ages, across the neck of land at the entrance of the Crimea, for the security of the place.

Perigord, a corruption of its Latin name Petricordium, from its ancient inhabitants, the Petricorii. Persia, probably derived from the name of one of its provinces, Pars, or Paras.

Sahara [Arab.], a desert.
Salem. See JERUSALEM.
Salonica [Saloniki], abbreviation of Thessalonica,
name given to the place by Cassander in honor of
his wife, the sister of Alexander the Great.
Samos, from Arab samá, to project, be prominent
Sandusky [Ind.], cold spring.
San Domingo [Sp.], Holy Sabbath,
San Francisco [Sp.], St. Francis.
San Jose [Sp.], St. Joseph.
San Paulò [Sp.], St. Paul.
San Salvador [Sp.], Holy Savior.
Santa Barbara [Sp.], St. Barbara.
Santa Cruz [Sp.J, Holy Cross.
Santa Fe [Sp.], Holy Faith.
Santiago [Sp.], for Sant lago, St. James.
Saône, from Gael. sogh-an, the placid river.
Saragossa, corruption of its Latin name, Cæsarea
Augusta.

Saranac [Ind. ], river that flows under rock.
Saratoga [Ind.], place of the miraculous waterɛ ir

a rock.

marsh in the vicinity, called Syraco.

1675.

Scotland, land of the Scoti, or Scots.
Scutari, from Per. uskudar, envoy, messenger,

courier. Scutari was formerly, as now, a post station for Asiatic couriers. Sebago [Ind.], place or region of river-lake. Seneca, a corrupt Indian pronunciation of the Dutch sinnibar, vermilion. Senegal, said to have been named by Lançarote, its discoverer, after a Moor whom he landed here, or after the name of his nation, the Zenhaga. Senegambia, named from its situation between the Rivers Senegal and Gambia.

Severn, a corruption of its ancient name, Sabrina. Seville, a corruption of its Latin name, Hispalis, or Spalis.

Shannon [Ir.], old river.

Sheffield, named from its situation. The ancient castle was built in the angle which the River Sheaf makes with the Don. Shetucket [Ind.], the land between the rivers. Shrewsbury, from A-S. burh, a fortress, scrobbes, of a shrub; "a city near which were many shrubs." Siberia, supposed to be derived from the ancient town Siber, the remains of which are still standing. Sicily, from Lat. scissa, cut off, because disjoined

from Italy.

Singapore, city of lions.

Sinde, Sciende, from Sindhoo, or Sindhu, a collec

tion of waters.

T.

Terre Haute [Fr.], high land. Tioga [Ind.], swift current. Tippecanoe [Ind.], a kind of fish living in this branch of the Wabash River. Titicut [Ind.], a contraction of an Indian word, meaning, on the great river.

Toledo Lat. Toledum], named by its Jewish founders from Heb. toledoth, generations, families, races. Toronto [Ind.], an Iroquois term denoting oak trees rising from the lake. Tortugas [Sp.], the "tortoises." Toulon, corrupted from Telonium, or Telo Martius,

named after Telo Martius, a tribune who colonized it. Toulouse, from Lat. Tolosa, perhaps from its inhabitants, the Tolsatii.

ontory.

Skowhegan [Ind.], spearing.

Sleswick. See SCHLESWIG, supra.

Smyrna, supposed to be from Gr. quúpva, myrrhı, for which it was formerly celebrated. Soudan, more correctly Beled Es-Soodan, "the land of the blacks."

Spa, Flem. espa, a fountain.

Spires, named by Bishop Roger, in the 11th century, from the rivulet Speier-bach, by which it is watered.

Sporades, from Gr. σropádes, scattered, from their position.

St. Etienne [Fr.], St. Stephen.

St. Kitts, properly St. Christopher's, from its discoverer, Christopher Columbus.

St. Petersburg [i. e., Peter's town or castle], named after its founder, Peter the Great. Stettin, from the Sidini, an ancient people of the country.

Strasburg. See STRAT, Part I. Stutgard [Ger.], the stallion inclosure," from the stallions formerly kept there for purposes of

war.

Styria [Ger. Steyermark], from Steyer, its chief town and river.

Suabia, from the name of its ancient inhabitants, the Suevi.

Sunderland [A-S. sundrian, to separate], land separated from other land.

Sweden [Lat. Suedia], country of the Suevi, or Suiones.

wood; so called by the Hungarians as being beyond their woody frontier.

Trebizond, a corruption of rpanεrous, Trapezus, from Gr. panεtov; said to have been so named be cause built in the shape of a trapezium. Trent [Brit.], winding river.

Trent [Tyrol], contraction of Tridentum, its former name, derived by some from three streams that fall into the Adige.

Trieste, corrupted from its Latin name, Tergeste.
Trinidad [Sp.], Trinity.
Trujillo, or Truxillo, a corruption of its ancient
name, Turris Julia.

Troyes, the chief town of the Trecasses, or Tricasses, a Celtic nation, from whom it took the name of Tricassæ, afterward Treca, from the oblique cases of which the modern name has been derived.

Tunis, from its ancient name, Tunetum, or Tunes.
Turin [Lat. Taurinum, Augusta Taurinorum],
named from its inhabitants, the Taurini.
Tuscaloosa [Ind.], black, black-warrior.
Tuscany [Lat. Tuscia], country of the Etrusci, or
Etruscans.
Tweed, from Brit. tuedd, the border or limit of a
country.

Tyrol, named from the Castle of Tirol [Teriolis], near Meron, the ancient residence of its princes, before the union of the country with Austria,

U.

Utrecht. See TRICHT, Part I.

V.

Valencia, from Lat. Valentia, strong, powerful. Vancouver's Island, named after Vancouver, who visited the island in 1792.

Van Diemen's Land, named by its discoverer, Tasman, after the then Dutch governor of the East Indies.

Vaud [Lat. vallis, a valley], named from the Waldenses, or Valdenses, the "inhabitants of the valleys." Venezuela [Sp.], little Venice, so named on account of some Indian villages which the first conquerors found on Lake Maracaybo.

Venice [Lat. Venetia], from the province Venetia, the territory of the ancient Veneti, of which these Vermont, from Fr. verd, green, mont, mountain: islands formed a dependency. green mountains.

Verona, so called from the Tuscan family Vera. Vicenza, from Lat. Picentia, probably the Latin Vienna [Lat. Vindobona], supposed to be a corrup form of its original name. tion of an old Celtic or Slavic word, signifying Virginia, named in honor of Queen Elizabeth, the "dwelling-place of the Vends." "Virgin Queen," in whose reign Sir Walter Raleigh made the first attempt to colonize this region.

W.

Wabash [Ind.], a cloud blown forward by an equi

noctial wind.

Wachusett [Ind.], the mountain,
Wales. See GAL, Part I.
Wallachia, country of the Wallachs, or Vlachi.
Wallach is equivalent to the native name Romani.

Washington, named after George Washington, first

president of the United States. Washita [Ind.], male deer. Westmoreland [A-S.], west moor-land. Westphalia, first so called about the 9th century. By some derived from the goddess Vesta; by others from West, and walen, a colt, because the inhabitants bore the devise of a colt upon their ensigns. Wetumpka [Ind.], waterfall, tumbling-water. Wheeling [Del. weel-ink], place of a head. Wight [Lat. Vectis, A-S. Wiht, Wiht-land], the land or island of the Wyts, Ytas, or Jutes. Windermere [A-S.], clear-water lake. Winona [Ind.], first-born daughter. Winnipeg [Ind.], turbid water. Winnipisiogee [Ind.], land of the beautiful lake otherwise, beautiful lake of the high land. Winooski [Ind.], beautiful stone river. Wiscasset [Ind.], place of yellow pine. Wisconsin, wild rushing channel.*

THE system adopted in the following Vocabularies -now generally acknowledged to be the only rational and satisfactory one for the pronunciation of geographical and biographical names-is, to pronounce all names as nearly as possible as they are pronounced by the educated people of the respective countries to which they belong, excepting only those few wellknown foreign names which appear to have acquired an established English pronunciation, such as Paris, Naples, Florence, Venice, Milan, Munich, &c. It is admitted that cases not unfrequently occur, in which it is impossible to convey with any great degree of precision the native pronunciation of other countries by means of English letters; but much is undoubtedly gained by such an approximation to the true sound as is within the reach of even the mere English scholar, since this would enable him more readily to understand, and to be understood by, those who are familiar with names as spoken by the inhabitants of the respective countries to which such names belong.

But whatever weight may be allowed to this last consideration, it may be safely affirmed that the system above referred to presents, on the whole, greater advantages and fewer difficulties than any other which can be devised. Some, indeed, have advocated the propriety of pronouncing foreign names as they are written, giving to every letter its proper English sound. But such a method would obviously be attended with inextricable difficulties. What, for example, would, on this system, be the proper English pronunsiation of Seine? Should the ei be pronounced like long e, as in the words seize, ceiling, receive? or like long a, as in vein, weight, inveigh? or like i long, as in height, sleight, &c.? Should Seine, then, be pronounced sēn, sān, or sin? or should we sound the final e, and make it sē'ne, sã'ne, or si'ne?

This one instance out of a multitude may serve to show the endless diversity and confusion into which such a system, or rather want of system, must necessarily lead. But this is not all. There are innumerable cases in which it is very difficult, if not impossible, to pronounce foreign names according to the English sound of the letters, for example, Czernigow, Hjelmar, Ljusne, Szegedin, &c., while there is no difficulty whatever in pronouncing them according to the native sound. A multitude of instances also occur, in which the pronunciation according to the sounds of our language, though not difficult, is far less euphonious than the native pronunciation: Bacchiglione, Cagliari, Minho, and Saldanha, may serve as examples. Another strong argument against pronouncing foreign names according to the English sound of the letters, is furnished by the fact that in a great number of instances the same name is written variously. In Spanish, for example, x and j (and g before e or i), having exactly the same sound, are sometimes used indiscriminately, more especially in the spelling of proper names. Hence we have Xalisco and Jalisco, Xalapa and Jalapa, Ximenes and Jimenes, the two spellings in each instance being pronounced in Spanish exactly alike. The following name is written in three different ways, Xixona, Jijona, and Gijona,—all pronounced alike-he-ho'na. What could be more perplexing, or more absurd, than to call such a name sometimes ziz-o'na (x at the beginning of a word being pronounced as z in English), sometimes ji-jo'na, or je-jo'na, and sometimes gi-jo'na, or je-jo'na?

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In the preparation of these Vocabularies, the aim has been to give them practical utility rather than great fullness or extent; accordingly, those English and American names (such as Franklin, Johnson, Thomson, &c.) of which the pronunciation could scarcely be mistaken, have generally been omitted, and the space thus gained has been filled with the more difficult names of other countries.

In giving the pronunciation of geographical and biographical names, perhaps the most important, and certainly the most difficult, point of all, is to mark the accent correctly. In all the principal languages of Europe there is not one general rule for accent that can be implicitly relied on. So great is the uncertainty in this respect, that the most accomplished native scholars of Italy, Spain, and Germany are not unfrequently at a loss how to accentuate the proper names of their respective countries, particularly if the name in question happens to belong to some obscure or remote district. And if it is so difficult to determine the correct accentuation of the names that occur in a single language, the intelligent reader may judge how arduous must be the task of ascertaining the proper accentuation of the endless variety of names found in the different European languages. In fulfilling this task, information has been sought from every accessible source, and especially from educated natives, not only of the different countries, but of different sections of the same country. With respect to the pronunciations contained in the following Vo cabularies, it is believed that they will be found to be as minutely exact as they could with propriety be given in a work designed chiefly for the use of the mere English scholar. Particular care has been taken with what may be termed the four great languages of continental Europe (viz., the French, German, Italian, and Spanish), not merely to mark the accent correctly, but to represent, as far as possible, every important peculiarity of sound. It is, however, scarcely necessary to observe, that no system of notation, based upon the sounds of the English tongue, can represent exactly the pronunciation of words in other languages. We have, for example, no sound precisely corresponding to what is perhaps the most common of all the French vowel sounds, that of a in Amiens, Arago, &c., since it is less broad than our a in father or far, and more open than the a in mallet or fat. In this, and many other analogous cases, it has been deemed sufficient to make the nearest approximation to the foreign pronunciation that the sounds of our language will enable us to do.

With regard to English proper names, the difficulty is not in representing, but in ascertaining, the true pronunciation. All those causes which operate in other languages to produce irregularity in accent or anomalies in the sounds of letters, would seem to prevail in a pre-eminent degree in regard to English proper names. Add to this that the same name is in many instances pronounced differently by different families, so that it becomes necessary not only to ascertain the pronunciation generally adopted by the best speakers, but also to attempt the far more difficult task of searching out the peculiar preferences, not to say caprices, of families, and even of individuals.

The greatest pains have been taken by the author of the following Vocabu laries to render them as complete and correct as possible. The candid and intelligent critic will, of course, make due allowance for such deficiencies as are inherent in their character and necessarily limited extent. Those who may feel a particular interest in such subjects are referred to the Introduction of Lip. pincott's Gazetteer of the World, in which the principles in regard to the pronunciation of foreign names are much more fully developed and explained; or to the Gazetteer of the World, recently published by Messrs. A. Fullarton & Co., of Edinburgh, in the Appendix to which the most essential part of the Introduction above alluded to has been embodied, with a frank and honorable acknowledgment of the source from which it was taken.

The author can not conclude without acknowledging the valuable assistance which he has received from Mr. William A. Wheeler, who has for a number of years studied the subject of orthoëpy, in its various branches, with great diligence and success.