of about 2400 miles, passing by the great city of Nanking, empties itself into the sea, 120 east of Nanking. It is the largest river in China, and reputed the largest in Asia. It changes its name in almost every province through which it passes.

YANINA. (See Joannina.)

YANKEE, as Heckewelder says, is probably a corrupt Indian pronunciation of the word English, whom the Indians called Yengeese. They distinguished them from the Virginians, or Southern people, whom they called Long Knives.

Yankee-Doodle. In the early part of 1755, great exertions were made by the British ministry for the reduction of the French power in the Caradas. General Amherst was appointed to the command of the British army in the North Western America; and the British colonies in America were called upon for assistance, who contributed with alacrity their several quotas of men. The British army lay encamped, in the summer of 1755, on the eastern bank of the Hudson, a little south of the city of Albany. In the early part of June, the eastern troops began to pour in. Their march, their accoutrements, and the whole arrangement of their troops, furnished matter of amusement to the wits of the British army. The music played the airs of two centuries old. A physician of the British army, by the name of doctor Shackburg, to please brother Jonathan, composed a tune, and recommended it to the officers as a celebrated air. The joke took, and in a few days nothing was heard in the provincial camp but the air of Yankee Doodle. In less than thirty years from that time, lord Cornwallis and his army marched into the American lines to the tune of Yankee Doodle.

YARD; a long piece of timber suspended upon the mast of a vessel to extend the sail to the wind. (See Ship.)-Yardarm is that half of the yard that is on either side of the mast when the yard lies athwart the ship.-Yard-arm and Yardarm; a phrase applied to two ships when they are so near that their yard-arms nearly touch each other.

YARD MEASURE. (See Measures.) YARKAND, OF YARCUND. (See Bucharia, Little.)

YARMOUTH, or GREAT YARMOUTH; & borough town of England, in the county of Norfolk. It is in the form of an oblong quadrangle, having the sea on the east, and on the west the Yare, over which there is a bridge. It contains four

It has

principal streets, running parallel, which are crossed, at right angles, by 156 narrower ones, denominated rows, and is flanked by a wall on the east, north and south sides. The quay of Yarmouth is considered equal to that of Marseilles, and has no superior in Europe, except that at Seville, in Spain. Its length is one mile and 270 yards: in many places it is 150 yards broad; and part of the line is decorated with handsome buildings. Yarmouth has long been much frequented as a fashionable watering-place, and furnishes every accommodation for the health, comfort and amusement of its visitors. a theatre, fisherman's hospital, hospital school, town-house, &c. The harbor was executed under the direction of Joas Johnson, a Dutchman, who was brought from Holland to conduct the work. The extent of the haven, between the north and south piers, is 1111 yards. During the late wars, the importance of Yarmouth was greatly increased, owing to its being a grand station for part of the British navy; the roads opposite the town affording safe anchorage for a numerous . fleet. The harbor is perfectly secure against every danger, but the coast is the most dangerous in Britain, and has been often the scene of the most melancholy shipwrecks. This place is advantage ously situated for commerce, particularly to the north of Europe. Yarmouth is actively engaged in the herring fishery, and has a considerable coal trade. It is defended by three forts, which were erected on the verge of the beach, during the American war, and mounted with thirty-two pounders. An armory has been erected under the direction of Mr. Wyatt. It returns two members to parliament, chosen by the burgesses at large. Population, 21,115; 22 miles east by south of Norwich.

YARMOUTH, or SOUTH YARMouth, a seaport and borough in the Isle of Wight, formerly sent two members to parliament, but was disfranchised in 1832. Population, 564.

YARROW, Or MILFOIL (Achillea millefolium). This European weed is now common, in barren soil, in many parts of the U. States. It is distinguished by the excessively dissected leaves; hence the name, which signifies a thousand leaves. The flowers are small, white, and disposed in a terminal corymb. The whole plant has a strong and disagreeable odor.

YARROW; a celebrated pastoral stream of Scotland, in Selkirkshire, which rises

at a place called Yarrow Cleugh, and, running east a few miles, forms a beautiful lake, called the loch of the Lows, which discharges its waters into St. Mary's loch. Issuing from the latter, the river, after a course of about sixteen miles through the ancient district of Ettrick forest, joins its waters to those of the Ettrick, two miles above Selkirk. Near Newark castle, it forms highly romantic and picturesque scenery. The Braes of Yarrow are celebrated in a well-known beautiful Scotch song.

YAWL. (See Boat.)

YAWNING, OF GAPING; an involuntary opening of the mouth, generally produced by weariness or an inclination to sleep, sometimes by hunger, sympathy, &c. It often precedes the fit in some intermittent fevers, and, in some instances, by the frequency of its recurrence, becomes a real disease. It is supposed to be determined by an interruption of the pulmonary circulation. Yawning, according to Boerhaave, is performed by expanding at one and the same time all the muscles capable of spontaneous motion, by extending the lungs, by drawing in, gradually and slowly, a large quantity of air, and gradually and slowly expiring it after it has been retained for some time, and then restoring the muscles to their natural state. Hence the effect of yawning is to move, accelerate, and equally distribute all the humors through all the vessels of the body, and, consequently, to qualify the muscles and organs of sensation for their various functions. When yawning is troublesome, long, deep respiration, or drawing in the air at long intervals, relieves it.

YAZOO; a river of Mississippi, which rises in lat. 35° N., near the borders of Tennessee, and runs south-south-west into the Mississippi, which it meets twelve miles above Walnut hills, 142 miles above Natchez. It is 230 miles long, and navigable 100 miles.

YAZOO LANDS. (See Georgia.) YEAR; the period in which the revolution of the earth round the sun, and the accompanying changes in the order of nature, are completed. In ancient times, when it was thought that the sun moved round the earth, this period was called the solar year. The accurate determination of the solar year, which required great knowledge of astronomy and exact observations, could only be reached by the successive efforts of many generations. According to Herodotus, the Egyptians were the first who approximated to the true length of the solar year.

They divided it into twelve months, and each month into thirty days, so that their year consisted of 360 days; and the inhabitants of Thebes, who did not take into consideration the course of the moon, added five days. They afterwards remarked that the dog-star (Sirius), whose appearance just before sunrise denoted the overflowing of the Nile, became visible one day later every four years; but the year of 365 days was so intimately connected with their festivals, that a change could not be made without the greatest difficulty; and, although the festivals occurred later and later, yet the mode of reckoning remained the same until the Romans became masters of Egypt, when the calendar of Julius Cæsar was introduced. In Greece, the year was more correctly divided into 365 days; and the Grecian astronomer Sosigenes made this the basis of the Julian calendar. (See Calendar.) But the astronomer Hipparchus of Alexandria, about 150 years before Christ, found, by observation, that the solar year contained only 365d. 5h. 55'. His improvements, however, were not adopted. Later observations have shown, that the true year is about 11' 15" shorter than the Julian year. Lalande made it 365d. 5h. 48′ 35′′ 30"; Zach, 365d. 5h. 48 48.016". This period, so accurately determined, is called the astronomical year, from which the civil year of the calendar must necessarily differ. As the civil year cannot divide the days, it only reckons 365 in the year, and therefore does not fully agree with the astronomical. On account of the remaining 5h. 48", &c., every four years a day is added to the month of February; and the year which thus consists of 366 days is called leap year. By the lunar year is meant the time required for twelve revolutions of the moon, which is, according to Lalande, 354d. 8h. 48' 37", making the lunar year 10d. 21h. shorter than the solar. Many nations of antiquity reckoned by the lunar year. A year is said to be fixed, if the equinoxes and seasons come on fixed days; but if they advance, the year is called changeable. Thus the Julian year is changeable; the Gregorian fixed. It is necessary to observe the difference between the tropical, sidereal and anomalistic year. The astronomical year is also called tropical, because its duration depends on the return of the sun to the equinoxes or the tropics. This differs from the sidereal year (the time required by the sun to complete a revolution with regård to a particular star), which is longe.

by 20 5.7"; and the anomalistic year is 20 longer than the tropical, and is the time required by the sun to complete a revolution with regard to its apogee. The year of the Jews consisted of twelve months, which were divided alternately into twenty-nine and thirty days. A whole month was inserted in their leap year, between the sixth and seventh month. Their new-year's day was the day of the first new moon after the autumnal equinox. In the period of nineteen years, by which they reckoned, they had seven leap -years, namely, the third, sixth, eighth, eleventh, fourteenth, seventeenth, and nineteenth. Among the Persians, the sultan Gelal (A. D. 1079), introduced a year which more nearly agrees with the astronomical than the Gregorian year does. According to his arrangement, a leap year occurs once in four years seven times in succession; the eighth leap year, however, does not take place till after a lapse of five years. During the time of the French republic, a year was invented also more exact than the Gregorian. A period of 86,400 years requires 20,929 leap years; therefore a day was to be inserted at the end of the year as often as the autumnal equinox would fall on the second day of the new year. (For further information, see Calendar.)

YEAST is the barm or froth which rises in beer and other malt liquors during a state of fermentation. When thrown up by a quantity of malt or vinous liquid, it may be preserved to be put into another at a future period, on which it will exert a similar fermentative action. Yeast is likewise used in the making of bread, which, without such an addition, would be heavy and unwholesome.

YEDDO. (See Jeddo.)

YELLOW BIRD, or AMERICAN GOLDFINCH (fringilla tristis, L.), is not less than five inches in length; of a rich lemon-yellow; the crown, wings and tail black; bills and legs pale reddish-yellow; tail handsomely forked. The female and young are of a brown-olive color; beneath, yellowish-white. In September, the dress of the male becomes nearly similar to that of the female. This common, active and gregarious goldfinch is a very general inhabitant of the U. States. In summer, it is also to be met with in Canada, as far north as lake Winnipec, in lat. 49°. It is also met with in Mexico, and even in Guiana and Surinam. Its migrations are very desultory, and probably do not proceed very far, its progress being apparently governed principally by

the scarcity or abundance of food. As the fine weather of spring approaches, the males put off their humble winterdress, and now, appearing in their temporary golden livery, are heard tuning their lively songs as if in concert, several sitting on the same tree. In cages, to which they soon become reconciled, their song is nearly as animated and sonorous as that of the Canary. They raise sometimes two broods in the season. nests are often built in tall young foresttrees, or lofty bushes. (See Nuttall's Ornithology of the United States and of Canada.)

The

YELLOW, NAPLES. (See Naples Yellow.) YELLOWSTONE, one of the largest branches of the Missouri river, rises from lake Eustis, in the Rocky mountains, near the source of Lewis's river, which flows into the Oregon. Lake Eustis is about lat. 43° 20′ Ñ. The Yellowstone runs east-north-east 1100 miles, and joins the Missouri 1880 miles from the Mississippi; lon. 104° W.; lat. 47° 50′ N. This river is nearly or quite as large as the other branch, which retains the name Missouri. The Big Horn, its great southern branch, and the Del Norte and Lewis's river, are all said to have their sources near the same spot, in about lat. 43°. Captain Clarke, the associate of captain Lewis, descended this river while returning from the Pacific ocean. During its whole course from the point at which he reached it to the Missouri, a distance which he computed at 837 miles, it is navigable for batteaux. Its navigation is impeded by only one ledge of rocks; and this may be passed without difficulty. The banks of the river are low, but not subject to be overflowed, except at a short distance below the mountains. The color of the river is a yellowish-brown, and its bed is chiefly composed of loose pebbles. The river flows with a velocity gradually diminishing in proportion to its distance from the mountains. The first part of its course, it moves four or five miles an hour; the latter part not more than two! In the upper part of its course, the country consists of high, waving plains, bordered by stony hills, partially supplied with pine: towards the Missouri, the country contains less timber, and spreads into extensive plains. Much of the land bordering on it is fertile. It abounds with beaver and otter, and along its banks are immense herds of elks, buffaloes and deer. The width of its bed, at its conduence with the Missouri, is 850 feet. When measured by Lewis and Clarke, the stream was 297 yards wide, and the deepest part

of the channel was twelve feet. The river had then fallen to its summer level. YELLOW FEVER. (See Appendix end of this volume.)

YELLOW WEED. (See Wold.)
YEMEN. (See Arabia.)

YENITE (lievrite) occurs in prismatic crystals, whose primary form is a right rhombic prism of about 111° 30'. Cleavage takes place parallel to the longer diagonal of this prism. Color black, or greenish-black; lustre submetallic, brilliant, or dull; opaque; hardness nearly equal to feldspar; specific gravity 3.8 to 4.1. The crystals are sometimes terminated, at one or both extremities, by foursided pyramids, and vary from one inch in diameter to acicular. They are often much interlaced. It also occurs columnar and massive. On charcoal it fuses, before the blow-pipe, into a black, shining globule, attractable by the magnet. With borax it readily forins a dark and almost opaque glass. It consists of

It is a rare mineral, having been found only, in good specimens, at Rio la Marina and cape Calmite, in, Elba, where it occurs dispersed in crystals and rounded massive balls, in a thick bed of a blackishgreen augite. It has also been found in the U. States, at Cumberland in Rhode Island.

YEOMEN OF THE GUARD; a sort of foot-guards, who attend at the palace of the king of England. The yeomen were uniformly required to be six feet high. They are in number one hundred on constant duty, and seventy off duty. The one half carry arquebuses, and the other partisans. Their attendance is confined to the sovereign's person, both at home and abroad. They are clad after the manner of king Henry VIII.

YERMOLOFF. (See Jermoloff.) YESD, OF YEZD, or YEYD; a town in Persia, in Irak, on the borders of Segestan and Kerman, 190 miles east of Ispahan, 210 north-east of Schiras; lon. 56° E.; lat. 31° 57′ N. It contains, according to Malte-Brun and Hassel, 4500 houses, according to the Edinburgh Gazetteer, 24,000 houses, of which 4000 are occupied by Guebres. It is situated on the borders of a sandy desert, contiguous to a range of lofty mountains. It is a great

emporium of the trade between Hindoostan, Bukharia and Persia. The en virons produce excellent pomegranates and grapes. The chief manufactures are silk stuffs and carpets. In 1396, this town was taken by Timur Bec, after a siege in which it is said 30,000 persons died of famine.

YEW (taxus baccata); an evergreen tree, belonging to the family of the pines, which is common in many parts of the north of Europe. The foliage somewhat resembles that of the hemlock-spruce, except that the leaves are larger: the fruit, however, is not a cone, but a small` red berry, in the hollow part of the extremity of which a green seed appears. The yew was formerly extensively cultivated in Great Britain, and, on account. of its gloomy and funereal aspect, was usually planted in church-yards. The wood, which is peculiarly hard, smooth and tough, was manufactured into bows; but, since the introduction of fire-arms, the tree is no longer planted except for ornament. In the formal style of gardening which was once prevalent, few trees were more the subject of admiration, from its bearing to be clipped, without injury, into almost any form. Yews werecut into the shape of men, quadrupeds birds, ships, &c. The wood is hard, beautifully veined, and susceptible of a very high polish; hence it is valuable for veneering and other cabinet work, and is in frequent use. From its hardness and durability, it may be made into cogs for mill-wheels, axletrees, and flood-gates, which scarcely ever decay. The leaves are extremely poisonous, both to men and cattle.-A species of yew (T. Canadensis) is found in Canada and the extreme northern parts of the U. States. It is a low, prostrate shrub, commonly called the ground hemlock, and, indeed, is not distinguished by many from that tree.

Yezdegird, ERA OF. (See Epoch.)
YNCA. (See Inca.)

YONNE; a department of France, about seventy miles in length, and from thirty to forty in breadth. (See Department.)

YORK (anciently Eboracum); a city of England, capital of Yorkshire, in the West Riding, on the Ouse and Foss, 198 miles north-west of London; lon. 1° W.; lat. 54° N.; population in 1821, 20,787, in 1831, 25,359. It is regarded as the capital of the north of England, and the second city in rank in the kingdom, though far surpassed, in wealth and population, by many of the more modern trading

the lunatic asylum, there is another institution, called the Retreat, one mile from the city, for the same class of patients, belonging to the society of Friends. It has accommodations for about sixty patients, and is under excellent management. About three miles from the city stands Bishopthorpe, the magnificent palace of the archbishop. Although the foreign commerce of York has been totally annihilated, it still retains considerable river trade; and vessels of 120 tons come up the Ouse as far as the bridge. There is some trade in gloves, linens, livery lace, glass and drugs; and printing and bookselling are conducted on a large scale. It derives a great part of its support from its fairs, assizes and races, and the winter residence of many of the provincial gentry. It sends two members to parliament.

YORK (formerly called Toronto); the capital of Upper Canada, on the northwest side of lake Ontario; lon. 79° 20′ W.; lat. 43° 33′ N. The population is about 3000. It is handsomely built The public buildings are a government-house, a

towns. It is an ancient city, and was successively the seat of Adrian, Severus, and other Roman emperors. It is entered by four principal gates or bars, has six bridges, one over the Ouse, and five over the Foss, a cathedral, twentythree churches (twenty within and three without the walls), houses of worship for Catholics, Methodists, Presbyterians, Independents and Quakers; a guildhall, county hospital, lunatic asylum, and various other public buildings and institutions. The cathedral, commonly called York minster, is a splendid specimen of Gothic architecture. Its whole length from east to west is 524 feet; breadth of the east end, 105, of the west, 109; length of the cross aisles from north to south, 222 feet; height of the grand lantern tower, 213, of the two western towers, 196, of the nave or body of the church, 99; height of the eastern window, 75; breadth, 32 feet. It was a century and a half in building, from 1227 to 1377. The cathedral is remarkable for the simplicity of its plan, which is in the form of a Latin cross, the arms of which are all rectangular; and the transept is in the middle of the length of the building. (See Architecture.) The great eastern window consists of upwards of 200 compartments, containing representations of the Supreme Being, saints and events recorded in Scripture. The chapter-house is a magnificent structure, of an octagonal form, 63 feet in diameter, and 68 feet in height. In 1829, the minster was set on fire by a maniac, and suffered considerable but not irreparable damage: 231 feet of the roof fell in, but the exterior aspect of the structure was not defaced, and measures have been taken for repairing it. York is the see of an archbishop, who is styled "primate of England;" the archbishop of Canterbury being styled "primate of all England." The chapter of York, in addition to the archbishop, includes a dean, four archdeacons, a precentor, a chancellor, a subdean, twenty-nine prebendaries, a succentor, five vicars choral, &c. The province of the archbishop of York includes three dioceses, or sees of suffragan bishops, together with the bishopric of the Isle of Man. York castle, though on the site of an ancient building, is a modern structure, having been erected in 1701. In the reign of Henry V, York contained fortyfour parish churches and seventeen chapels, and, before the reformation, the famous and wealthy abbey of St. Mary, of which only a small part remains. Besides

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house of assembly for the provincial parliament, a court-house, a jail, various buildings for public stores, and houses of worship. About a mile from the town are the barracks for the troops usually stationed here, and other buildings properly appertaining to such an establishment. The harbor is nearly circular, formed by a very narrow peninsula, which encloses a beautiful basin about one mile and a half in circuit, and capable of containing, in security, a great number of vessels. The town is delightfully situated, the climate is mild, and the town and harbor are sheltered by high lands. In 1793, this town contained only a solitary Indian wigwam.

YORK; a short and navigable river of Virginia, formed by the union of the Pamunky and Mattapony. It flows into the Chesapeake opposite to cape Charles.

YORK AND LANCASTER. (See England.)

YORK, Frederic, duke of, second son of George III, was born at Buckingham house, in 1763. In the following year, he was elected prince-bishop of Osnabrück, in Hanover; in 1767, was invested with the insignia of the order of the Bath, and chosen a companion of the most noble order of the Garter in 1771. In the literary part of his education, he was associated with his elder brother, to whom he always continued to be much attached ; and the direction of the studies of the two princes was successively confided to doc