Virginia

daughter of the centurion L. Virgin i us. Appius Claudius, the decemvir, became enamoured of her, and to obtain po e ion of her person, procured one of his favourites to claim her as the daughter of a slave, and Appius, in the capacity of judge, had pronounced the sentence, and delivered her into the hands of his friend, when Virgin i us, informed of this violent proceeding, arrived from the camp. ‘The father demanded to see his daughter, and when this request was granted, he snatched a knife and plunged it in Virginia’s breast. The soldiers, incensed against the tyrant, marched to Rome. Appius was seized, but destroyed himself in prison, and Marcus Claudius, his favourite, was put to death, and the decemviral power abolished, about 449 years B. C “VIRGINIA, one of the United States of America, bounded on the S. by N. Carolina and Ten as see, on the W. by Kentucky, on the N. by Pennsylvania and the river Ohio, and on the E, by the Atlantic ocean. It is 446 miles in length, and 224 in breadth. The principal rivers are James, York, Rappahannoc, and Potomac, which are full of convenient harbours; and there are also many small rivers, some of which are capable of receiving the largest merchant ships. The'climate is various. The land toward the mouth of the rivers is generally low, and fit for rice, hemp, and Indian corn, though at present stocked with many sorts of trees, from 30 to 70 feet high, The land higher up the rivers is generally level, and watered with springs: but there are here and there some small hills. That near the sea is generally sandy, and without stones, for which reason the horses are seldom shod. The riche est lands lie near the branches of the rivers, and abound with various sorts of timber, surprisingly large. The principal: produce is tobacco, wheat, and Indian corn; but the culture of tobacco has considerably declined in favour of that of wheat. Virginia is divided into 82 counties, and in 1790 contained 747,610 inhabitants, including 292,627 slaves. The capital is Richmond. IRGINIAN ACACIA, in botany. See RoBInla.