Kiow, a considerable town of Poland, and capital of the Ukrain, in the palatinate of the same name, with an archbishop's see and castle. It belongs to Russia, and carries on a considerable trade. It is divided into the Old and New Town, and seated on the river Nieper, in E. Long. 31° 51' N. Lat. 50° 12'.

Kippis, Andrew, a learned and eminent English non-conformist divine and biographer, was born at Nottingham, on the 28th of March 1725. On the death of his father, he was removed to Sleaford in Lincolnshire at five years of age, where he received his grammar education, and gave such early proofs of talents and progress, as attracted the notice of Mr Merrivale, the pastor of a congregation of dissenters at that place. To this excellent man it was probably owing that young Kippis directed his views to the profession of a dissenting minister, and to those studies in which he afterwards so much excelled. In 1741 he was placed in the academy at Northampton, under the tuition of the celebrated Dr Doddridge, a seminary at that time in high reputation. Of the advantages which this institution afforded him, Mr Kippis knew how to make the best improvement, and his regular conduct and proficiency secured him the esteem of his worthy tutor. Having completed his course of studies in five years, he was invited to a dissenting congregation at Dorchester, Kippis. Dorchester, but he gave the preference to a similar call from Bolton in Lincolnshire in 1746, where he remained till 1750, removing from thence to Dorking in Surrey, and two years after to Long Ditch, Westminster, in the room of Dr Hughes deceased. This was in October 1753, and in the preceding month he married Miss Elizabeth Bott, the daughter of a merchant at Bolton.

The situation, for which Mr Kippis was eminently qualified by his extensive abilities, being now respectable, introduced him to useful and honourable connections. He became a manager of the presbyterian fund for the affluence of poor congregations in the country in supporting their ministers, and in 1762 he was chosen a member of Dr William's trust, nearly for similar purposes, together with the doctor's valuable library, which afforded him opportunities of very extensive usefulness. In 1762, he signified among his friends his design of taking private pupils, and was on the eve of entering into engagements with the parents of two or three young gentlemen, when a more honourable although a less lucrative employment was offered him. He was appointed classical and philological tutor in Coward's academy, an office which he filled for upwards of 25 years with uncommon reputation to himself, and unapproachable advantage to his students. He received the degree of D.D. from the university of Edinburgh, by the unfailing recommendation of the learned Professor Robertson in 1767; in 1778 he was made a member of the Antiquarian, and in 1779 a fellow of the Royal Society.

His literary engagements growing extremely numerous, in 1784 he was obliged to resign his appointment in Coward's academy, which was discontinued in the subsequent year. In 1786, attempts were made to establish a new academy in the vicinity of London; a design which Dr Kippis exerted all his influence to accomplish; and although his numerous engagements made it extremely difficult for him to fill any department in it, he reluctantly yielded to the wishes of the subscribers, and became a tutor. But the inconvenience arising from the distance of Hackney from his place of residence, made him resign that office in a few years. His professional duties and private studies occupied his time after this period; and as he enjoyed an uninterrupted state of good health and constitutional vigour, made his friends hope that his life and usefulness would be long continued; but in consequence of a cold which he caught on a journey, he was seized with a fever which no medical knowledge could subdue, and he died on the 5th of October 1795, in the 71st year of his age.

Dr Kippis was distinguished in a high degree for those virtues and accomplishments which are universally allowed to be the chief ornaments of human nature. His temper was mild and gentle, benevolent and candid; his manners and address were easy, polished and conciliating. Notwithstanding his great reputation, he was void of pride, vanity, and self-conceit; he was humble, modest, affable and engaging. The powers and vigour of his mind were far above mediocrity; he had a sound judgement, a comprehensive understanding, correct imagination, retentive memory, a refined taste, and he could exert his faculties on any subject with the utmost facility. He was an early riser from his youth, to which in a great measure his good health may be ascribed. He excelled in his acquaintance with the classics, belles-lettres, history, and biography. He was the steady friend and advocate of genuine civil and religious liberty; and as a divine, he was well acquainted with the different branches of theology, and with those subjects which are subservient to the critical study of the Scriptures. He very seldom introduced controverted topics into the pulpit, but confined himself to such doctrines and duties as have an immediate influence on the temper and practice.

His works are numerous and valuable, of which we give the following as a specimen: Review of the Transactions of the present Reign; The History of Learning, Knowledge, and Taste in Great Britain; A Vindication of the Protestant Dissenting Ministers, with regard to their late application to Parliament; Considerations on the Provisional Treaty with America, and the Preliminary Articles of Peace with France and Spain; the Life of Sir John Pringle; Six Discourses delivered at the Royal Society, on affixing the Copley Medal; the Life of Captain James Cook, of Dr Lardner, and Dr Doddridge; Sermons preached on public occasions; Biographia Britannica, &c. &c. This last great work, which he did not live to finish, has assigned him a high rank among the learned of his country, and will transmit his name to posterity with distinguished reputation.

Kirch, Christian-Frederic, of Berlin, a celebrated astronomer, was born at Guben in 1694, and acquired great reputation in the observatories of Danzig and Berlin. Godfrey Kirch his father, and Mary his mother, acquired considerable reputation by their astronomical observations. This family corresponded with all the learned societies of Europe, and their astronomical works are in some repute.

Kircher, Athanasius, a famous philosopher and mathematician, was born at Fulde in 1601. In 1618, he entered into the society of the Jesuits, and taught philosophy, mathematics, the Hebrew and Syriac languages, in the university of Witzburg, with great applause, till the year 1631. He went to France on account of the ravages committed by the Swedes in Franconia, and lived some time at Avignon. He was afterwards called to Rome, where he taught mathematics in the Roman college, collected a rich cabinet of machines and antiquities, and died in 1680.—The quantity of his works is immense, amounting to 22 vols in folio, 11 in quarto, and 3 in 8vo; enough to employ a man for a great part of his life even to transcribe them. Most of them are rather curious than useful; many of them visionary and fanciful; and if they are not always accompanied with the greatest exactness and precision, the reader, it is presumed, will not be astonished. The principal of his works are, 1. Preludiones magneticae. 2. Primitiae gnomonice catoptricae. 3. Ars magna lucis et umbrae. 4. Musurgia universalis. 5. Obeliscus Pamphilus. 6. Oedipus Ægyptiacus, four volumes, folio. 7. Itinerarium extatium. 8. Obeliscus Ægyptianus, in four volumes folio. 9. Mundus subterraneus. 10. China illuftrata.

Kiriataim, in Ancient Geography, one of the towns built by the Reubenites; reckoned to the tribe tribe of Reuben (Joshua xiii.), 12 miles to the west of Midaba. The ancient residence of the giants called Emim.