both civil and religious. The capitulation was strictly observed by the marquis; no plunder or irregularity being allowed, and a pecuniary gratification being distributed among the soldiers and volunteers who accompanied him in the expedition. An hundred and sixty-four pieces of excellent cannon, and twenty-four brass mortars, besides a large quantity of military stores, were found in the place; inasmuch that the French themselves expressed their surprise at finding so few hands to make use of them. The marquis, however, took care to supply this defect, by leaving a garrison of 1500 of the best men he had with him. It was restored to Britain at the conclusion of the peace in 1783.

La Dominica, one of the Marquesas islands in the South sea.

DOMINICAL LETTER, popularly called Sunday Letter, one of the seven letters A B C D E F G, used in almanacks, ephemerides, &c., to denote the Sundays throughout the year. See CHRONOLOGY, No. 32. The word is formed from dominica or dominicus dies, "Lord's day, Sunday."

The dominical letters were introduced in the calendar by the primitive Christians in lieu of the NUNDINAL letters in the Roman calendar.

in church history. The council of Auxerre, held in 578, decrees, that women communicate with their dominical. Some authors contend, that this dominical was a linen cloth, wherein they received the species; as not being allowed to receive them in the bare hand. Others will have it a kind of veil, wherewith they covered the head. The most probable account is, that it was a sort of linen cloth or handkerchief wherein they received and preserved the eucharist in times of persecution, to be taken on occasion at home. This appears to have been the case by the practice of the first Christians, and by Tertullian's book Ad Uxorem.