or Acrea, in Geography, a sea-port town in Syria. It was formerly called Ptolemais, from one of the Ptolemys; and Acre on account of its fortifications; whence the knights of St John of Jerusalem called it St John d'Acre. This city was successively under the dominion of the Romans and the Moors; and was famous in the time of the crusades, and underwent several sieges both by the Christians and Saracens. It is situated at the north angle of a bay, which extends in a semicircle of three leagues, as far as the point of Carmel.

During the crusades, the possession of this town was long disputed by the Christians and Saracens. In 1192 it was taken from the latter by Richard I. of England and Philip of France, after a siege of two years, and the slaughter of 100,000 Christians, beside a greater number who perished by shipwreck or disease, who gave it to the knights of St John of Jerusalem. They kept possession of it 100 years, when it was retaken by the Saracens, and almost entirely destroyed. This event event is rendered memorable by an act of singular resolution with which it was accompanied. A number of beautiful young nuns, terrified at the prospect of being exposed to the brutal lust of the infidels, determined to avoid the violation of their chastity, by rendering themselves objects of aversion. With this view they cut off their noses and mangled their faces. The Saracens, inflamed with resentment at a spectacle which prevented the gratification of their appetites, immediately put them all to the sword. After the expulsion of the crusaders, it remained almost deserted till about the year 1759, when it was fortified by Daher, an Arabian sheik, who maintained his independence against the Ottoman power, till the year 1775, when he was basely assassinated by the emissaries of that government at the age of 86 years. He was adored by his people, whom his prudence and valour had through life protected against the tyranny and oppression of the pacha. More lately the works erected by Djezzar, within the last ten years, have rendered it one of the principal towns upon the coast. The mosque of this pacha is boasted as a masterpiece of eastern taste. The bazaar, or covered market, is not inferior even to those of Aleppo; and its public fountain surpasses in elegance those of Damascus, though the water is of a very indifferent quality. The pacha has derived the more honour from these works, as he was himself both the engineer and architect: he formed the plans, drew the designs, and superintended the execution.

The port of Acre is one of the best situated on the coast, as it is sheltered from the north and north-west winds by the town itself; but it is greatly choked up since the time of Fakr el-din. Djezzar contented himself with making a landing place for boats. The fortifications, though more frequently repaired than any other in all Syria, are of no importance: there are only a few wretched low towers near the port, on which cannon are mounted; and these rusty iron pieces are so bad, that some of them burst every time they are fired. Its defence on the land side is merely a garden wall without any ditch.

In the year 1799 Acre was again the scene of war, when it was bravely defended by our gallant countryman Sir Sidney Smith, against the military skill and extraordinary exertions of Bonaparte, and some of his ablest generals. The pacha Djezzar was preparing to evacuate the place, and make good his retreat with his women and treasure, when Sir Sidney with his squadron anchored in the road of Caïffa. The fortifications were repaired under the direction of a skilful engineer, which, with the affluence of the English marines, encouraged and animated the pacha to hold out. After the French had renewed and varied the attack, and been as often repulsed with great slaughter, Bonaparte, despairing of success, raised the siege on the 26th of May, the 61st day after breaking ground.

Corn and cotton form the basis of the commerce of Acre, which is becoming more flourishing every day. Of late, the pacha, by an abuse common throughout all the Turkish empire, has monopolized all the trade in his own hands; no cotton can be sold but to him, and from him every purchase must be made. In vain have the European merchants claimed the privileges granted them by the sultan; Djezzar replied, that he was the sultan in his country, and continued his monopoly. The merchants were generally French, and they had fix houles at Acre, with a consul: an imperial agent too was lately settled there; also a resident for Russia.

That part of the bay of Acre in which ships anchor with the greatest security lies to the north of Mount Carmel, below the village of Haifa (commonly called Caïffa). The bottom is good holding ground, and does not chafe the cables; but the harbour is open to the north-west wind, which blows violently along all this coast. Mount Carmel, which commands it to the south, is a flattened cone, and very rocky; it is about 1000 feet high. We still find among the brambles wild vines and olive trees, which prove that industry has formerly been employed even in this ungrateful soil: on the summit is a chapel dedicated to the prophet Elias, which affords an extensive prospect over the sea and land. It is 20 miles south of Tyre, and 37 north of Jerusalem. E. Long. 39. 25. N. Lat. 32. 40.

the Mogul's dominions, the fame with lack, and signifies the sum of 100,000 rupees; the rupee is of the value of the French crown of three livres, or 30 fols of Holland; 100 lacks of rupees make a couron in Indostan, or 10,000,000 rupees; the pound sterling is about eight rupees; according to which proportion, a lack of rupees amounts to 12,500 pounds sterling.

universal measure of land in Britain. The word (formed from the Saxon acher, or the German aker, a field), did not originally signify a determinate quantity of land, but any open ground, especially a wide champagne; and in this antique sense it seems to be preserved in the names of places, as Castle-acre, Welt-acre, &c. An acre in England contains four square rods, a rod 40 perches or poles of 16½ feet each by statute. Yet this measure does not prevail in all parts of England, as the length of the pole varies in different counties, and is called cyfomary measure, the difference running from the 16½ feet to 28. The acre is also divided into 10 square chains, of 22 yards each, that is, 4840 square yards. An acre in Scotland contains four square rods; one square rod is 40 square falls; one square fall, 36 square ells; one square ell, nine square feet and 7¾ square inches; one square foot, 144 square inches. The Scots acre is also divided into 10 square chains; the measuring chain should be 24 ells in length, divided into 100 links, each link 8½ inches; and so one square chain will contain 10,000 square links. The English statute acre is about three rods and six falls standard measure of Scotland.

The French acre, arpent, contains 1¼ English acre, or 54,450 square English feet, whereof the English acre contains only 43,560.—The Straburg acre is about half an English acre.—The Welsh acre contains commonly two English acres.—The Irish acre is equal to one acre two rods and 19 perches 1½ English.

ACRE-Fight, an old form of duel fought by English and Scottish combatants, between the frontiers of their kingdoms, with sword and lance: it was also called camp-fight, and the combatants champions, from the open field being the stage of trial.

ACRE Tax, a tax laid on land at so much per acre. In some places this is also called acre-bot. Impositions on lands in the great level are to be raised by a proportionable portionable acre-tax, 20 Car. II. cap. 8.—An acre-tax of 2s. 6d. per acre, for draining Hadham-level, 13 Geo. I. cap. 18.