a fortress of Asiatic Russia, in the government of Orenburg, on the Ural, and so named from the lakes by which it is surrounded. The village contains a church and 200 houses.

OZOLÆ, or Ozoli, a people who inhabited the eastern part of Ætolia, called Ozolea. This tract of territory lay at the northern extremity of the bay of Corinth, and extended about twelve miles. The name Ozolea, on account of its indelicate signification, was highly disagreeable to the inhabitants; and they therefore exchanged it for that of Ætolians. P, THE fifteenth letter and eleventh consonant of the alphabet. The sound of it is formed by expressing the breath somewhat more suddenly than in forming the sound of b; but in other respects these two sounds are pretty much alike, and hence are often confounded. When p stands before t or s, its sound is lost; as in the words psalms, psychology, Ptolemaic, ptichon, and the like; but when placed before h, then both together have the sound f, as in philosophy, physic, and many other words. P and B are so like each other, that Quintilian declares, that in the word obtinuit, his reason required him to put a b, but that his ears could hear nothing but a p, optinuit; and hence, in ancient inscriptions and old glossaries, it appears that these two letters have often been confounded. Several nations still pronounce one for the other; the Welch and Germans particularly, who say, ponum cinum, for bonum vinum. Plutarch observes, that it was usual for those of Delphi to say barion for barium, bexer for exer; and amongst the Latins, as often as an s followed, the b was changed into a p, as scribo, scripsi.

As an abbreviation, P stands for Publius, Pondo, &c. PA. DIG. for Patricia Dignitas; P.C. for Patres Conscripsit; P.F. for Publii Filius; P.P. for Proposition, or Propositum publicum; P.R. for Populus Romanus; P.R.S. for Praetoris sententia; P.R.S.P. for Praeses provinciae. P.M. amongst Astronomers, is frequently used for post meridiem, or afternoon; and sometimes for post-mone, after the morning, that is, after midnight. P was also used amongst the ancients as a numeral letter, signifying the same with the G, viz. a hundred, according to the verse of Ugutio,

P simillem cum G numerum monstratur habere;

though Baronius is rather inclined to think that it stood for seven. When a dash was placed on the top of P, it stood for four hundred thousand.

St Jerome, treating of Daniel, observes, that the Hebrews had no P, but that the ph served them instead of it; adding, that there is but one word in the whole Bible read with a P, viz. apadno. The Greek σ signifies 80. On the French coins, P denotes those that were struck at Dijon.

In the Italian music, P stands for piano, or softly; and P.P. P. for pianissimo, or very softly. Amongst physicians, P stands for pugil, or the eighth part of an handful; P.E. partes aquales, or equal parts of the ingredients; P.P. signifies pulvis panium, or Jesuits' bark in powder; and ppt. preparatus or prepared.