a word often mentioned in our old historians. Durandus tells us that it is a garment made of white wool, after the following manner, viz. The nuns of St Agnes offer every year, on the feast day of their saint, two white lambs on the altar of their church, during the time of singing the *Agnus Dei*, in a solemn mass; and these lambs are afterwards taken by two of the canons of the Lateran church, and by them given to the pope's subdeacons, who send them to pasture till shearing time, when they are slain, and the pail is made of their wool mixed with other white wool. The pall being thus made, is carried to the Lateran church, and there placed on the high altar, by the deacons of that church; and after the usual watching, it is carried away in the night, and delivered to the subdeacons, who lay it up safe. The *pallium* signifies the plenitude of ecclesiastical power; and therefore it was the prerogative of the popes, as the successors of St Peter, to invest other prelates with it. At first this was done nowhere but at Rome; though afterwards the ceremony was performed at other places.

**Pallium**, in Antiquity, was an upper garment or mantle worn by the Greeks, as the *toga* was by the Romans. These habits were so peculiar to the two nations respectively, that *Palliatus* was used to signify a Greek, and *Togatus* a Roman.

**Palms** has amongst almost all nations been regarded as an emblem of victory, and assigned as the reward of it. The reason why this tree was adopted and made use of to represent victory, is said to be, because it is so elastic, that if pressed by the greatest weight, it will rise superior to the pressure, and be able to restore itself to its former state, appearing almost invincible.

**Palm Islands**, a chain of islands near the north-eastern coast of New Holland, extending almost thirty miles in length, at the entrance of Halifax Bay. Long. 213. 25. W. Lat. 18. 53. S.

**Palm-Sunday**, in the Christian church, the Sunday next before Easter, being so called in memory of our Saviour's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, when the multitude who attended him strewed palm branches on his way.

**Palma**, one of the Canary Islands, situated off the coast of Western Africa. The soil of this island is more elevated than Teneriffe, being hilly, and full of caverns. It is generally fertile and populous only on its coasts, where are cultivated vegetables, good wine, a great deal of sugar used principally in preserving fruit, in which the island abounds, and a great quantity of almonds. In its southern part Palma is very barren, being strewed with the products of volcanic action. The centre is often covered with snow, and contains extensive pine forests, as well as good timber for ship-building. The region of clouds only is thickly wooded, which gives the island the appearance of a forest when seen from a distance. Tradition says that the Spaniards gave it the name which it bears, from its having a resemblance to a palm-tree when seen from the ocean. The produce in corn is not sufficient for the consumption of the inhabitants, so that in years of scarcity they live on the roots of fern, as at Gomera, another of the group. According to Clavijo, there are neither fallow-deer, partridges, nor hares on this island; but rabbits are very numerous, and destructive to the young trees. One of the principal branches of trade is the fishing, which is prosecuted on the coast of Africa in small vessels. The fish being salted, serves, with potatoes, for the food of the common people throughout the islands. Palma is one of the three royal islands, and had a liberty to trade with America, which was not taken advantage of; its commercial intercourse being almost entirely with Teneriffe, and Spain, the mother country. Volcanic eruptions have repeatedly spread ruin and consternation throughout Palma, and its liability to these terrible visitations it shares with Teneriffe and Lanzarota. Santa Cruz de las Palmas, the capital, has a good port. Palma is about twenty-five miles in length by fifteen miles in breadth, and contains about 25,000 inhabitants.

**Palma**, the capital of Majorca, one of the Balearic Islands, belonging to Spain, in the Mediterranean Sea. It has a most excellent harbour, formed by Cape Calafiguera and Cape Blanco, and is very respectably fortified. The city contains 30,000 inhabitants, subsisting on the produce of the fertile fields that surround them, on that of the fisheries, and by means of considerable foreign commerce in silk, thread, oranges, lemons, dates, almonds, and flax. It is the see of a bishop, and has a large cathedral, an academy for drawing, a literary seminary, and, which is the best of the buildings, a large mercantile exchange. The cathedral, by accurate observation, is in east longitude 3. 9. 45. from London, and in north latitude 39. 34. 4. It has a mile 4380 feet long. It contains 3000 large houses, and 29,529 inhabitants.

**Palma**, a town of the island of Sicily, in the intendency of Calatina, and district of Mazzara. It is situated on a fine plain, near gentle hills, on the sea-shore, eighty-six miles from Palermo. It is a healthy place, with 8400 inhabitants, who deal in wine, corn, honey, and other productions of their fertile soil.

**Palma**, a town of Italy, in the province Terra di Lavoro, of the kingdom of Naples. It stands on a fertile plain, and contains 6300 inhabitants.

**Palmas, Las**, capital of the Great Canary, one of the group of the Canaries, situated off the coast of Western Africa. It is a large handsome town, and in 1835 contained 18,000 inhabitants. There are a cathedral, an hospital, and a college, with convents for monks and nuns of all orders. The city is well supplied with water, having fountains in all the principal streets and squares; and there is a public market, which is always abundantly stocked with provisions.

**Palmerston Island**, in the South Pacific Ocean, discovered by Captain Cook, and afterwards visited by Captain Wilson in the missionary ship Duff. It has the appearance of one island, but consists really of eight or nine. There are no inhabitants on the island, but numerous rats, supposed to have been drifted here on some hollow tree or root. Long. 163. 10. W. Lat. 18. 4. S.

**Palmi**, a city of Italy, in the province of Calabria Ulteriore I., of the kingdom of Naples. It stands on the sea, in a district highly productive of silk, wine, and oil. It contains 6100 inhabitants, many of them employed in woollen and silk manufactures. It was almost wholly destroyed by the earthquake of 1783, but has since been rebuilt.

**Palmiras**, a celebrated point of land at the head of the Bay of Bengal, which all vessels bound for Calcutta endeavour to make, and on which the East India Company have erected a lighthouse. Long. 87. 5. E. Lat. 20. 44. N.

**Palistry**, a kind of divination, or rather a deceitful art practised by gipsies, who pretend to foretell events by looking upon the lines and marks of the hand.

**Palmus**, a long measure used both by the Greeks and the Romans. The Grecian *palmus* was of two sorts; the greater, which contained nine finger-breadths, and the less, which contained four. The Roman *palmus* was also of two sorts; the greater, which contained twelve finger-breadths, or eight inches and a half English; and the less, which contained four finger-breadths, or nearly three inches English. The great *palmus* was taken from the length of the hand or span, the less from the breadth of it.

**Palmyra**, or Tadmor, a noble city of ancient Syria, now in ruins. The origin of this name is uncertain, neither is it well known by whom the city was built; for though, from the identity of the names, it is thought by many to have been the *Tadmor in the wilderness* built by Solomon, yet this point is much controverted by many learned men.

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1 See 1 Kings, ix. 18; and 2 Chron. viii. 4; and Josephus, *Antiq. Jud.* lib. i.