a parliamentary borough of Scotland, and capital of the county of Sutherland, is situated on the N.E. of the Firth of the same name, 14 miles N. of Cromarty. It unites with Dingwall, &c., in sending a member to parliament. Pop. (1851) 599. Dornoch was formerly the principal seat of the Bishop of Sutherland and Caithness, and was made a royal burgh by Charles I. in 1628. The cathedral, now the parish church, was built about the middle of the thirteenth century, and has recently been restored by the late Duchess of Sutherland. The palace or castle was a large building of most massive structure, of which only the picturesque western tower now remains. On its site a handsome new prison and court-house have recently been erected.
DORNOC Firth, an arm of the sea on the E. coast of Scotland, serving as the boundary between the counties of Ross and Sutherland. It is about 15 miles broad at its mouth, and here has more the character of a bay than of a firth. It gradually becomes narrower, till, about three miles west from the town of Dornoch, its breadth decreases to two miles. Above this point it becomes much broader, forming an inner harbour or bay.
DORPAT, or DERPE, a town of Russia, in the government of Livonia, and capital of a circle of the same name, on the Embach, here crossed by a handsome stone bridge of three arches; and also on the road between Riga and St Petersburg, 140 miles N.E. of the former, and 170 S.W. of the latter. Pop. (1851) 12,683. This town is neat, clean, and well-built, the streets are wide and regular, and the houses generally of one story, built of brick, or wood painted in showy colours. It consists of the town proper, and the suburbs of Riga and St Petersburg. The old fortifications have been converted into gardens and public walks. The cathedral is now in ruins, having, with the entire town, been destroyed by a great fire in 1775. Dorpat is the seat of a university originally founded by Gustavus Adolphus in 1632, when Livonia belonged to the Swedish crown. After undergoing numerous vicissitudes during the wars between Russia and Sweden, and having been removed to Perm, it was re-established here in 1802 by the Emperor Alexander. It has faculties of theology, law, medicine, and philosophy; a library of upwards of 60,000 volumes; a noble observatory, botanical garden, and extensive collections in mineralogy, zoology, anatomy, pathology, &c. In 1852 it was attended by 607 students. Dorpat has also a veterinary school with 37 pupils, a gymnasium, normal school, &c. Lat. 58. 22. 44. N.; Long. 26. 42. 19. E.