Plata or Rio de la Plata, a large river of S.
America, formed by the union of tne great rivers
Parana and Uraguay. It was discovered in 1515
by Juan Diaz de Solis, a Spanish navigator who
was slain by the natives in endeavouring to make
a descent in the country. It forms the S. bound-
ary of Brazil, and enters the Atlantic between
the capes of St. Anthony and St. Mary, the lat-
ter in lat. 35. S. It is 150 m. broad at its mouth ;
and at Monte Video, 60 m. up the river, the land
is not to be discerned on either shore when a
vessel is in the middle of the channel. This river
has many islets and shoals, which cause adverse
cmrents, and render its navigation intricate;
ana the only safe port on its shores, for ships of
considerable burden, is VIonte Video.

Plata, a province of Buenos Ayres, in Para-
guay, seated on the S. W. of the river Plata.

Plate, a town and castle of Pomerania on the
river Rega, 19 m. E. by S. of Camin.

Plattekill, a township of Ulster Co. N. Y. Pop.
2,044.

Flatten, a lake of Hungary, 60 m. to the S.
E. of that of Neusidler. It is 46 m. in lAgth,
from 3 to 8 in breadth, and abounds with fish.

Flatten, a town of Bohemia, in the circle of
Saatz, on the frontiers of Saxony, 14 m. N. of Eln-
bogen.

Plattsburg, ph. Clinton Co. N. Y. on Lake
Champlain 63 m. S. Montreal. Pop. 4,913. It
was the scene of some important military events
during the late war, and is particularly distin-
guished for the defeat of the British army under
Sir George Prevost, and the capture of the Brit-
ish fleet by Commodore Me Donough in Sept.

1814.

Play, a town of Saxony, in the grand duchy of
Mecklenburg, with a castle, seated on a lake of
the same name 20 m. S. S. E. of Gustrow.

Plauen, a town of Saxony, capital of Voigtland,
with a castle. It has considerable cotton manu-
factures, and is seated on the Elster, 80 m. S. W.
of Dresden. Long. 12 12. E., lat. 50. 28. N.

Plauen, a town of Prussia, in Brandenburg, on
a lake formed by the Havel, from which is a ca-
nal to the Elbe. It has a manufacture of porce-
lain, and is 5 ni. W. N. W. of Brandenburg.

Pleasant, townships in Franklin Madison, Clark,
and Brown Cos., Ohio.

Pleasant Grove, villages in Lunenburg Co. Va.
Orange Co. N. C. Greenville. Dis S. C. Henry
Co. Geo.

Pleasant Gacden, villages in Burke Co. N. C.
and Maury Co. Ten.

Pleasant Hill, p.v. Wythe Co. Va.

Pleasant Level, p.v. Warren Co. Ken. and Mon-
roe Co. Alab.

Pleasant Plain, p.v. Franklin Co. Ten.

Pleasant Ridge, p. v. Green Co. Alab.

Pleasant. Valley, ph. Dutchess Co. N. Y. Pop. 2,
419. Here are cotton and other manufactures;
p.v. Putnam Co. N. Y. Sussex Co. N. J. and Fair-
fax Va.

Pleasantville. a village of Shelby Co. Alab.

Plesis, p.v. Jefferson Co. N. Y.

Plesse, a town of Prussian Silesia, in the gov-
ernment of Oppeln, capital of a lordship, with a
a fine castle. It is surrounded by walls flanked
with towers, and seated on the Vistula, 36 m. E.
S. E. of Ratibor. Long. 19. 3. E., lat. 49. 57. N.

Plettenberg, a town of Westphalia, with an an-
cient castle ; situate on the Else and Oester, 13
m. S. S. W. of Arensberg.

Pleyberg, a to-vn and castle of Austria, in Can-
inthia, seated on the Feistez, at the foot of a moun-
tain 20 m. E. of Clagenfurt.

Ploezko,a town of Poland, capital of a Palatinate
of the same name, and a bishop’s see, with a cas-
tle. It is seated on a hill, near the Vistula, 35 m.
N. W. of Warsaw. Long. 19.29. E.,lat. 52. 46. N.

Ploen, a town of Denmark, in the duchy of
Holstein. It has a castle on a mountain, and is
seated on the N. side of a lake, 24 m. N. N. W. of
Lubec. Long. 10. 30. E., lat. 54. 11. N.

Ploormel, a town of France department of Mor-
biham, on the river Due, 27 m. N. E. of Vannes.

Plotzkau, a town of Saxony in the principality
of Anhalt, with a castle; seated on the Saale, 10
m. W. of Kothen.

Pluckemin, p.v. Somerset Co. N. J.

Pludenz, a town of Austria, in Tyrol, capital of
a lordship of its name. It is seated on a plain,
on the riyer 111, 12 m. S. S. E. of Felkirch.

Plum Island, on the coast of Massachusetts,
extends from Newburyport harbour to Ipswich.
It is 9 m. long and a mile in breadth. It is com-
posed of sand hills bearing a scanty vegetation of
plum bushes. The whole surface of the island
is furrowed into singular hollows and ridges like
immense snow drifts. It produces also wild grapes
and cherries, and in the autumn affords a delight-
ful resort for parties of pleasure who frequent the
island in great numbers to enjoy the sea breezes
On the north end stands two light houses.

Plumb, a township of Alleghany Co. Pa.

Plumpstead, a township of Berks Co. Pa.

Pluviers, or Pithiviere, a town of France, in the
department ofLoiret, 20 m. N. N. E. of Orleans.

Plymouth, a borough and sea-port in Devon-
shire, Eng. It is seated at .the mouth of the Plym,
and next, to Portsmouth^ is the most considerable
harbour in England for men of war. It affords
fine anchorage for ships, particularly since the
constitution of the magnificent break-water across
its entrance. The fishery for pilchards extend
no further E. than this port, whence great quan-
tities are exported to Italy and other catholic
countries. It carries on a considerable foreign
and domestic trade. The charitable institutions
are numerous, and among those for literary pur-
poses are the Athenaeum and a public library. It is
43 m. S. W. of Exeter and 216 W. by S. of Lon-
don. Long. 4. 7. W., lat. 50. 23. N.

Plymouth, a county of Massachusetts, border-
ing on Mass. Bay. Pop. 42,993. Plymouth is the
capital.

Plymouth, ph. the capital of the above county,
36 m. S. E. Boston. Pop. 4,751. It is memorable
in American history as the place where the first
settlers of New England landed in December
1620. The Forefathers’ Rock, on which they
first set foot has been removed from the sea shore
to the centre of the town. The fortifications,
erected to defend them from the Indians may
still be seen here,as also the first well dug in New
England. The landing of the Pilgrims is annu
ally celebrated at this place, and a large stone ed-
ific called Pilgrim Hall was erected here in 1820
by the New England society for use on such occa-
sions. The harbour is shallow and insecure; the
town has some commerce and manufactures oi
cordage, iron and cotton. Pop. 4,751.

Plymouth, ph. Grafton Co. N. H. Pop. 1,175 ,
ph. Windsor Co. Va. Pop. 1,237; ph. Litchfield
Co. Conn. Pop. 2,064 ; p.v. Chenango Co. N. Y
Pop. 1 591. also towns in Luzerne and Montgom-
ery Cos. Pa. Washington Co. N. C. Richmond Co
Ohio