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618 WIESELBURG WIGHT N. and S. sides of which have covered colon- nades with stores. It is the centre of attrac- tion, and has ball, reading, dining, and concert rooms, a splendid parlor surrounded by mar- ble pillars, extensive pleasure grounds, and an arcade of iron and glass (the Trinkhalle), which connects the grounds with the Kochbrunnen. This is the principal boiling spring (about 156 F.), yielding 17 cub. ft. of water per minute. The next hottest and largest spring is the Adlerbrunnen in the Adler hotel (about 144 F.), and there are many other springs used for drinking and bathing. There are also water- cure, orthopedic, gymnastic, and other estab- lishments, and about 30 bathing houses with over 800 separate rooms. The heat in sum- mer is oppressive ; the season extends to au- tumn, when the weather is delightful. The vicinity of the Rhine and of Frankfort and Homburg makes it a favorite resort for excur- sionists, especially on Sundays; on week days it has a monotonous and hospital-like appear- ance. Wiesbaden has a splendid Protestant church, built in 1853, a Catholic church with three large naves and fine altarpieces, finished in 1849; a royal (formerly ducal) and other palaces, the art union gallery, a library of 70,- 000 volumes, and a museum of antiquities and natural history; and in the vicinity are Fre- senius's chemical laboratory, an agricultural institute, and a Greek chapel with gilded cu- polas. The once excessive rouge-et-noir and faro gambling was restricted in 1862, and al- together abolished in 1872. Like many other places containing thermal springs, Wiesbaden was a Roman military station. Under the Carlovingians a royal residence existed hero under the name of Wisibad, and Otho I. raised the place to the rank of a town. Remains of a Roman castle were found in 1838, and of baths and a temple in 1867-'8. The district of Wiesbaden (pop. about 600,000) includes most of the former duchy of Nassau, the landgraviate of Ilomburg, and the territory of Frankfort. WIESELBLRG (Hung. Moony a W. county of Hungary, bordering on Pressburg, Raab, Oedenburg, and Lower Austria; area, 751 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 75,486, chiefly Germans. It is watered by the Danube, the Leitha, and the Rabnitz. With the exception of a small tract in the east, the county is very fertile. The chief product is wheat. Capital, Ungarisch- Altenburg (Hung. Magyar- Omr). WIFE. See HUSBAND AND WIFE, and MAR- BIAOE. WIG (a contraction of periwig, Fr. perruque), a covering for the head formed of hair, silk, thread, or other material designed to imitate the natural hair. The oldest wigs in existence, among the Egyptian antiquities of the British and Berlin museums, are composed of hair. Astyages, king of the Modes, according to Xenophon, wore a wig. Allusions to wigs are found in the writings of Livy, Ovid, Mar- tial, Juvenal, Propertius, Plutarch, and Sue- tonius; and even the use of natural hair in their manufacture was understood by the an- cient Romans, the blond locks of the German maidens being preferred. In the early ages of the Christian era, the fathers of the church vainly protested against the use of wigs ; and afterward even churchmen themselves covered their heads with perukes. Henry III. of France, having lost his hair from sickness, wore a wig, and his courtiers began to follow his example. Under Louis XIII. the use of wigs became gen- eral ; they were made of silk or thread. The dimension of the wig increased from the be- ginning of the reign of Louis XIV., and at length it extended half way down the back, while the curls on the sides fell equally low upon the breast. The wigs were generally made of silk, though a few of the most cost- ly were of hair. From France the fashion pervaded Europe, and it was at its height in England during the reign of Queen Anne. To- ward the close of his life Louis XIV. began to powder the wig slightly ; Louis XV. made it completely white, and his courtiers followed the fashion. This practice continued till the French revolution, when wigs and powder dis- appeared together from France. The large, white, "full-bottomed" wig is still worn by the English judges. The large wig was some- what in vogue in the American colonies in the last half of the 18th century, but disappeared after the revolution. WIG1N, a parliamentary and municipal bo- rough of Lancashire, England, on the Douglas river near its head, on the Leeds and Liver- pool canal, and on the Northwestern railway, 16 m. W. N. W. of Manchester; pop. in 1871, 39,160. It has a Latin school, a mechanics' institute, a library, and a museum. In 1872 there were 27 places of worship. The cotton mills employ more than 10,000 persons; and there are also manufactories of woollen goods, edge tools, nails, brass ware, machinery, and agricultural implements. The town is ancient ; the older part stands on the right and the modern (called Scholes) on the left bank of the river, which is crossed by several bridges. It stands in an extensive coal field. WIGHT, Isle of, an island in the English channel, 2 m. off the coast of Hampshire, to which county it is politically attached, sepa- rated from the mainland by the roadstead of Spithead and the Solent; extreme length 23 m., breadth 14 m. ; area, about 160 sq. m. ; pop. in 1871, 66,165. Newport is the chief town, and the other places of importance are Cowes, Ryde, Ventnor, a watering place, and St. Helen's. The coast is indented by sev- eral small estuaries and bays, and at the S. part and "back of the island" it is bold and cliffy. The principal streams are the Bra- ding, Medina, and Yar. The general surface is elevated, and consists of plains or downs, diversified with hills and dales and tracts of woodland. The scenery is picturesque and romantic, some points attaining an altitude of