Peekskill

Peekskill, a manufacturing village, on a beautiful point of the Hudson River, 42 miles N. of New York. Pop. 10,360.

Peel

Peel, a coast-town of the Isle of Man, 11 1/2 miles by rail NW. of Douglas. On Peel Hill (450 feet) is the souvir, Folly; and on an island Jmimavida and Corcovado are sheltering the harbour stand the beautiful ruins of Peel Castle, celebrated by both Scott and Wordsworth. It dates from the 12th century, but was mainly rebuilt by the fourth Earl of Derby in 1593. St German's Cathedral, a cruciform ruin, with a crypt and low central tower, is included in its area. Fishing is Peel's chief industry, but the place attracts yearly more and more visitors. Pop. 3331.

Pegu

Pegu', a town of Lower Burma, on the river Pegu, 46 miles NE. of Rangoon, was long the capital of a powerful kingdom; travellers in the 16th century speak of its magnificence. It was destroyed in the middle of the 18th century. A celebrated pagoda still stands within part of the old walls. Pop. 10,700. - The river flows 180 miles S. to the Rangoon or Hlaing River.

Pei-ho

Pei-ho, a river of China, rises near the borders of Mongolia, flows NE. and SE., past Peking and Tien-tsin, and falls into the Gulf of Pe-chi-li after a course of more than 350 miles. Its mouth is defended by the forts of Taku.

Peipus

Peipus (Pi-poos), Lake, in NW. Russia, lies between the government of St Petersburg and Livonia. On the south it is connected with Lake Pskoff by a long, narrow channel, the length of both lakes being 87 miles, the greatest breadth 30, the area 1356 sq. m., and the depth from 14 to 49 feet. Their waters, which abound in fish, are carried to the Gulf of Finland by the Narova. The shores are marshy and flat.

Pekin

Pekin, capital of Tazewell county, Illinois, on the Illinois River, 10 miles S. of Peoria. It has foundries, flour-mills, distilleries, and manufactures organs, ploughs, wagons, etc. Pop. 8993.

Pelesch

Pelesch, a royal castle of Roumania, built in 1873-84, on the south side of the Transylvanian Alps, 70 miles N. of Bucharest.

Pelew Islands

Pelew Islands, also Palau, a group in the Pacific, SE. of the Philippines, purchased by Germany from Spain in 1899. There are twenty-live islands, mountainous, wooded, and surrounded with coral-reefs; total area, 170 sq. m. The 10,000 inhabitants are Malays.

Pelion

Pelion, the ancient name of a wooded mountain-range in Thessaly, extending along the east coast. According to the myth, the Titans, to scale Olympus, the gods' abode, piled Ossa on Pelion, the highest peak (5310 feet) of the range.

Pella

Pella, capital of Macedonia and birthplace of Philip II. and Alexander the Great, stood amidst marshes, a few miles NW. of Thessalonica.

Peloponnesus

Peloponnesus. See Greece, Morea.

Pemba

Pemba, a coral island off the east coast of Africa, lies 50 miles NE. of Zanzibar Island; area, 372 sq. m. With Zanzibar it forms, since 1890, the British Zanzibar protectorate. Pop. 50,000.