ABLUTION, a religious ceremony practised in ancient times, and still in use among the Mahommedans and Roman Catholics. It consists in washing either the whole or part of the body before the offering up of a sacrifice, or the performance of any religious 'duty, and is considered as a purification of the shipper, necessary to the proper observance of any sacred rite. See Guer .11/aura des Fares, tom. i. lib. 2. (w) ABU, the capital of Swedish Finland. It is situated on a promontory formed by the Gulli; of Bothnia and Finland, and is divided into two parts by the river Aurajocki. It is the fourth town in Sweden in point of size, and the eighth voting town in the diet. In 1626, Gustavus Adolphus established a gymnasium at Abo, which was converted into an university by queen Christina, in 1640, and endowed with all the privileges of that of Upsal. The anatomical school enjoys the extraordinary right of claiming for dissection the bodies of all those who hold lands or pensions from the crown. In 1713, Abo was taken by the Russians, w he remained masters of the place till 1720. They committed great disorders during their stay, and carried off with them the library. In 1741, the town was ceded to Russia, but was restored in 1743 by the peace of Abo. It was
again taken by the Russians, along with the whole of Finland, in 1808.
The harbour near Beckhohaen, about three Eng lish miles from Abo, is both safe and commokiious, and the city carries on a considerable trade. In 1761, the export trade to ports in the Baltic employed 19 ships, 14 of which belonged to Abo. They exported salt, tiles, iron, and nails, copper, pitch, tar, pots, and deals, to the amount of 3122 rix-dollars. To Geneva, Lisbon, Bourdeaux, Amsterdam, Scc. they exported iron, tar, pitch, deals, joists, Exc. to the annual amount of 7187 rix-dollars. In the same year, 16 ships, of which nine belonged to the town, arrived with cargoes at Abo, and the value of imports amounted to 104,967 rix dollars. The articles imported were, tobacco, coffee, wine, sugar, salt, rye, wheat, hemp, spiccries, drugs, Sze. At Abo, there are manufactures of silk, ribband, sail cloth, leather, watches, paper, and sugar ; and the plan tations of tobacco produce nearly 152,000 cwt. annually. The revenue paid to the crown in 1761 from this city was 4675 rix-dollars. Population in 1791,3504. Num ber of houses 1100. E. Long. 22° 13' 30". N. Lat. 60° 27' 10". Sec Acerbi's Travels. (w)