of the hottest ever known. Sir James Alexander, in his account of this extraordinary place, says, "The heat of the surface obliged me to dance up and down from the scorching of my feet, having taken off my shoes to wade through the broad chasms of water, across which, at that time, there were no planks.' Probably Sir James visited it under midday heat, or that the effect of the sun is not always the same; certain it is, that this evening, the surface of the lake was quite cool though the sun was still above the horizon." The fullest and best account of the pitch lake of Trinidad will be found in the 1st vol. of The United Service Journal for 1839.

BREADALBANE, an extensive district on the NW side of Perthshire, about 33 m. in length, and 31 m. in breadth. It is mountainous and rugged, lying among the Grampians; and is bounded on the N by Lochaber and Athole; on the S by Strathearn and Menteith; and on the W by Lorn, Knapdale, and Lochaber. It gives the title of carl to a branch of the ancient family of Campbell.

BREADALBANE PLAINS, an extensive dist. of Argyle co., New South Wales, stretching WSW of the Wollondilly river to the Cullarin range. It consists of open flats of grassy land circumscribed by hills of moderate height, and extending about 12 m. in length, with an average width of 2 m. Large white masses of quartz rock are scattered over the surface of these flats, and a few trees of stunted growth.

BREADSALE, a parish in Derbyshire, 24 m. NE by N of Derby. Area 2,410 acres. Pop. 620. BREAFY, a parish in co. Mayo, 23 m. ESE of Castlebar. Area 5,265 acres. Pop. 2,452. BREAGE, a parish in Cornwall, 3 m. W of Helstone. Area 7,390 acres. Pop. 6,166.

BREAKER BAY, an indentation of the SW coast of the Land of Desolation, in the archipelago of the Tierra del Fuego. It is filled with rocks, and altogether destitute of shelter.

BREAKER'S POINT, a promontory on the SW coast of Vancouver's island, at the S entrance of Nootka sound, in N lat. 49° 30', and W long. 126° 40'. BREAKSEA ISLAND, an island off the southern coast of W Australia, at the entrance of King George sound, and to the S of Michaelm island, in S lat. 35° 5, and E long. 118° 3'. It is 14 m. in length from E to W, and is separated from Bald-head on the SW by a channel varying from 15 to 30 fath. in depth. BREAKSEA ISLAND, an island of the Patagonian archipelago, at the entrance of Port Santa Barbara, in Campana island, in N lat. 48° 2' 15", and W long. 75° 29′ 45′′.

BREAKSEA SPIT, a reef on the NE coast of Australia, extending about 19 m. N of Sandy cape. BREAL, a commune and town of France, in the dep. of Ille-et-Vilaine, cant. of Plelan, 12 m. SW of Rennes. Pop. 2,196.

BREAM-HEAD, or CAPE TEWARA, a promontory of New Zealand, at the N side of the entrance of Wangari bay, New Ulster, in S lat. 35° 50', and E long. 174° 32'.

BREAMORE, a parish in Hampshire, 3 m. NNE of Fordingbridge, on the W bank of the Avon. Area 3,440 acres. Pop. 647.

BREAM-TAIL, or PAPAI-OUTOU CAPE, a promontory of New Zealand, to the S of Wangari bay, New Ulster, in S lat. 36° 4', and E long. 174° 38'. BREAN DOWN, a small port in the Bristol channel, near Weston-super-Mare. It has been proposed to form a floating breakwater here, and make it the point of communication with Dunmore, in Waterford, on the Irish coast; connecting the port by a railway from the S bank of the Axe river to a suitable spot on the Bristol and Exeter line.

BREANE, a parish in Somersetshire, 8 m. W by N of Axbridge. Area 1,330 acres. Pop. 126. BREARTON, a township in the p. of Knaresborough, W. R. of Yorkshire, 3 m. NW of Knaresborough. Area 1,560 acres. Pop. 201.

BREASON, a chapelry in the p. of Sawley, in Derbyshire, 8 m. ESE of Derby. Pop. 712. Sawley station, on the Midland Counties railway, is § m. from the v. of B., and 64 m. from Derby.

BREATHITT, a county in the state of Kentucky, U. S. It comprises a superficies of 700 sq. m., and is drained by the N fork of the Kentucky and its branches. Its surface is mountainous, and, with the exception of the banks of the rivers, it is not generally fertile. Pop. in 1840, 2,195, of whom 2,076 are whites and 119 slaves. The cap., of the same name, is situated on the NE side of the Kentucky, 121 m. ESE of Frankfort.

BREAU, a commune of France, in the dep. of Gard, cant. of Le Vigan. Pop. 1,124.

BRE'AUTE', a commune and town of France, in the dep. of the Lower Seine, cant. of Goderville, 20 m. NE of Le Havre. Pop. 1,303.

BREBIERES, a commune of France, in the dep. of Pas-de-Calais, cant. of Vitry. Pop. 1,370.

BRE CE', a commune of France, in the dep. of Mayenne, cant. of Gorron, 11 m. NW of Mayenne, on the 1. bank of the Colmont. Pop. 2,297.

BRECEY, a canton, commune, and town of France, in the dep. of Manche, arrond. of Avranches. The cant. comprises 16 com., and in 1831 contained a pop. of 10,979. The town is 10 m. ENE of Avranches. Pop. 2,201.

BRECH, a commune of France, in the dep. of Morbihan, cant. of Pluvigner. Pop. 2,354.

BRE CHE-DE-ROLAND, a gorge of the Pyrénées, in the dep. of the Hautes-Pyrénées, cant. and 15 m. S of Luz. It is formed in a rocky wall from 400 to 700 ft. high, which runs at an alt. of 4,266 ft. above sea-level, along the ridge of rocks forming the Cirque de Gavarnie, extending nearly E and W, and dividing France from Spain. Nearly in the centre of this gigantic barrier is the breche, a gap about 200 ft. wide, forming "the most majestic gate that ever led from one country into another." [Inglis.] Above it rise the snow-clad mountain - summits called the Tour-de Marboré.

BRECHEN, a town of Nassau, 5 m. E of Limburg, on the r. bank of the Embs.

BRECH-FFA, or BRECHVA, a parish in Caermarthenshire, 103 m. NE of Caermarthen. Pop. in 1801, 85; in 1841, 109.

BRECHIN, a parish and town in the shire of Forfar.-The p. extends along the South Esk about 74 m. from E to W, and towards the W side is nearly as broad from N to S. Its superficial area is 15,840 acres. The surface rises gradually from the N side of the Esk, and to a greater height on the S side.— B. castle, the seat of Lord Panmure, is built on the site of the old castle, on a perpendicular rock overhanging the Esk,m. S of the town.-Pop., including that of the burgh, in 1801, 5,466; in 1831, 6,508, of whom 3.060 were in the burgh; in 1841, 7,560, of whom 3,951 were in the burgh. Assessed property, in 1815, £20,062; in 1842-3, £21,257, of which £7,925 was upon the town. The number of poor on the roll on 1st Feb., 1846, was 159. The sum expended on the support of the poor from Feb. 1845 to Feb. 1846, was £1,151.

BRECHIN, a royal burgh in the above p., anciently an episcopal see, and once the county-town, is finely situated near the centre of the parish, on the I. bank of the Esk, at the distance of 8 m. from where it falls into the sea at Montrose; 123 m. NE of Forfar; 26 m. NE of Dundee; and 833 m. from Edinburgh.

town.

BRECKONHILL, a township in Arthuret p., in Cumberland. Pop. 371.

In

BRECKNOCK, BRECON, or ABER - HONDEY, a market-town and borough, having separate jurisdictions, locally situated partly in the hund. of Merthyr and partly in that of Devynnock, county of Brecknock, 171 m. WNW of London, and 18 m. E by S of Llandovery; in N lat. 51° 54', W long. 3° 12'. A railway, which passes through the Briny-Glacian mountain by a tunnel 1,430 yards in length, joins the town with Merthyr-Tydvil. The town stands on a gently rising ground at the confluence of the rivers Usk and Honddu, over the former of which there is one bridge, and over the latter three. The upper Honddu bridge leading to the priory is very old, narrow, and inconvenient; the one below it, consisting of two arches, with an immensely thick prop in the centre, at one time led to the castle, and supported a drawbridge; the third was widened in 1794. The town consists chiefly of three principal streets, which contain many respectable and wellbuilt houses, and the country in the vicinity is picturesque and fertile. The general alt. of the town above sea-level at Newport is from 500 to 550 ft. There are handsome assize courts, and extensive barracks here. B. has returned one member to parliament since the reign of Henry VIII. The boundaries of the borough comprise the old borough of B. and the extra-parochial districts of the Castle and Christ's College. The returning officer is the bailiff; and the number of new electors registered in 1832 was 242; in 1842-3, 330. There is no traffic or manufacture of importance sufficient to warrant the expectation of any great increase of population. The town possesses several respectable houses and shops, and is a place of considerable thoroughfare. --Pop. in 1801, 2,870, exclusive of the extra-parochial districts; in 1831, 5,026, inclusive of these districts; in 1841, 5,701. The annual rate of mortality in B. is about 2.7 per cent., which is equal to that of Leeds or Sheffield. In the p. of St. David's it is 3-3 per cent. Assessed property in 1815, £4,899; in 1842-3, £24,941. The B. poor-law union comprehends 42 parishes, with a pop. returned, in 1831, at 17,400. The average annual expenditure on the poor of this district, during the three years preceding the formation of the union, was £8,110. Expenditure, in 1838, £6,544; in 1846, £8,203. "Few towns," Sir Richard C. Hoare remarks, "surpass Brecknock in picturesque beauties; the different mills and bridges on the rivers Usk and Honddu, the ivy-mantled walls and towers of the old castle, the massive embattled turret and gateway of the priory, with its luxuriant groves, added to the magnificent range of mountainscenery on the south side of the town, form, in many points of view, the most beautiful, rich, and varied outline imaginable."-This town was the birth-place of Mrs. Siddons in 1755. Some Roman antiquities have been found in the vicinity, and there are traces of ancient encampments. At Penny Crug there is a military work which Mr. Strange describes as of the most curious and best preserved remains of that kind throughout the whole principality." Mar

one

BREDA, an arrondissement, canton, and town of Belgium, in the prov. of N Brabant.-The arrond. comprises 7 cant., viz., Breda, Berg-op - Zoom, Gumeken, Oosterhout, Oudenbosch, Rosendaal, and Zevenbergen.-The town, the strongest in the kingdom, is situated at the confluence of the Mark and Byloop, 25 m. WSW of Bois-le-Duc, and 30 m. NNE of Antwerp. Pop. 12,500. The fortifications comprise an area of nearly 3 m., and the environs admit of easy inundation. The streets are generally broad and well-paved, and the houses well-built. Several canals intersect tho tewn, and it has an excellent quay. The principal buildings are the castle, the reformed church, with its magnificent tomb of Engelbert of Nassau, the town-house, military hospital, school of the Waterstaat, and the public squares. Carpets and other woollen fabrics, linen, hats, and hosiery form the chief articles of local manufacture; there are also excellent breweries. B. possesses, from the facilities of its situation, considerable commercial intercourse with the northern provinces. It was erected into a town in 1252, and fortified in 1534. In 1590 it was taken by stratagem by Prince Maurice, but was regained, after a siege of 10 months, in 1625 by Spinola. In 1637 it was captured by Frederick Henry, and again by Dumouriez in 1793.

BREDBURG, a township in the p. of Stockport, Cheshire, 2 m. ENE of Stockport. Area 2,730 acres. Pop. 3,301. BREDE, a parish of Sussex, on a river of the same name, 5 m. ENE of Battle. Area 5,700 acres. Pop. 1,151.

BREDE (LA). See LABREde. BREDENBURG, or BRIDENBURG, a parish of Herefordshire, 3 m. WNW of Bromyard. Area 540 acres. Pop. 46.

BREDEVOORT, BREEDEVOORDE, or BREevort, a town of Holland, in the prov. of Gelderland, on the r. bank of the Aa, 20 m. SE of Zutphen. Pop. 1,500. It is defended by a citadel, and surrounded by a marsh which renders it difficult of approach.

BREDFIELD, a parish in Suffolk, 3 m. N of Woodbridge. Area 1,630 acres. Pop. 468. BREDGAR, a parish of Kent, 3 m. SSW of Sittingbourn. Area 1,810 acres. Pop. 540. BREDHURST, a parish of Kent, 4 m. SE of Chatham. Area 400 acres. Pop. 131. BREDICOTE, a parish of Worcestershire, 31 m. E of Worcester. Area 430 acres. Pop. 53. BREDIKINO, a town of Russia in Europe, in the gov. and 15 m. ENE of Smolensk.

BREDON, a parish of Worcestershire, 4 m. NE of Tewkesbury, on the E bank of the Avon. Area 6,130 acres. Pop. 1,567.

BREDON, a commune of France, in the dep. of Cantal, cant. and about a mile SW of Murat. Pop. 2,524.

BREDSTEDT, a town of Denmark, cap. of a bailiwick of the same name, in the duchy of Sleswig, 24 m. from the coast, and 28 m. WNW of Sleswig. Pop. 1,600. It contains a church and two almshouses, and has several brick and lime works, and tobacco manufactories.-The bailiwick, which is extremely flat, possesses a pop. of 9,814.

BREDSTRUP, a town of Denmark, in N Jut

land, in the amt of Weile, on the W skirts of the Elbo-harde.

BREDWARDINE, a parish of Herefordshire, intersected by the Wye, 11 m. WNW of Hereford. Area 3.890 acres. Pop. 409.

BREDY (LITTLE), a parish of Dorset, 63 m. SW of Dorchester. Area 3,220 acres. Pop. 196.

BREE, a commune of France, in the dep. of Mayenne, cant. of Montsurs. Pop. 1,005.-Also a commune and town of Belgium, cap. of a cant. in the prov. of Limburg, on the Great North canal, 19 m. N of Maestricht. Pop. in 1835, 1,610. It possesses an active transit trade, and has several mineral springs.

BREE, a town of Sudan, in the kingdom of Bornu, on the W shore of Lake Tchad, 5 m. NNE of Kouka.

BREEDE, a river of S Africa, which takes its rise in the dist. of Worcester, in the Warm Bokkeveld; runs NW; then curves SE, passes through the dist. of Zwellendam, and falls into Sebastian's bay by a mouth of considerable width and depth, at PortBeaufort. The drosdy of Zwellendam is nearly 40 m. distant from this port, but the roads are good, and a considerable portion of the wool grown in the district is now shipped at the mouth of this river. BREEDENE, a town of Belgium, in the prov. of W. Flanders, arrond. and 12 m. W of Bruges. Pop. 2,159.

BREEDON-ON-THE-HILL, a parish in Leicestershire, 5 m. NNE of Ashby-de-la-Zouch. Area 6,410 acres. Pop. 2,625.

BREEM, or BREAM, a chapelry in the p. of Gloucestershire, 5 m. SSW of Coleford. Pop. with Clearwell, 647.

BREEST, a village of Prussia, in Pomerania, in the regency of Stettin, circle of Damm. Extensive coal-mines formerly existed in the vicinity.

BREGAGLIA (Val), BregeLL, or BREGELLERTHAL, a valley in Venetian Lombardy, on the S side of the Lepontine Alps. It is narrow and extremely wild, and is traversed in its entire extent by the Maira or Mera, which descends from the glaciers of Mounts Septimer and Maloia at its NE extremity. It contains some fertile districts, and comprises 6 parishes. Pop. 3,000, Protestants. The road from the Upper Engadine to Chiavenna, formed in 1776, passes down this valley.-On the 4th of Sept., 1618, a town and village in this valley were overwhelmed by a land-slip from Monte Conto, by which 2,430 persons perished.

BREGANCON, a small island and fort of France, in the bay and cant. of Hyères, dep. of Var, 21 m. E of Toulon. Pop. 30.

BREGANZE, a village of Venetian Lombardy, in the prov. and 12 m. N of Vicenza. It has an annual fair. The environs afford excellent wine.

BREGE, a river of Baden, which takes its rise in the circle of the Black forest, and uniting with the Brigach at Donaueschingen, forms the principal headstream of the Danube.

BREGENSKI, a town on the N coast of the sea of Azof, which has been recently selected by Russia for a commercial port, having an anchorage wellsheltered by banks, and by a point of land jutting into the sea. It already contains 2,000 inhabitants.

BREGENZ, a town of Tyrol, cap. of the circle of Bregenz or Vorarlberg, about 75 m. WNW of Innsbruck, on the Bregenzer-see, a gulf of the lake of Constanz, 2 m. E of the confluence of the Bregenz or Aach. Pop. 2,253. It is well built, and has extensive suburbs. The old castle of Pfannenberg forms its chief defence; and, with the exception of 3 churches, an orphan asylum, and a convent, it contains no public buildings worthy of notice. It possesses, however,

an active commerce in timber, grain, butter, cattle, staves, &c., and has manufactories of linen and cotton fabrics, wooden-ware, and straw-work. In the environs are extensive iron-works.-B., the Brigantia of the Romans, is of great antiquity, and was long one of the most important fortresses in the SW of Germany. In the Middle ages, with the surrounding territory, it belonged to the powerful house of Montfort, the ruins of whose castle of Gerhardsberg still exist to the S of the town. In 1451 it was obtained by purchase by the archdukes of Austria.-The circle of B. comprises a superficies of 315 sq. m., and contains 3 cities, 7 towns, 412 villages, and a pop. of 76,254. It is generally mountainous; and is watered by the Rhine, the Aach or Bregenz, the Fussach, Ill, Lech, and Iller: the last two take their rise within the circle. It produces little grain, but wine and fruit in abundance; and has extensive forests, and luxuriant pasturages.

BREGENZ, or AACH, a river of Tyrol, in the circle of Vorarlberg or Bregenz, which takes its rise in the Horn-berg, runs NW, and falls into the Bregenzersee, 2 m. W of the town of Bregenz. Its principal affluent is the Weisach.

BREGENZER-SEE.

See CONSTANZ (LAKE OF). BREGLIO, a town of Sardinia, in the prov. and 23 m. NE of Nice, on the 1. bank of the Roya, 6 m. NE of Sospello. Pop. 1,200. It possesses a fort, and has an annual fair.

BREGNET, a town of Denmark, in the prov. of Jutland, and 20 m. SE of Randers, on the NE side of Kaleviig bay.

BREGOVA, a town of Turkey in Europe, in Bulgaria, in the sanjak and 15 m. NW of Widin, on the r. bank of the Tomok.

BRE'HAL, a canton, commune, and town of France, in the dep. of Manche, arrond. of Coutances. The cant. comprises 16 com., and in 1831 contained a pop. of 13,948. The town is 11 m. SSW of Coutances. Pop. 1,732.

BRE'HAN-LOUDIAC, a commune of France, in the dep. of Morbihan, cant. of Rohan. Pop. 2,427. BRE HAND, a commune of France, in the dep. of Cotes-du-Nord, cant. of Moncontour. Pop. 1,811. BREHAR, BRYHER, or BRYER, one of the Scilly islands, 30 m. WSW of Land's End. It is very rugged, and is chiefly inhabited by fishermen. Pop. 121. It contains some Druidical remains.

BREHARAYE (LA), a hamlet of France, in the dep. of Ille-et-Vilaine, cant. of Fougeray. Pop. 15. BRE'HAT ISLES, a group of islets in the dep. of Cotes-du-Nord, cant. of Paimpol, in the English channel, bearing NW N, 9 leagues from Cape Frehel. The principal island is 2 kil. in length, and 1 kil. in breadth; and contains a pop. of 1,550. It is nearly in 48° 50′ 20′′ N lat., and 3° 0′ 16′′ W long. A creek enclosed by a rocky ridge forms a small but safe port, but the surrounding navigation is difficult, especially that of the Race of B., the entrance of which is between the isle of B. and the Horaine. In 1840 its cabotage or coast-shipping amounted to 161 vessels 1,412 tons. The exports consist of potash and soda, and fish.

BRE’HE'MONT, a commune of France, in the dep. of Indre-et-Loire, cant. of Azay-le- Rideau. Pop. 1,583.

BREHNA, or BRENA, a town of Prussia, in the prov. of Saxony, circle and 8 m. SW of Bitterfeld, 12 m. NE of Halle. Pop. in 1837, 1,442. Cumin, madder, and lint, are extensively cultivated in the environs.

BREIDAMARK, a large yökul, or ice-mountain, on the SE coast of Iceland, about 20 m. in length, and 15 m. in breadth, and rising at its greatest elevation to the height of about 400 ft. above the surrounding