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town of B.; and on the W by the Weser. The Elbe separates it from Holstein; the Weser from Oldenburg. It has an extent of 1,960 sq. m.; and a pop. in 1833 of 179,768. The inhabitants speak the Low German dialect. The principal rivers are the Oste, and the Lesser Medem, both of which enter the sea near the mouth of the Elbe. The Bremer, the Luke, and the Schwinge, join the Elbe within this duchy; and the Geeste falls into the Weser. In the low grounds, along the coast and the banks of the rivers, the soil is excellent, and produces oats, beans, fruit, hemp, and flax. The central part, on the other hand, or that called the Geestland, has an arid soil, and presents extensive heaths and moors; but yields buck-wheat, and has excellent sheep-walks and turf-pits. Successful attempts have been made of late years to reclaim portions of this long dreary region. About 300,000 acres are under the plough; and the pasture and meadow land probably exceeds 210,000 acres. Cattle is a principal object of attention here; sheep are less extensively reared. The principal manufactures are linen, ropes, sail-cloth, brandy, and rapeseed oil; there are likewise along the river a few yards for ship-building. The country is entirely level; and in some places so low that it is necessary to secure it from inundation by extensive dykes. The districts known as the Alteland, the Kehdingen, the Wursten, and the Hadeln, are dependencies of this duchy. The principal towns are Stade, Buxtehude, Bremervörde, Scharnebeck, Bederkesa, Bremerleke, Freiburg, and Otterndorf.-Prior to the peace of Westphalia, B. was an archbishopric; but by the 10th art. of that treaty, it was secularised and united, under the title of a duchy, with the crown of Sweden. In the war between the Northern powers, at the beginning of last cent., the Danes took possession of this duchy and Verden; and they sold both, in 1715, to the elector of Hanover for 700,000 rix-dollars. At the peace of Stockholm, in 1720, Sweden acceded to this disposition, on condition of receiving 1,000,000 rix-dollars by way of indemnity. The elector of Hanover did not, however, take his seat in the diet for these territories until 1733.

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brandy, &c.; but chiefly on the exportation of the products of Westphalia and the basin of the Weser, and the importation of such foreign goods as find a market in Hanover, Oldenburg, and Hesse-Cassel. The imports are chiefly cotton and cotton-yarn, sugar, coffee, tea, tobacco, and other tropical productions. The imports of tobacco from 1829 to 1838 averaged annually above 24,000,000 lbs.; of coffee, in the same period, 125,000,000 lbs.; of sugar, 18,000,000 lbs.; of rice, 3,750,000 lbs. ; of iron, 5,000,000 lbs.; of linseed, 13,000 tons; of train oil, 34,000 tons. The average value of imports from 1829 to 1838 was 12,180,506 rix-dollars. The maritime commerce of B. is extensive, although only vessels drawing not above 7 ft. water can approach the town, especially during the summer months. Barges often want sufficient water to descend the river to B., although the Werra, which comes from the Saxon duchies, the Fulda, which comes through Hesse-Cassel, and the Line, which passes through Hanover, all unite their streams in the Weser before it reaches B.; even the harbour of Elfsleth is too shallow to admit large vessels, most of which anchor near the village of Bracke in Oldenburg, opposite which, in a new dock called Bremerhafen, they discharge their cargoes. Vessels of from 200 to 250 tons ascend as far as Vegesaeck. About 200 B. ships pass on an average through the Sound yearly; and about 1,000 great and small enter the port from all quarters. In 1841, 1,090 vessels, 149,837 tons, arrived at the port of B. Of these, 34, 3,929 tons, were British, and 67 Bremen vessels arrived from Britain. In 1842, 1,147 vessels entered the port, of which 32 were British. The sea-going vessels belonging to B. in 1841 were 212, of which 80 were of 300 tons and upwards. The seaarrivals at B. in 1786 were 478 ships; in 1796, 1,521 ships; in 1817, 1,342 ships; in 1837, 1,755 ships; in 1838, 1,765 ships. B.-which existed as a commercial mart in the 9th cent. was formerly a leading member of the Hanseatic league. At the Reformation the city expelled its archbishop, and embraced the Lutheran religion; and it has had, since 1529, a celebrated academy partly Lutheran and partly CalBREMEN, one of the four cities of Germany, and vinist. The latter is the established religion; but the cap. of a small republic, within the duchy of the Lutherans are eligible to the public offices. same name, in the Hanoverian states. The territory council is composed of 4 burgomasters, and 26 senaor republic of B. is composed of three isolated por- tors chosen out of the learned and mercantile protions, of which the principal portion comprises the fessions. The constitution, like that of Hamburg city and its environs; another portion is the territory and Lubeck, is a relic of other and antiquated tribes, of Vegesaeck, at a little distance to the N of the city, totally unsuited to the actual wants of the city in the on the r. bank of the Weser; and the third is the present day. The householders of each ward name territory of Bremerhafen, at the mouth of the Weser. delegates, who choose a certain number of senators The entire area of the three sections is 106 sq. m. from whom the burgomasters are taken. These rule Pop. in 1836, 54,581, of whom 1,500 were Catholics, by turns, 3 months each; and they hold office for 1,500 Jews, and the rest Protestants. In 1842 the pop. life. For the administration of justice, there is, in was 72,908. This territory is divided into 12 parishes; civil matters, an upper and lower court; and in 1784, and comprises 2 towns, 1 market-town, and 58 ham- the elector of Hanover, as duke of Bremen, appointlets. The city of B. is situated upon a kind of pen- ed a criminal judge. The pop. of the town in 1842 insula, in N lat. 53° 4′ 49′′; and is divided by the was 49,788. The citizens of B. have been engaged Weser into the old and new towns, both of which are in different litigations about their rights and privifortified; its harbour is at a place called Elfsleth, leges; first with the archbishops, and afterwards with about 6 m. nearer the sea. The fortifications have the crown of Sweden. At length, on the elector of been demolished, and the ground which they occupied Hanover acquiring possession of the duchy, all their laid out as a public garden. The buildings most ancient prerogatives were confirmed on condition of deserving of notice are the cathedral, the exchange, their ceding certain of their dependencies. These and the town-house. The principal street is of great however, were restored in 1802, when the town likelength, and like the greater part of the town, well-wise acquired the different possessions of the chapbuilt and paved. There are a good gymnasium, a classical and polytechnic school, schools of commerce, navigation, and the art of design, a public library of 16,000 vols., a museum with a library of 10,000 vols., an observatory, and numerous charitable institutions, within the city. The trade of B. is in part founded on its sugar-refineries, and its manufactures of cotton, woollen cloths, dye-stuffs, tobacco, cigars, beer, and

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ter, and all the lands lying between the Weser, the Wimme, and the Leesum.-B. was taken by the French in 1757, but retaken the following year by the Hanoverians, who kept possession of it till the peace of Fontainbleau. In 1806 it was again entered by French troops, and in 1810 was declared part of the French empire, forming the cap. of the dep. of the Mouths of the Weser. It was restored to inde

pendence by the congress of Vienna, and admitted into the German confederacy as a free city with one vote in plenum. Its federal contingent is 485 men. The taxes levied on the republic of B. in 1840 amounted to 593,316 rix-dollars, or £98,886.

BREMER, a river of Eastern Australia, which takes its rise in Mount Mitchell, runs NE, and unites with the Brisbane in Cowper plain, 15 m. above the entrance of that river into Moreton bay.

BREMERHAFEN, or BREMENHAVEN, the port of the free town of Bremen, on the r. bank of the Weser, at the mouth of the Geeste, on the r. bank. It is a well-built and flourishing town, though founded so recently as the year 1830. The port of Bremen used to be in the duchy of Oldenburg, on the opposite side of the Weser; but frequent disputes with the authorities of Oldenburg, and other inconveniencies, induced the citizens of Bremen to negotiate with the government of Hanover for a piece of ground about 3 m. in circuit, and 25 m. from Bremen, on the same side of the river. The Hanoverian government sold the territory on condition that Hanover should garrison a fort commanding the site of the town. Pop. in 1836, 1,082.

BREMER-LEHE, or LEHE, a town of Hanover, in the duchy and 35 m. NNW of Bremen, in the landroste of Stadt, near the confluence of the Geeste with the Weser. Pop. 1,545.

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Brünn, 3 m. WNW of Znaim. Pop. 609. In the environs porcelain clay is dug in large quantities for the imperial manufactory of Vienna, &c.

BRENDOLA, a town of Venetian Lombardy, in the prov. and 7 m. SW of Vicenza, at the foot of Mount Berici. Pop. 3,319.

BRENDON, a parish of Devon, 15 m. E of Ilfracombe. Area 9,470 acres. Pop. 271.

BRENES, a town of Spain, in Andalusia, in the prov. and 13 m. N of Seville, near the S bank of the Guadalquiver. It has a soap manufactory.

BRENETS (LES), a parish of Switzerland, cant. and 12 m. WNW of Neuchatel, on the r. bank of the Doubs, by which it is separated from France, and 2 m. WNW of Locle. Pop. 1,024, Protestants. It possesses manufactories of clocks, lace, and optical instruments.-Nearly 3 m. N of this v. is the Sautdu-Doubs, a fine cascade 85 ft. in height; on the side of the mountain above which are an iron forge and several mills.

BRENKLEY, a township in the p. of Ponteland, Northumberland. 74 m. NW of Newcastle-uponTyne. Pop. in 1841, 56.

BRENNE, a river of France, in the dep. of Coted'Or. It rises near Sombernon, runs NW past Vitteaux and Montbar, and after a course of 45 m., falls into the Armançon near Saint Remy.

BRENNE (LA), a district of France, formerly BREMERVORDE, a town and bailiwick of Hano-belonging to the ancient prov. of Touraine and Berri,

ver, in the duchy of Bremen, in the landroste and 18 m. SW of Stade, on the 1. bank of the Oste, near the month of the Aubin canal, which unites the Oste and the Schwinge. Pop. of town, 2,200. It possesses extensive distilleries of brandy, a glass-work, and a building-dock; and has a considerable trade in timber and tourbe. It was formerly the residence of the archbishop of Bremen. Pop. of bailiwick,

9,395.

BREMGARTEN, or BREMOGARDIA, a town of Switzerland, in the cant. of Aargau, the cap. of a dist. of the same name, on the r. bank of the Reuss, 8 m. SSE of Baden, and 14 m. ESE of Aarau. Pop. 1,007, Catholics. It possesses extensive paper-mills and tanneries; and has an active transit trade. Fairs are held here six times a-year. B. formerly belonged to the counts of Hapsburg. In the 15th cent. it was united to the Swiss confederacy; and in 1798 constituted a portion of the cant. of Argau. The chief production of the dist. is fruit. Pop. 12,520.-Also a parish of Switzerland, in the cant. and 2 m. N of Berne, on the r. bank of the Aar. Pop. 1,882. It has an ancient castle.

BREMHILL, or BREMBLE, a parish of Wilts, 4 m. NE of Chippenham. Area 5,920 acres. Pop. in 1841, 1,550.

BREMILHAM, or COWITCH, a parish of Wilts, 2 m. SW of Malmsbury. Area 300 acres. Pop. in 1841, 47.

BREMIS, a village of Switzerland, in the cant. of Valais, on the r. bank of the Borgue, 2 m. above the junction of that river with the Rhone; and about the same distance E of Sion.

BREMSENBURG. See BARS.

BRE MUR, a commune of France, in the dep. of Cote-d'Or, cant. and 12 m. S of Chatillon-sur-Seine, near the confluence of the Brevon with the Seine. Pop. 239. It has some iron-works.

in the dep. of the Indre, between Chateauroux and Le Blanc. It is filled with swamps formed by affluents of the Claise. The marshes in the environs abound with leeches.

BRENNER (PASS OF THE), a defile, the lowest of all the carriage-roads that traverse the great chain of the Alps, leading from Western Germany into the Milanese. It has an elevation of 4,700 ft. above sealevel. Its actual summit is singularly marked by the division of a stream which, dashing on a rock, is separated into two portions, one of which, forming the infant Eisach, is thus made to contribute to the waters of the Adriatic; while the other reaches the Black sea by the Sill, the Inn, and the Danube. [Brockeden.] There is an active transit trade from Inspruck to Verona by this pass; but the new routes of the Bernardin, the Splugen, and the Stelvio are more generally used by tourists.

BRENO, a parish of Switzerland, in the cant. of Tessin, dist. and NW of Lugano. Pop. 446, Catholics.-Also a v. of Dalmatia, circle and 4 m. E of Ragusa, on a bay of the Adriatic of the same name.

BRENO, or BRE', a town of Venetian Lombardy, gov. of Milan, in the prov. and 35 m. NE of Bergamo, in the Val Camonica, on the 1. bank of the Oglio. Pop. 2,000. It has some iron-forges, and manufactories of ironmongery.

BRENOD, a canton and commune of France, in the dep. of Ain, arrond. of Nantua. The cant. comprises 11 com. Pop. in 1831, 7,195. The vil. is situated in a valley, on the Albarine. Pop. 1,001. It possesses manufactories of wooden-ware, and has a considerable trade in timber, horses, and cattle.

BRENS, a commune of France, in the dep. of Tarn, cant. of Gaillac. Pop. 1,208.

BRENT, a stream which takes its rise in Hertfordshire, and falls into the Thames at Brentford, Middlesex.-Also a stream which rises in Selwood

near Bridgewater.

BRENCHLEY, a parish of Kent, 4 m. N of Lam-forest, Somerset, and flows into the Bristol channel berhurst. Area 8,590 acres. Pop. in 1841, 2,472. BREND, a village of Bavaria, in the circle of Lower Franconia, on a river of the same name, 1 m. N of Neustadt. It consists of about 120 houses. BRENDELLA, a river of Venetian Lombardy, flowing into the Livenza, on the 1. bank. BRENDITZ, a village of Moravia, in the circle of

BRENT (EAST), a parish of Somerset, 54 m. SW of Axbridge, intersected by the Bristol and Exeter railroad. Area 3,180 acres. Pop. 849. BRENT (ELEIGH), or ELY, a parish of Suffolk, 63 m. NE of Sudbury. Area 1,650 acres. Pop. in 1841, 289.

BRENT (SOUTH), a parish of Devon, 7 m. SW of Ashburton, intersected by the Avon. Area 10,180 acres. Pop. in 1841, 1,237.-Also a parish in Somerset, 7 m. WSW of Axbridge, intersected by the Bristol and Exeter railway. Area 3,210 acres. Pop. 1,074.

BRENTA, a river of N Italy, which issues from the lakes Caldonazo and Levico, in the Tyrol, 10 m. ESE of Trent; enters Venetian Lombardy by the Val Sugana; thence bends S and passes Cismone and Bassano, in the prov. of Vicenza. At Campo San Martin, where it enters the prov. of Padua, it becomes navigable; and bending SE, passes the village of Limena, near which it is connected by the canal of Brentelle with the Bacchiglione; thence it directs its course SSE, into the prov. of Vicenza; at Stra it receives the canal of Piovego; and at Dolo divides into two branches, one of which forms the Canal de la Brenta, and under the successive names of the Brenta Morta and Brenta Magra, enters the lagunes at Fusina, passes Venice, and discharges itself into the Adriatic at Porto di S. Nicolo del Lido. This canal is 27 m. in length. The other branch bends S along the lagunes, forming the canal of the Brenta Novissima or Brentone; receives the canal of Mirano; and after the junction of the Bacchiglione, and several navigable canals, throws itself into the Adriatic | at the Porto di Brendolo. It is about 21 m. in length. The total course of the Brenta is 120 m., of which 47 are navigable. Its medium breadth is 180 ft.; and its depth 5 ft. It is extremely rapid in its course, and on its banks are numerous silk-mills.

BRENTFORD, a market - town and parish of Middlesex, on the N bank of the Thames, 73 m. W of London, on the Great Western road, and, on the N bank of the Thames, 21 m. N of the line of the Great Western railway. The portion attached to the p. of Ealing, is called Old Brentford. It takes its name from its vicinity to an ancient ford on the river Brent. The town consists of a long street, containing some good houses. Its principal manufacture is that of soap. Here is a bridge over the Thames leading to Kew, the extensive gardens of which lie on the opposite bank; and another bridge over the Brent, erected in 1825, on the site of a very ancient one. The parliamentary elections for the county were formerly held at B.; it is now one of the polling-places for the county-members. There are many handsome villas in the vicinity. Pop. of New Brentford in 1801, 1,443; in 1831, 2,085; in 1841, 2,174. The returns of Old B. are included in the parish of Ealing.

its junction with the Danube, and at an alt. of 1,476 ft. above sea-level. Pop. 786. It contains a castle. BRENZETT, or BRENSET, a parish of Kent, 4 m. SW of Romney. Area 1,740 acres. Pop. in 1841. 228.

BREOCK (ST.), a parish of Cornwall, 1 m. W of Wadebridge. Area 7,860 acres. Pop. in 1841, 1,733. BREREHURST, or BRIERYHURST, a township in the p. of Wolstanton, Staffordshire, 2 m. NNE of Newcastle-under-Lyme. Pop. in 1841, 1,518. BRERETON-WITH-SMÉTHWICK, a parish of Cheshire, 3 m. NNE of Sandbach, intersected by the Manchester and Birmingham railway. Area 4,240 acres. Pop. in 1841, 667.

BRESCELLO, a garrisoned town of Modena, in the gov. and 15 m. NNW of Reggio, on the r. bank of the Po. Pop. 2,000.

BRESCHAET, or BRAESCHAET, a town of Belgium, in the prov. and 7 m. NNE of Antwerp. It was occupied by the British forces during the siege of Antwerp in 1814.

BRE'SCIA, a city of Venetian Lombardy, the cap. of the delegation called from it the Bresciano, or county of Brescia. It stands in a beautiful plain on the Garza, 51 m. ENE of Milan, in N lat. 45° 32′ 19", E long. 10° 13′ 8′′, the river Mella-the "flavus Mella" of Catullus-and the Naviglio or canal joining the Chiese and Oglio rivers, likewise passing near it; and is encircled by well-cultivated hills which form the lowest step of the Alps. The town is surrounded with walls, ditches, and bastions; and the ramparts, lined with trees, form an agreeable promenade. It contains several handsome squares, streets, and 72 public fountains; and on the outside of the walls are the remains of an ancient aqueduct, and a recentlyformed public cemetery, in which one section of the ground was set apart in 1815, to be shared in common between Protestants and executed criminals! The castle, built on a rising ground to the N, though strong,-and known in the middle ages under the title I Falcone di Lombardia,—is commanded by the neighbouring hills. B. is a place of considerable extent, containing 12 parish churches, and no less than 30 convents. The old cathedral, or Duomo vecchio, is a ruined building containing some curious medieval tombs, and early paintings. The new cathedral is a large edifice, built of a fine white stone found in the neighbourhood; its general architecture is Corinthian, but overloaded with ornaments. also contains a number of statues and bas reliefs. A detailed account of the several churches in this city, and of their paintings and other adornments, is

It

BRENTINGBY. See WYFORDBY WITH BRENT- given in Murray's Handbook for Northern Italy.

ING BY.

BRENTONE. See BRENTA.

BRENTONICO, a town of the Tyrol, in the circle and 5 m. SW of Roveredo, to the N of Monte-Baldo. It contains a castle. Marble, and an earth of a greenish colour, called the Terra di Verona, are found in the environs.

BRENT-TOR, or BRENTOR, a parish of Devon, 4 m. NW of Tavistock. Area 2,810 acres. Pop. in 1841, 169.

BRENTWOOD, a chapelry in the p. of S Weald, Essex, 18 m. ENE of London, on the London and Norwich railroad. Area 730 acres. Pop. in 1841, 2,362.

BRENTWOOD, a township of Rockingham co., in the state of New Hampshire, U. S., 35 m. SE of Concord. It is chiefly pasture-land, and is intersected by Exeter river, which affords good water-power. Pop. in 1840, 898.

BRENZ, a town of Wurtemberg, in the circle of Jaxt, bailiwick and 10 m. SE of Heidenheim, on the 1. bank of the river of the same name, 6 m. above

The hospitals of B. had an income in 1826 of 460,000 livres; the asylums for orphans, &c., 300,000 livres; and other eleemosynary institutions, 445,000 livres. The bishop of B. is suffragan of the archb. of Milan, and has a spacious and beautiful palace, containing a valuable gallery of paintings. The Quiriniana library, founded by Cardinal Quirini in 1750, now contains 30,000 vols., — Murray's Handbook says 90,000. A lyceum, several gymnasia, and three colleges for female education, exist here. The Ateneo or Academy of Sciences of B., has published several vols. of interesting papers. The pop. amounted in 1837 to 29,214.-The preparation of oil from linseed, and the manufacture of silk, flax, wool, and linen goods, iron and copper wares, and firearms, employ a considerable number of hands; and there is an active trade in cheese and cattle. A large fair is held here, commencing on the 6th of Angust.— B.-the Brixia of the Romans-is a city of great antiquity; and still possesses many interesting architectural remains of Roman times: an ancient temple of Vespasian is one of the most interesting. It

was burned by the Goths in 412; and not long after | 1,000,000 livres. The manufactories of arms, paper was entirely ruined by Attila. It passed subsequently woollens, cottons, and leather, in that year, amounted under the dominion of the Lombards and of the to 300. The value of the agricultural produce was Emperors. In 936 Otto I. declared it a free city of calculated at 20,000,000 livres. The produce of the the empire. It soon after became a prey to the fac-silk-worm in this prov. has increased within the last tions of the Guelphs and Gibellines. In 1542 it was taken by assault by the French under Gaston de Foix, who gave it up for seven days to pillage. In 1796 it was again taken by the French; and, in the kingdom of Italy, it formed the chief town in the dep. of the Mella. Few places have experienced more calamities than B. In 1478 and 1524 it was visited by a destructive pestilence; in 1550 by the small-pox which carried off 12,000 persons in the space of five months; it suffered dreadfully from war in 1542; in 1577 and 1630 by destructive epidemics; and on 18th August, 1769, an explosion of gunpowder, occasioned by lightning falling on a magazine in the neighbourhood of the port of St. Nazarro, occurred here, which levelled several churches, and nearly 80 houses with the ground. In the struggle for independence in 1849, B. suffered much. The inhabitants threw up barricades in every street, and every house was carried by the Austrians, under General Haynau, at the point of the bayonet.-The B. school-of-painting is of importance in the history of the art; and B. has produced several men of letters and science; among others the mathematician Tartaglia, the painter Gambara, Father Lana, and the learned Mazzuchelli.

BRESCIANO, a delegation of Venetian Lombardy, which takes its name from the city of Brescia, and formerly belonged to the republic of Venice. It is bounded on the N by Bormio and Trent; on the E by the lake of Garda, the Veronese, and the duchy of Mantua; on the S by the same duchy and the Cremonese; and on the W by the Cremasco, the Bergamasco, and the Valteline or district of Bormio. It has an extent of 54 m. in length from N to S, and 25 m. in average breadth; with an area of 339,350 hectares, or 1,310 English sq. m. Pop. in 1827, 3.9.255; in 1837, 327,930. The pop. generally is healthy, robust, and tall, and furnished the finest soldiers for Bonaparte's army of Italy. The Brescian dialect of the Italian differs in several respects from the Venetian, and is intermixed occasionally with French words. The river Oglio skirts it on the W and S; and the Mella and Chiese cross it from N to S. In the N, in the districts of Bovegno and Gardone, or the Val Trompia, or basin of the Mella, and those of Vestone and Preseglie, or the Val Sabbia, the country is mountainous; but in the S it is level and fertile; and even in the hilly districts it is rendered tolerably productive by the care and industry of the inhabitants. The same soil produces, in one season, grain, flax, and millet. This extraordinary fertility is owing in a great measure to the extent of irrigation: the rivers Clise, Oglio, Mella, and Susa intersecting the country in a variety of directions, and branching out into a number of canals. One of the most celebrated products of the B. is the wine called the Vino di Santo, or Vino Santo, which, after the lapse of some years, becomes of a beautiful golden colour, and acquires an exquisite taste and flavour. The districts of Ospitaletto and Montechiaro, which are elevated and flat in surface, present immense tracts of land covered with heath and fern. In these district, buck-wheat, panico, millet, coiza, melons, mulberries, and peaches are cultivated. The inhabitants of this part of Lombardy rear a great quantity of silk; and manufacture earthenware, paper, iron, copper, and fire-arms. The annual value of the silk raised in this prov. and either sold raw or manufactured, in 1833, was 10,000,000 livres; and the mining-establishments and founderies produced

30 years from about 1,900,000 lbs. to 2,800,000 lbs.; but the oil-crop has diminished from 400,000 lbs. to 200,000 lbs.-The deleg. is divided into 235 communes. The towns of most note after the capital are Breno, Chiari, Salo, and Verola-Alghise. There is a cannon foundery at Gardona, about 10 m. from Brescia. Fishing is an important occupation; the lakes of Iseo and Gardo yielding abundance of pike, trout, sardels, tench, and carp. The W or B. shore of the Lago di Garda [alt. above sea-level 78 metres, or 255 ft. 10 in.], especially about Salo, is covered with vines, lemon and olive trees. Here, in the district of Gargnano, a few yards of ground set apart for the cultivation of lemons, suffice to maintain a whole family. The peasants, properly speaking, are gardeners; and in this district almost exclusively are produced the 11,800,000 lemons, and 40,000 lbs. of laurel oil annually raised in the prov. of B. It is necessary to form sheds to protect the lemon trees from the snow and frost. The sands of the Adda and Oglio yield particles of gold. In the valley of Camogliena, near the lake of Iseo, are found topazes and garnets; and at Trompia, in the same valley, are extensive mines of iron; that part of the country likewise contains copper, jasper, alabaster, and touchstones.-Cauriolo, Istoria, della citta di B. Venice, 1744. |—Brognoli Nuova Guida per la città di B. Brescia, 1826.--Voyage historiques et litteraires en Italie, pendant les ann. 1826-8. Par M. Valery, 5 vols. 8vo. Paris, 1831-3.-Bowring's Statistical Report.

BRESCOU, a rocky islet and fort of France, in the gulf of Lyons, off the SW coast of the dep. of and near the embouchure of the Herault, 7 m. SSE of Beziers. Pop. 20.

BRESEN, a village of Prussia, in the circle and on the gulf of Danzig. It has marine baths.

BRESI, a town of Turkey in Europe, in Servia, in the sanjak of Novibazar, on an affluent of the Morava, 17 m. WSW of Tsatsak.

BRESK, or BERESHK, a village of Algiers, 2 m. ESE of Al Tarf, and 12 m. W of Zershal.

BRESKENS, or BRESJES, a village of Holland, in the prov. of Zeeland, near the 1. bank of the W Scheldt, opposite Vlissingen, and 9 m. NE of Sluis. Pop. 1,000.

BRESLAU, a regency or government-circle [regierungs-bezirke] of the Prussian states, in the prov. of Silesia, of which it comprises the central district. It extends from 50° 6' to 51° 46′ N lat.; and from 16° 5' to 18° E long.; and is bounded by the prov. of Posen on the N; on the E by the same prov., the regency of Oppeln, and Austrian Silesia; on the S by Moravia and Bohemia; and on the W by the regency of Leignitz. Its length from S to N is 100 geog. m.; and from W to E from 50 to 54 geog. m. Its surface is 5,270 sq. m. Pop. at the end of 1846, 1,165,994, of whom 460,365 were Catholics, 694,343 Protestants, and 11,268 Jews. The Sudetes, and their branches, raise their summits in the S part of the country; the N presents a vast plain, crossed by small hills, and covered with forests and numerous small lakes. This plain is intersected from SE to NW by the Oder, of which all the other streams within the regency are tributaries. The S districts, though unproductive of grain, are diversified with beautiful plains and immense forests, and are rich in minerals. The N part is fertile in grain, hemp, flax, hops, and tobacco, and even in wine, madder, and woad. The forests furnish excellent building timber, pitch and tar, and naval stores. The rivers abound in fish; and the environs of the

small lakes afford turf. The industry of the N districts is less active than that of the S, in which a large quantity of linen is manufactured. Sheep, whose wool is the best in Silesia, are reared in great numbers -This regency is divided into 22 circles: Breslau, Brieg, Frankenstein, Glatz, Gurau, Habelschwert, Militsch, Munsterberg, Namslau, Neumarkt, Nemptsch, Oels, Olau, Reichenbach, Schweidnitz, Steinau, Strehlen, Strigau, Trebnitz, Waldenburg, Wartenberg, and Wolau. Breslau is the capital. BRESLAU, [POLISH Wratislaw,] a city of the Prussian states, the cap. of Silesia, and of the regency and circle of Breslau, situated in the midst of a vast plain on both sides of the Oder, at its confluence with the Ohlau; 14 m. SE of Leignitz; 105 m. S of Posen; and 168 m. SE of Berlin; in 51° 7' 3" N lat., and 17° 2′ 3′′ E long. Alt. above sealevel 410 ft. It is divided into the Old and New city, and has five suburbs. It was well fortified, but its fortifications have been levelled, and converted into boulevards. The city contains 11 Protestant and 13 Catholic churches, a Calvinist church, and a Jewish synagogue. The cathedral of St. John, built on the Dom-insel, an island in the Oder, between the years 1148 and 1170, the royal castle of Frederick II., the government hospital, the town-house, the arsenal, the exchange, the sugar-refinery, the barracks, the theatre, the churches of Our Lady on the Sand, Saint Magdalen, and Saint Elizabeth, the latter of which possesses a tower 364 ft. high, and the university, are among the principal edifices. There is a fine monument by Rauch in honour of Marshal Blucher, in the Blucher platz. The university, founded in 1702 by the emperor Leopold, to which that of Frankfort-onthe-Oder was united in 1811, had in 1836, 5 faculties, with 51 professors, and 768 students. Its library contains 300,000 vols. There are no fewer than 84 institutions for instruction, such as schools, colleges, and seminaries, connected with the city; a Bible society, a society of agriculture, 14 libraries, one of which contains 100,000 volumes; five collections of medals, five of natural history, an observatory, an anatomical theatre, a museum, and a botanical garden. B. is the seat of government of the prov., and of the high court of justice for the regencies of Breslau and Leignitz, the supreme tribunal of mines, the tribunal of appeal, and the consistory, and the residence of a Catholic bishop, suffragan of Olmutz. Extensive manufactories of linens, drapery, and cottons, exist here; also numerous breweries, distilleries, and chemical works, a large manufactory of iron, and several beet-root sugar-works. B. has four great fairs, and two large markets for wool annually. The quantity of wool brought to market here in the summer-fair of 1849 was 54,500 centners, or 5,629,850 lbs. B. had an annual fair as early as 1214; and exported not only raw products, but also linen and woollen cloths, early in the 12th cent. It is the second city of the Prussian monarchy in point of pop., containing in 1828, according to Houlfmann, 87,119 inhab.; and in 1837, 88,869, of whom 5,413 were Jews. B. is on the great line of railroad from Berlin to Vienna; and is connected with Freiburg by a railway. By railroad it is 47 German m. from Berlin, and 73 German m. from Freiburg.-In 1757 B. was taken by the Austrians; but was abandoned by them after their defeat at Leuthen. It was again besieged by them in 1760, but they retired after bombarding it for three days. In December 1806 it was besieged by the Bavarian troops and the other troops of the Rhenish confederation, and was taken on the 7th of January, after a spirited resistance.-The circle of B. contained in 1824 a pop. of 119,977, on a surface of 300 sq. m. BRESLAU (JUNG). See INOWRAZLAU. BRESLE, a river of France, which takes its rise

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in the dep. of Oise, 3 m. N of Formeries; passes Aumale, Blangis, and Eu, separating in its course the dep. of the Lower Seine and Somme; and falls into the English channel at Tréport. It is 42 m. in length, but is navigable only 44 m. at high water.-Also a commune of France, in the dep. of the Oise, cant. of Nivillers, 9 m. E of Beauvais. Pop. 1,726. In the environs are extensive turf-pits; and on a mount named Cæsar are the ruins of a Roman camp.

BRESONA, a village of Switzerland, in the cant. of Vaud, on the 1. bank of the Broye, 2 m. SSW of Moudon.

BRESSAY, or BRESSA, one of the Shetland isles. It is about 44 m. in length, and 3 m. in breadth; and lies to the E of the mainland, from which it is separated by B. sound. On the SE side of it lies the small island of Noss. Pop. in 1841, 904. With the islands of Burra. Quaff, and Noss, B. forms a parish. Pop. in 1831, 1,699; in 1841, 1,798.-B. sound is the rendezvous of the English and Dutch busses employed in the herring-fishery, and of the whale-ships on their passage to Greenland and Davis's straits. The S passage is the one at which vessels of a large draught of water enter, and go out. The N passage is very narrow, and a rapid tide runs through it, nor is there in it, even at spring-tides, more than 18 ft. of water at its deepest point. There is no dry harbour, as the water does not fall above 7 or 8 ft.; but small sloops unload during fine weather at the wharfs of Lerwick.

BRESSE, formerly a district of France, in the ancient prov. of Burgundy, ceded by Savoy in 1601. Cap., Bourg. It is now comprised in the dep. of Ain. BRESSE (LA), or WOHL, a commune of France, in the dep. of the Vosges, cant. of Saulxures. Pop. 2,883.

BRESSINGHAM, or BRISSINGHAM, a parish in Norfolkshire, 3 m. W of Diss. Area 2,300 acres. Pop. in 1841, 647.

BRESSNITZ. See BERZENCZE. BRESSUIRE, an arrondissement, canton, commune, and town of France, in the dep. of DeuxSevres.-The arrond. comprises an area of 163,254 hectares, including 6 cant., viz., Argenton-Château, B., Cerizay, Châtillon-sur-Sèvre, Thouars, and St. Varent. Pop. in 1831, 60,826; in 1836, 63,010; in 1846, 67,747.-The cant. comprises 13 com., and contained in 1831 a pop. of 9,196.-The town is situated on a hill on the r. side of the Dolo or Bressuire, 19 m. NW of Partenay, and 39 m. N of Niort. Pop. in 1789, 2,700; in 1821, 1,344; in 1831, 1,475; in 1836, 1,894. It is of considerable antiquity, and was formerly fortified. The chief object of interest which it now contains is the church, an ancient structure of granite. It possesses manufactories of woollen and cotton fabrics, and has a considerable trade in grain and cattle. Fairs are held here 12 times a-year.

BREST, an arrondissement, canton, and commune of France, in the dep. of Finistère.-The arrond. has an area of 138,050 hectares, and comprises 10 cant., viz., B., Landerneau, Lannilis, Lesneven, Ouessant, Plabennec, Ploudalmezeau, Plondiry, Daoulas, and Saint-Renan. Pop. in 1836, 161,297; in 1846, 202,657. -The cant. comprises 7 com. Pop. in 1831, 45,183; in 1846, 48,225.

BREST, a commune and seaport of France, the cap. of the above arrond., the chief station of the French marine, and one of the best harbours in Europe, is situated on the N side of a bay on the W coast of Brittany, in the dep. of Finistère; in N lat. 48° 23′ 22", W long. 2° 29′ 42′′, on a line nearly S of Plymouth. At the beginning of the 17th cent. B. was an insignificant village, dependent on the town of Saint-Renan. It was first drawn from obscurity by Richelieu, who, induced by the excellent anchorage

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