consent. In the mean time, Agrippina, under the pretext of motherly tenderness, strove to keep B., as much as possible, in a state of imbecility. She removed his servants, and substituted her own creatures. Sosibius, his tutor, was murdered by her contrivance. She did not permit him to appear beyond the precincts of the palace, and even kept him out of his father's sight, under the pretence that he was insane and epileptic. Although the weak emperor showed that he penetrated the artifices of Agrippina, yet his death, of which she was the author, prevented him from retrieving his error. Nero was proclaimed emperor, while B. continued in close confinement. In a dispute with Nero, Agrippina threatened to place B., who was then 14 years old, on the throne, upon which Nero caused him to be poisoned.

BRITINIANS; a body of monks of the order of St. Augustine, who received their name from Britini, in Ancona, which was the place of their institution. Their manner of living was very austere. They abstained from all kinds of meat, and fasted from the festival of the Exaltation of the Cross to Easter, besides observing the fasts prescribed by the church, which they were strictly enjoined to do by the rules of their order. Their dress was gray; and, to distinguish themselves from the Minorites, they wore no girdle. When Alexander IV, in 1256, effected the union of the different congregations of the order of St. Augustine, the Britinians became members of this union.

BRITISH AMERICA. Under the general name of British America is comprehended all that part of the continent of North America which lies to the north of the U. States, with the exception of the Russian possessions in the north-west, and Greenland in the north-east. It consists of four provinces: 1. Lower Canada, to which is annexed New Britain; 2. Upper Canada; 3. New Brunswick; 4. Nova Scotia; together with the island of Newfoundland. The whole country is under a governorgeneral, whose residence is at Quebec. Each of the four provinces has also a lieutenant-governor; and Newfoundland is governed by an admiral.

BRITISH CHANNEL. (See English Channel.)

BRITISH MUSEUM was founded by sir Hans Sloane, who, in 1753, bequeathed his collection of natural and artificial curiosities, and his library, consisting of 50,000 volumes of books and MSS., to the nation, on condition of the payment

of £20,000 to his heirs. Montague-house, one of the largest mansions in the metropolis, was appropriated to its reception, and it has since been gradually increased by gifts, bequests, and purchases of every species of curiosity-animals, vegetables, minerals, sculptures, books, MSS., &c. The main building is 216 feet long and 57 high; the wings are occupied by the officers of the establishment. The library of printed books occupies 16 rooms. The upper floor is composed of 11 rooms, 2 of which contain miscellaneous collections, 4 contain collections of natural history, and 5 the library of MSS., which is extremely valuable, besides the saloon, containing the minerals. The Lansdowne library of MSS. consists of 1245 volumes, exclusive of rolls and charters, and contains the Burleigh, Cæsar and Kennet papers (Catalogue of Lansdowne MSS., folio, 1819.) The Sloane and Birch MSS. consisting of 4437 volumes, are valuabit. (See Ayscough's Undescribed MSS., 2 vols., 4to., 1782.) The Harleian MSS. were collected by Harley, lord Oxford, and form 7639 volumes, containing 40,000 documents. (Catalogue of Harleian MSS. 4 vols., folio, 1809.) The Cottonian collection was injured by fire in 1751. The number of articles is upwards of 20,000, among which is the original of the Magna Charta, and original documents connected with it. (Catalogue, folio, 1802.) There are many other very valuable collections, which we cannot enumerate. The galle ry, or department of antiquities, is dis tributed in 15 rooms; 6 of which contain Greek and Roman sculptures and antiquities, and 2 are occupied with Egyptian sculptures and antiquities, many of which were collected by the French, and feil into the hands of the English at the capture of Alexandria, September, 1801. Salt's Egyptian antiquities have also been lately added. The famous Roses stone belongs to the collection. Other rooms are occupied by terracottas, the Hamilton vases, coins and medals, prints and drawings, the Phigalian marbles, and the Elgin marbles. The anteroom contains the famous Barberini vase, or, as it is generally called, the Portland vase.

BRITTANY, OF BRETAGNE ; formerly one of the largest provinces of France, being a peninsula washed by the Atlantic on al sides except the east, where it joined Poitou, Anjou, Maine and Normandy. It now forms five departments (q. V. containing 2,532,500 inhabitants, on 1775 square miles. It is supposed to have

received its name from the Britons, who were expelled from England, and took refuge here in the fifth century. It formed one of the duchies of France, till it was united to the crown by Francis I, in 1532. The province was divided into Upper and Lower B. Agriculture, in this territory, is very backward, and it is estimated, that about one half of the surface lies waste. Corn and wine are produced in small quantities. Flax and hemp, apples and pears, are abundant, and of good quality. Cider is the principal drink. Salt is made on the coast, and coals, lead and iron are found in various parts. There are manufactures of hemp, flax and iron. The fisheries, also, employ many of the inhabitants. The Bas-Bretons speak a dialect of the Celtic. There is also a patois among them, called Lucache, of which the words are principally Greek. The lower classes are poor and ignorant.

BRIZARD. (See French Theatre.) BROACH; a large, ruinous town in Guzerat, Hindostan, on the Nerbuddah. It contains a Hindoo hospital for sick and infirm beasts, birds and insects, which has considerable endowments in land, and accommodates not only animals considered sacred by the Hindoos, such as monkeys, peacocks, &c., but horses, dogs and cats: it has, also, in little boxes, an assortment of lice and fleas. These animals are fed only on vegetable food, and are, generally, in a miserable condition. Near B. is the celebrated banian-tree, which has been renowned ever since the first arrival of the Portuguese in India, and which, according to the natives, was capable of sheltering 10,000 horsemen under its shade. Part of it has been washed away by the river, but enough yet remains to make it one of the noblest groves in the world. B. was captured by the English in 1803. Lon. 73% 6 E.; lat.

21° 41 .

BROACH; any thing which will pierce through; a pin; that part of certain ornaments by which they are stuck on; the ornament itself. Among the Highlanders of Scotland, there are preserved, in several families, ancient broaches of rich workmanship, and highly ornamented. Some of them are inscribed with characters to which particular virtues were attributed, and seem to have been used as a sort of amulet or talisman.

BROACH-TO; to incline suddenly to windward of the ship's course when she sails with a large wind; or, when she sails directly before the wind, to deviate 24

VOL. II.

from her line of course with such rapidity as to bring her side to windward, and expose her to the danger of oversetting. The masts act like levers on the ship, sideways, so as to overturn her, unless she is relieved by the rending of the sails, or the carrying away of the masts.

BROAD PIECE; a denomination that has been given to some English gold pieces broader than a guinea, particularly Caroluses and Jacobuses.

BROADSIDE, in a naval engagement; the whole discharge of the artillery on one side of a ship of war, above and below.-A squall of wind is said to throw a ship on her broadside, when it presses her down in the water, so as nearly to overset her.

BROAD-SWORD; a sword with a broad blade, designed chiefly for cutting, used by some regiments of cavalry and Highland infantry in the British service. It has, in general, given place to the sabre, among the cavalry. The claymore or broad-sword was formerly the national weapon of the Highlanders.

BROCADE; a stuff of gold, silver or silk, raised and enriched with flowers, foliage and other ornaments. Formerly, it signified only a stuff wove all of gold or silver, or in which silk was mixed; at present, all stuffs, grograms, satins, taffetas and lustrings are so called, if they are worked with flowers or other figures.

BROCKEN. (See Hartz.)

BRODY, a town in Austrian Gallicia, situated in the circle of Zloczow, bordering on the Russian frontier, includes 2600 houses, and 16,500 inhabitants, half of whom are Jews, who have a college and a school for the instruction of artists and mechanics. The commerce, carried on principally by Jews, is important, the town being very favorably situated for the exchange of the products of Poland for the horses, black cattle, wax, honey, tallow, skins, furs, anise, preserved fruits, &c., of Walachia, the Crimea, &c. B. belongs to count Potocki.

BROEKHUIZEN, Jan van (better known as Janus Broukhusius); born at Amsterdam in 1649. When young, he lost his father, a hatter, and was put under the guardianship of one of his relations, who placed him with an apothecary, though he desired to study a learned profession. While in this situation, he wrote verses, and was encouraged by the applause of the public. He subsequently entered the military service of his native country. In 1674, he embarked under the command of the famous admiral de Ruyter, as a marine, on an expedition to the West

the government are guided, and the government of the opinions of the public." In the debates upon the censorship of the public journals, he observed: "A new government may more readily grant freedom of speech, as it is not called upon to defend former abuses. Restrictions on the liberty of the press prevent the ministers from acquiring a knowledge of their real situation, and discredit them with the nation. The restraint of the press can only be of importance to ministers, who throw themselves into the arms of a violent party, with the intention of allowing it an unlimited license." The duke is profoundly versed in the whole department of political economy.

BROKER; an agent who is employed to conclude bargains, or transact other business, for his employer, for a certain fee or premium. Brokers are of several kinds merchandise, money, exchange, ship, insurance, real estate, pawn, stock brokers, &c. Exchange brokers negotiate notes and bills of exchange; money brokers exchange different kinds of money; these two classes are not unfrequently united. Merchandise brokers make contracts for the sale of merchandise. Pawn brokers make it their business to lend money upon pawns. Insurance brokers are those whose business it is to procure insurance of vessels at sea or bound on a voyage. They are, at once, the agents of the underwriters (who expect from them a full disclosure of all circumstances affecting the risk, and the payment of their premiums), and of the party insured (who trusts to them for the regularity of the contract, and a proper selection of underwriters). An agent or broker should not, therefore, be an insurer; for he then becomes too much interested to settle with fairness the rate of premium, the amount of partial losses, &c. Stock brokers are those who are employed to buy and sell shares in the stocks, including the public funds of their own and other countries, bank stock, &c. In the U. States, brokers are not required to be licensed, nor to give bonds. In France, the brokers who deal in money, exchange, merchandise, insurance and stock, are called agents de change, and their number at Paris is fixed at 60. The company of agents de change is directed by a chamber of syndics (chambre syndicale), chosen annually by the company. They are obliged to give bonds to the amount of 125,000 francs, for the prevention of abuses. They are also obliged to keep books, and are restricted to from 1 to 4 per cent. for each

negotiation. They are allowed to deal in the public funds, foreign and domestic, and the different kinds of merchandise, &c. In London, the brokers must be licensed by the lord mayor, who takes bonds for the faithful execution of their duties. In Egypt, the Arabs are the exchange brokers, and are called consuls. In the Levant and the Indies, the Jews, Armenians and Banians are the chief brokers.

BROME; a peculiar substance discovered in 1826, and named from the Greek Bopos, in consequence of its disagreeable odor. It is obtained from the bittern of sea-water, or the washings of the ashes of sea-weed. It is a dark-red liquid, of a specific gravity of 2.965, highly volatile, and emits copious red fumes at the ordinary temperature of the air. It boils at 116°. The vapor does not sustain the combustion of a candle, though several of the metals burn in it. It possesses the bleaching powers of chlorine, and, like that substance, is eminently hostile to life; a single drop of it, placed upon the bill of a bird, being sufficient to kill it. With oxygen and hydrogen it forms acids. Its properties have led to the opinion, that it might be a compound of chlorine and iodine; but, as neither of these substances have been detected in it, we are, for the present at least, obliged to regard it as a simple element.

BROMELIA. (See Pine-Apple.)
BROMIUS; a surname of Bacchus.

BRONKHORST, Peter van; a Dutch painter, born at Delft in 1588, and died in 1661. He painted, with great success, perspective views of temples and churches, enlivened with small but well executed human figures. In the town-house of Delft is his representation of Solomon's judgment.-John van B., born at Leyden in 1648, learned the art of painting without any instruction, and attained to a high degree of perfection. He principally painted animals, and was particularly successful in his birds. The lightness and brilliancy of the feathers are represented with much truth. He was a pastry-cook, and painted merely for his amusement.-Another John van B., born at Utrecht in 1603, was a painter on glass, His works in the new church at Amsterdam are much esteemed. He has also engraved some works of Cornelius Poelenburg.

BRONNER, Francis Xaver, born in 1758, at Hochstadt, on the Danube, of the lowest extraction, while a boy, entered the Jesuit college at Dillingen, as a singer.