sists chiefly of table-land, diversified by a few plains and some high peaks, one of which, called the Burning mountain, or Mount Wingen, is in a state of combustion. The burning portion is from 1,400 to 1,500 feet above the level of the sea. The capital of this county, also named Brisbane, is situated on the river Brisbane, 10 miles above its mouth in Moreton bay; pop. in 1856, 5,800. It was formerly a penal settlement, but ceased to be such in 1842, since which period it has increased largely in size, and improved in appearance. Its trade, which is rapidly augmenting, is principally in wool.

BRISSON, BARNABÉ, a French jurist, born in 1531, occupied the highest judicial, diplomatic, and parliamentary functions during the reign of Henry III., and compiled the Code de Henri III.; but having been appointed first president of the parliament by the members of the league during the siege of Paris by Henry IV., his conduct filled them with distrust, and they had him executed Nov. 15, 1591.-MATHURIN JACQUES, & French savant, born at Fontenay-le-Comte, April 30, 1723, died at Versailles, June 23, 1806. He was instructor to the children of the royal family of France in physics and natural history. He was also censor royal, member of the academy of sciences, and of the institute, and succeeded Nollet in the chair of natural philosophy at the college of Navarre. He translated Priestley's work on electricity, although he opposed his theories, and still more those of Franklin. The most able of his writings are on specific gravity and on ornithology. Buffon quotes frequently from the latter work.

BRISSOT, JEAN PIERRE, a Girondist leader, surnamed DE WARVILLE, after the village of Quarville, near Chartres, where he was born Jan. 14, 1754, died by the guillotine Oct. 30, 1793. He had abandoned the profession of the law for the pursuit of literature, when some seditious publications caused him first to be imprisoned, and afterward to repair to London, where he conducted a French journal; he then went to the United States, where he wrote against slavery, having previously been one of the original founders of la société des amis des noirs. Returning to France on the outbreak of the revolution of 1789, he became the editor of Le patriote Français, a member of the commune of Paris, and having labored assiduously in the interest of the revolution, he was chosen member of the legislative assembly, where he soon took a conspicuous position as a leader of the Girondists, and as an opponent of the royal family and of the exiled nobles. After the king's flight he put himself at the head of those who demanded his deposition, and eventually taking his seat in the convention as a representative of the department of Eure-etLoire, he was instrumental in bringing about the declaration of war against Austria, England, and Holland. He made himself, however, obnoxious to Robespierre and his party by refusing to vote for the execution of the king, and VOL. III.-45

was finally doomed to share the fate of so many of his political associates. The surviving Girondists were called Brissotins by the terrorists. His love of liberty was kindled by the ideas of Jean Jacques Rousseau, and by his residence in the United States, and he contributed not a little to the success of the revolution by the eloquence of his speeches and the ability of his publications. The 4th and last volume of his memoirs and political testament appeared in Paris in 1832.

BRISTED, JOHN, an Episcopal clergyman, born in Dorsetshire, England, 1779, died at Bristol, R. I., Feb. 23, 1855. He was educated at Winchester, studied law, came to America in 1806, and practised in New York. In 1820 he married a daughter of John Jacob Astor. Having commenced the study of divinity in 1824 under Bishop Griswold, he succeeded the bishop in 1829 in the rectorship of the church of St. Michael at Bristol, which office he discharged until 1843. He was the author of "Resources of the United States," and "Thoughts on the English and American churches."-His son, CHARLES ASTOR BRISTED, born in New York in 1820, graduated at Yale college in 1839, afterward went to Oxford, England, where he spent 5 years, and took his degree at Trinity college in 1845. At both universities he gained frequent prizes for classical attainments. He is the author of many lively papers in "Fraser's" and other magazines, of editions of some of the classics, and of "Five Years in an English University," published in 1852. He was named one of the original trustees of the Astor library.

BRISTLES, the stiff hairs which grow upon the back of the hog, and which are used to a great extent in the manufacture of brushes, and by shoemakers and saddlers in the place of needles. They are of several varieties of color and quality, distinguished as black, gray, yellow, white, and lilies. The last is the soft, silvery quality used for shaving-brushes. The demand is so great for the manufacture of the various kinds of brushes, that bristles are an important article of commerce. In Great Britain, before the repeal of the duty upon them in March, 1845, the revenue derived from the customs amounted to over $100,000 annually. The number of pounds imported the year of the remission of the duty was 2,412,267. (See BRUSH.)

BRISTOL. I. A south-eastern county of Masssachusetts, bounded S. by Buzzard's bay, drained by Taunton, Pawtucket, and other smaller rivers, diversified by many inequalities of surface, and having an area of 517 sq. m. Its seacoast, about 18 miles in extent, is indented by numerous bays and good harbors, affording opportunities for navigation and the fisheries which are extensively embraced. Iron ore is found in large quantities. The soil is of various kinds; a fair proportion of it is fertile, and produces Indian corn, potatoes, and grass. In 1850 it yielded 164,064 bushels of Indian corn, 250,488 of potatoes, 28,552 tons of hay, and 311,794 lbs. of butter. There were 3 calico-printing estab

lishments, 13 of whale oil, 18 of jewelry, 21 saw and planing mills, 5 grist mills, 1 copper rolling mill, 6 potteries, 8 tanneries, 3 shipyards, 1 brass and 4 iron founderies, 4 manufactories of nails, 4 of tacks, 5 of coaches, 25 of boots and shoes, 2 of britannia ware, 49 cotton and 2 woollen factories, and 10 machine shops. In 1857 it contained 140 churches, 7 weekly and 3 daily newspaper offices. The Boston and Providence, New Bedford and Taunton, Taunton branch, and Fall River railroads pass through it. Capitals, Taunton and New Bedford. The Indians called this part of the country Pancunnawcutt. It was formed into a county in 1685, and named from the town of Bristol in England. Pop. in 1855, 87,425. II. An eastern county of Rhode Island, having an area of 25 sq. m., being the smallest county in New England except Suffolk, Mass. Mount Hope and Narraganset bays bound it on the E., S., and W., affording with their numerous harbors advantages for navigation which can hardly be surpassed. A large amount of capital is invested in whaling and other fisheries. The surface is uneven, and presents a variety of beautiful scenery. Mount Hope, once the residence of the Indian king, Philip, is the principal elevation. The soil is very fertile, yielding different kinds of grain, potatoes, and grass. The productions in 1850 were 25,451 bushels of Indian corn, 11,075 of oats, 24,898 of potatoes, 3,062 tons of hay, and 82,262 lbs. of butter. There were 3 factories of cotton goods, 1 of nails, 1 of hinges, 2 of cordage, 1 brass and 1 iron foundery, 2 shipyards, 14 furnaces, 3 forges, 2 brick-yards, 10 churches, 2 newspaper offices, and 1,103 pupils attending public schools. A railroad from Bristol, the capital, to Providence passes through it. Organized in 1746. Pop. in 1850, 8,514.

BRISTOL. I. A post town, port of entry, and the capital of Bristol co., R. I., 16 m. S. E. of Providence, and 14 miles N. E. of Newport, pleasantly situated on a peninsula stretching out toward the S. between Narraganset bay on the W. and Mount Hope bay on the E. The township is 5 miles long, 3 miles broad, and 12 sq. m. in area. It includes Mount Hope, a beautiful eminence 300 feet above the water, noted for the fine view from its summit, and interesting as the ancient residence of King Philip, who was killed here in 1676. The soil is very fertile, and about of the inhabitants are engaged in raising onions and other market vegetables. The village, which is much visited in suminer for its refreshing sea air, contains 7 churches, 1 newspaper office, 1 savings institution, 4 banks, 1 cotton mill, 1 manufactory of breech-loading fire-arms, and an extensive sugar refinery. It has an excellent deep harbor, a prosperous coasting trade, and some commerce with the West Indies. The tonnage of the port in 1852 amounted to 13,626 tons. A railroad connects it with Providence, and steamboats from Fall River to the latter city make this one of their

landing places. During the revolutionary war it was bombarded by the British, and a large part of it burned to the ground. Pop. in 1850, 4,616. II. A post borough, and formerly the capital of Bucks co., Pa., situated on the right bank of the Delaware river, nearly opposite Burlington, N. J., and about 19 miles above Philadelphia. It is a pleasant, neat-looking town, with 4 churches, a bank, a flour mill, a mineral spring, and abundant means of communication with the chief cities of the union. A railroad from New York to Philadelphia passes through it, a line of steamboats connects it with Philadelphia, and the Delaware branch of the Pennsylvania canal terminates here in a large basin communicating with the river. About 3 miles below, near the river, is a school called the Institut militaire, occupying the buildings formerly used by Bristol college, founded by the Episcopalians in 1833. The town was founded in 1697. Pop. in 1850, 2,570.

BRISTOL, an important seaport and city on the borders of Gloucestershire and Somersetshire, England, 118 miles from London by railway. Pop. 137,328. The city is under the management of an ancient corporation, and has the largest local and foreign trade of any town in the west of England. Its situation at the confluence of the Avon with the estuary of the Severn gives it great advantages, which have been further improved by dock accommodation. The British docks, which were originally formed in the reign of George III., at an expense of £600,000, were purchased in 1847 by the corporation, and are now the property of the city. It is the great commercial depot of the western district and South Wales. The foreign entries of Bristol for the year 1852 were-inward, · 68,457 tons; outward, 42,756 tons. The coasting trade far exceeds this in amount. It comprised, inward, 377,000 tons; outward, 303,000 tons. The colonial trade is about equal to the foreign trade. The number of ships entered inward from foreign ports during the year ending Jan. 5, 1854, was 788, with 175,571 tons, and the clearances were 262, with 87,190 tons. Among the imports of 1853 we find about 600,000 cwt. of sugar, 100,000 hides, 200,000 qrs. of corn, 50,000 cwt. of flour, about 90,000 loads of timber, &c. The net amount of custom-house duties in 1853 was £1,194,921. Bristol has a peculiar interest, apart from its antiquities and commerce, in its early connection with America. By the enterprise of Bristol merchants some of the early expeditions for the extension of discovery in the western world were fitted out. Sebastian Cabot passed his early life in Bristol, and a Bristol ship first touched the American continent. Martin Frobisher brought one of the Esquimaux to Bristol in 1578; Hakluyt belonged to Bristol, and Newfoundland was colonized from Bristol. The city of Bristol was the second city of the kingdom, and in 1750 to 1757, the average net receipts of the customs there amounted to £155,189 sterling, while those of Liverpool

were £51,136. Now, however, was the commencement of her retrogession. In the latter part of the same century, Liverpool, profiting by the advantage of her natural position and her vicinity to the northern coal, iron, and manufacturing districts, shot rapidly ahead of her venerable rival, and has left her hopelessly in the rear. The West India trade, which formerly belonged exclusively to Bristol, has been in the present century transferred to London, since the completion of the magnificent West India docks. The growth of railway communication has also partly deprived Bristol of its long standing character as the commercial depot of the west of England, while the rapid growth of Cardiff, a small port at the mouth of the Bristol channel and a convenient place of shipment for the South Wales iron district, will probably injure both Bristol and Liverpool. These reverses have, however, injured the city of Bristol only relatively. She still maintains the character of a commercial and manufacturing town of great wealth and importance. She possesses many first class mercantile houses and manufacturing establishments. It is the great point of shipinent between the south of Ireland and England, and large quantities of produce, live and dead, find their way through Bristol. Numerous manufactures are carried on, including anchors and cables, beer bottles, bricks, British spirits, colors, drugs, dyes, earthenware, hats and caps, floor-cloths, glass of all kinds, machinery and metal work, soap, starch, and numerous others, some of which are Bristol staples. A great cotton factory is an object of some note. There are 6 banking establishments, including a branch of the bank of England; a savings bank, a gas company formed by the union of the Bristol and Clifton gas companies, with a united capital of £179,800. Some of the best vessels ever launched have been built in Bristol, as, for instance, the Great Western, upward of 2,000 tons burden, and the Great Britain, of 3,500 tons. The Great Western railway, connecting London with this city, is interesting to men of science as being constructed on the broad or 6 foot gauge. It is the finest line in the united kingdom. The powerful locomotives, the easy gradients, and the rate of speed, exceeding that of any other both in ordinary and express travelling, have deservedly earned for this line the epithet of "magnificent." In a financial view, however, the broad gauge, notwithstanding its superiority to the narrow, can scarcely be called satisfactory; and except in lines branching from the Great Western, the system has not been followed. The town is provided with various literary and educational institutions. The sanitary arrangements, in which Bristol in ancient times was very defective, have of late years excited attention. The numerous narrow streets, with their overhanging houses, so dear to the lover of the picturesque, are sadly prejudicial to free ventilation and health. As may be supposed from the ancient wealth of the city, there are numerous interest

ing monuments of antiquity, among which the church of St. Mary Redcliff is conspicuous both for its own beauty of design and ornamentation, and for Chatterton's connection with it. Within its muniment room Chatterton said that he discovered Rowley's poems, which he is charged with having invented. Beside St. Mary Redcliff, a splendid example of the Gothic style, there are many handsome churches, and also the cathedral, which has a fine Norman gateway. Among the modern buildings which adorn the town are the council-house, in the Italian style, the new guildhall, in the Tudor style, the Victoria rooms for concerts and exhibitions, the Bristol institution, with a fine gallery of art, and the bridewell prison, rebuilt after the riot of 1831.-Bristol dates from before the Roman invasion, but did not become a place of strength and importance till after the Norman conquest. In the 12th and 13th centuries it was noted both for its trade and manufactures. It figured in the wars of the roses, and was a commanding position during the war between Charles I. and the parliament. It was carried by storm by Prince Maurice and Prince Rupert in 1643, but after the defeat of Charles at Naseby was surrendered by Prince Rupert to Sir Thomas Fairfax, after but brief resistance. It was the scene of riots on account of local disputes in 1793, and of a disastrous riot in 1831, on occasion of a visit to it from Sir Charles Wetherell, an opponent of the reform bill.

BRISTOL BRICK, a sort of brick used for cleaning steel,_manufactured for some years exclusively in Bristol, England. A small vein of the sand required for this purpose was found near Liverpool, but was soon exhausted. One of the owners or operatives, who had been concerned in the works at Bristol, visited the United States in 1820, where by accident he discovered that the same kind of sand which was used for the Bristol bricks might be procured at South Hampton, N. H. Since that period, bricks fully equal to the imported article have been manufactured in this country, with a large and constantly increasing demand.

BRISTOL CHANNEL, an inlet of St. George's channel between South Wales and Devonshire and Somersetshire. Its upper extremity forms the estuary of the Severn.

BRIT (clupea minima, Peck), a small species of herring, varying in length from 1 to 4 inches, found at some seasons of the year in immense numbers on the coast of New England; it serves as food for the blue-fish and other predatory species. The back is nearly black, the upper part of the sides dark green, and the sides silvery with roseate and golden reflections; the lateral line is very high up, and the abdominal ridge is serrated; the lower jaw rather projects beyond the upper. It used to be very abundant in the bay of Fundy, but is rare there of late years; it is said to be frequently met with in the gulf of St. Lawrence, and is mentioned by De Kay in his fishes of New York. In the young specimens the dorsal ridge is a

black line, and the space between this and the lateral line is of a light green color, with small darker points. Its immense numbers might make it of value in some localities as a manure, and as a bait for other fish.

BRITAIN, or BRITANNIA. See ENGLAND. BRITANNIA METAL, also called white metal, is said to consist of 3 cwt. of block tin, 28 lbs. of antimony, 8 lbs. of copper, and 8 lbs. of brass. Its composition, however, is variable. Dr. Thomson gives the analysis of one specimen tin, 85.72; antimony, 10.39; zinc, 2.91; copper, .98-100. It is cast into ingots and rolled into thin sheets. It is an alloy of great use for the manufacture of domestic utensils, and is very generally employed as the base of the articles designed to be plated with silver. The manufacture was introduced into England about the year 1770, by Jessop and Hancock.

BRITANNICUS, son of the emperor Claudius and Messalina, was born A. D. 42, in the 2d consulship of his father. His original name was Claudius Tiberius Germanicus, but when the senate conferred the title of Britannicus on the emperor, the infant prince was allowed to participate in the honor, which henceforward became his distinctive appellation. After the death of his mother, and the marriage of his father with Agrippina, that unscrupulous woman prevailed on Claudius to set aside the claims of Britannicus to the throne, and to make her own son Nero his heir. On the accession of Nero, Agrippina, finding her wishes and commands alike disregarded by her son, threatened to present Britannicus to the legions, and to proclaim the superior validity of his title. Nero determined to rid himself of so dangerous a rival. A dose of powerful poison was dissolved in a goblet of wine and handed to him at a banquet. He drank, and immediately expired. As his funeral passed to the Campus Martius a terrible storm raged, and the rain descending in torrents washed from his visage the paint with which it had been smeared, and exposed to the affrighted populace his swollen and blackened features. Britannicus was in the 14th year of his age when he was murdered.

BRITINIANS, a congregation of Augustine monks, taking their name from their principal house in Britini, Ancona. They were very austere, fasting much beyond the requisitions of the church, and more than many of the congregations of the same rule. They wore & gray dress; the absence of the girdle distinguished them from the Minorites. They continued a separate existence until they fell into the union of the different Augustine congregations under Pope Alexander IV.

BRITISH AMERICA comprises the whole northern part of the North American continent beyond the territory of the United States, except the portion claimed by the Russians. It extends from lat. 41° to 78° N., and from long. 52° to 141° W. The frontier line between

British America and the United States was determined by the conventions of 1839 and 1846. It is bounded east by the Atlantic ocean, Davis straits, and Baffin's bay; north by the Arctic ocean; north-west by Russian America; west by the Pacific ocean; and south by the United States. British America includes Upper and Lower Canada, the Hudson's Bay and North-Western territories, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Cape Breton, Prince Edward island, and New Brunswick, with Vancouver island in the Pacific. Each of these distinct possessions will be treated under its own title.

BRITISH EMPIRE, a vast complex of states in various parts of the world, subject to the monarch of England, and more or less directly governed by the British parliament. Its different portions will be treated, at length, each under its own title. We here present a condensed view of them all together:

IN EUROPE.-The united kingdom of Great Britain and ing the Shetlands, Orkneys, Hebrides, Scillies, Man, and Ireland, with the adjacent islands in the British seas, includthe Isle of Wight. Area, 120,851 sq. m.; pop. 27,017,823. Wales was incorporated into the kingdom of England in the reign of Edward I. Scotland, annexed to England in 1603, long continued a distinct kingdom for administrative and legislative purposes. It was fully joined to England by the act of union in 1707, by which the Scottish legislature was dissolved, and the Scotch were admitted to representation in the British houses of lords and commons. The Scotch still maintain their own peculiar laws, customs, and national church. Ireland was nominally annexed to the crown of England in 1172; but for centuries it resisted the invader, and can scarcely be said to have been subjugated until it was reduced by Cromwell. The terrible energy of his iron rule makes the "curse of Cromwell" an emphatic denunciation from the lips of an Irish peasant to the present day. Up to act of union it was in that year united to England, and, like the year 1800 it was governed by its own parliament. By an Scotland, admitted to the rights of representation both by peers and commoners in the British parliament. Its laws are essentially the same as those of England, though passed specially for Ireland. The Anglican church has been imposed upon Ireland as a state church, with all the endowments of the ancient Catholic church, although less than of the population are members of its communion. The Channel Islands, near the coast of France, in the bay of Avranches (comprising Guernsey, Jersey, and several smaller islands), part of the dominions of William the Conqueror before he invaded England; pop. 76,065; area, 120 sq. m. Heligoland, a small island in the German ocean, inhabited chiefly by fishermen, taken from the Danes in 1807; pop. 2.230; area, 5 sq. in. Gibraltar, taken from the Spaniards in 1704, consisting of a lofty steep rock, bristling with guns, and regularly fortified, and a small space of sloping ground at its foot, on which stands its town; pop. 15.523; area, 2 sq. m. Malta, a strongly fortified naval and military station, with its dependency Gozo, taken from the French in 1500; pop. 134,864; area, 122 sq. mn. The Ionian Islands, comprising Corfu, Cephalonia, Zante, Santa Maura,

Ithaca, Paxo, and Cerigo, forming the Ionian republic; placed under the protection of the British government in

the year 1514. The local government is carried on by a lord

high commissioner, appointed by the queen, with a council of Ionians elected by the people. Pop. 226,698; area, 1,097

sq. m.

IN ASIA.-British India, including nearly the whole of the peninsula of Hindostan, divided into British possessions and protected states. The British possessions are divided into 3 presidencies--Bengal, Madras, and Bombay. The Presidency of Bengal, under the immediate authority of the governor-general of British India, includes nearly the whole valley of the river Ganges, the Punjaub, Assam, Aracan, and the Tenasserim provinces, with á considerable extent of country on both sides of the bay of Bengal, also the town of Malacca, and a small district round it; Wellesley province on the Malay peninsula, and the small islands of Penang and Singapore. To these the late kingdom Bengal is subdivided into the governments of Bengal of Oude was annexed, Feb. 7, 1856. The presidency of and Agra. The Presidency of Madras, in the south

part of Hindostan, under a governor, who is subordinate to the governor-general. It includes the Circars and the Carnatic, sometimes called the Coromandel coast, with Canara and Malabar, forming part of the Malabar coast. The Presidency of Bombay, on the north-west coast of Hindostan, under the governor of Bombay, who is also subordinate to the governor-general. It includes Sinde, Concan, part of the Aurungabad, and several others of the old divisions of India. There are 83 subject or protected states, which pay tribute, the most remarkable of which are: The Nizam's Dominions, governed by a sovereign called the Nizam, situated near the centre of Hindostan, upon the tableland of the Deccan. Rajpootana, including several states governed by nobles called rajahs, each of whom has his apital. Guicowar's Dominions, near the bay of Cutch; capital, Baroda. Sindia's Dominions, E. of Guicowar's, governed by a maharajah or great rajah; capital, Gwalior. Holkar's Dominions, S. of Sindia's, including the old province of Maliva; capital, Bhopaul. Mysore, governed by a rajah, formerly the kingdom of the famous Hyder Ali, and his son Tippoo; chief cities, Mysore and Seringapatam. Travancore, on the Malabar coast; capital, Cochin. Ceylon, taken from the Dutch in 1795, is not under the East India company, but is a royal colony. Hong Kong, a small island near the mouth of the river Choo-Kiang, in China, and not far from Canton, ceded by the Chinese, 1843; a royal colony. Aden, ceded to the British in 1838, is now under the East India company.

IN AFRICA-Cape Colony, extending from the Cape of Good Hope to the Orange river; taken from the Dutch in 1806; area, 203,000 sq. m.; pop. 200,546, Port Natal, a settlement in the E. of Cape Colony; area, 20,000 sq. m.; pop. 116,000. Sierra Leone, on the W. coast of Africa, settled in 1787; area, 25,000 sq.m.; pop. 45,472, mostly negroes. Gambia, N. of Sierra Leone, a small settlement established in 1631; area, 12 sq. m.; pop. 5,693. Gold Coast Settlements include several forts and trading stations on the Guinea coast, the chief of which is Cape Coast Castle; pop. 800,000; area, 8,000 sq. m. Mauritius, or the Isle of France, a small island in the Indian ocean, E. of Madagascar, taken from the French in 1810; area, 700 sq. m.; pop. 180,823. The Seychelles, the Amirante and the Chagos islands, with Roderique, are small islands near Mauritius, and are under the governor of that island; pop. about 7,000. St. Helena, a small island in the Atlantic ocean, ceded by the Dutch in 1654; pop. 5,490. Ascension, a still smaller island, N. of St. Helena; pop, uncertain. the years 1760 and 1763. It is divided into 2 parts, Canada West and Canada East. Pop. of Canada West, 952,005; pop. of Canada East, 904,000; area, 855,000 sq. m. New Brunswick, pop. over 200,000: Nova Scotia, pop. 276,117; Cape Breton, Prince Edward island, and Newfoundland, pop. 100,000. Hudson's Bay territory, population consisting mainly of Esquimaux and North American Indians. Vancouver's island, on the western coast of Hudson's Bay territory, is a royal colony; area, 12,000 sq. m.; pop. 2,000. Bermuda, in the Atlantic ocean, off the coast of the United States, settled in 1609; pop. 11,092.

IN NORTH AMERICA.-Canada, taken from the French in

St.

IN THE WEST INDIES.-Jamaica, taken from the Spaniards, 1655; pop. 877,433. Barbados, settled in 1605; pop. about 145,000. Trinidad, taken from the Spaniards, 1797; pop. 68,600. Antigua, settled 1632; pop. 37,000. Grenada, with the small islands round it, ceded by the French, 1763; pop. 82,671. St. Vincent, ceded by the French, 1763; pop. 80,128. St. Christopher, settled 1623; pop. 23,177. Lucia, taken from the French, 1803; pop. 24,350. Dominica, ceded by the French, 1763; pop. 22,200. Tobago, ceded by the French, 1763; pop. 14,378. Nevis, Montserrat, Anguilla, Barbuda, Anegada, Tortola, and Virgin Gorda, are small islands; pop. less than 30,000. The Great, Middle, and Small Cayman; pop. only 200. The Bahama islands, settled in 1629; pop. 25,000. The entire population of the British West Indies is over 950,000; area, 7,799 sq. m.

IN SOUTH AND CENTRAL AMERICA.-British Guiana, in

cluding settlements on the rivers Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice, taken from the French in 1803; area, 50,000 sq. m.; pop. 134,695. Balize settled in 1670; area, 9,600 sq. m. pop. 80,000. Falkland islands, in the Atlantic ocean, off the S. E. coast of South America; a whaling station; pop.

550.

IN AUSTRALASIA.-New South Wales, at the eastern sido of Australia, settled in 1787; pop. in 1857, 300,000. Victoria, or Port Philip, settled in 1834; pop. 414,000. South Austra lia, settled 1834; pop. 105,000. Western Australia, or Swan River, settled 1829; pop. 14,000. Van Diemen's Land, or Tasmania, settled 1803; pop. 80,000. New Zealand, settled 1839; pop. Europeans, 130,000. Labuan, a small island off the coast of Borneo; pop. 1,385. Sarawak, a protected state in Borneo, governed by Sir James Brooke.

BRITISH GUM, a name given by the calico printers to starch calcined at a temperature of about 600° F., by which it becomes brown and soluble in cold water, and loses its property of forming a blue color with iodine. It is used merely for thickening their colors.

BRITISH MUSEUM, a national depository of science, literature, and art, which owes its origin to the will of Sir Hans Sloane, an eminent physician and naturalist, who, dying in 1753, bequeathed to the nation his collection of medals and coins, antiquities, seals, cameos, drawings and pictures, and his library, consisting of 50,000 volumes and manuscripts, on the condition of the payment of £20,000 to his heirs. The British parliament accepted this condition, by an act passed in the month of June, 1753, and by the same act directed that the Cottonian library, a collection of valuable historical documents which had been made by Sir Robert Cotton, during the reign of Elizabeth and James I., and which had been acquired by government in the reign of Queen Anne, should be added to the Sloane collection, together with a library of about 2,000 printed volumes, called Major Arthur Edwards's library, which had existed as an appendage to the Cottonian library since 1738, the year in which it had been bequeathed to the trustees by its proprietor. The book department of the British museum was still further increased by the purchase, for £10,000, of the Harleian library of manuscripts, a splendid collection of about 7,600 volumes of rolls, charters, and other historical documents, which had been accumulated by Robert Harley, earl of Oxford, and his son and successor, Edward Harley. In 1754, Montague house, one of the largest mansions in the metropolis, was appropriated for the reception of these collections, which have since been increased by the munificence of successive parliaments, and by gifts,