Brussels, 

 Brute. 



B R U 



Two Nethes, the Dyle, the Scheldt, and the Lys. 

 It has also a court of criminal and special justice, 

 with a chamber and tribunal of commerce. 



The city of Brussels owes its origin to St Gery, 

 bishop of Cambray, who, in the beginning of the 

 7th century, built a chapel in a small island, formed 

 by two branches of the Senne, and preached the 

 gospel to the neighbouring peasants. Attracted by 

 the pleasantness of the situation, and the piety of 

 the venerable bishop, the peasants flocked from the 

 surrounding country, and numerous huts soon arose 

 along the banks of the river. These, in a short time, 

 increased to a considerable village, to which they 

 pave the name of Brussel, hermitage bridge, and so 

 early as the year- 900, it had both a market and a 

 castle. In. 1044, it was first enclosed with a wall, 

 and fortified with towers, of which some vestiges 

 are still remaining ; and, in 1379, it was greatly en- 

 larged and walled round, in the manner in which it 

 now appears. It became the residence of the Dukes 

 of Brabant, and afterwards of the Austrian gover- 

 nors, who kept their court here with all the honours 

 of a sovereign prince ; and during the usurpation of 

 Cromwell, this city was also the occasional residence 

 of Charles II. of England, and his brother the Duke 

 of York. 



In 1695, it was bombarded by Marshal Villeroy, 

 who advanced towards Brussels in hopes of compel- 

 ling the allies to raise the siege of Namur, and pour- 

 ed in such a quantity of bombs and red-hot balls, 

 that the city took fire, in which 4000 houses, and 

 14 beautiful churches, were consumed. After the 

 battle of Ramillies, it was abandoned by the friends 

 of Philip V. and the keys of the city were present- 

 ed to the Duke of Mariborough, who took posses- 

 sion of it in the name of Charles III. King of Spain. 

 It was again besieged in 1708, by Maximilian Ema- 

 nuel, Elector of Bavaria, who, after having been 

 repulsed, was compelled to retire by the approach 

 of the Duke of Mariborough. Marshal Saxe took 

 Brussels in 1746, but it was restored at the peace of 

 Aix-la-Chapelle, and continued under the Austrian 

 government until the revolutionary war, when Du- 

 mourier entered it on the 14th of November 1792, 

 soon after the battle of Jemappe. He, however, 

 quitted it to the Austrians on the 23d of March in 

 the following year, and left no traces of his hostile 

 visit, except the universal defacing of the imperial 

 ensigns. The French regained complete possession 

 in the summer of 1794, and at the peace it was an- 

 nexed to France. Population, 75,000 ; or, accord- 

 ing to Tinseau's Statistical View of France, 66,279. 

 E. Long. 4 26', N. Lat. 50 51'. See Bygge's 

 Travels in the French Republic, p. 51 ; Trotter's 

 Memoirs of Mr Fox, p. 110, 153 , Shaw's Sketches 

 of the History of the Netherlands ; Holcroft's Tra- 

 vels from Hamburgh to Paris; Peuchet Dictionnaire, 

 See.; and Tynna Almanack du Commerce, 1811. 



Cp) 



BRUTE is the name, given, in common language, 



to all those classes of living creatures which are con- 

 ceived to be destitute of reason, and particularly the 

 beasts of the field. It is evidently derived from the 

 Greek /? (whence /Sgwa-xw), to feed, which may be 

 traced to the Hebrew iya, or to rm, (whence nils, 



16 



B R U 



food,) these animals having always been noted for 

 their voracious tendency, prona ct ventri obedientia. 



In treating the article ANIMAL, we shortly advert- 

 ed to the speculations of philosophers concerning the 

 disputed boundaries between the imperfect modifica- 

 tion of life peculiar to vegetables, and the higher 

 principle of animation inherent in sensitive beings. 

 The object of the following remarks is, by comparing 

 the chief resemblances and diversities observable 

 among the rational and irrational tribes, to .ascertain 

 the characteristic features of distinction which mark 

 the degradation of the brutish below the intelligent 

 nature. 



On this point, two leading opinions have been 

 maintained ; the one, that the capacities of brutea 

 differ from those of man in degree only ; the other, 

 that they differ not merely in degree, but also ia 

 kind. 



In some particulars, the faculties of the lower ani- 

 mals appear to be at least equal to the human. Ma- 

 ny of them give proofs of the most acute sensibility 

 in their perceptive organs, while, at the same time, 

 they possess abilities for active exertion, which set 

 the strength and patience of man at defiance. But 

 these advantages can be claimed by a very limited 

 proportion of the less perfect animals; and upon the 

 whole, the pre-eminence of our race is such as scarce- 

 ly to admit of a comparison with the other inhabi- 

 tants of this globe. 



Even this inconsiderable superiority of certain ani- 

 mals, in respect of hardiness, agility, muscular power, 

 and organic acuteness, is much less discernible when we 

 view man in that condition which is the least removed, 

 from that of brutes. The savage pursues a mode of 

 life, which, though it exposes him to unceasing peril, 

 brings all his corporeal powers into action ; and, how- 

 ever little he may be indebted to the co-operation of 

 his fellows, or to the adventitious benefits resulting 

 from civilised life, he is able, under the most unfavour- 

 able combinations of circumstances, to assert his su- 

 premacy over all the families of birds and beasts 

 which people his native woods, not only in conse- 

 quence of the ascendency of his reason, but even in 

 the application of dexterity, force, and cunning; 

 the only weapons which his winged and quadruped 

 rivals are capable of wielding. 



The brutes appear to be guided almost entirely by 

 appetite and instinct. The gratification of their sen-, 

 ses, if not the primary law of their existence, is at 

 least the object which seems perpetually to occupy 

 them. When they are left to themselves, this desire 

 of sensitive indulgence rarely proceeds beyond the, 

 bounds which are consistent with the preservation of 

 the individual, or the propagation of the species. 

 And whenever these ends are promoted by means 

 which are not evidently subservient to enjoyment, or 

 which presuppose an intuitive sagacity not referable 

 either to sense or to reason, we ascribe the result to 

 instinct. It is possible, however, and, indeed, it is 

 highly probable, that in most, if not in all, the cases 

 of what we denominate instinct, the animal is incited 

 by sensation, or appetitive orgasm, as much as when, 

 we can discern the impulse by which it is actuated. 

 And there seems to be great reason to suspect, not 

 only that the senses of some animals are finer than 



Brute. 



