

KKS. 





established in 1S48; but the railway station and Messrs. Strutt's 

 works are lighU-1 by gas made by Measra. Stratt at their works at 

 1, a mile and a half dutant The town U supplied with water 

 from wells and pumps. 



A new church has boon recently erected at au expense of nearly 

 12.000/., defrayed partly by subscription and partly by a grant from 

 the commissioners for building new churches. It stands on a bold 

 elevation above the town, and from its situation and its architecture, 

 which is of the perpendicular style, U a great ornament to the 

 place. It will accommodate 1800 persons, including 300 children ; two- 

 thirds of the sittings are free. The ancient chapel is still used for 

 evening lectures and for a school-room. In addition to another church, 

 erected' in 1851, there are chapels belonging to the Independents, 

 Wesleyan and Primitive Methodists, Baptists, Unitarians, and Ply- 

 mouth Brethren. 



There is a National school, which was opened in 1849 and contains 

 about 400 children. Messrs. Strult have established a school in con- 

 nection with their factories, at which upwards of 100 children of those 

 employed in the mills, and more than 200 other scholars attend. There 

 are also a Wesleyau school and an Infant school. The town contains 

 a mechanics institution and a subscription library. There are two neat 

 almshouses, with small endowments. A county court is held at Helper. 



There are few buildings which can be termed public buildings. 

 Helper possesses a commodious railway station, belonging to the 

 Midland Company. A jail was built in 1849. The Union work- 

 house is in the Derby Road ; the building of it cost 12,00(11. 



The chief manufacturing establishments are Messrs. Strutt's, who 

 employ upwards of 2000 persons in the various departments of the 

 cotton manufacture ; Messrs. Ward, Start, and Sharp, manufacturing 

 hosiers ; and Messrs. Brettle, also manufacturing hosiers. The hosiery 

 work is mostly carried on at the houses of the operatives. The 

 manufacture of nails is carried on to some extent at Helper. There 

 is also an extensive manufactory of brown earthenware near the 

 town. Seams of coal are worked in the neighbourhood. 



(Communication from Be/per.) 



BELT, which in Danish, as in English, signifies a girdle, is the 

 name given to two of the three straits by which the Baltic 

 joined to the Cattegat They are distinguished by the addition of 

 Great and Little. 



The Great Bill (Store Belt) which is the middle one of the 

 three straits, and the widest outlet for the waters of the Baltic, 

 begins on the south, about 54 50' N. Int., between the southern 

 extremity of the Island of Langeland and the western shore of 

 Laaland, and terminates on the north between Rees Ness on the 

 Island of Siiclland or Zealand, and the southern extremity of 

 Samsoe. Its length may be about 70 miles. 



The narrowest part of the strait is at its southern extremity, 

 where it is, properly speaking, divided into two straits by the Island 

 of Langeland ; for the narrow sea between that island and those of 

 Arrue, Taasing, and Fyen or Fiinen is comprehended under the 

 name of Great Belt, and is hardly more than 4 miles in breadth. 

 The principal branch between Langeland and Laaloud is rather more 

 than 8 miles wide. To the north of the northern extremity of 

 Langeland the breadth of the strait varies between 16 and 24 miles. 



Except near the shores the depth of the water is considerable, 

 but very irregular, varying from 5 to 25 fathoms. But some small 

 and low islands and many shoals render the navigation difficult and 

 dangerous, and on that account the passage of the Sound is preferred. 

 In the last war, however, English men-of-war commonly passed 

 through the Belt The merchant-vessels which pass through it ore 

 obliged to pay the cuitomary duties at Nyborg or Nyeborg on the 

 Island of (linen. The shores on both sides of the strait being low 

 and irregular form many good harbours and anchorages. 



Between Nyborg in t iiuen and Corsoer in Zealand, where the strait 

 U only 10 miles across, a regular communication is established by 

 team-boats and smacks. In the good season the passage is not 

 difficult ; but in the Utter part of the autumn and in winter it in 

 difficult and dangerous, especially on account of the pieces of floating 

 ice which in severe weather become very numerous and are some- 

 times cemented together by hard frost. It in then sometimes neces- 

 sary to make one part of the jMuwage in a sledge and the lher in a 

 boat. When in such ciroumstanoes snow begins to fall, the small 

 island of Sprogoe, which lies in the strait, but considerably nearer to 

 the coast of Funen than to that of Zealand, oners a place of refuge. 

 The Danish government has erected a building on this island f ! tlie 

 reception of travellers. 



The Lilllf BdJ, the most western of the three straits, begin* on 

 the south between the islands of Arriie and Alsen, and 

 between the Island of Fuuen and Jutland to the Capos called Ugcr 

 New on Fiiucn, and Bicorusknudde on Julian.!. 1U length is upwards 

 of 80 mile*, but its width varies considerably. Towards the southern 

 extremity, between the islands Arroe and Alsen, it is generally above 

 10 miles across. At Asscns, a town of Fiinen, it narrows suddenly 

 to about S miles, and farther north it grows by degrees narrower, 

 so that between the town of Middelfart on Fiineo, and the opposite 

 coast at Snoghoa, the distance hardly amounts to three-quart 

 mile. At Fredericia, where the vessels which pass the strait pay the 

 customary duties, the strait is little more than a mil j wi<lo. 



The depth of the water is considerable, n 

 fathoms ; but the navigation is dangerous, on account 

 islands (Aaroe, Baagoe, and Fane*), the numerous shoal?, an 



current* which constantly run through, the strait from south 

 to north. 



The shores of the Island of Fiinen are low ; but on the mainland 

 they rise in a few places, though nowhere to any considerable li 

 Regular places of passage are between Fredericia and Strui 

 Snoghue and Middelfart [BALTIC. | 



(Catteau's Tnlilfau de la A/tr BalHqn; Glicnmnn's ' 

 Dacription of Denmark; and Pauly's 7V>jw</ru;//iy of Jtnmark ; 

 nn's Mmp.) 



BELTURBET, county of Cavan, Ireland, a municipal borough, 

 market, and post-town, in the parish of Anuagh, with the suburb of 

 Ivileonny in the parish of Druinlaue, in the Larony of Lower I 

 Tee, is situated on the river Krne, between the collection of lakes 

 generally called Lough Oughter and Lough Kma, in 54" ~i' N. lat., 

 T ' W. long. It is 784 miles N.\V. from Dublin by road, and 9J miles 

 X. by W. from Cavan : the population of the town in 1851, including 

 Kilconny, was 2054. The town is irregularly built, and has but few 

 .L'O.U! houses, yet it is a thriving place. There are a church, a Roman 

 Catholic chapel, a Methodist chapel, several schools, barracks for a 

 troop of cavalry, and a dispensary. There is a weekly market for 

 corn, which is well attended; and barges with timber, coal 

 navigate the Erne to aud from the town, and the I'l \liicli 



joins the Erne about 4 miles below Belmullet, greatly la.-.litatos and 

 increases the inland trade. There ore fairs on Ash Wednesday 

 tember 4th, and on the first Thursday of every month, except those 

 on which fall the two already mentioned. Petty sessions are hel.l in 

 the borough. 



BELUR-TAGH. [BOLOR-TAOH.] 



BELUS, the ancient name of a small river of Syria, which rises at 

 the foot of Mount Carmcl; and after running five miles enters the 

 sea near Ptolemais, or Akka. It was celebrated for its sand, which 

 was used in making glass. Pliny tells a story how the manufacture 

 of glass was accidentally discovered on the banks of this river by some 

 mariners who lighted fires on the sand to boil their pots, which they 

 supported on masses of uitnun (salt or soda) from their cargo : l1 ' 1 ' 

 fusion of, the nitrum and the sand produced a transparent s' 

 which was glass. The Greek name for glass, vt\os, it has been con- 

 jectured, is derived from the ancient name of the river, which is now 

 called Naman or N union. (Plin. v. 19, and xxxvi. 26.) 



BEN CRUACHAN. [AJUnBROB,] 



BEN LAWERS. [PEKTHSIIIIIK.) 



BEN LKD1. [PEHTIISIIIHI: J 



BEN LOMOND. [STIRLINGSHIRE.] 



BEN MAC DHU. [ABKIIDEENSHIRE ; BANFFSHIRE ; INVEBHBSS- 



S11IKE.] 



I ; I-: N N 1 : V i S. [ 1 N v EH x I:SS-BHIHK.] 



1!KX A'KKS, one of the six north-western provinces of Iliml 

 lies between 25" and 26 N. lat, and 82' mid M' 1C. IOML-. Tl. 

 vincc, formerly a district, or /emiudory, conxt ppmiage of 



the dominions of Oude, by whos. I -Dowlah, it was 



ceded in 17, I'.ast Indi.i Company. In the following year, 



1776, this zemindary was granted to the Raja Chc; t I Sini; ..f I.. 

 subject to the payment of an annual tribute to the company. The 

 violation of this agreement on tin- part of Mr. lla->ting-*. then l!o\cnior- 

 General of India, formed one of the charges brought against him on 

 the memorable occasion of his impeachment by the House nl' <'.,:. 

 In 1781 a raja was set up by the company, and a large tribute ex- 

 acted from the district The raja has since become a mere stipendiary 

 of the company's government, and Benares was for many v 

 district in the province of Allahabad. It was at length 



one of the north-western province*. The provii I !' mires is 



divided into six districts, of which the aiva and the iium 

 mouxahs, or townships, are as follows : 



Am*. Townrtiiin. 



Gorackporc 4,i.: 



Azinmhur 



JouniH.ro 808,970 . ' 



Mir*:,,x>re 8 . 2 3 



, VIS 



Ohuccporc 1,398,235 



11,195,831 



:..:.. '- 



The estimated population of the whole of these districts in 1846 was 

 0,390,970. 



In 1843 there were six schools in this province under the imp 

 of a council of education, established at Calcutta in 1842. These *ix 

 schools were Benares Sanscrit college, Benares 1-: unary, 



Benares branch school, Ghazeepore school, Azimghur school, and 

 Gomel. .1 ; in these schools there were about 1300 pupils in 



the year 1843, almost all of whom were Hindoos. 



able quantity of sugar U made. The most profitable production 

 indigo and opium. 



