'. N 



BKX. 



BUURTPOOR. 



107 



a perpetual curacy in the archdeaconry of Salop nd diocese of 

 JMMBOGflL 

 Bewdley i* parti v built on level ground along the bank of the Severn 



appellation (pronounced like Beaulieu in Hampshire, Bewley) the 

 transition waa easy in course of time to that of Bewdley. The manor 

 anciently belonged to the Beaumonta, the first Norman earls of 

 Warwick. In the 5th of Richard II. it belonged to Roger Mortimer, 

 earl of March. When Edward Mortimer ascended the throne as 

 Edward IV. it was annexed to the possessions of the crown. In the 

 time of James I. it was held by the Prince of Wales. Since the reign 

 of Charles II. it has been held by lessees from the crown. In the 

 12th year of Edward IV. "a reign Bewdley received its first charter of 

 incorporation. After this the town seems to have increased in im- 

 portance. By the Act 34 and 85 Henry VIII., c. 26, it was made 

 part of the county of Worcester. Previously it had been within the 

 jurisdiction of the marches of Wales. In the 3rd of James I. the 

 borough obtained a new charter. This was surrendered by 

 the corporation to Charles II ; but another charter was obtained 

 from James II., under which the borough was governed for twenty 

 years. On the accession of Anne this charter was declared from some 

 informality to be void, and that of James I. waa confirmed. Each 

 charter had its partisans in the borough ; double returns of officers 

 were made, and a long and expensive lawsuit ensued, which was at 

 length terminated by the confirmation of the old charter. 



The houses of Bewdley were originally constructed of timber, but 

 the three principal streets are now well built and paved. One of 

 these streets leads in a direct line from the bridge and then diverges 

 to the right and left, the three together approximating in form to that 

 of the letter Y, with its foot extending to the river. Bewdley is a 

 clean and pleasant place. The town is well lighted with gas and has 

 a plentiful supply of water. The sewerage is good, having been 

 recently much improved by the corporation. Bewdley Park, in the 

 immediate vicinity of the town, incloses about 400 acres, divided into 

 pastures, arable land, waste, and woodlands. Through this park are 

 some beautiful walks, particularly that from Bewdley to Ribbesford, 

 which is nearly a mile long, through fine groves of elm, oak, and 

 sycamore. The scenery around is varied and picturesque. 



The chapel-of-ease, which was formerly of timber, was replaced in 

 1748 by the present structure, a neat stone building erected by sub- 

 scription. A new church has been recently built by subscription in 

 the Far Forest, a detached part of the borough of Bewdley about four 

 miles from the town. The Wesleyan Methodists, Baptists, Quakers, 

 and Unitarians have places of worship in the town. 



A Free Grammar school was established at Bewdley under the 

 charter granted to the town by King James. Numerous small 

 additions have since been made to the endowments of the school, the 

 revenues of which arise from a rent-charge on land at Shepperdine in 

 Gloucestershire and chief rents. This school has been closed for tho 

 last eighteen years on account of a chancery suit which is pending 

 respecting its property. There was formerly a Blue-Coat school in 

 the town, which has been conjoined with a National school A new 

 building has been erected for it, the site of which was given by the 

 crown. There are in the town a literary institution, established in 

 1848, a reading-room connected with it, and a library. The town-hall 

 of Bewdley is a commodious modern building of stone standing on 

 three arches, which are furnished with handsome iron gates. The 

 front is decorated with six square pilasters, which support a pediment 

 The lower part of the building is occupied as the market-place, which 

 oonraU of two rows of stalls under arcades with an open area in tho 

 centre, having altogether a very neat appearance. The stone bridge 

 of three arches over the Severn is a handsome modern structure. 



In the town is a very old bran foundry. There are several 

 tanneries, and manufactories of horn combs and lantern leaves. A 

 considerable amount of retail trade is carried on with the surrounding 

 country. Many of the children and young people obtain employment 

 in the Kidderminster weaving factories and spinning mills. Agri 

 cultural pursuits give employment to a number of the inhabitants 

 The market-day is Saturday, and Mrs are held on the feast days o 

 8t George, St. Anne, and St. Andrvw. 



(Leland's flintrary ; Hash's Colltctiotu for the ftittory of Wortater 

 Mire ; Carlisle's Endowed Grammar .SrAoo/j ; Communication from 



rVAcal 



BEX i *T. 



I'.KYKA. 



i;i;/.i KHS. 



liUAimiNATH, a town in the province of Gurwal, in Northern 

 Hindustan, is situated on the right side of the river Vishnoo, a large 

 fluent of the Alakananda, in SO' 43' N. lat, 78" 29' E. long. Rhad 

 rinath derives all its importance from its temple, which contains idols 

 that are the object* of great reverence throughout India. It is stated 

 that the pilgrims and religious mendicants who annually visit this 

 temple amount to nearly 60,000. Rhadrinath is believed by Hindoo 

 to bo the dwelling-place of many holy persons who have been livinj 

 UMTS in retirement many thousand years. A cavern is pointed out as 



being the abode of these sacred personage* ; but as the mouth of this 



cavern is closed by a great mass of snow, no person can enter ttu< 



sanctuary. Tin- piim-ipal idol in the temple is a figure of black 



marble, which, .lunn- the season at which pilgrims resort to the 



brine, is clothed in gold and silver brocade, and is attended by a 



numerous retinue of servants. But on the departure of the pilgrims 



he attendants are dismissed, the clothing is removed, and the 



stowed away in a vault. The principal houses in the town are occu- 



iied by Brahmins and other attendants on the temple, most of whom 



eave the place during winter, and return in time for the reception of 



he pilgrims. 



Bhadrinath stands in the centre of a narrow valley about four miles 

 n length. The town is 10,294 feet above the level of the sea. The 

 and to the north rises to a great height, the peak of one mountain 

 icing 23,411 feet above the sea. At the end of May masses of snow 

 "0 feet thick have been observed on these mountains, some of which 

 are perpetually covered with snow. Near to the high peak jut uirii- 

 ioned is a spring of hot water, the steam rising from which emits a 

 iulphurous smell. 



BHOPAL, or BOPAUL, a small principality in Central India, lying 

 between 22 33' and 23 45' N. lat., 76 30' and 78 53' E. long. ; ita 

 extreme length from east to west is 120 miles, and its extreme V>r 

 rom north to south 60 miles : its area is computed at 6764 square 

 miles. This principality is bounded N. and \V. by the Mahratta 

 states, 8. by the Nerbuddah River, and E. by the ceded districts on 

 the Nerbuddah. Bhopal state is protected by the British government, 

 and is bound by treaty to maintain a contingent force of upwards cf 

 !00 men, under the command of European officers. This force is 

 independent of the Nawaub's troops and of a feudal force of 

 men. Tho population of the state is 663,556 ; its yearly revenue is 

 about 220,0<H'/. 



A hilly tract, forming part of the Vindhya Mountains, passes 

 ;hrough the centre of Bhopal from east to west. The soil is generally 

 fertile, especially in the valleys, where it consists either of a loose, 

 rich, black loam, or of a more compact ferruginous mould, 

 principal vegetable products are wheat, maize, peas, and some other 

 rrains (gram, jowary, &c.) peculiar to Central India. Rice is not 

 largely cultivated, but sugar, tobacco, cotton, and ginger are rained 

 in quantities beyond the wants of the inhabitants, and are exchanged 

 For salt and manufactured goods. Bhopal is well watered, having, 

 besides the Nerbuddah, numerous smaller streams, of which the Bet- 

 wah is the most considerable. This river rises on the north slope of 

 the Vindhya Mountains, and flows through Bhopal to the Jumna 

 below Kalpee, having completed a course of about 340 miles. The 

 Betwah is not navigable at any season. The town of Bhopal is 

 inclosed by a stone wall, which has fallen into disrepair. On tho 

 south-west side of the town is a large tank, 4J miles long and a mile 

 and a half broad, formed by an embankment at the confluence of 

 several streams. The river Bess issues from this tank and flows to 

 the north-east for 32 miles, when it falls into the Betwah one mile 

 north of the town of Bilsa in Scindia's dominions. On the east of 

 the town of Bhopal is a smaller tank about 2 miles long from north 

 to south. 



BHURTPOOR, or BHURTPORR, a district in Central Hindustan, 

 extending from Biana in 26 57' N. lat., 77 8' E. long., to Qnpaul- 

 ghur in 27 39' N. lat, 77 12' E. long., anil forming the western 

 boundary of the province of Agra. The area of the territory of llhurt- 

 poor is about 1978 square miles; the population is about 600,000 ; 

 the yearly revenue of the state is about 170,000t The territ 

 Bhurtpoor is governed by a native raja, who is one of the prim ipiil 

 chieftains of the Jauts. In 1803 a treaty was concluded between 'In- 

 then raja and the East India Company, by which it was pro\i,l..| 

 that the state should be taken under British protection, tl. 

 engaging on his part to act as a friendly ally to the British. Thi.< 

 treaty having been broken by tho raja. Lord Lake in 1805 besieged 

 and took the fortress of Bhurtpoor, but it was restored to the raja on 

 payment of a fine of 20 lacs of rupees, or about 200.000/. sterling. In 

 1825 the succession to the sovereignty was disputed, and thi 

 full into the hands of the claimant who was opposed by tin' I 

 Lord Combermere in 1826 took tho fortress, which was then a place 

 of great strength, being surrounded by high walls 60 feet tliii'k, 

 8 miles in circuit, and having a wide and deep ditch beyond. The 

 principal fort stood on high ground at the eastern side of the town. 

 This fort with the principal bastions and other military defences have 

 since been blown up and demolished. The present relation of Hlnirt- 

 poor to the East India Company's government is that of a state pro- 

 tected but not tributary. Its military resources consist of 1500 

 cavalry, 3700 infantry, and 200 artillery. 



The soil uf the territory of Rhurtpour is in general light nml sandy, 

 and the country is bare of trees. Bishop Heber describes the land as 

 being among the best-cultivated and watered tracts that he had seen 

 in Jii'lia; it is irrigated only from well*. The principal prod'; 

 are sugar, corn, and cotton, the cultivation of sugar being somewhat 

 carefully attended to. The villages are said by the bishop to have 

 been in gn<>d condition and repair, while the whole country afforded a 

 pleasing picture of industry. 



In the territory of Bhurtpoor there are besides Bhurtpoor, the 

 capital, several other towns, among which are Combher, Deeg, Wcyn;, 



