BISCAY, BAY OK. 



CASTLE. 



iiu 



I'.lM'AY. HAY (IK, in that |rtion of the Atlantic Ocean which 

 washes the northern count* of Spain, ami divides them from the 

 western coasts of France. Its opening, which is directed to the north- 

 * very wide : the two extreme points, Cape Ortega! (about 8 

 t ireeuwich) and the isle of Oueasant (Ushant) at the western 

 extremity of Krancc are upwards of 400 miles distant from each other. 

 From the opening the bay gradually becomes narrower, the coast of 

 France trending to the south-east, while that of Spain continues nearly 

 in a due eastern direction ; but even at the innermost extremity 

 between the mouth of the Bidasoa, the boundary river between Spain 

 and Franc*, and that of the Scvre-Niortaise, it is still upwards of 200 

 miles wide. A line drawn from St Jean de Luz, situated at the 

 western extremity of the Pyrenees, to the middle of another which 

 unites Cape Ortegal with the isle of Ouessant, would measure some- 

 what less than 400 miles, which is the length of the gulf. 



The shores which inclose this bay vary greatly in character. Be- 

 ginning with Cape Ortegal, and continuing along the whole of the 

 coast of Spain as for an the mouth of the Bidasoa and the western 

 extremity of the Pyrenees, they are rocky and elevated, sometimes 

 rising to several hundred feet, and cut by numerous short inlets, 

 which in several places form excellent harbours. This rocky coast 

 extends upwards of 800 miles. The shores of France present a 

 different aspect From the Bidasoa to the Gironde, upwards of 150 

 miles, they are sandy and low, lined by an uninterrupted series of 

 sandy downs, by which numerous lakes are separated from the sea. 

 There is not a single harbour on all this coast except those formed 

 by the embouchures of the Adour and the Qiroude ; the Bassin 

 d'Arcochon, which lies nearly at an equal distance from each, is 

 hardly accessible to fishing-boats ; but has at its southern entrance 

 the small port of Tete-de-Buch, which is connected with Bordeaux by 

 railway. To the north of the Gironde the shore continues to be low, 

 but instead of being sandy it is marshy, and at no great distance from 

 the beach a fine slightly undulating country commences. The marshy 

 ground is in some places drained and cultivated, or used as pasture ; 

 in others it is intersected by salt pools, from which immense quanti- 

 ties of salt are procured not only for the consumption of France, but 

 also for exportation. This coast continues as far as the Bay of 

 Morbihan and the peninsula of Quiberon, about 200 miles. The 

 remainder of the French coast along the Bay of Biscay, about 120 

 miles in length, is commonly of very moderate elevation, and rocky in 

 only a few places. In this part there are several good harbours. 



No islands nor rocks occur along the coast of Spain, nor along that 

 of France south of the Gironde. But to the north of this river there 

 are some considerable islands at no great distance from the shore. 

 Such are the isles of OleVon and R<5, which shelter the harbours of 

 Kochfort and La-Rochelle, and those of Noirmoutier and Bouin, all of 

 which are rather low and marshy. The rocky island of D' You lies 

 farther off from the shore. This part of the coast is lined by several 

 shoals, but is free from rocks. West of the Bay of Quiberon 

 islands are smaller but more numerous, and rocks frequent. The 

 most considerable islands are Belle-Isle and the rocky and almost 

 inaccessible Ouessant. 



The rivers which run into the Bay of Biscay on the shores of Spain 

 have a short course, originating commonly 20 or 30 miles, and per- 

 haps never more than 40 miles from the coast, so that here the basin 

 of this gulf extends only a short distance inland. But it is otherwise 

 in France : the waters from more than half the surface of France find 

 their way to this part of the ocean, and the upper course of the Loire 

 is fully 200 miles distant from the sea to which its waters descend. 

 Besides the Loire and it* numerous tributaries, the Bay of Biscay 

 receives the waters of the Garonne by means of its actuary, the 

 Gironde, and some rivers of leas magnitude, as the Adonr near 

 Bayonne, the Charente, near Kochefort, the Sevre-Niortaise, opposite 

 the Isle of Re, the Vilaine to the east of the Bay of Morbihan,' and the 

 BUvet below Lorient 



The commerce carried on in the harbours of the Bay of Biscay is 

 considerable. Spain however furnishes only a small portion of 'the 

 export*, owing to the height of the mountains which divide the 

 numerous harbours from the plains in the interior of the peninsuhi, 

 and the difficulty and expensiveness of the transport of heavy com- 

 modities. From Hi'- inliiinl provinces only wool is brought to the 

 ports of SanUnder and Bilbao ; the produce of the coast itself is not 

 considerable, and consists chiefly of fruits. But more than half of 

 the product* of the soil of France, and nearly the same portion of its 

 manufactures, are exported from the harbours of Bayonne, Bordeaux, 

 La-Kochelle, Nantes, Vannrs, and Lorient ; and great quantities of 

 foreign merchandise are received by the same way. 



The navigation of this part of the ocean would be easy and safe on 

 account of the great width of the bay and the absence of rocks and 

 shoal*, if its waters during strong western and north-western winds 

 were not extremely agitated and formed into high, short, and broken 

 wave* : on this account it is nearly as much feared by navigators as 

 the Cape of Good Hope. This effect is probably mainly produced by 

 the peculiar form of the bay. It* wide opening allows at once an 

 immcnc volmnn of water to be brought into it by the western winds, 

 to which at iU innermost extremity it opposes a long, regular, un- 

 broken line of coast, running nearly parallel to the opening of the 

 bay, and throwing back all the volume of water which is cost upon it. 



Such immense masses of water pushed towards the centre of the bay 

 with great force must necessarily disturb its surface to a considerable 

 depth. This agitation < -.* probably sometimes increased by 



the cum nt which runs along the whole of its shores. This current 

 seems to originate in the sea north-west of capes Finisterre and 

 Ortegal, and is commonly very sensible at both of these point*, 

 running sometimes 26 miles a day at a distance of 50 miles and 

 upwards from the shore. It continues along the northern coast of 

 Spain to the east, then turns northward and north-westward along 

 the shores of France, and when it arrives at the poiut where the Bay 

 of Biscay and the British Channel join, it shoots across the mouth of 

 the hitter, brushing and sometimes inclosing the Stilly Islands. It 

 then bends farther west, and- approaches the coast of Ireland between 

 Cape Carnsore and Cape Clear, whence it bends to the south-west and 

 south, till it joins the North African current, performing a con 

 rotation between Spain, France, Ireland, and the Atlantic Ocean. 

 This current is hardly perceptible after a long interval of moderate 

 winds ; but after hard and continual gales from the west it is felt 

 iu considerable strength at the Scilly Islands and the sc> 

 coast of Ireland, and causes on both points considerable loss of life 

 and property when vessels have been carried out of their way by it, 

 and thick weather prevents their setting themselves right by an obser- 

 vation. This branch of the North African current is called Heuuell's 

 Current in honour of this indefatigable geographir. 



(RenneU's Invutigatwn of the Cumnit in the Atlantic Ocean.) 



BISCAYA, or VISCAYA. [BASQUE PROVINCES.] 



BISCEGLIA. [BARI, TERRA DI.] 



BISCHWILLEK. [Unix, BAS.] 



1USHAM. [BERKSHIRE.] 



BISHAREEN is the common name of several tribes which inhabit 

 the mountain desert between the valley of the Nile and the Red Sea. 

 The tribes comprised under this name are masters of the desert lying 

 between the Wady "Naby (about 21 N. lat), to the mouth of the 

 Atbara or Tacazze (about 18 N. lat.) ; but they are also found to the 

 north of Wady Naby, where they are mixed with the Ababde tribes, 

 to whom the country north of Wady Naby is considered to belong. 

 To the south some of the Bishareeu tribes are met with as far as 

 Massuoh, or Massowa (16 N. lat.), iu the Red Sea, and here they are 

 mixed with their southern neighbours the Hadendoo. 



In their manner of life they are Beduins, though evidently not of 

 Arabian origin. They live entirely upon milk and flesh, much of 

 which they eat raw. Several of the Bishareen, though Beduins, do 

 not neglect agriculture. They repair to the bank" nf th<- Atbara 

 immediately after the inundationlo sow dhurra and kidney-beans, and 

 remain there till the harvest is got in, when they return to the moun- 

 tains. They are a good-looking race of people, resembling the Ababde. 



The Bishareen are constantly armed. Their youths make plunder- 

 ing excursions as far as Dougolo, and along the route to Sennaar, 

 mounted upon camels of a breed superior to any other that exists 

 between the shores of the Mediterranean and Abyssinia. Tin 

 none but the Ababde, who know their pasturing places in the moun- 

 tains, and often surprise their encampments. They are addicted to 

 drunkenness and pilfering, and are described as treacherous, cnn I, 

 avaricious, and revengeful. They are all Mussulmans, but they observe 

 none of the rites prescribed by the Koran. Though kind, hospitable, 

 and honest towards cash other, they show none of these virtues 

 towards strangers; and their wont of hospitality is adduced as a 

 proof that they are not of Arabian origin, which is likewise evident 

 from t'aeir language. 



(BurckhardVs Travel* in ffubia.) 



BISHOP'S AUCKLAND. [AUCKLAND, BISHOP'S.] 



Ulsiiors CANNING. (\\ 11 IMIIKI | 



BISHOP'S CASTLE, Shropshire, a borough and m.u-kel town in 

 the hundred of Purslow, is situated in 52 30' N. lat., 3" 0' W. loug., 

 19 miles S.W. from Shrewsbury, and Itio miles N.\V. l.y \V. from 

 London: the population of the borough, the limits of uhirh :uv 

 very confined, was 1699 in 18.11. The bomugli reo iv.-il IV,. m <,in. . n 

 Elizabeth tin- privilege of sending two members to Parliament, but 

 was disfranchised by the Reform Act It is governed by fifteen 

 capital burgesses, one of whom is bailiff, a Justin', and a recorder. 

 Tin' living is a vicarage in the archdeaconry of Salop and diocese of 

 Hereford. 



The place derives its name from a castle belonging to tlie l,ish'|is 

 of Hereford which formerly stood here, and was generally tlu-ir 

 country residence. It has long been demolished, but its site n. 

 still traced; and part of it, probably tho keep, now forms the 

 bowling green of the Castle Inn. The town stands on the declivity 

 of a hill, and is very irregularly built The place is very healthy, 

 and though the dwellings of the poor are mean and generally in bad 

 condition, yet, owing probably to its favourable situation, the town 

 I the visitation of cholera in 184", while the large and well- 

 built towns o| Shrewsbury, Welshpool, and Newton, within a few 

 miles of it, suffered severely. 



The church, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, has a massive square 



led tower of Norman date. In the great civil war of the 17th 



century the inhabitants of the town took refupe in the clnm-h, and 



the body of it was demolished over their he:uls. The church will 



accommodate about 1000 persons. The Independents and < ':ii 



