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B E R 



At present there are about 2500 dwelling-houses in the 

 town ; the population was, in the year 1825, calculated to 

 amount to about 20,000. 



The town is the residence of the high sheriff (stiftsamt- 

 mand) and the bishop of the diooese. Here is likewise the 

 seat of a tribunal of second instance (stifts over ret). There 

 are five churches in the town, of which the cathedral is the 

 most considerable. It has likewise one Latin school, one 

 burgher school, and sundry others for the poorer classes : one 

 of the latter has adopted the Lancasterian method. It pos- 

 sesses likewise five public libraries, one drawing school, one 

 national museum, three hospitals, six establishments for the 

 poor, one house of correction, and anothei prison for greater 

 criminals. 



Here is also one of the three public treasuries of the 

 kingdom, a division of the national bank with three direc- 

 tors, and a savings' bank. 



Bergen possesses several tobacco manufactories, seven- 

 teen distilleries, and three rope-yards; but other manufac- 

 tories that formerly existed have been abandoned. 



The harbour is pood and commodious, but the entrance, 

 Bergen's Leed, which is about 108 English miles in length, 

 is inconvenient, especially in the winter. The entrance is 

 divided into two branches, of which that through Karmsund 

 is the most frequented. The vessels in the harbour suffer 

 from worms. 



To the fortifications of the town belong the before-men- 

 tioned fortress of Bcrgcnhuus, with about thirty guns, but 

 it is considered of no great military importance: two 

 forts, called Sverresborg and Fredriksberg, and several 

 batteries, mounting altogether 103 guns. The garrison con- 

 sists of about 300 men ; the chief of the brigade of Ber- 

 genlmus is the governor. A squadron of the navy is sta- 

 tioned here. 



The annual taxes paid by the town to the public treasury 

 amount to 21,000 dollars, but the communal expenses are 

 almost double that sum. 



The situation, viewed from the sea, is strikingly pic- 

 turesque: the.' town extends itself in the form of an amphi- 

 theatre round the harbour, which is constantly animated 

 with boats and \v-vls. 



Since thy last fires, some care has been taken in embel- 

 lishing the town and enlarging the streets ; the market- 

 place is a handsome square, planted with trees, and sur- 

 rounded with fine buildings. 



Bergen, being the most considerable commercial town in 

 Norway, is consequently the richest. Several mercantile 

 houses are supposed to have lar^e fortunes. The inha- 

 bitants are in general laborious and industrious, their atten- 

 tion being particularly directed to their trading pursuits. 

 IJ.-rgen has nevertheless produced several artists and men of 

 learning; among whom may be mentioned Ludvig Holberg, 

 born in 1684, died in Denmark in 1754, celebrated for his 

 satirical plays and historical works ; and the landscape painter 

 Dahl, at present professor in Dresden, born 1788. 



The climate is in general humid and rainy, but not un- 

 wholesome ; the winter is seldom so severe as to freeze the 

 harbour. Much attention is paid to orchards in Bergen and 

 the surrounding districts, and there is a greater abundance 

 of fruit here than in any other part of Norway. (Commu- 

 nication from Norway.) 



BERGENHUUS, THE DIOCESE OF, comprehends 

 the western part of Norway : it contains 730 German geo- 

 graphical square miles, or about 15,600 English square 

 miles, comprising the mainland and islands along the coast, 

 of which some are inhabited, others not, with a population 

 of about 200,000. It is bounded on the north by Trondhjem, 

 on the east by Christiania, on the south by Christiansand, 

 and on the west by the ocean. The mainland is almost 

 everywhere intersected by deep gulfs, confined between high 

 mountains, on which there is in general little wood, but 

 good pasturage. The habitations are situated in the val- 

 leys between the mountains, or on their sides, and some- 

 times near their summits. Along the gulfs and valleys 

 there is, in many places, flat ground and good corn-fields. 

 In general, agriculture is very backward, and although 

 some progress has been made in recent times by the peasants 

 adopting a better system, yet there is only one parish, 

 Hafsloe, which U not annually necessitated to buy corn. 

 Copper and iron ores are found in many places, but their 

 situation and the want of wood prevent, in home measure, 

 their being made use of. Marble is found in several places. 

 The principal branches of industry are, fishing on the coast, 



especially that of herrings ; and breeding cattle on the banks 

 of the gulfs. The largest gulfs are Hardangerfj6rd, or 

 Bommelfjord, 18 geographical miles, or 83 English miles, 

 in length, Korsfjord and Gjeltefjord, the entrance to the 

 city of Bergen, and Sognefjord, 16 miles in length. The 

 principal river, called Leerdals Elv, has its source in the 

 mountains of Fille Fjeld, and empties itself into a branch 

 of the Sognefjord. The diocese comprehends the following 

 provinces (in Norwegian called Amt) : S6ndre (Southern) 

 Bergenhuus, Nordre (Northern) Bergenhuus, and a part of 

 the province of Romsdal called Sondmoer. As to the civil 

 administration, it is divided into five districts (Fogderier) 

 containing 165 parishes. The only barony in Norway, 

 Rosendalil, is situated in this diocese. There is no other 

 city than Bergen. (Communication from Norway.) 



BERGEN-OP-ZOOM, a town and strong fortress in 

 North or Dutch Brabant, on the little river Zoom, and near 

 the right bank of the eastern branch of the Schelde. It is 

 situated partly on a rising ground, and surrounded in great 

 measure by marshes and sands, which are overflowed at high- 

 water, and add to the strength of its defences. It formed 

 once part of the barony of Breda, but was created into a se- 

 parate rnarquisate by Charles V. It was one of the strong 

 holds of the states-general of the united provinces, in their 

 war against the Spaniards. The Prince of Parma besieged 

 it in vain in 1588, and the Marquis of Spinola likewise 

 failed before it in 16'>2, after sustaining great loss. After- 

 wards, the famous engineer Coehorn increased its fortifica- 

 tions, and it acquired the reputation ^f an impregnable 

 fortress. However, in 1747, the French, commanded by 

 the Count of Lowendal, took it by storm, and a hor- 

 rible massacre ensued, in which 3000 of the garrison and 

 many of the citizens were butchered. It was restored to 

 Holland at the peace. When the French republicans, 

 under General Pichegru, invaded Holland in 1795, Bergen- 

 op-Zoom surrendered to them. The English general. 

 Sir Thomas Graham, attempted to carry it by surprise in 

 the night of the 6th March, 1814, but was repulsed with 

 great loss. It was restored to Holland by the treaty of 

 peace in the following May. 



The town is well built, and has a fine market-place and 

 other squares. Its population is about 6000, who chiefly 

 gain their subsistence from the garrison, and formerly at 

 K-;is(, from a small transit trade in tiles and pottery between 

 Holland and Antwerp. Besides the fortifications round the 

 town, there are several outer forts connected with it, such 

 as forts Mooermont, Pinsen, Roowers, &c. It is seventeen 

 miles N. by W. of Antwerp, and twenty-one miles W. by S. 

 of Breda. (Balbi and Roquette, Essai Geographique et 

 Statisliqrte du Royaume des Pays- Has; Kampen, Besch- 

 rijmng, &c.) 



BE RGB R AC, a town in France, in the department of 

 Dordogne, and on the river which gives name to the de- 

 partment. It is 322 miles S.S.W. of Paris : 44 51' north 

 lat., 28' E. long, from Greenwich. 



The situation of this town, at one of the most convenient 

 passages over the Dordogne, rendered it in the middle ages 

 a military post of some consequence. It was fortified in 

 the 14th century by the English, but was taken from them 

 in 1371 by Louis, duke of Anjou, brother of Charles V., 

 king of France. In the religious wars of the 1 6th century, 

 the inhabitants of Bergerac embraced the party of the Cal- 

 vinists ; and Jean de Barri, Sieur de la Renaudie, one of 

 the natives of this town, engaged in the celebrated con- 

 spiracy of Amboise, and was indeed the leader of that disas- 

 trous undertaking, in which he fell. Bergerac was after- 

 wards taken and retaken several times. Louis XIII., 

 having rendered himself master of it in 1621, demolished 

 the fortifications, which have never been restored. Not- 

 withstanding these disasters the town and neighbourhood 

 continued to be so populous, and the reformed party so 

 strong, that when the edict of Nantes was revoked, it is 

 said there were forty thousand Calvinists within a circuit of 

 six leagues (1C or 17 miles) round Bergerac. 



The town is situated in a fertile plain, which produces 

 wine, chestnuts, grain, hemp, and wood, and pasturage for 

 cattle. The manufactures of the town are chiefly of iron 

 goods (the iron being forged in the neighbourhood), cannon 

 and small arms, copper utensils, earthenware, paper, 

 leather, hosiery, and hats. The paper mills are some dis- 

 tance out of the town. The agricultural produce of the 

 neighbourhood furnishes also articles of commerce; the 

 Wine of the district was gome years ago exported partly to 



