824 



BRECKNOCKSHIRE BBIDOBNORTH. 



is that of making bread from saw-dust. 

 Although the contemplation of fare thus manufac- 

 is by no means pleasant, yet in the case of a 

 fuminr, the manufacture might prove of infinite 

 service. It is thus explained. All vegetable sub- 

 stances are based on the element, carbon the 

 matter which remains of a piece of wood, after it 

 has been burnt. In a hundred parts of sugar-candy, 

 wheat starch, arrow-root, gum-arabic, and wood, 

 carbon i-; respectivi Iv in the proportion of 4*2-85, (or 

 nearly -13). 4:\-;>5, -111, -I'-' I':!, and 42'7. Between 

 starch and sawdust, therefore, there is only the dif- 

 ference of about one and a half parts in a hundred 

 a mere tride. When we reflect on what che- 

 mistry has already done, we cannot doubt that 

 little pains would be required to discover a process 

 for completely equalising the ingredients, and con- 

 sequently reducing the dust of wood to the char- 

 acter of flour. Professor Autenreith has already, 

 by maceration, boiling, and subsequently pounding, 

 reduced wood to a powder, from which a palatable 

 bread has been formed ; but we may hope that a 

 perfect conversion of the one principle into the 

 other will yet be effected. Such transformations 

 are already familiar to scientific men, and are just 

 among the most useful of the gifts of science, or, 

 we should rather say, contributions to the general 

 well-being. Take the manufacture of paper from 

 useless rags, or of sugar from the same commodity, 

 or of porcelain and glass from stones and clays, and 

 who can say where is the limit to our power of 

 turning to use and productive agency the most ap- 

 parently worthless and sterile parts of nature? 

 " Who," says Sir J. Herschell, " would have con- 

 ceived that linen rags were capable of producing 

 more than their own weight of sugar by the simple 

 agency of one of the cheapest and most abundant 

 acids? that dry bones could be a magazine of nu- 

 triment, capable of preservation for years, and 

 ready to yield up their sustenance in the form best 

 adapted for the support of life that saw-dust itself 

 is susceptible of conversion into a substance bear- 

 ing no remote analogy to bread; and though cer- 

 tainly less palatable than that of flour, yet no way 

 disagreeable, and both wholesome and digestible, 

 as well as highly nutritive?" 



BRECKNOCKSHIRE; a county in South 

 Wales, about thirty-five miles in length, and thirty 

 in breadth. The general scenery of the county is 

 distinguished by great sublimity and beauty. The 

 principal mountain is the Vena or Brecknock Bea- \ 

 con, which is reckoned the loftiest in South Wales. 

 The most important of its rivers, next to the Wye, 

 which forms a natural boundary between this county 

 and Radnor, is the Uske, rising from the Black 

 Mountain, arid flowing through a fine valley to- 

 wards the town of Brecon. One of the largest 

 lakes in South Wales is Brecknock-Mere or Llan- 

 safeddar, situated about two miles to the east of \ 

 the town of Brecknock, measuring about two miles ' 

 across and abounding in otters, pike, tench, perch, j 

 and eels. Copper, lead, iron, coal, and limestone ! 

 in abundance are the most important natural pro- ! 

 ducts of this county. The vale of Usk is a sandy ; 

 loam ; the northern part of the county is stiff loam \ 

 mixed with clay : the vale of Wye is a brown and j 

 gravelly loam of good quality. The agricultural : 

 produce consists of oats, wheat, rye, barley, tur- 

 nips, vetch, and potatoes. There is also a consi- i 

 derable exportation of wool, timber, butter, cheese, ! 

 and cattle of various kinds, to the markets in the I 

 neighbouring English counties. The high lands I 



are chiefly used as sheep pastures, and produce a 

 small breed, but of excellent quality. Near the 

 borders of Monmouthshire are large iron-works . 

 woollen cloths and worsted stuffs ate also manu- 

 factured to a certain extent. The trade has been 

 considerably facilitated by the opening of a canal 

 from Brecknock to Llanelly, thus opening a coin- 

 in unication with the sea. It is eighteen mil< .- in 

 length, and nine feet deep, and is navigable for 

 barges of twenty-five tons burden. Population in 

 1831, 47,763; in 1841, 6C>,w.\. 



BRECON, BRECKNOCK, called by the Weli.h 

 Aber Uondey, is the principal and county town of 

 Brecknockshire, and is finely situated at the con- 

 fluence of the rivers Hondey and Uske, distant 

 from London by Monmouth 168 miles. In the 

 reign of William Rufus, Bernard de Newmarsh 

 built a castle here of which some traces are yet 

 visible from which time the town dates its origin. 

 Brecon consists chiefly of three principal streets, 

 which contain many respectable and well-built 

 houses, and the country in the vicinity is pictur- 

 esque and fertile. Here are a town-hall, county- 

 gaol, and house of correction, and a fine arsenal 

 which usually contains 1500 swords and 15,000 

 muskets arranged in fanciful forms as in the tower 

 of London. Population in 1811,6317. This 

 town, it will be remembered by all lovers of the 

 drama, was the birth-place of Mrs Siddons. 



BRIDGENORTH; an ancient borough town 

 in the county of Salop, situated on the river Se- 

 vern, twenty-two miles S.E. from Shrewsbury, and 

 139 N.W. from London. It is divided by the 

 river into two portions called the Upper and Lower 

 towns. The Upper town stands on the western 

 bank of the river, on the sides and summit of a 

 rugged hill, or rather rock, which rises to the 

 height of 180 feet above the level of the river. 

 The appearance of this division of the town is re- 

 markably picturesque. At the southern extremity 

 of the rock are the remains of the ancient castle, 

 consisting of little more than a square tower. 

 Other conspicuous objects are the great reservoir 

 of water, the old gothic church of St Leonard, and 

 the more modern elegant structure dedicated to St 

 Mary Magdalene. Even the steep acclivity of the 

 rock next the river is covered with houses, the 

 foundations of the one row being higher than the 

 chimneys -of the other. These are approached by 

 a winding carriage road, or more directly by flights 

 of steps cut in the rock and rendered safe by iron 

 railings. The upper part of the town is supplied 

 with water raised from the Severn, and forced by 

 machinery into the great reservoir already noticed, 

 from which it is conducted by pipes into the 

 houses. On a part of the ancient moat of the cas- 

 tle, a theatre was erected in 1824. The public li- 

 brary is a handsome brick building, and contains 

 upwards of 4000 volumes. The lower town, 

 which lies on the opposite side of the Severn, is 

 not 'so extensive, containing only two principal 

 streets, in which are several ancient houses, parti- 

 cularly one called Carehall, occupied by prince Ru- 

 pert in 1642. Upwards of three-fourths of the 

 population are returned as employed in trade and 

 manufactures, the latter being chiefly those of 

 cloth, stockings, and iron tools. Of late, however, 

 the iron-trade has declined ; a large carpet manu- 

 factory has been established here. The town de- 

 rives its chief importance, however, from its situa- 

 tion on the Severn, and it is a thriving inland port. 

 Vessels are built here, and a large quantity of goods 



