718 



BRITTANY BIIOGLIO. 



tnres and antiquities, and two are occupied with Egyp- 

 tian sculptures and antiquities, many of which were 

 collected by the French, and fell into the hands of 

 the British at the capture of Alexandria, September, 

 1801. Salt's Egyptian antiquities have also been 

 lately added. Tiie famous Rosetta stone belongs to 

 the collection. Other rooms are occupied by terra- 

 cottas, the Hamilton vases, coins, and medals, prints 

 and drawings, the Phigalian marbles, and the Elgin 

 marbles. The anteroom contains the famous Barberini 

 vase, or, as it is generally called, the Portland vase. 



BRITTANY, or BRETAONE; formerly one of the largest 

 provinces of France, being a peninsula washed by the 

 Atlantic on all sides except the east, where it joined 

 Poitou, Anjou, Maine, and Normandy. It now fonns 

 five departments (q. v.), containing 2,532,500 inhabi- 

 tants, on 1775 square miles. It is supposed to have 

 received its name from the Britons, who were expelled 

 from England, and took refuge here in the fifth cen- 

 tury. It formed one of the duchies of France, till it 

 was united to tin- crown by Francis I., in 1532. The 

 province was divided into Upper and Lower B. Ag- 

 riculture, in this territory, is very backward, and it is 

 estimated, that about one-half of the surface lies waste. 

 Corn and wine are produced in small quantities. Flax 

 and hemp, apples and pears, are abundant, and of 

 good quality. Cider is the principal drink. Salt is 

 made on the coast, and coals, lead, and iron, are 

 found in various parts. There are manufactures of 

 hemp, flax, and iron. The fisheries, also, employ 

 many of the inhabitants. The Bas-Bretons speak a 

 dialect of the Celtic. There is also a patois among 

 them, called LueacAe, of which the words are princi- 

 pally Greek. The lower classes are poor and ignorant. 



BRIZARD. See French Theatre. 



BROACH ; any thing which will pierce through ; a 

 pin ; that part of certain ornaments by which they 

 are stuck on ; the ornament itself. Among the High- 

 landers of Scotland, there are preserved, in several 

 families, ancient broaches of rich workmanship, and 

 highly ornamented. Some of them are inscribed 

 with characters to which particular virtues were attri- 

 buted, and seem to have been used as a sort of amulet 

 or talisman. 



BROACH; a large, ruinous town in Guzerat, Hindo- 

 stan, on the Nerbuddah. It contains a Hindoo hospital 

 for sick and infirm beasts, birds, and insects, which 

 has considerable endowments in land, and accommo- 

 dates not only animals considered sacred by the Hin- 

 doos, such as monkeys, peacocks, &c., but horses, 

 logs, and cats : it has, also, in little boxes, an assort- 

 ment of lice and fleas. These animals are fed only 

 on vegetable food, and are, generally, in a miserable 

 condition. Near B. is the celebrated banian-tree, 

 which has been renowned ever since the first arrival 

 of the Portuguese in India, and which, according 

 to the natives, was capable of sheltering 10,000 

 horsemen under its shade. Part of it has been washed 

 away by the river, but enough yet remains to make it 

 one of the noblest groves in the world. B. was cap- 

 tured by the English in 1803. Lon. 73 & E. ; lat. 

 214l'N. 



BROACH-TO ; to Incline suddenly to windward of the 

 ship's course when she sails with a large wind ; or, 

 when she sails directly before the wind ; to deviate 

 from her line of course with such rapidity as to bring 

 her side to windward, and expose her to the danger 

 of oversetting. The masts act like levers on the ship, 

 sideways, so as to overturn her, unless she is relieved 

 by the rending of the sails, or the carrying away of 

 the masts. 



BROAD PIECK ; a denomination that has been given 

 to some English gold pieces broader than a guinea, 

 particularly Caroluses and Jacobuses. 



BROADSIDE, in a naval engagement ; the whole dis- 



charge of the artillery on one side of a ship of wur, 

 above and below. A squall of wind is said to throw 

 a ship on her broadside, when it presses her down in 

 the water, so as nearly to overset her. 



BROAD-SWORD ; a sword with a broad blade, de- 

 signed chiefly for cutting, used by some regiments of 

 cavalry and Highland infantry in the British service. 

 It has, in general, given place to tlie sabre, among 

 the cavalry. The claymore or broad-sword was for- 

 merly the national weapon of the Highlanders. 



BROCADE ; a stuff of gold, silver, or silk, raised and 

 enriched with flowers, foliage, and othe r ornaments. 

 Formerly it signified only a stuff woven all of gold or 

 silver, or in which silk was mixed ; at present, all 

 stuffs, grograms, satins, taffetas, and lutstrings, are so 

 called, if they are worked with flowers or other 

 figures. 



BROCKEN. See Hartz. 



BRODY, a town in Austrian Gallicia, situated in the 

 circle of ZIoczow, bordering on the Russian frontier, 

 includes 2600 houses, and 16,500 inhabitants, half of 

 whom are Jews, who have a college and a school for 

 the instruction of artists and mechanics. The com- 

 merce, carried on principally by Jews, is important, 

 the town being very favourably situated for the ex- 

 change of the products of Poland for the horses, black 

 cattle, wax, honey, tallow, skins, furs, anise, preserved 

 fruits, &c., of Walachia, the Crimea, &c. B. belongs 

 to count Potocki. 



BROEKHUIZEN, Jan van (better known as Janus 

 Broukhusius)) was born at Amsterdam in 1G49. When 

 young, he lost his father, a hatter, and was put under 

 the guardianship of one of his relations, who placed 

 him with an apothecary, though he desired to study a 

 learned profession. While in this situation, he wrote 

 verses, and was encouraged by the applause of the 

 public. He subsequently entered the military service 

 of his native country. In 1674, he embarked under 

 the command of the famous admiral de Ruyter, as a 

 marine, on an expedition to the West India islands. 

 In the autumn of the same year, he went into winter 

 quarters at Utrecht. Here he became acquainted 

 with several scientific men, and published a collection 

 of his poems (Utrecht, 1684.) A splendid edition of 

 them appeared at Amsterdam in 1711, 4to. He after- 

 wards received a military appointment at Amsterdam, 

 which afforded him leisure for literary pursuits. He 

 published an edition of the poems of Sannazarius, and 

 also of Palearius's works, an edition of Propertius 

 (Amsterdam, 1702 and 1726, 4to.), and Tibullus 

 (Amsterdam, 1708 and 1727, 4to.), with critical notes. 

 In these works he displayed extensive knowledge. 

 After the peace of Ryswick, he received his dismis- 

 sion, with the rank of a captain. He died in 1707. 



BROGLIO ; a family distinguished in the annals of 

 French wars and French diplomacy, which derives its 

 origin from Piedmont. 1. Frangois Marie, marshal 

 of France, born in 1671, died in 1745; from 1689, 

 fought with distinction in the Netherlands, in Ger- 

 many, and Italy. He was also employed in diplomatic 

 aflairs. He rose by degrees, till, in 1734, he became 

 marshal of France. In the Austrian war of succession, 

 he had the chief command of the armies of Bavaria 

 and Bohemia ; but, leading them back to the frontiers 

 of France, he fell into disgrace at court. 2. Victor 

 Frangois, the eldest son of the preceding, likewise 

 marshal of France, born in 1718, commenced his ca- 

 reer in the battles of Guastalla and Parma (1734) ; 

 was engaged in all the wars of France, and was 

 always distinguished for his valour, though not 

 uniformly successful. During the seven years' war, 

 he fought under d'Estrees at Hastenbeck^ind at Ross- 

 bach under Soubise. He was more successful as 

 commander-in-chief at Bergen. The emperor, to 

 reward him for the victory obtained at that place, 



