520 



THE STANDARD DICTIONARY OF FACTS 



and destroyed about sixty-five acres of build- 

 ing. This part of the eity was soon rebuilt. 

 and, since then, Boston has been one of the most 

 prosperous cities in the I'nited States. Popu- 

 lation, ;>'.).- 



Brazil (hrah-zcd'). the largest State of 

 South America, lying to the northeast of that 

 continent, and bounded north and east by the 

 Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes nearly one-half 

 of South America, and occupies an area nearly 

 equal to the whole of Europe. It is remarkable 

 for its rivers and its forests, the former being 

 unsurpassed both in number and in size in any 

 other part of the globe, and the latter being of 

 vast extent, some of them covering many thou- 

 sands of miles of surface. Towards the coast- 

 line, and near the banks of the rivers, the land 

 is low. but in the interior it rises, by gentle 

 gradations, to the height of from* two to three ! 

 thousand feet above the level of the sea, and is 

 -d by hill ranges, which rise to a consider- 

 ably greater elevation. In these regions, Euro- 

 pean fruits and grains are produced in large 

 quantities, while the intermediate valleys are 

 found extremely favorable for the raising of 

 sugar, coffee, cotton, cocoa, india rubber, and j 

 tropical plants. The forests abound in the 

 greatest variety of useful and beautiful woods, 

 as mahogany, logwood, rosewood, and brazil 

 wood. Minerals are exceedingly abundant, 

 comprising gold, silver, iron, and topazes, and 

 most of the diamonds of commerce come from 

 Brazil. These, with hides, agricultural produce, 

 and the other products above mentioned, are 

 the chief exports. The population of Brazil is 

 about 18,000,000, of whom about 2,000,000 are 

 negroes, 1,2,50,000 native Indians, and the 

 remainder descendants of the Portuguese, 

 or of mixed races. Slavery formerly prevailed 

 largely in Brazil, but in 1871, a law was passed 

 for its gradual abolition. Its greatest river is 

 the Amazon, and the chief cities are Rio de 

 Janeiro, Hahia, and Pernambuco. 



British Museum, the great national 

 museum in London, owes its foundation to Sir 

 Han- Sloane, who, in 1753, bequeathed his 

 various collections, including 50,000 books and 

 manuscripts, to the nation, on the condition of 

 SI 00. 000 being paid to his heirs. This offer was 

 agreed to by parliament. The British Museum 

 is under the management of forty-eight trustees, 

 among the chief being the archbishop of Canter- 

 bury, the lord-chancellor, and the speaker of 

 the House of Commons. In all, the staff of the 

 institution numbers over 320 persons. The mu- 

 seum is open daily, free of charge. Admission 

 to the reading-room as a regular reader is by 

 ticket, procurable on application to the chief 

 librarian, there being certain simple conditions 

 attached. The institution contains something 

 like 2,000,000 volumes in the department of 

 printed books. A copy of every book, pamph- 

 let, newspaper, piece of music, etc., published 

 anywhere in British territory, must be conveyed, 

 free of charge, to the British Museum. 



Brussels, the capital of the kingdom of 

 Belgium, and of the province of South Brabant 

 in that kingdom. It is a large and important 

 city, often described as a miniature Paris. It 

 is built partly on the slope of a hill, and partly 



on the plain at the foot. The upper town, on 

 the hillside, is the newer and the more fashion- 

 able, and there the royal palace ami the man- 

 sions of the foreign ministers are situated. The 

 lower town is le-s healthful, but it contains 

 most of the older buildings, and many churches 

 and public edifices of architectural and historical 

 interest. The town has extensive suburbs, and 

 squares and promenades of great beauty and 

 elegance. Its Church of St. Gudule dates from 

 the Twelfth Century; and the Palace of Fine 

 Arts, which was formerly the residence of the 

 governors of Brabant, includes a picture gallery 

 which contains many fine specimens of the 

 Flemish school of painting, and a library with 

 2-10.000 volumes, and upwards of 20.000 'manu- 

 scripts. There is also an observatory, one of 

 the finest in Europe, and the imposing Palace 

 of Justice. In the great market-place is the 

 Hotel de Ville, a splendid Gothic edifice of the 

 Fourteenth Century, with a lofty turret, sur- 

 mounted by a huge figure of St. Michael, in 

 copper. Brussels is remarkable for its statues 

 and fountains. Its most important manufac- 

 tures are lace and carpets. Ten miles to the 

 south of the city is the Field of Waterloo, and 

 a few miles beyond lie Quatre Bras and Ligny. 

 Population, 612,401. 



Buda-Pesth (bu' da-pest), a city of the 

 Austro-Hungarian Empire, the capital of Hun- 

 gary since 1873. It is situated on both sides 

 of the River Danube, 130 miles southeast of 

 Vienna. Buda, on the west side of the Danube, 

 is built at the extremity of a spur from the 

 Bakony forest range. It is an old-fashioned 

 place, and carries on a considerable trade, 

 chiefly in wines. A fine suspension bridge con- 

 nects it with Pesth, one of the handsomest cities 

 in Austria. Pesth is the seat of a university, 

 and has manufactures of silk, woolen, leather, 

 tobacco, and meerschaum pipes. Four great 

 fairs are held in the city annually. The Diet 

 assembles in a handsome building, and new 

 boulevards and squares have been recently 

 formed. During the Hungarian wars of the 

 Nineteenth Century, Buda played a distinguished 

 part. In January, 1849, the fortress was seized 

 by the Austrian General Windischgratz ; but in 

 the following May it was taken by storm by the 

 Hungarians under Gorgey. On their departure, 

 the Russians took possession, but shortly after- 

 wards handed the place over to the forces of 

 the Austrians. Population, 732,322. 



Buenos Ayres, the capital of Argentine 

 Republic, South America, stands on the west 

 bank of the estuary of the Plata, about 150 

 miles from the open sea. It is compactly and 

 substantially built, having been greatly im- 

 proved since its independence. It has a large 

 number of public and private buildings that 

 would honor any city, notably the cathedral, 

 the provincial bank, the post-office, the national 

 penitentiary, several of the theaters, etc. Four 

 lines of railroads connect it with the interior. 

 Telegraphic cables extend to Montevideo, the 

 Brazilian ports, and Europe, and overland wifes 

 cross the Andes to Chile, and so connect with 

 the northern hemisphere by the Pacific coast 

 lines. Buenos Ayres has a university, a national 

 college, a normal school for ladies, with numer- 



