BRA 



words, "as wo advance in the means of making more 

 nice enquii' 1 .iliy oiler themselves, 



that demand our attention.'' He therefore embraced 

 the opportunity presorted by the annual visit which 

 the Royal Society made to the observatory, and he 

 pointed out to the learned deputation from that body, 

 the necessity both of repairing the t Id instruments, 

 and of obtaining several new ones. In consequence 

 of this representation, the Society obtained from 

 George II. in 1718, a grant of jflOOO, to be expend- 

 ed on astronomical apparatus, under his superinten- 

 dance. With the assistance of Mr George Graham 

 and Mr John Bird, the observatory was soan fur- 

 nished with those admirable instruments, by which 

 all his subsequent observations were made. 



In the year 1751, when the living of Greenwich 

 became vacant, Mr Pelham offered it, in the king's 

 name, to Dr Bradley, as a token of respect for his 

 important services to science. The same conscienti- 

 ous motives, however, which induced him to resign 

 his livings in the church, prompted him, on the pre- 

 sent occasion, to decline an offer, which would have 

 set at variance the duties which he owed to religion 

 and science. The king was so much pleased with 

 the disinterestedness ol our author, that he granted 

 him a pension of ^ 250 during pleasure, which was 

 continued till the end of his reign, and renewed on the 

 accession of his present majesty. 



In 1752, Dr Bradley was admitted into the Coun- 

 cil of the Royal Society ; and in 1757, he published 

 his observations on the comet of that year. The re- 

 mainder of our author's life was not distinguished by 

 any events which are worthy of being recorded. He 

 continued to prosecute his observations, with a dili- 

 gence too great for his constitution, till he was af- 

 flicted with a lowness of spirits of the most distress- 

 ing kind : he was in constant terror of mental de- 

 rangement, and though the vigour of his faculties 

 suffered no abatement, yet the fear of losing them 

 altogether, never ceased to haunt him till the end of 

 his life. In 1760, his bodily strength began to expe- 

 rience a decline, and in consequence of an inflamma- 

 tion of his kidneys, he was attacked with a total sup- 

 pression of urine, which terminated his existence, at 

 Chalford, in Gloucestershire, on the 13th of July, 

 1762, in the 70th year of his age. His remains were 

 deposited at M'.tchim Hampton, in Gloucestershire, 

 in the same grave with his wife and mother. 



The fame of Dr Bradley was widely extended during 

 his life, and gained him the particular notice of most 

 of the learned societies of Europe. The Academy of 

 Sciences at Paris, enrolled him among their number, 

 in 1718. In 1751-, he was elected a member of the 

 Academy of Sciences at St Petersburgh. In 1757, 

 he was chosen a fellow of the Academy of Sciences 

 at Boulogne ; and he obtained the same honour from 

 the Academy of Sciences at Berlin. 



The private character of Dr Bradley was marked 

 by all those virtues which are estimable in domestic 

 society. He was mild and gentle in his temper, 

 compassionate and liberal to the poor, and kind and 

 generous to his relations. Though he spoke well 

 and expressed himself clearly, yet his silence was so 

 proverbial, that he was said never to have spoken but 

 when it was absolutely necessary. Tile attention and 

 kindness which were shewn to him, from persons of 



BRA 



the first rank and talents in the kingdom, were not Br.idnimJi, 

 extorted by that bustling activity and self applause, 

 with which some pi. attempted to force 



themselves too rapidly into public notice. Bradloy 

 was too modest ior this species of philosophical em- 

 piricism, and too sure of fame to take the trouble of 

 courting it. 



The writings of our author were extremely few. 

 A valuable paper of his on Micrometers, was publiJi- 

 ed in the Transactions of the Royal Society for 177'-'. 

 His catalogue of 389 fixed stars appeared in the Nau- 

 tical Almanack for 1773. His numerous and accu- 

 rate observations on the moon, led to the perfection 

 of the lunar tables. He constructed, from his own 

 observations, new tables for finding the places of Ju- 

 piter's satellites ; and he determined, with great accu- 

 racy, the atmospherical refractions, and gave an ele- 

 gant formula for computing the corrections due t< 

 a variation in the density and temperature of the air. 

 His observations, which occupy no less than thirteen 

 folio volumes, were presented to the university of Ox- 

 ford in 177G, on condition that they should be print- 

 ed. The first volume has been recently published by 

 Dr Hornsby ; but, in consequence of his ill health, 

 the remainder are now in the hands of the learned Mr 

 Abraham Robertson, to whom they have been en- 

 trusted for publication. (/3) 



BRADNINCH, a town of England, in Devon- 

 shire, situated on the river Collumb. It consists of 

 one irregular street, about a mile long. The princi- 

 pal manufacture of the place is paper-making, which 

 is carried on to a great extent in the neighbourhood. 

 Number of houses 253. Population 1 187. (.;') 



BRAGA, or BHAOUE, the Hragara und Augusta 

 Bracliarorum of the ancients, a city of Portugal, the 

 capital of the province of Entro Douro e Minho, is 

 situated in a broad open valley of the same name, on 

 the small river Cavado. Braga is said to have been 

 built by the Bracares, the ancient inhabitants of the 

 country, and was ranked by Ausonius among the 

 four chief cities of Spain. 



Qtueque marls sinujactat se Sraccaru dive*. 



When Gallicia and Portugal were invaded by the 

 Suevi, Braga became the seat of their kings, and 

 continued so for 170 years, when it was taken by the 

 Goths. When Alphonso I. took this city from the 

 Moors, in 1240, all the Spanish bishops submitted 

 themselves to its church ; and hence the archbishops 

 of Braga stiled themselves the primates of S;-.HI;I, an 

 honour which was disputed with them by the pre- 

 lates of Toledo. The ruins of an aqueduct, of an 

 amphitheatre, and several Roman coint, evince the 

 antiquity of the city. 



" Braga," says that intelligent traveller, Mr Link, 

 " is subject to the archbishop of the place, who 

 joys a revenue of 100,000 crusades ; and appoints 

 judges and two tribunals, the one spiritual, the other 

 temporal ; so that this is the only city where the 

 kinjj does not appoint a corregidor, or a jltudtfora. 

 In the coutos (loco, catita, or asylums or places 

 where a priest has jurisdiction) round the town, his 

 sentence is final in criminal affairs, but not on the 

 inhabitants of the town. 



" Braga contains five parishes, and sev< n monas- 

 teries. Several of the streets are broad, light, and 



