B R I 



547 



R R I 



largr and beautiful building, exceeding many of our 

 ,'lish cathedrals. It lias a curious clock, an excel- 

 lent Di i^an, and H peal (if bells. Bridgetown lias also 

 a hospital and a college, founded and liberally endow- 

 ed by Col. CodringtOD, for maintaining professors and 

 Scholars to teach and study divinity, surgery, and phy- 

 sic. It is the only institution of the kind in the West 

 Indies; but it* success has not answered the designs of 

 its founder. About a mile from the. town stands the 

 governor's country seat, called Pilgrtmt, which is a 

 h uisoinc villa built by the assembly. This town 

 enj >ys perfect security against foreign invasion, from 

 th strength of Us forts, and the boldness of the coast. 

 It defended on the west by St .lames' fort, mount- 

 in, 18 guns ; Willoughby's fort, which is built upon 

 it tongue of land running into the sea, and mounts 12 

 guns ; Needham fort, mounting 20 guns ; and St 

 Anne's fort, which is the str-.-ngest in the island, and 

 stands near within land. On the east it has steep 

 cliffs, high rocks, and foul ground. Carlisle Bay is 

 formed by Needham and Pelican points, and is capa- 

 ble of containing 500 vessels, being about 4 miles 

 long, and 3 broad, but the bottom is foul and injuri- 

 ous to cables. The harbour is one of the best in the 

 West Indies,and is completely secured from the north- 

 east wind, which is the constant trade-wind in Barba- 

 does. The wharfs are large and commodious for load- 

 ing and unloading goods ; and monthly packet boats 

 have lately been established here for carrying letters 

 to and from Great Britain. Bridgetown is the seat 

 of the governor, council, assembly, and court of 

 chancery ; and its militia, with that of the parish of St 

 Michael, amount to 1200 men, who are called the 

 royal regiment of foot guards. North Lat. 13 9' 

 30", West Long. 60 2' 30". (L) 



BRIDGE WATER, a borough and market- 

 town in England, in the hundred of North Pether- 

 ton, and county of Somerset, is situated in a flat, 

 and rather woody country, on the river Parrot, 12 

 miles from the sea, and nearly 128 west from Lon- 

 don. Over the Parrot is a stone bridge, which con- 

 nects Bridgewater with the suburb of Eastover; and 

 also an iron bridge lately erected. The streets are 

 very irregular, but wide and well built ; and the 

 church of St Mary is a large and handsome building, 

 with cine of the largest spires in the kingdom. It 

 has a spacious town- hall, and a high cross, with a 

 cistern over it, to which water is conveyed by an 

 engine from a neighbouring rivulet, and thence car- 

 ried to the different streets. It has also several meet- 

 ing-houses for Presbyterians, Baptists, and Quak- 

 ers ; and, it is worthy of notice, that in one of these 

 there is a pew appropriated for the mayor and alder- 

 men, should they happen to be of that persuasion. 

 Bridgewater was formerly the private estate of Wil- 

 liam de Brewere, but was erected into a free borough 

 by King John, and afterwards made a mayor-town 

 b) Henry IV. Its corporation consists of a mayor, 

 a recorder, two aldermen, 24 common-council men, 

 and a town clerk ; and it sends two members to par- 

 liament, who are chosen by the inhabitant house- 

 holders, who pay scot and lot. The authority of the 

 magistrates extends throughout the parish ; and the 

 recorder, with the mayo> and aldermen, are em- 

 powered to hold four sessions annually, for trying 



all crimes and misdemeanors, no: capil il, comi 

 within their jurisdiction. A court of ri c 

 held every Monday, for the co. 

 The midsummer county si iield at 1! 



water, and the assi/.es every other year. A 

 town was made a distinct county by Henry VIII. 

 the sheriff of Somerset cannot send any process into 

 the borough ; and its burgesses are free 111 

 town of England and Ireland, except London ami 

 Dublin. The levenue in valued at L. 5000 per an- 

 num ; and the corporation are conservators of the 

 navigation of the river Parrot, which is navigable at 

 Bridgewater for vessels of 200 tons, and for large 

 barges as far as Taunton and Langpott. Bridge- 

 water has very little foreign trade, but a great deal 

 of coasting. A large and commodious quay m 

 the manufactures of Manchester, Liverpool, Bir- 

 mingham, &c. which are conveyed by waggons to 

 the internal parts of Devon and Cornwall ; and 

 about forty vessels from 30 to 100 tens are em- 

 ployed at this port for bringing coals from Wales ; 

 by which means, the neighbourhood arc supplied 

 with this article at a moderate rate. The duties paid 

 on imports amount to about L. 2500 a year ; and 

 the duty on coal alone, for seven years, was esti- 

 mated at L. 16,000 or L. 17,000. Its fairs, of 

 which there are four in the year, are well supplied 

 with cattle, horses, and sheep ; and also with cloths and 

 linen. Its markets are on Thursday and Saturday. 

 The tide rises here six fathoms at high water, and 

 sometimes flows with such impetuosity, that it rises at 

 once nearly two fathoms. This sudden flow, from it, 

 impetuosity and noise, is called .the Ijotir. It is fre- 

 quent in all the rivers of the Channel, particularly 

 in the Severn, and often occasions considerable 

 damage to the shipping, by driving them foul of 

 each other, and upsetting the small craft. Bridge- 

 water was formerly a place of much greater import - 

 ance than it is at present. It was regularly fortified 

 during the civil wars, and protected by a castle, 

 but since that time it has suffered greatly from confla- 

 grations, and the various vicissitudes of war. In 

 1645, it was besieged by the parliament army under 

 Sir Thomas Fairfax, who committed great devasta- 

 tions ; and it was here that the duke of M>nn:outli 

 encamped his undisciplined army previous to hi* de- 

 feat on Sedgemoor. Population, 3634 ; of whom 

 986 are engaged in trade and manufactures. W. 

 Long. 2 59', N. Lat. 51 7'. (/>) 



BRIDLE, an essential part of the trappings of 

 a horse, for controuling its head, and regulating its 

 motions. 



The bridle first known was certainly nothing more 

 than a simple thong, or cord fastened about the head 

 or ueck of the horse, like our common halter : all 

 the parts which now compose it have been adopted 

 at different periods. In some countries it is still 

 very little more than a thong; for the laziest and 

 most unwieldy of quadrupeds, the elephant, is guid- 

 ed by nothing but a cord around the neck, while his 

 rider impels him forward by a goad. BufTaloe.- al- 

 and oxen trained to labour, are, in some of the 





bO 



warmer countries, bridled by a cord passing through 

 the cartilage of the nose. 



Though the ancients guided their horses by reins, 



