B R I 



551 



B R I 



Gresham C'l/lrge, p. 1'JO. ; and Smith's Comment, de 

 rit. >/ stin/. II lirhifii, Lond. 1707, 4to. (<>) 



URiGHTON, r more properly BKIGIITHF.I.M- 

 -TONK, .1 celebrated bathing place in the hundred of 

 Whal sbone, and county of Sussex, 8^ miles from 

 Lewes, and .55 from London. It was formerly an 

 inconsiderable town, inhabited chiefly by fishermen, 

 and it was only within these few years since it became 

 a fashionable place of resort for sea bathing, that it 

 was enlarged with many new streets, and ornamented 

 with some elegant buildings. It stands chiefly on an 

 eminence, and slopes gently on the east towards the 

 Steyne, a beautiful lawn, where the company gene- 

 rally promenade ; and it is well sheltered from the 

 north and north-east winds by the South Downs, 

 which furnish its visitors with excellent mutton. The 

 streets nearly intersect each other at right angles, 

 and are very neat, clean, and uniform. The Steyne 

 and Crescent are handsomely built, and consist chief- 

 ly of lodging-houses, which are considered even su- 

 perior to those of Bath ; and North-street furnishes 

 shops of every description equal to Bond-street. On 

 the north-west of the Steyne stands the Marine Pa- 

 vilion, the occasional residence ot the Prince of Wales. 

 It has a handsome sea- front, extending 200 feet, and 

 in the centre a circular building, with a lofty dome 

 raised on pillars. Two wings were lately added, and 

 the whole is fitted up with the greatest taste and 

 magnificence. Adjoining is a handsome family man- 

 sion of the Duke of Marlborough. Brighton has a 

 convenient little theatre, public libraries, and two 

 assembly rooms, that may vie in elegance with any 

 in the kingdom, and which are open every night du- 

 ring the season. The church is an ancient struc- 

 ture, with a square tower, and stands on a hill at a 

 small distance from the town ; but, from the increase 

 of population, a chapel royal has been lately erected 

 sufficient to accommodate 1000 persons. Besides 

 these, there are'a Quaker, an Independent, a Metho- 

 dist, and a Baptist meeting, a Roman Catholic cha- 

 pel, and a Jewish synagogue. The baths are situated 

 near the Steyne, and were first erected in 1789. 

 They are elegantly fitted up, and consist of hot, cold, 

 vapour, and salt water baths ; also air-pump water 

 baths for those who are affected with the gout, or 

 violent scorbutic affections. About a mile west from 

 the town is a valuable chalybeate spring, which is 

 much frequented, and which has been found very ser- 

 viceable in several cases of debility and indigestion. 

 It was first inclosed by Dr Richard Russel, and the 

 proprietors have since erected a handsome lodge over 

 it. 



From its vicinity to the metropolis, the pleasantness 

 of its beach, and its other accommodations, Brighton 

 is in general preferred to every other fashionable wa- 

 tering place. This town was formerly fortified with 

 a flint wall three feet thick, towards the sea, and a 

 block house for ammunition. These, however, were 

 completely undermined by the violent storms of 1703 

 and 1705, which also destroyed 113 tenements, and 

 a good deal of the adjacent lands. Since that time, 

 great depredations have been made on this shore by 

 the encroaching waves. In 1786, one of the batte- 

 ries was thrown down by a high tide, and several of 

 the guns washed into the sea ; and considerable sums 



have been expended by the inhabitant) in raising ar- Brimful. 

 tificial barriers to counteract its ravages. The chief ~~ -v 

 support of Brighton we fa li.ulis and fishery; and 

 this last employs about 100 boats, carrying from 

 three to live men each. The mackerel fishing com- 

 mences in April, and that for herrings in October ; 

 and they are said sometimes to produce nearly* 10,000 

 per annum. This town has no corporation ; but, by 

 an act passed about thirty years ago, thirty-six of the 

 inhabitants, as commissioners, were empowered to e- 

 rect a market, pave, light, and clean the streets, and 

 execute other necessary matters. Its market day ii 

 on Thursday, and it has two fairs, on Holy Thurs- 

 day and the 4th of September. It is the station for 

 packets between the Sussex coast and Dieppe ; and, 

 in time of peace, many travellers prefer this passage 

 to that of Dover, as the rout by land is much short- 

 er from Dieppe, by way of Rouen, to Paris, thai 

 from Calais. The rac'.s are usually on the first week 

 of August, and last tor four or five days. It con- 

 tains 1424 houses, and 7339 inhabitants. Of these 

 3274 are males, and 4065 females; and, in 1801, 

 3050 were returned as employed in trade and manu- 

 factures. This number, however, cannot be called 

 the actual population, as above a fourth of them re- 

 main only during the summer, as visitants, shop keep- 

 ers, attendants, Sec. W. Long. 11' 55", N. Lat. 50' 

 49' 32". See Lee's History of Lcnes and Bright, 

 hclmslone ; and Guide to the Watering Places, (p) 

 BR1NDISI, or BRANDISO, a city of Italy, situ- 

 ated in the Terra-D'Otranto, and kingdom of Naples, 

 was known in ancient times by the name of Brundu- 

 sium ; and was the scene of many important events 

 in Roman history. It is impossible to ascertain its 

 original founders ; but it is known to have been 

 taken by Attilius Regulus from the Salentines, in 

 the year before Christ 256. In this place, Pompey 

 the Great sought refuge from the power of Caesar, 

 by whom h- was closely blockaded ; and from 

 whose skilful approaches, he, with great difficulty, 

 made his escape to Greece. This town and its gar- 

 rison declared, at an early period, for Octavianus, 

 afterwards Augustus, and put him in possession of 

 all the military stores which his uncle, Julius Czsar, 

 had collected for his intended expedition to Parthia. 

 It was soon afier besieged by Mark Antony ; and, 

 Octavianus having advanced to its relief, found hit 

 legions so reluctant to fight against their country- 

 men, that he was obliged to come to an accommo- 

 dation with his rival ; which was effected by the 

 mediation of Pollio and Maecenas, and confirmed at 

 Brundusium by the marriage of his sister Octavia to 

 Antony. It was farther celebrated, as the birth- 

 place of the tragic poet Pacuvius, and as the scene 

 of the death of Virgil. It suffered greatly durmg 

 the ravages of the Vandals in Italy ; and in the year 

 836, was almost completely destroyed by the Sara- 

 cens. The Greek emperors were very desirous to 

 retain it in their possession, and to restore its ancient 

 prosperity ; but, before they could effect their in- 

 tended improvements, they were driven from it by 

 the Normans under \Villiam I. It recovered much 

 of its splendour during the successive expeditions to 

 Palestine, for which its excellent harbour presented 

 convenient point of embarkation ; and it particularly 



