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1) II I 



signed the capitulation subjected to punishment. It 

 tored to the empire in \~}~>, with many of it* 

 strong works dismantled; and in 17-H, i(r. fortifica- 

 tions Wire completely destroyed liy order of M.ina 

 Theresa, Queen of Hungary ami Bohemiu. A 

 of boats over the Rhine was also broken 

 down, and there is now only a ferry in its place. It 

 is thus described by Bishop Burner, as it apj 

 in 1685, before it had undergone the ivc de- 



molitions. " The town of Brisac riseth all on a hill, 

 which is a considerable height. There were near it 

 two hills ; the one is taken within the fortifications, 

 and the other is so well levelled with the ground, 

 that orre cannot so much as find out where it was. 

 All the ground about, for many miles, is plain, so 

 that from the hill, as from a ca\ alier, one can see ex- 

 actly well, especially with the help of a perspective, 

 all the motions of an army in case of a siege. The 

 fortification is of a huge compass, above a French 

 league, indeed almost a German league. Ttie bas- 

 tions are quite filled with earth; they are faced with 

 brick, and have a huge broad ditch full of water 

 round them. The counterscarp, the covered way, 

 (which hath a palisade within a parapet), and the 

 glacis, are all well executed. There is a half moon 

 before every cortin ; the bastions have no ariUant 

 except oi.e or two ; and the cortins are so disposed, 

 that a good part of them dcfendeth the bastion. The 

 garrison of this place, m time of war, must needs be 

 8000 or 10,000 men. There hath not been much 

 done of late to this place, only the ditch is so ad- 

 justed that it is all defended by the flanks of the 

 bastions." It is situated on the right bank of the 

 Rhine, 27 mik-s north of Basle, and 40 from Stras- 

 burgh. N. Lat. 48 51', E. Long. 7 49'. (a) 



BRISAC, NEW, a town of Prance, in the dis- 

 trict of Colmar, and in the department of the Upper 

 Rh'i.e, is situated directly opposite to Old Brisac, 

 and stands about a mile's distance from the left 

 shore of the Rhine. It was built by Louis XIV. 

 and fortified by the celebrated Vauban. It stands 

 entirely on a plain, and the streets are so regularly dis- 

 posed, that all the gates may be seen from the market- 

 place. It contains nearly 2000 inhabitants. (<y) 



BRISSOT, JAMES PETER, from whom the only 

 party justly denominated republican, that possessed 

 the powers of government during the French revo- 

 lution, received the name of Brissotines. This 

 ardent political reformer was born at Chartres, in 

 the Orleanrioigj in the year 1754. His father, 

 who was a traiteitr or master of an eating house, 

 having designed him for the law, gave him a liberal 

 education, and enabled him to serve as clerk five 

 year?, with a view to that profession. He had, 

 however, before the end of that period, contracted a 

 dislike either to the study or the practice of the law, 

 and the resolution which he soon took of abandoning 

 the pursuit, naturally drew upon him the di:pleasure 

 of his father. From this time he depended solely 

 upon his own resources, and the aid of some friends, 

 who were willing to support him in the application 

 of his talents to general literature. His exertions 

 were sufficiently profitable, coupled as they were with 

 habits of the strictest economy, to enable him to sub- 

 list himself at Paris ; and on his father's death, he 

 was also able to discharge his pecuniary obligations 

 to his friends. Politics appear to have engaged his 



principal attention from tii.- c .m :nencem< nt of !>i BrtNMf 

 studies, and he nov. i tin- pudhc v.-ith : 



first fruits of his labours, as the gupcrrntcu<!.iiit .f 

 a publication at lion! 







ven.ment, whin lln;u: t;>ok up his residence ti 

 more at Paris. Before he quitted Boulogne, lie had, 

 however, In en introduced to the mother of his J'u tun- 

 wife, who kept a li-l^ing-hoiise at that i-lace. ! : 

 daughter, Mademoiselle Dupont, was engaged by 

 Mad. de Genlis, as reader to the daughter of the 

 Duke of Orleans. When she became the wife 

 Brissot, she discharged the duties of the conjugal re- 

 lation so well, as to obtain the particular commenda- 

 tion of Mad. Roland for her domestic virtues. Til-- 

 productions of Brisiot'.j pen at this period, (aSout 

 the years 17SO and 1781,] were the Tlicnni (>f('ri- 

 miiitiv Law, '2 vols. 8vo ; the commencement of a 

 work, entitled, A Philosophical Library nf Criminal 

 Lniv, which wus afterwards completed in ID volumes ; 

 oue volume on Truth, intended to be preliminary to 

 a more ample discussion ; and two discourses on sub- 

 jects connected with Criminal Lan>, which were 

 crowned at the Academy of Chalons ur Maine. 

 Brissot, who possessed all the zeal of a political re- 

 former from the very commencement of his career, 

 soon took leave of Paiis ; and, having made a short 

 visit to Geneva and Neufchatel, passed over into 

 England, and fixed hi:; residence in London, in pro- 

 secution of a design of conducting a periodical pub- 

 lication, to be entitled, " A Universal Correspondence 

 on points interesting to the welfare of Man, and of 

 Society." London was chosen as the centre where 

 information was to be collected from all points, and 

 from which it was to issue in all directions through 

 the medium of this publication. In this way, it was 

 thought possible to evade the restriction upon the 

 press in France, and illuminate that country, by means 

 of presses employed in England, Switzerland, and 

 Germany. The design failed, and the cost of the 

 experiment subjected Brissot to an arrest in London, 

 from which he was freed by the liberality of a friend. 

 On his return to Paris, lie pursued the same course 

 of literary and political labour; and being connected, 

 as was supposed, with the Marquis of Pelleport in a 

 publication which gave great offence to government, 

 he was committed to the Bastile in July 17S4. His 

 liberation was soon obtained through the mediation 

 of the Duke of Orleans ; but it was not long before 

 a Ictlre de ctic/ut was again issued against him, in 

 consequence of an attack which he had made ou the 

 administration of the Archbishop of Sens. At this 

 time he was a resident rn the Palais Royal, and received 

 a liberal salary as secretary to the chancery of the 

 Duke of Orleans. He escaped imprisonment by a 

 journey to Holland, and a temporary abode at Mech- 

 lin, where he edited a paper, called Tlif Courier 

 lit'/giqiie. Unable to succeed in his plans of political 

 improvement in Europe, in the year 17R8 he crossed 

 the Atlantic, for the purpose of promoting the de- 

 signs of the society called Jj-s Amis des Nvirs, which 

 aimed at the abolition of Negro slavery ; and also in 

 order to choose some part of the American territory, 

 to which a colony of the French were to emigrate, 

 and to erect themselves there into a pure republic. 

 Before his departure from Pans, his thoughts had 

 been much employed on the subject of American 



