B E R 



tal<en as a decoftion in tlic jaundice. The roots boiled in 

 lyc dye wood yellow. In Poland tticydyc leather of a moll 

 beautiful yellow with the bark of the root: and the inner 

 bark of the ftem dyes linen of a fine yellow, with the afiift- 

 ance of alum. \Vitheiin^, uli fupni. Kinc, flxeep, and 

 goats, are faid to cat this (hrnb, and horfes and fwine to re- 

 fufe it. 



2. B. cretica, Cretan, or box-leaved barberry ; Lvoium 

 Creticum, Alp. Exot. 21. t. 20. Fon. hal. 137. " Pedun- 

 cles fubumbclkd, fpines triple." A (lirub that never rifes 

 more than 3 or 4 ftet high in Enrjand, where the flowers 

 are not fucceedcd by fruit. A native of the ifland of Candia, 

 or Crete, and alfo of Japan. Cultivated, in 1759, by Mr. 

 Miller; flowering in April and May. 3. V>. ilicifolia, holm- 

 leaved barberry. Lin. Syft. 34.3. Suppl. 210. "Leaves 

 obovate, ferrate-fpinbiis, pediceb elon^jated cymofc, fpines 

 digitate." Found in the Terra del Fuego by Sparrman, 

 where the inhabitants ufed the wood for bows, on ae- 

 count of its great tlalUcity. 4. H.^liiricir, Siberian bar- 

 berry. Lin. Syll. 343. Murr. in com. got. 17*^4. 37. 

 t. 6. Pall, it 2. 737, t. P. f. 2. " Peduncles one-flowered, 

 folitary, nodding, fpines palmate." A fmall (hrnb, fcarce- 

 ly a fpan in height. A native of Siberia, where it was ob- 

 ferved by Pallas. 



Pr'jpiigat'ion and Cii!lurc. Tiie conunon fort is generally 

 propagated by fuckers ; but as the plants thus propagated 

 lend out fuckers in greater abundance than thole which are 

 propagated by layers, the latter method rtiouldbe prtfeiTed. 

 The bell time for laying down the branches is autumn, and 

 the young flloots of the fame year are the bell ; which will 

 be well rooted by the next autumn, when they may be taken 

 off and planted where they are to remain. When this plant 

 is cultivated for its fruit, it fliould be planted fingle, and not 

 in hedges ; and the fuckers taken away eveiy autumn, and 

 all the grofs flioots pruned out ; by this method the fruit 

 will be fairer and more abundant. A few of thefe flirubs 

 ■will make an agreeable variety in wildernefles or plantations 

 of fhrubs ; and the fruit will be food for birds; but they 

 fhould not be planted in too great quantities, or near walks 

 that are much frequented, becaufe their flowers emit a veiy 

 flrong difagreeable odour. The Canada fort may be propa- 

 gated in the fame way as the common fort, and is equally 

 hardy. Thebox-kaved fort, whicli is now very rare in Eng- 

 land, may be propagated by laying down the branches in 

 the fame m.anner as the firll ; but the young plants fliould 

 be fet in pots, or flieltered under a frame m the winter ; and 

 when they have acqmred (Irength, they may be turned out 

 of the pots, and planted in a warm fituation. Martyn's 

 Miller's Bot. 



BE RBI, in Geography, a town of Africa, on the Ivory 

 coaft, N. E of gape Palmas. N. lat. 4° 3c'. \\\ long. 



5° 34'- 



BERBICE, the feat of a colony of Gniana In South 

 America, formerly belonging to the Dutch, on a river of the 

 fame name, about 25 leagues N. W. by W. i N. diftant 

 from Surinam, which runs from N. to S. and difcharges 

 itfelf into the Atlantic ocean. Tlic coalt on each fide of 

 the river forms a bay at its entrance, nearly a mile broad, 

 in the middle of whicli is a fmall iiland, called " Crab illand." 

 Oppofite to tliis illand, on the callern fhore, is a fort, with 

 feveral pieces of artiliery, and fomc foHicrs; but the channel 

 on the other fide, which is navigable for (hips of any bur- 

 den, is undefended, and covered by the illand from the guns 

 on the oppofite fliore. Without the entrance of the river is a 

 bar, which, at high tide, hasfeldom more than 16 feet of water; 

 but within the water is of fufficieiit denth, and the river is 

 navigable for fliipa of hurdca 200 miles from its mouth. 



B E R 



The plantations are fituated on each fide of the river, and 

 extend nearly 300 miles fiom its entrance at fort Nallaa, 

 which was formerly the feat of government, and contiguous 

 to which were the public ofHces and houfes of the civil and 

 military officers, about 1 00 miles from the^ mouth of the 

 river. But the feat of government is now fixed at a point 

 of land on the eallcrn fhore of Berbice, about a mile from 

 its entrance, which is formed between Berbice and the river 

 Conya, which tliere difcharges itfelf into the former. This 

 is a narrow, but deep river, running from ionth to north, 

 but diverging fomewhat eallerly from Berbice. On the fides 

 of tliis river are feveral plantations, which form a part of the 

 colony of Berbice. The produce of thefe planuaioiis con- 

 lills cliiefly of fugar, coffee, cotton, and cocoa, and other aii- 

 ticles, fucli as are furniflied by Surinam. Bancroft's Nijt. 

 Hill, of Guiana, p. 3J0, &c. The colony of Berbice fur- 

 rendered to the Britilh arms in September XK03. The river 

 Berbice difcharges itfelf into the Atlantic in N. lat. 6'^ 30'. 

 and W. long. 57" 20'. 



BERBUDA. See Barbuda. 



BERBURG, a town of the Netherlands, in the duchy 

 of I^uxemburg; 12 miles N E. of Luxemburg. 



BERCAD, a town of Poland, in the palatinate of Brac- 

 law. near the Bog ; 52 miles S. S. E. of Braclaw. 



BERCARIA, Berqueria, or Berkeria, in Middle 

 ^ge IVriters, denotes a Iheep-fold, Iheep-cote, flieep pen, 

 or other inclofure, for the fafe keeping of a flock of 

 (heep. 



The word is abbreviated ixom herl'uar'ia ; oi berlex, de- 

 torted from ivrvex. Hence alfo a fliepherd was denominated 

 bcrLkaniis, and berquarius . 



BERCHEM, or Berghem, Nicholas, in Biography, 

 an eminent painter of landfcapes and cattle, was born at 

 Haerkm in 1624, and formed for the praftice of his art un- 

 der fome of the bell mailers of his time. In his manner of 

 painting he waseafy and expeditious, and though he feleftcd 

 a very great variety and beauty of fites for his landfcapes, he 

 executed them with a fui-prifir.g degree of neatnefs and truth. 

 He potrefled a clear and ilrong judgment, and a facility in 

 exprefTing his ideas ; and therefore, in the lower kind of 

 fubjefts to which he directed his attention, his choice of 

 nature was judicious, and he gave to every fubjcit as much 

 beauty and elegance as it would admit. The leafing of his 

 trees is exqnifitely and freely touched : his fliies are clear; and 

 his clouds float lightly, as if fupported by air. The dif- 

 tinguifhing characters of the pictures of Berchem are the 

 breadth and jull dillnbution of the lights ; the grandeur of 

 his maffes of light and ihadow ; the natural eale and finipli- 

 city in the attitudes of his figures ; the jull degradation of 

 his dillances ; the brilliancy and harmony, as well as tranf- 

 parency, of his colouring ; the correCtnels and true perfpcc- 

 tive of his detign ; and the elegance of his compofition^ He 

 painted every part of his fubjecls fo well, as tu render it dilii- 

 cult to determine in which he excelled moll; his trees, build- 

 ings, water, rocks, hills, cattle, and figures, being all equal- 

 ly admirable. One of the moll capital pictures of this 

 niafler was painted for the principal inagiftiate of Dort, in 

 whofe family it is prefervcd ; it exhibits the profpect of a 

 mountainous country, enriched with a great variety of flieep, 

 oxen, goats, and ligiUvS, excellently pencilled, and moll 

 beautifully coloured. Berchem was indefatigable, partly 

 from his love of labour, and partly to gratify the avaricious 

 diipoiition of his wife, who never allowed him to relax; and 

 he painted, in the fummer months, from four in the morn- 

 ing till day light failed : in confequence of this clofe appli- 

 cation, his "piClnres were very numerous ; and yet at this 

 day they are rarely to be purcuafed, and always afl'ord a 



very 



