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French, the confequence of its fall, fccures to the blockade 

 of Mantua everlailing fame. 



The conduft of general MafTena, when blocked up in 

 1800 within the walls of Genoa, may julUy be compared 

 with the moll glorious aftions of the war. Surrounded 

 on all fides by enemies ; cut off from every hope of fuccour 

 by land or fea, and almoft deilitute of provifions or ammuni- 

 tion, he maintained, for fixty days, a poft the Aullrians had 

 flattered tliemfelves to reduce by famine in fix ; dellroycd 

 immenfe numbers of them in his difl'erent attacks on their 

 pods ; and having defended the place to the lail extremity, 

 obtained a negociation (for jMafTena would not fuffer the 

 word capitulation to be infeited in the treaty), equally 

 honourable to himfelf, and advantageous to his country. 

 It was advantageous, inafmuch as it obliged the enemy to 

 divide and fcatter their forces, entangle themfelves among the 

 defiles of the Apennines, and, befidcs lofing a number of men 

 before Genoa, drew them to fuch a diilance from what the 

 French government intended to make the principal feat of 

 aftion during the campaign, as enabled the firft conful to pafs 

 the great St. Bernard unoppofed, occupy the plains of Pied- 

 mont, throw himfelf in the rear of general Melas, and, 

 by the battle of Marengo, extinguilh at once the hopes of 

 the Auftrians in Italy. 



hL,OCK-l/attery, in the Military Art, denotes a wooden 

 battery on four wheels, moveable from place to place, 

 whereby to fire en barbe, or over the parapet ; fometimes 

 alfo ufed in galleries and cafemates, where room is 

 wanted. 



BLOCK'iru/h, a term ufed in Heraldry, to exprefs a 

 bundle or bunch of knee-holm, or baftard myrtle, formerly 

 ufed by butchers to clean the furface of their chopping- 

 blocks, which fo^msapart of the armorial enCgus afligned to 

 the company of butchers of London. 



'Q-LOCK.-carriage, in the Artillery, denotes a carriage ufed 

 for conveying mortars and their beds from one place to 

 another. 



Bi.ocv.-houfe, in the I.Ttlitary Art, a kind of wooden fort 

 or battery, either mounted on rollers, or on a veflel, and 

 ferving either on the water, or in fome counter-fcarps and 

 counter-approaches. The name is fom«tiihes alfo given to 

 a brick or ftone fort, built on a bridge, or the brink of a 

 river, ferving not only for its defence, but for the command 

 of the river, both above and below. Such was that noted 

 block-houfe anciently on the bridge of Drefden,_fince demo- 

 kfhed on enlarging the bridge. 



'B-Locviprinting. See Printing. 



BLOCKING, in Middle Age I'/rilers, denotes a kind of 

 burial ufed for perfons dying excommunicated. 



Blockings, circular, in ArchiteSure, are bafes to the 

 dome, reprefented in the Plate oi Archit. (title Bafdic) QQQj 

 which, by their apparent folidity, feem to fl:rengthen the 

 dome, and at the fame time taking from its height, add a 

 peculiar gracefulnefs to its appearance. 



Blockings, yjacrc, are reprefented at S (title Bnjilic), in 

 Plate of Archit. Thefc, when enriched with bafe and cap, 

 obtain the appellation of pedestals. 



BLOCKiNG-four/2'. See Course. 



BLOCKLAND, Anthony de Montfort, in Bio- 

 graphy, a painter of hiftory and portrait, was born of a 

 noble family at Montfort in 1532, and acquired his art in 

 the fchool of Francis Floris, whofe manner he always fol- 

 lowed. By endeavouring principally to imitate the tafte of 

 the Roman fchool in delign and compofition, he became a 

 ^iflinguifhed artift. He well underllood the principles of 

 perfpeftive, and he difpofed his figures with judgment and 

 accuracy. The ftyle of his colouring was agreeable, and 



7 



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his pencil mellow. He defigned every objeft after nature, 

 and gave to the contours of his figures confiderable elegance. 

 His genius was beft adapted to grand compofitions, of 

 which he defigned many, both at Delft and Utrecht. Se- 

 veral of his works, particularly a Venus, and the hidory of 

 Jofcph and liis brethren, arc in fo good a talte, that they 

 feem to have been painted by a mafter educated in the 

 fchool of Florence. Pilkington. 



BLOCKLEY, in Geography, a towndiip in Philadelphia, 

 in the county of Pennfylvania. 



BLOCKY, among 'Je-xellers, a name given to a diamond 

 when its fides are too upright, by its table and colledl being 

 larger than they ought to be. 



BLOEMAERT, Abraham, in Biography, \.\\e moft dii- 

 tinguifhed of a family of Dutch artiils, was the fon of Cor- 

 nelius, an architect;, engineer, and excellent flatuary of Dor- 

 drecht, who, during the troubles of the low countries, re- 

 moved to Utrecht. Pie was born at Gorcum in 1567 ; and re- 

 fided chiefly at Utrecht, where he probably died, A.D. 1647. 

 In his youth, he diligently copied the defigns of Francis 

 Floris ; but the excellence to which he attained was chiefly 

 owing to his own genius, which enabled him to acquire a 

 ityle of painting peculiar to hirnfelf. He painted hiftory 

 pieces, facred and profane, landfc.^pes, and animals ; but 

 though he pofTeireda facility of invention, and a free-fpirited 

 touch, and well underllood the chiaro-fcuro. Iris tafte and 

 ftyle are faid to have too much of the Flcmifh, and he is 

 charged with having indulged his own fancy, and deviating 

 from nature in l;is figures. The hiftorical pidure of the 

 death of Niobe and her children, gained him great reputa- 

 tion ; the figures in the compofition being as large as life. 

 Some flight, mafterly etchings are attributed to this artift, 

 which are executed in a manner imitating drawings with a 

 pen, from his own compofitions. He alfo publiihed fome 

 fpirited chiaro-fcuros, the outlines of which, contrary to 

 the ufual cuftom, were not cut on blocks of wood, but 

 etched upon copper. Of this kind are two large prints by 

 him, reprefenting Mofes and Aaron, both fitting figures. 

 He left four fons, all artifts. His fon Frederic worked 

 chiefly from his father's defigns, and imitated his ftyle in 

 his etchings and chiaro-fcuros. He alfo, conjointly with 

 his father, made a large drawing book, confifting of figures, 

 animals, landfcap?s, &c. Henry and Adrian, were both 

 painters ; and they are alfo mentioned as engravers : the 

 moft eminent, as a painter, was the latter, 



Cornelius, the moil diftiHguilhed as an engraver, was 

 Abraham's youngeft fon, and born at Utrecht in 1603. 

 Devoting himfelf wholly to the art of engraving, he firft 

 ftudied under Crifpin de Pafs, and then went to Rome, 

 where he died, at a very advanced age. The manner of 

 engraving adopted by this artift was original, and the 

 fource of that ftyle, in which the beft French mafters ex- 

 celled, or thofe of them who worked merely with the graver. 

 He covered the lights upon his diftances, and the other 

 parts of his plates which required tinting, with great care : 

 whereas, before his time, the lights on the diftant hills, trees, 

 building?, or figures, had been left quite clear ; and by fo 

 many white fpots, fcattered in various parts of the fame 

 defign, the harmony was deftroyed, the fubjeft confufed, 

 and the principal figures prevented from reheving with any 

 ftriking etfeft. By this judicious improvement, Bloemaert 

 gave to his prints a more clear and finifhed appearance, than 

 all the laboured iieatnefs even of Jerom Wierix had been 

 able to produce. He drew correAly ; but as he executed 

 entirely with the graver, the extremities of his figures are 

 heavy ; and his heads are not always beautiful or expreifive. 

 In the luechanical part of the work few tave excelled him, 



/^K 2 either 



