B O R 



fcrd, in t7t3; wherf, in 1719, be took the Aepree of 

 maltci of arts. In the followinjr year he took pricfts' orders, 

 and in 1721 was inducted to the rcflnry of Ludgvan in 

 Cornwall, on the prcfeiitation of the il'.ikc of Bolton ; and 

 this, with the vicara>jc of his native pariPn, was the only pre- 

 ferment he ewr obtained. At I-iid^van his fituation 

 waJ plt»fa;it ard retired ; and he applied with exemplary 

 affidu'ty to the duties of his profclfion, and to thoft- Undies 

 of naliiral hillory and antiquities, to which hio inclination 

 led him. The parilh of Lndgvan abounded with mineral 

 and mttalhc folTils ; and the various parts of Corn\vall prc- 

 fenlcd to his refearch many druidical remains. To thtfe 

 objeds his attention was dirtdcd ; and he commLF.ced his 

 litemry career with " An Elfay on Cornifli Cryilals," which 

 he communicated to the Royal Society, and which produced 

 his tletlion into that fociety in 1749. In 1754, he pub- 

 liihcd, in folio, his " Antiquities, hillorical and monnmcn- 

 tal, of the county of Cornwall, confilting of fevcral cfRiya on 

 the ancient inhabitants, Druid foperdition, cuftoms and re- 

 mains of the moll remote antiquity in Britain and the Britifh 

 ifles, exemplified and proved by monuments uow extant in 

 Cornwall and the Scilly iflands; with a vocabulary of the 

 Cornu-Britifh language ;" a learned and judicious work, free 

 from thofe long d'grtflions and fanciful hi pothcfes, in which 

 antiquarian writers have indulged th.iTifelves. A fecund 

 edition of this valuable work, with fevcral additions, a map 

 of Cornwall, and two new plates, was publifiied at London, 

 in 1769. His next publication was" Obfervations on the 

 ancient and prefent Hate of the iflands of Scilly, Knd their 

 importance to the trade of Great Britain," 4to. 1751^1. This 

 was followed, in 1758, by his " Natural Hillury of Curn- 

 wall," which was jultly coniidcred, at the time of its pubh- 

 cation, as a very important acceflion to the mincralogical 

 hiftory of Great Britain. Soon after tliis publication he 

 prefentcd to the Afiimolean mufeum at Oxford, a variety of 

 folTils and remains of antiquity, for which he received the 

 thanks of the univerfity, and the honour of the degree of 

 doftor of divinity. Having completed his three principal 

 works, and attained the age of mere than 60 years, he pcr- 

 fevercd in his application to his favourite (Indies, and in his 

 diligent difcharge of the duties of his profefRon. His com- 

 munications to the Royal Society were very numerous ; and 

 fome or other of his papers may be found in its Tranfadiions 

 from the year 17J0 to 1772. With a view to his own 

 amufement and improvement, rather than with any defign 

 of publication, he compofed paraphrafcs on the books of 

 Job and of Solomon, and wrote other pieces of a religious 

 kind ; and he prepared for the prefs a treatife, which he 

 had written fome years before, concerning the " Creation 

 and Deluge;" but increafmg infirmities prevented its being 

 printed. His decline commenced with a ftvere il Inefs in the 

 beginning of the year 1 7" I, and terminated in his deceafe on 

 the 31II of Augutl 1772, in the 77th year of his age. He 

 was much eilecmed by all who knew him, as a kind father, 

 affeAionate brother, fincere friend, inllruflive paftor, and 

 good citizen ; and as a man of erudition whcfe life had been 

 devoted to important and ufefnl purfuits. He had fix fons, 

 two of whom furuved him, and they were both in the 

 church. Dr. Borlafe furnillied Mr. Pope's grotto at Twick- 

 enham with a great number of the materials that were ufed 

 jn forming it. In Mr. Pope's letter of acknowledgment, he 

 fays, " I am much obliged to you for your valuable collec- 

 tion of Cornifh diamonds. 1 have placed them, where they 

 may bell reprefent yourfclf, in ajhadt:, but JJ/uiin^^ ;" alluding 

 to the obfcurity of the donor's fituation, and the brilliancy 

 of his talents. Biog. Brit. 



jBORMES, in Gtogijphy, a town of France, in the dc- 



B O R 



panm*nt of the Var, feated on the coafl of the Meditcrra- 

 ne.in, near a fliit fliore, which ferves for a port, whither the 

 vtirds, which cannot reach the gulf of Hieies before a tern- 

 pell, retire ; ^ leagues E. of Hieres. 



BORMID'A, or BoRMiA, a river of Italy, wluch runs 

 into the Tanaro, near Alexandria. 



BORMIO, a county in the territory of the Grifons, lying 

 at the Inol and in the midll of the Rhatian Alps, and bor- 

 dering upon En^aciina, the valley of Munfter, the Valteiine, 

 Tyrol, Trent, and tlie Venetian territories. It is entirely 

 inch fed within the mountains, except a narrow opening, 

 which connects it with the Valteiine ; the other acceiles to 

 it lie acrofs the rugged Alps, and in winter are frequently 

 impadahle. This country, which was once a part of the 

 Milanefe, became fubjeft to the Grifonsin 1512.^ (SeeVAL- 

 TELiNE.) It is divided into five diftriets ; viz. Bormio, 

 coniprifing the capital and fevcral dependent villages ; the 

 valley of Furba ; the valley of Pedinofo ; the valley of Ce- 

 pino ; and the valley of Luvino. In the new divifion of 

 SwilTerland, fince the French revolution, the county of Bor- 

 mio, with the Valteiine and Chiavenna, form a part of the 

 Cifalpine republic. WhiHl it remained under the govern- 

 ment of the Grifons, its inhabitants were exempt from the 

 opprefTions exercifed by the Grifon governors in the other 

 countries fubjeft to their dominion. They paid a fixed and 

 moderate contribution ; they collected and enjoyed their own 

 duties upon exports and imports, and were thus fecured 

 from injudicious and opprclfive taxes ; the fines for criminal 

 offences belonged to the community ; and as no part was 

 afiigned to the governor, he was not interefted in convifting 

 criminals ; and the chief privilege, which diftinguifhcd this 

 country from the Valteiine, was the freedom of its govern- 

 ment, and the limitation of the podefta's authority. 



The fupreme magiftrate of Bormio, called " Podefta," 

 was fent from the Grifons, and continued two years in office; 

 his authority was very circumfcribed, and his power was al- 

 moft wholly dependent on the concurrence of the councils. 

 In thofe councils he never gave a vote, except in cafe of 

 equality ; he pofleficd not the power of arreiling a criminal, 

 nor of pardoning or IcfTening the punifliment. His annual 

 ftipend of about 80I. arofe partly from a payment of money, 

 partly from an allowance of rye, and partly from the colls of 

 luit in civil and criminal caufes. The fupreme authority re- 

 fuled in the podefta, and councils, confifting of a civil and cri- 

 minal tribunal, the members of which were annually chofen 

 by the people. The criminal court, or council of fixteen, 

 changed every four months, confided of two regents, the 

 treafurer, the notary, and i6 connfellors, of whom ten were 

 taken from the town, and two from each of the vallies 

 Furba, Pedinofo, and Cepino. This council was convened 

 by the podefta. at the requeft of the two regents. In order 

 to avrell a criminal, it was ncceffary to affemble the whole 

 council, or at leaft feven of the members ; in other import- 

 ant cafes, the podefta and two regents might give an order of 

 arreft ; but this was deemed contrary to law. The procefs, 

 condutted by the podefta and two regents, was laid before 

 the council ; and upon conviilion of the criminal, provided 

 he did not confefs his crime, the majority of the council 

 determined whether the evidence was fufficient to juftify 

 torture ; which was apphed in the prcfence of the podefta, 

 the two regents, the treafurer, and notary. If the proofs 

 were infufiicient for conviftion, the podefta and connfellors 

 received nothing for their attendance ; a regulation, which 

 fometimes induced the judges to ftrain flight circumftances 

 into proofs of guilt; and not unfrequently occafioned the in- 

 ftiflion of torture. 



The civil tribunal confided of twelve members taken from 



the 



