IB O U 



wliich commonly occur once or twice every rear, coiifribufc 

 to purify tiie air, and to preferve its falubrity. The inaiul, 

 which the French found at their fettlemerit ahnofl a defeit, 

 abounds in fruit, grafs, and cattle of various kinds ; llie 

 wild goats and wild hogs have retired to the woods and fum- 

 inits of the mountains ; the land torloifes were formerly 

 abundant, but are now found only in the weRcrn part, 

 thofe of the other parts having been exterminated by the 

 crews of (hips that have touched upon the ifland. The 

 rabbits, quails, partridges, and pintadoeF, biought to the 

 ilhnd, have none of them increafcd, except the lafl. It 

 is fiiid that no venomous animals arc four.d in tliis ifland; 

 nor any difagrecable to the fight, except fpidcrs, of the fi/e 

 of a pigeon's egg, which weave very Ihong iK-ts, capable, 

 as fome fay, of being rendered as valuable as lilk, and a kind 

 of large hats, denominated "I'oifeau bleu," which are (kinntd 

 and eaten as a great delicacy. The rivers are well Hocked 

 with various forts of fifh. Among the vegetable produflions 

 we may reckon tobacco, fngar-canes, ebony, benzoin, aloes, 

 white pepper, the cotton fliriib, abundnnce of timber fit for 

 fhip-building ; and fcveral kinds of fruits, fnch as the guavas, 

 bananas, citrons, tnnaiinds, lemons, and oranges. On the 

 fhores are found ambergrife, coral, and manv beautiful 

 fticlls. 



In the year 1717, the number of inhabitants i:' this ifland 

 was computed at 2000, viz. 900 free, and I roc flaves ; and 

 with regard to their difpofition, tliey are, generally fpcak- 

 ing, gentle ar,d quiet, very indultrions, and fnbmifiive to 

 juft aad mild authority ; but when it is otherwife exercifed, 

 apt to alTociate and unite in rebellion. In l/f^J, the popu- 

 lation amounted to ^627 white people, and i';.i49 blacks; 

 the cattle confifted of 8702 beeves, 40S4 fheep, 7405 goats, 

 and 7619 hogs. Upon an extent of 12!;, 909 acres of cul- 

 tivated land, they gathered as much caffava as would feed 

 their (laves, 1,135,000 pounds weight of corn, 8^-1, loo 

 pounds of rice, 2,879,100 pounds of maize, and 2,535,100 

 pounds of coffee, which laft the company bought up at 

 about ^d. per pound. Labarthe fays, th.is idand produces 

 annually 55,700 weight of corn, 54,300 of maize, and three 

 millions of pounds of coffee. Ever iince the French India 

 company became eftablilhed pofTeifors of this ifland, they 

 have direfted their attention to the improvement of its cul- 

 tivation ; and with this view, they imported into it coffee- 

 trees from Arabia, which have fuccteded fo well, as to pro- 

 duce an eighth, and according to fome, a fixth jiart as much 

 coffee as is railed in the Arabian kingdom of Yemen, and 

 next to that in quality. The French have alfo erefted 

 forts and batteries, fo as to render the ifland almofl inacccf- 

 fible. When admiral Bofcawen appeared before thii iflanj 

 with a Britifh fleit in 1 748, he found it To well fortified both 

 by nature and art, that, after fome ineffeftnal cannonading, 

 he was obliged to purfue his voyage. S. lat. 20° 51' 43". 

 E. long. 55° 30' ; which is the longitude of the port of 

 St. Dennis, according to the Connoiffance des Tcinps, 

 an. viii. 



Bourbon, a fmall ifland of Africa, near the coaft of Se- 

 negal. N. lat. 11°. W. long. 15°. 



Bourbon, a county of America, laid out and orgaiiized 

 in 17S3, by the Hate of Georgia, in the S. W. corner of 

 the Hate, on the Miffifippi, including the Natchez country. 

 Having continued under the jurifdiftion of the Spaniards 

 ever fince their conquell of this pnit of the country in 17S0, 

 it v/as given up to the United States by the treaty of 



1795- 



BouRBOM is nlfo a county of Kentucky, between Licking 

 and Kentucky rivers, cont.'ining 78j7 inhabitants, of whoai 

 ^08 are flaves. 



Bourbon, ri poll town, aiid capital of the county lail 



B O U 



nsmcd, (lands on a point of land formed by two of the 

 fouthern branches of Licking river ; 22 miles N. E. of 

 I'fxington, 21 E. of Lebanon, and 749 W.S.W. of Phi- 

 ladelphia. It contai'is about 6d houfcs, a bTipiift cliureh, 

 a roart-hoiife, and gaol. In its neighbourliood arc fcveral 

 valuable mills. 



Bourbon, For.', lies in the illsnd of Martinico, id the 

 Weft Indies. — Alfo, the name given by the French tu a prin- 

 cipal port in Noith America, liluate on a fmall ifland which 

 divides it from Mud-lake; which fee. 



Bourbon r^lrchandnuJ, a town of France, in the de- 

 paitment of the Allicr, which gave name to a country and 

 to the houfe of Bourbon ; celebrated for its hot medicinal 

 waters and baths. It contains two hoipitals and about 

 2000 iniiabitants ; 4 leagues W. of Mouliiis. N. lat. 46° 

 35' ^22". E. long. 2° 57' 39". 



Bourbon I.an.y, a town of Fraure, and principal place 

 ofadiftrift, in the department of the Saonc and Leiie, 

 celebrated for its mineral fprings. It contains three parifhts 

 and two hofpitals. Its large bath, encompaffcd with circular 

 walls, and paved with marble, is a work of the Remans ; pj' 

 leagues S. W. of Aulun. N. lat. 46° 57'. E. long. 3° 40'. 

 42". 



BOURBONNE hs Bums, a town of Fiance, in the 

 depaitment of the Upper Marne, and chief place of a canton, 

 m the diflricl of Langres ; the place contains 3136 inha- 

 bitants, and the canton 11,978; the territory comprehends 

 io2i kiUom.ctres, and 16 communes. It takes Us name 

 from its hot hatlis ; 6 leagues E.N.E. of Langres. 



BOURBONNOIS, a province of France before the 

 revolution, now the department of Allier, bounded on the 

 call by Burgundy, on the north and well by Nivernois and 

 Berry, and on the fouth by Auvergne ; its climate is very- 

 temperate, and it produces in gteat abundance corn, hemp, 

 fruit, wine, pallure, and wood ; it has alio fome mines of 

 coal, and medicinal fprings. Its capital is Moulins. Tlii» 

 province was erected into a duchy of France by Philip d; 

 Valois in 1329, in favour of Louis, fon of Robeit, the 

 yonngeil fon of St. Louis. This duke had two fons, 

 Peter and James ; from the latter of whom dcfcended the 

 houfe of Bourbon, which was the reigning family in 

 France. 



BOURBOURG, a town -of France, in the department 

 of the North, and chief place of a canton, in the dillridt of 

 Bei-gues, fcatcd on a navigable canal which comm.unicattii 

 with Calais, St.Onier, Dunkirk, ('ir.iveiines, &c. ; 3 leagues 

 S. W. of Dunkirk, ai:d i S.F.. of Gravelines. Tiie town 

 contains 1966, and the canton 94-^6 inhabilants ; the ttrr- 

 ritory comprehends 160 kilionictres and 13 communes. 



BOURBRIAC, a town of France, in the department 

 of the North coail, and chief , place of a canton, in tlie 

 dillndl of Guingamp ; 5 miles S. of Guingamp. The 

 town contains 2977, and the canton 7G46 inhabitants : tl:» 

 territory includes iSo kiliometres and 7 comn.nnes. 



BOURCilET, a town of the duchy of. Luxemburg ; 

 4 miles N. W. of Dicrich. 



BOURCHIER, BowsctivRE, or Bowcfr, Thomas. 

 in Ij'io^rophy, archhlfliop of Canterbury in the fnccefiive 

 veigns of Henty VI., Edward IV., Fi^dward V., Richard 

 III., and Henry VII. , has no particuljr claim to notice, 

 otherwife, than as he was the principal inilrument in intro- 

 ducing the art of printing into England, By defcent, he 

 was rclcited to the noblell families in England, being the 

 fon of William l)ourchier earl of Eure in N-.)iinandy, and 

 by his mother, tiie countefs of Strafford, great grandlon to 

 Edward III. He was born at Hawllcd in Elfex, one of 

 the family feats of the Bourchiers or Bourgchicrs, educated 

 at Oj;ford, aud held the office of chancellor cf that univcr- 



fity, 



