B R E. 



of palifades upon the banquette, thefe occafion much ob- 

 ftniftion to the enemy in his endeavours to mount. 3. Chc- 

 •vaux de frize, planted along the middle of the ditch, where 

 they render the pafl'age extremely difficult, efpecially if 

 they ftand behind a row of palifades. 4. An albatis of 

 trees cut down and arranged on the outfide of the ditch, 

 along the whole front of the work. When the branches 

 are well intermingled, and the trunks buried obliiinely in 

 the earth, or faftcned down by Urong pickets, they cannot 

 be removed without great difficulty. The abbatis Ihould 

 lie under the fire of the brcail-work, and therefore ought 

 not to be more dillant from it than 200 or 250 yards. 



5. Trous de loup placfd chequerwife in front of the work, 

 about 16 or 20 feet from the countevfcarp. Three rows 

 of them prefent at all times a formidable obftacle, as they 

 cannot be pafTed except by each man fingly, which caufes 

 the enemy to remain a long time cxpofed to the fire from 

 the breaft-work, and to form under it at a great hazard. 



6. Cro-U's' feet fcattered along the bottom of the ditch, or 

 in the ground in front of it ; or, where they are wanting, 

 a number of 'lakes, capped and pointed witli iron, may be 

 driven into the ground. 7. y/n rti/wMCf^rtV/ci about 30 yards 

 in front of the firih This, if filled with water, or cnfilaced 

 from the breaft-work, prefents a confiderable obftacle ; but, 

 ctherwilc, only affords the enemy a pljce of fhelter, where 

 he may reft fome time in fecurity, and from thence make 

 the remainder of his way to the work in great haile, fo that 

 it becomes a detriment inftead of an advantage. 8. y}n 

 artificial inundation of the country in fjont of the work, 

 efFefted by means of dams. This, if five or fix feet deep, 

 and properly under the fire of the garrifon, is an amazing 

 and obvious advantage ; but the work is fo laborious, and 

 requires fuch a combination of circumftances to render it 

 effeftual, that it is rarely executed in the field. 9. Fou- 

 gajps, or fmall m'mes, placed about eight or twelve yards from 

 the ditch, and fprung when the enemy is marching over 

 them towards the breaft-work. Thefe occafion great dif- 

 order ; and as foldiers have a great dread of mines, and 

 anxioufly avoid an attack upon any fpot they conceive un- 

 dermined, are an excellent fecurity againft the attacks of a 

 fuperior enemy. 



Previous to the elevation of the bread-work, its entire 

 plan mull be traced or marked out upon the ground, in 

 luch a manner that the workmen may afterwards be enabled 

 to calculate the thicknefs of the work and breadth of the 

 folTe. In computing the length of the breaft-work, two 

 feet are allowed for each file of men ; and as troops are 

 ufually formed two deep for its defence, the length will be 

 equal to the number of men : ten feet are allowed for a 

 fmall gun, and fourteen or fixtecn for a larger. Thus the 

 length of a brcail-work for 250 men, and four field-pieces, 

 {hould be 290 feet. In excavating the ditch, three work- 

 men are allowed to every eight feet in length ; and when 

 in a clayey or gravelly foil, to every three men with fliovels, 

 one with a pick-axe fnould be reckoned, to loofen the 

 ground. The breaft-work itfelf, and every thing imme- 

 diately belonging to it, (hould be erefled entirely by the 

 troops. A work with a revetement of fods may in general 

 be cOmpleated in a day, provided there is a fufficient num- 

 ber of workmen. But if it is to be formed with fafcines, or 

 palifadcd, it W'll require two days ; and if there are liktwife 

 to be fraifes, fougaffes, trous de loup, &c. three may not 

 be fufficient. Unclrr the articles Rampart, Fosse, Reve- 

 tement, Fascines, Fougasses, Palisades, &c. the 

 reader will find the coiiftruflion ot the different parts of a 

 brcait-work more fully explained. 



In Plate IV. Fortification, fg. i,a,b, c, i? the banquette ; c, 



B R E 



tt, the interior flope or talus ; d, e, the fummit of the breaft- 

 work ; e,f, the exterior flopc or talus; /, g, the berme; ^, h, 

 the fcarp ; i, the folic ; i, /, the ccuntcrfcarp ; /, m, 

 the glacis. 



Fi^. 2. is a breaft-work fraifed and palifadtd, frcn in 

 profile ; ^, is a row of palifades planted upon tiie bHiiquriic ; 

 i, another of fraifes, buried in the exterior talus of the 

 breaft-work ; c, chevaux de frize in the middle of the ditclj 

 behind d, a row of palifader,, fixeil at the foot of the coun- 

 terfcnrp ; e, trous de loup ; /, abbatis of trees Iccn in 

 profile. 



Fig. 5. is a plan of the breaft-work; a, is the (lopo of the 

 banquette; i, banquette ; r, interior talus ; </, bieaft-work ; 

 e, exterior talus ; /, bermc ; g, fcarp ; /., fode ; ;', counter - 

 fcarp ; i, trous de loup in three rows ; /, abbatis. 



Brfast-woc/, a Seaterm, a ftt of framing compofed of 

 ftaunchions and rails, with moulding, ai:d fometinif s fculp- 

 turc. It terminates the quarter-deck and poop at the fore- 

 moft end and the after-end of the forecaftle. 



BREATH, the wind or air which is received and ex- 

 pelled by the mouth and noftrils, in the aiS of refpiration. 

 In which fenfe, the word amounts to the fame with the 

 Greek rovEiijua, and LaUnJpiritiis. 



A ftinking breath is one of the fymptoms ufually preced- 

 ing the accefs of an intermittent fever. In fome pcrfons, a 

 ftinking breath is an indication of the menfes being at hand. 

 It is difputed among the civilians, whether a ftinking breath, 

 called fcahro, owing to rotten teeth or gums, ftiould be re- 

 puted a difcafe. Calvin. Lex.Jur. 



Breath is more particularly uftd to denote a ftrcngth of 

 lungs, whereby a man is enabled to hold out without taking 

 wind fo often. In this fenfe, we fay, a long, a fhort breath. 

 The ordinary term of holding the breath does not exceed one 

 third of a minute. Bacon, Hift. of Life and Death. Ap. 

 Works, torn. ii. p. 176. 



For the pearl.fiflicry they choofe (laves who have the beft 

 breath, or can continue the longeft under water without 

 fetching their breath. Pechlin has a difiertation exprefs on 

 living long witliout breathing. J. Nic. Pechlin De Aeris 

 & Alimenti Dtfefku, & Vita fub Aquisdiuturna, Mcditalio 

 ad Joel Langelot, 1676. The ancients were very watchfal 

 over the laft breath of dying perfons ; which the neareft 

 relations, as the mother, father, brother, or the like, 

 received in their moutiis. Pitifc. Lex. Antiq. voc. Spirituj. 



Breath is alfo fometimes extended to the odorous ef» 

 fluvia of plants, and even exhalations of minerals. 



BREATHING. See Respiration. 



Fighting a cock to lrcathe\i\cn, is called Sparring. 



To breathe a running horfe, and bring him to bis wind, 

 they gave him a Heat. 



Breathing, exfijfiatio, a ceremony in Baptism. 



BnEATHING,yJor/. SeeAsTHMA. 



Breathing, difficuhy of. See Dyspncea. 



BREAUTE', in Gi-ogr.jphy, a town of France, m the 

 department of the Lower Seine, and chief place of a canton 

 in the diftrift of Le Havre, 3* leagues N.E. of MontiviU 

 liers. 



BREBES, Brebers, or Berberes, a denomination 

 that diftinguiftics an ancient tribe of Africans, who are fettled 

 in and about the greater and leffer Atlas, and who inhahi: 

 dllferent parts of Algiers, Barbary, and Morocco- Some 

 fuppofe that they aie defcendcd from the ancient Sahnsans, 

 who migrated hither fiom ."Arabia Felix, under the conduft 

 of one of their princes ; others beheve them to be fome of 

 the Canaaniles, whom J'.iflnia drove out of Paleftinc. But 

 their origin is uncertain. It is probable, however, that they 

 were very ancient inhabitants of the country, and that they 



were 



