B R E 



wliofe grand-Jaugiitcr Joanna transferred it to licr confoit 

 Engilbert of Nafliiii, wliuin (h<: married in 14-4' I" confc- 

 qiience of tl>is alliance it remained iii the lioulc of NafTaii, 

 till William III. of Ergland, dyiitff without iffiic, caufcd 

 it to be left in abeynncc. The old caftle was begun by Heniy 

 of NaiTaii ill 15JO; but about the year 1680, William 

 prince of Orange, afterwards king of England, eroded the 

 new one, which is a magnilicent ftruilure, furrounded by 

 the waters of the Merck. Breda fuffered exceedingly in 

 the wars of the 16th century. In l^'iy it was annexed to 

 tlie domains of the king of Spain, by the duke of Alva, 

 on account of tin rebclh'oa of William of NafFaii, prince of 

 Orange. In I57i, the emperor Maximilian iiaving oflcrtd 

 liis mediation for per.cc, a conftreiice was held at Breda, 

 but it terminated witliout an agreement bct«ei:ri the Spa- 

 niards and the Confederates. In IJ77 it was delivered up 

 by the garrifort tr, the States ; but in 15S1 it was retaken by 

 Claude de Berlaniont, and fell into tlie hai:ds of the Spa- 

 niards. In J5yO prince Maurice took it by a ilratagcm, 

 having ftnt a party of fejcct men concealed in a bent 

 loaded with turf, by which means the prince was admitted, 

 :ind the C'ty furrcndcred. In if'ij^ it w^as invtlltd by 

 Spinola, who, well knowing the llrength of the place, 

 determined to reduce it by famir.c, ar,d for this purpoft 

 drew trenches round it for the fpace of four miles, erediing 

 forts and redoubts ;:t certain intervals ; the ficge wiis pro- 

 fcctited by Spinola with the utmoll diligence and vigour ; 

 and the place was defended, ainidil the calamities of famine 

 and difeafe, with a fagacity, ileadinefs, and valour, which 

 did honour to the talents of the governor, Jnllin de NaiTau, 

 the natural fon of William prince of Orange. A ncgolinticn 

 at length took place between tlie befiegcrs and the ganifon ; 

 and the refult %va?, that two capitulations were dravvn up, one 

 tcr the garrifon and the other for the city, both cf which were 

 the moil honourable and advantageous that could be devifcd. 

 Thefe were accepted ; and the garrifon marched out, after 

 having fuftaincd a fiege of 10 months, and having loll two- 

 chirdi of tiicir number and an equal number of the inha- 

 bitants. Spinola drew up his army to lalute them, and, 

 furrounded by his field officers, paid particular compliments 

 to the governor, and commanding oiTicers. He alio dif- 

 tributed money among the foldiers, ordered the fick and 

 wounded to be tenderly treated and taken care of ; and in the 

 regard paid to the valour and merit of his enemies he 

 dilplayed all the fentiments of a hero. On the citizens alfo 

 he poured out a profufion of civilities ; manifciling his 

 admiraliou of their conllancy and fidelity to a degree, 

 which even alarmed the States-General. In n''37 Henry, 

 prince of Orange, determining to recover Breda, laid fiege 

 to it on the 23d of June, and obliged the governor, Omer de 

 Fourdin, a very dillinguilhed officer, to funender, the 20th 

 of October following. The governor and foldiers on this 

 cccafion, were, by the prince's generofity, allowed all the 

 honours of war ; and the officers of the city placed on the 

 fame footing as in the year 162';, before it was reduced by 

 Spinola. Fouibin paid his compliments, fealed in a letter, to 

 tire prince ; he was received gracioufly, loaded with praifes 

 Hnd honours, and difmifled with valuable prcfents, rcftecling 

 equal credit on the generofity of the prince and the valour 

 of the governor. After this event the Dutch confiderably 

 augmented the fortifications ; and yet, though they have 

 hten reckoned among the moll complete in the Netherlands, 

 Breda furrendered to the Frencli, on the 24th of February 

 jyp-;, after a fhort fiege of 10 days. However, on the 20th 

 of March following, it was again delivered up to the Dutch 

 by capitulation, and the foldiers were permitted to return 

 to France with fafe conduA. 



B R E 



Breda was rendered fam.ou? in 1667 by the famous 

 congrcfs which was held there for a general peace ; fird, 

 between Louis XIV. king of France, and Charles II. king 

 of England, concluded the 2 I (t of July, by the mediation 

 of the king of Sweden j fecondly, between the king of 

 England, and the States-General on the ^ id of July, one 

 article of which peace was the celF.on of the province of 

 New York to the Englilh ; and tliirdly, on the fame day 

 a peace was ralifud between the king of England and 

 FrtJevick III. king of Denmark. Breda lies 46 miles 

 fouth of Amilerdnm, and 22 S. S. E. of Rotterdam. N. 



lat. ,-i°37'- E-'^"g- 4°4)'- 



BREDE, La, a town ot France, in the department of 



the Giro;:iie. 



BREDEMEYERA, \n Hottmy, Wlllden. I,,>I4. Clafs, 

 diaiielphia oSamlria. Elfential Char. Calyx thret-leaved ; 

 Cor. papilioiiaccoub ; llandard two-pctalled ; drupe with a 

 two-celled nut. 



Species. '^.Jhril-Mida. A fhrub from five to eight feet high. 

 Leaves I. early alternate, oblong-lanceolate, finooth, veined, 

 tvvo or three inches long, with fhort petioles. F/owirs, fmall, 

 yellow, terminating, panicled. Panicle, much branched, pyra- 

 midal, many-flovvcred. BniLia, linear-fubulate, at the bafe 

 of tlie pedicles. A native of Caracas in the margins of woods. 



BREDENBORN, in Geography, a town of Germany, 

 in the circle of Wellphalia, and bilh.opric of Paderborn, 4 

 miles E. of Nelicim. 



BREDE RODE, an ancient feignory of Holland be- 

 tween Bcverwick and Haerlcm ; tiie lord ot which was one 

 of the principal perfons who prefented a petition to Mar- 

 garet of Au'lria, again (I the inqulfilion and other innovations 

 in the year 1566. The title is e-xtiBdl. 



BREDEWIG, or Breedvig, a fea-port town in Nor- 

 way, in the diocefe of Aggerhuus, and dillridl of Bradfbcrg- 

 lehn, 44 miles S. S. W. of Chriftiania. 



BREDEWITE, in jlncient Lew Writers, an amerce- 

 ment arifing from fome default in the affile of bread. 



BREDIN, in Conchology, the French name of the com- 

 mon limpet, Patella vulgaris. 



BREDL, in Geography, a town of Bohemia, in the circle 

 of Bolefiaw ; 6 miles N. E. of Turnau. 



BREDON, the name of a hill in England, that divides 

 the vale of Tcwklhury from that of Evefham ; from the 

 fum.mit of which the profpeft is cxtenfive, commanding the 

 cities of Gloucellcr and Worcefter, and a confiderable num- 

 ber of towns and villages. 



BREDSTEDT, an ancient and populous town of Den- 

 mark, in the duchy of Slefwick, and capital of a diilrift of 

 the fame name, two Danidi miles in length and as many in 

 breadth, containing a confiderable number of acres of marfli- 

 land, and fubjeft to the prefeft of Flenfburg ; 2 1 miles 

 N. N. W. of Slefwick. 



BREDYDT, a town of Germany, in the circle of the Lower 

 Rhine, and eleftorate of Treves ; 1 1 miles E. of Treves. 



BRE'E, a town of France, in the department of the Lower 

 Meufe, and chief place of a canton, in the diilrift of 

 Ruremonde. The town contains 1184, and the canton 

 .5493 inhabitants ; the territory includes \6z\ kiliometres 

 and 1 1 communes. 



BREECH, in Ship Building, the angle formed by a knee 

 timber, the infide of which is called the throat. 



Breech of a gun, in Artillery, denotes the diftance 

 from the hind part of the bafe ring to the beginning of the 

 bore, and is always equal to the thickncfs of the metal at 

 the vent. See AC, fg. t. Tab. Gunnery. 



Engineers have contrived a fort of cat 

 charged by the breech. 



Breech^ 



cannons, which are 



