BRI 
s traction of Tables by Differences ; the 
Interpolation of Differences, with Angular 
Sections, and several other ingenious com- 
positions.” 
This great man died at Oxford in 1630, 
and was buried in the Chapel of Merton 
College, highly respected by his contem- 
poraries, by many of whom his character 
was drawn with great ability : by Oughtred 
he is designated as the mirror of the age for 
his great skill in geometry : the learned 
Barrow extols his ability, skill, and industry, 
particularly in perfecting the invention of 
logarithms, which without his care, might 
have continued an imperfect and useless de- 
sign. Dr. Smith represents him as easy of 
access to all, free from arrogance, morose- 
ness, envy, ambition, and avarice, a con- 
temner of riches, and contented in his own 
situation ; preferring a studious retirement 
to all the splendid circumstances of life. 
BRIMSTONE. See Sulphur. Casts 
of medals have been taken off on a compo- 
sition of which the chief ingredient is sul- 
phur, and hence they are called sulphur 
casts. By this means the most curious 
antiques may, to all useful purposes, be in- 
definitely multiplied. The composition is 
thus described : melt eight ounces of sul- 
phur over a gentle fire, and with it mix an 
equal quantity of fine Vermillion, stir it well 
together, and it will dissolve like oil, then 
cast it into the mould, which is first to be 
rubbed over with oil. When cool the figure 
may be taken, and, touched over with aqua- 
fortis, it will look like fine coral. 
BRIONIA alba, a root used in medicine, 
which has been long known to contain a 
considerable portion of starch, and a bitter 
principle soluble in water and alcohol. It 
has lately been examined by the French 
chemists by maceration, the starch was 
separated and obtained in a state of purity. 
The bitter principle appeared to possess the 
properties in a very pure state. It was 
also found to contain a considerable portion 
of gum, which is precipitated by the infu- 
sion of galls, and which Vauquelin denomi- 
nates vegeto-animal matter, some woody 
fibre, a small portion of sugar, and a quan- 
tity of supermalate of lime, and phosphate 
of lime. 
BRISTLE, a rigid glossy kind of hair, 
found on swine, and much used by brush- 
makers, shoe-makers, sadlers, and others. 
They are chiefly imported from Russia and 
Poland. There is a heavy duty upon these. 
BRITTLENESS, a quality of certain 
Jjodies, by which they are subjected to be 
BRO 
easily broken by pressu or percussion. 
Brittle bodies are extremely hard ; a very 
small percussion exerts a force on them 
equivalent to the greatest pressure, and 
thus they are easily broken. This effect 
is particularly remarkable in glass suddenly 
cooled, the brittleness of which thereby 
is much increased. In the new arrange- 
ment of chemistry, the metals are distin- 
guished into those that are more or less 
brittle as one of their leading characteristics. 
BRIZA, in botany, a genus of the Trian- 
dria Digynia. Natural order of Gramina 
or Grasses. Essential character : calyx bi- 
valve, many flowered; spikelet distinct, 
with heart-shaped obtuse valves, the lower 
of which is minute. There are six species, 
briza minor, small quaking grass, is an an- 
nual according to Linnaeus and Villars : by 
Fludson, and in the Kew Catalogue it is 
marked as perennial. The culms are about 
a foot and a half in height ; and the panicles 
are very much branched. Native of Ger- 
many, Switzerland, the South of France, 
Italy, and Britain. It flowers from June 
to August. B. media has a perennial root; 
culm upright, six or seven inches high in 
a dry soil, but in wet places it rises to two 
or three feet, having four or five knots on 
it. The panicle is handsome, spreads very 
much when in flower, and has two spikelets 
on each branch, placed on such long slender 
pedicles, as to shake with the least air or 
motion ; each spikelet is composed of seven, 
eight, or nine florets, is heart-shaped, flat- 
ted, shining, smooth, varying in colours, 
usually variegated with green, white and 
purple. This beautiful grass is common in 
dry pastures in most parts of Europe. It 
flowers from May to July. 
BROADSIDE, in the seh-language, de- 
notes a volley of cannon, or a general dis- 
charge of all the guns on one side of a ship 
at once. 
BROCADE, a stuff of gold, silver, or 
silk, raised and enriched with flowers, foli- 
ages, and other ornaments, according to the 
fancy of the merchants, or manufacturers. 
BROCCOLI, a kind of cabbage culti- 
vated for the use of the table. See Bras- 
sica. 
BROKER, a name given to persons of 
several and very different professions, the 
chief of which are exchange-brokers, stock- 
brokers, pawn-brokers, and brokers, simply 
so called, who sell household furniture, and 
second-hand apparel. 
Brokers, exchange, are a sort of ne- 
gotiators who contrive, make, and conclude 
