348 B RA 
BRAN'DENBURG (the Mark, or Marquifate of), a 
country of Germany, bounded on the north by Mecklen¬ 
burg and Pomerania, on the eaft by Poland and Silefia, on 
the fquth by Silefia, Lufatia, the deflorate of Saxony, 
principality of Haintft.ilt, and duchy of Magdeburg, and 
on the weft by Magdeburg and Luneburg; its greateft ex¬ 
tent, from eaft to weft, is about 200 miles, and from nortli 
to fouth about no. The country is almoft uniformly 
level, in fame places fandy, but by good culture is made 
to yield wheat, rye, barley, and oats, in abundance. In 
the circles of Zauch and Tcltow, the inhabitants culti¬ 
vate millet and flax, in other places tobacco and woad for 
dying. Large tracts of walle lands have been cultivated, 
iuperfiuous and unprofitable woods have been grubbed 
up, and deep and large morafles have been drained and 
rendered fertile. The wood’s here are of great importance, 
as they furmTh the inhabitants, not only with fuel for do-- 
meftic ufes, but likewife for tljeir glafs and iron ltoufes, 
charcoal, tar, and w'ood-afhes, large quantities of timber 
for houfe and (hip building, which is partly exported to 
Hamburg, Holland, France, and other place's; and bring’ 
yearly large Runs of money in return. Care alfo is taken 
to keep thefe woods, for the benefit of pofterity, in good 
condition: but its moft important fubfiftence arifes from 
the breeding of cattle, and in particular from the breed 
of flieep, in as much as by means of their fine wool divers 
excellent woollen manufactures have been eftablifhed. For 
the improvement alfo of their breed of flieep, Frederic II. 
caufed rams to be imported from Spain and England. The 
culture likewife of (ilk is carried on here with good fuc- 
cefs, and is continually increafing. The principal mine¬ 
rals in the Mark are a-good clay and fine porcelain earth, 
together with alum, faltpetre, amber, and iron-ftone. The 
principal rivers are the Elbe, the Oder, the Havel, the 
Spree, the DolTe, and the Warte. The navigation of thefe 
has been afiifted by navigable canals, which have much 
increafed the commerce, and enriched the inhabitants. 
The whole country is divided into Old Mark, Vor-Mark 
or Mark of Pregnitz, Middle Mark, Ucker-Mark, and 
Neu-Mark. The Semnones were the firft known inhabi¬ 
tants; thefe were Rtcceeded by the Wends, who being dri¬ 
ven out, the country was peopled by Saxons, Hollanders, 
and Flemings. The w-ar of thirty years, peftilence, and 
famine, which enfued, having almoft laid it wafte, French 
refugees, Lorrainers, Walloons, Swifs, Bohemians, and 
Germans, were invited to people it anew. The greateft 
part of the inhabitants are Lutherans, but all enjoy a li¬ 
berty of confcience, and a free exercife of their particular 
religion. Trade and manufadlures flourifli, and the fci- 
ences are cultivated with Riccefs. Charlemagne conquer¬ 
ed this country, but its conqueft remained not with his 
Ricceffors ; the people fo.on became free, till they were 
brought under the government of Otho the Great, who 
eompeljed them to pay tribute, and. become Chriftians; 
he eftablifiied bifliops at Brandenburg and Havelburg, but 
neither the tribute nor religion continued long. They 
were then governed by their own counts, who afterwards 
•obtained the title of margrave, one of whom was Albert 
the Bear, fon of Otho, of the Afcanian line, by a daughter 
of Magnus, duk<f of Saxony. Albert extended his ellates, 
v liicji became under him a part of the empire, and took 
his,title of margrave from Brandenburg the capital. He 
built towns, cultivated the arts, and eftablifiied the Chrif- 
tbn religion. His fon, Otho I. obtained the dignity of 
an eleftor, and arch-chamberlain of the empire. This 
family becoming extimfl in 1320, the emperor, Louis of 
Bavaria, conferred the eledlorate on his'fon,. who did not 
preferve it long. Charles IV. and Wencefiaus, held it 
afterwards. From them it palled to. the, margrave of Mo¬ 
ravia. In the year 1415, it was ceded to the burgrave of 
Nuremberg. The principalities of Culmbachand Anfpach 
have often been united, and often feparated. Joachim- 
Frederic eftablifiied the right of primo-geniture, and at¬ 
tached the Mark to the deflorate for ever. In the year 
1^08, his fon inherited a part of the duchy of Juliet's and 
BRA 
Cleves, became duke of Pruftia, and embraced the P10- 
teftant religion. His grandfon, the grand elector, aug¬ 
mented his eftates, and rendered Prufiia independent. In 
the year 1701, Prufiia was erected into a kingdom, and 
the marquifate of Brandenburg became an inferior title to 
the king of Prufiia. 
The Old Mark is about twelve leagues from eaft to 
weft,, and fifteen from north to fouth. It contains thirteen 
towns, of which Stenda -1 is the capital. 
The Middle Mark was formerly very marfliy, but being 
now drained, the foil, efpecially near the Oder, is exceed¬ 
ingly fertile. The inhabitants cultivate millet:, madder, 
and buck-wheat; wine too is made, and filk-worms are 
bred, in this province ; they have manufactures of alum, 
and vitriol, and fome medicinal fprings. They reckon 
fifty-four towns, among which.are Berlin, Brandenburg, 
and Potzdam. 
The Ucker Mark meafm'es about fifty miles in length, 
and forty-four in breadth. The land is exceedingly good 
and fertile, annually exporting great quantities of corn, 
befides fruit, hops, honey, and tobacco. It contains eigh¬ 
teen towns, of which Prenzlo is the capital. 
The New Mark is about a hundred and fixty miles in 
length, and forty in its greateft breadth. The foil in ge¬ 
neral is fandy, though there is good corn land in fome 
places. It abounds in wood and game. They count 
thirty-eight towns, andeftimate the inhabitants at 216,000. 
Cuftrin is the capital. 
, The Vor Mark, or Mark of Pregnitz, is fttuated be¬ 
tween the rivers Elbe and Havel; the duchy of Mecklen¬ 
burg, and the Middle Mark. It contains eleven towns, 
of which Perlberg is the principal. It is about forty-tw o 
miles long, and thirty broad. 
BRAN’DENBURG, a city of Germany, in the circle 
of Upper Saxony, and in the Mark to which it gives name ; 
fttuated on the Havel, which feparates the Old Town from 
the New’, and the whole from the caftle ; its foundation is. 
unknown. The Old Town contains about 400 lioufes ; 
the New’, 800 ; both together containing 600O inhabitants, 
and are governed by the fame magiftrates; there are fix 
churches, feven hofpitals, and two colleges. Manufafto- 
ries of linen, fuftian, and canvafs, have been eftablifiied by 
the French, and the navigation of the Havel brings a great 
deal of trade to the town. It is thirty-one miles weft of 
Beilin. Lat. 52. 27. N. Ion. 30. 18. E. Ferro. 
BRAN'DENBURG (New), a town of Germany, in the 
circle of Lower Saxony, and duchy of-Mecklenburg: forty- 
eight miles weft of Stettin, and fixty nortli of Berlin. 
BRANDE'RIM, a town of France, in the department 
of Morbihan: one league eaft of Hennebon. 
BRANDE'UM, J. in ecclefiaftical writers, a linen cloth 
or veil put over the tombs of St. Peter and St. Paul, and 
left there for fome time ; by which it was fuppofed to ac¬ 
quire a degree of fanGity, fo as frequently to be fent by 
the pope as a prefect to fome prince. In this fenfe Bran- 
deum amounts to the fame with what was otherwife called 
JanEluarium, fudarium, orarium, and velum. The ule of 
brandea was introduced as a means of diffufing and propa¬ 
gating the virtues and influences of relics; without mov¬ 
ing, or impairing, the fubftance of them ; the tranflation 
of relics in early days being forbidden. 
BRAND'GOOSE, f The trivial name of the wild' 
goofe. See Anas, vol. i. p. 318. 
BRANDGUTH', a town of Germany, in the circle of- 
Upper Saxony, and territory or circle of Erzgebirg : four 
miles north-eaft of Lauterftein. 
BRAN'DIS, a tow n of Germany; in the circle of Upper 
Saxony and circle of Leipftc : nine miles eaft of Leipfic. 
To BRAN'DISH, v. a. [from brand , afword.J To wave, 
or (liake, or flourifh, as a weapon : 
He faid, and, brandifliing at once his blade, 
With eager pace purfued the flaming (hade. Dryden. 
To play with; to flourifh.—He who Ihall employ all the 
force of his reafon only in brandijhivg of fyllogilms, will 
difeover very little. ' . . 
3 BRAND'LECHT, 
