It has several churches and an hospital; and is supposed | to occupy the site of the ancient Romulea, mentioned by Livy (lib. x. cap. 17.). The bishopric, of which Bisaccia was formerly the seat, has been united to that of St. Angelo de' Lombardi.

BISCARI, a town of Sicily, prov. Syracuse, m. N.W. Modica. Pop. 2,447, having declined 253 between 1798 and 1831. It is of modern date, having been founded in the 15th century.

BISCAY, a district in the N. of Spain, comprising Biscay Proper, Guipuzcoa, and Alava, the three Basque provinces, called by the Spaniards Pais Vascongadas, being part of the Roman provs. of Vasconia and Cantabria. These provs. extend from 1° 46′ to 3° 20′ W. long., and from 420 25 to 43° 27′ N. lat., having E. France and Navarre; W. and S. Burgos, and other parts of Old Castile; and on the N. the Bay of Biscay. Their mean length is about 60 m., and their breadth about 50 m. Area estimated at 2,963 sq. m.; but their limits have varied considerably at different periods. The country may be considered as a prolongation of the declivity of the Pyrenees to the boundaries of Castile. It is broken into highly picturesque glens and valleys, interspersed with some fertile plains. The district has marble of various colours, lime and sandstone, a profusion of iron ore, and some copper and gypsum of good quality, as well as saltmines, and saline and sulphurous cold and hot springs. The following is an account of the area of each prov., and of its pop. in 1803, and (according to Miñano) in 1826:

1. Biscay Proper, or the lordship of Biscay, has on the N. the ocean on the E. Guipuzcoa; on the S. Alava and Old Castille; and on the W. also Old Castile. Under the new division of Spain, made by the Cortes in 1822, it forms part of the province of Bilbao. The city and territory of Orduña, which are insulated by Alava and Old Castile, belong to it. Bilbao is the seat of government; and there are also Durango, Guernica, Balmaseda, and a few other small towns. Some of the mountains look as if they consisted of a congeries of hills heaped on each other. Gorvega is of this description: it has, on its summit, a considerable extent of level land. Principal rivers, Nerva, Ansa or Ibaizabal, Cadagua, Mundaca, and Lequeitio. The coast is abrupt, and deeply indented by bay's formed by the mouths of the rivers, and by a number of small harbours. The iron mines, which are frequent, and produce some of the best metal in Europe, particularly that at Somorrostro, the ore of which yields above a third part of iron. According to Antillon, the annual produce of this mine used to be 800,000 quintals. Climate humid, but not insalubrious. Houses good, and conveniently built; the upper parts, which were anciently of wood, are now of stone. There are many very ancient châteaux, mostly flanked with strong towers, that belong to the heads of families. With the exception of the towns named above, and a few others, the inhab. live dispersed in caserios of five or six houses each, with lands attached, which are mostly cultivated by the owners, in whose families they have remained for centuries, it being reckoned discreditable to part with the paternal property. Where land is hired, the rent, which is paid in money, usually amounts to about a third part of the value of the produce. The soil is mostly a stiff clay, and would produce little but pasturage or wood, were it not for the patient industry of the inhabitants, who break it up with a curiously shaped implement called a laya; but in lighter soils, where wheat only is grown, they use a strong plough. As arable land is scarce, they break up patches on the slopes of the mountains, where the ground, not being deep enough for the growth of large trees, is covered with thick shrubs. These they grub up and burn, and spreading out the ashes, get fertile crops of wheat the first three years; barley, or rye, the fourth; flax, the fifth; and good pasturage till the ground be again overgrown by brambles. They do not, however, notwithstanding their industry, reap grain enough for their consumption, but supply the deficiency by importations from Alava. Next to agriculture, the chief employment of the peasantry is in the making of charcoal for the iron foundries, from the wood cut in the forests, with which the sides of the mountains are covered. These contain plantations of excellent white oak, and in the glens and valleys are numerous groves of grafted chestnuts, which furnish a considerable article of exFort. The grapes are not good: there is a great pro

fusion of apples, with pears, cherries, figs, &c. Cattle small and hardy; sheep difficult to rear, from their getting entangled in the brambles; the wild boar is occasionally seen, as are wolves and bears; though both are very rare, especially the last. Fish abundant and excellent.

The staple business of Biscay Proper, and the other two provs., is the manufacture of iron, which is made into a great variety of tools and implements; but owing to the suspension of work in the royal arsenals, the loss of the American colonies, and the introduction of foreign iron, as well as the long wars of which this country has been the theatre, this important branch of industry has greatly fallen off. The Spanish Academy of History say that, in 1802, when their account of Biscay was compiled, there were 180 iron works, producing annually 80,000 quintals of iron, of 155lbs. each, which, when Miñano wrote (1826), were reduced to 117 works, yielding only 45,000 quintals. Copper boilers were also made at Balmaseda, and factories for cordage and rigging, made of hemp brought from Aragon and Navarre, were established in various parts; and tanneries at Balmaseda and Bilbao; but these, also, are much fallen off. The other manufactures are those of coarse porcelain, table and other household linen, fine and coarse hats, braziery, carpentry and joiners' and cabinet work, straw and rush chairs, tallow candles, &c. The people near the coast occupy themselves a good deal in fishing, and the exports of dried fish are sometimes very considerable. (See Diccionario por la Real Academia, ii. 487.; Miñano, x. 41-44.)

2. Guipuzcoa has the seignory of Biscay on the W.; Alava on the S.; Navarre and the Bidassoa, which separates it from France, on the E.; and the Bay of Biscay on the N. Since 1822 it has been called the prov. of St. Sebastian. The country is rough and mountainous. The highest mountain on the frontiers of Alava rises 1,800 ft. above the sea, and contains some salt mines and saline springs. The prov. is watered by the Deva, Urola, Oria, &c., and the Bidassoa, which all run N. into the Bay of Biscay. The coast is rocky, and the ports insecure, with bars at their entrances, except Pasages, which has deep water, and is spacious and well fortified. At Mondragon, on the Deva, is a celebrated iron mine; the ore yields no less than 40 per cent. of metal. At Vergara is a college, where the young nobility are educated, and other useful institutions. On the N. of this, at Placencia, is a royal manufactroy of fire-arms.

Guipuzcoa yields to no part of Spain in the magnificence of its ecclesiastical and other buildings. The roads are well paved, and kept in good repair; the inns commodious, and well conducted. Climate soft and temperate; but, like the other provs., it is subject to heavy rains and violent storms, both in summer and winter. The prov. produces most kinds of grain and other necessaries, but not in nearly sufficient quantities for the support of its inhab. Fruits and other natural products nearly the same as in Biscay. The fish, including salmon, are excellent; and tunny, rays, and sardines, are supplied to the neighbouring provs. The grapes, though indifferent, furnish the light wine called chacoli. A good deal of cider is also produced. The growth of timber in the woods and plantations is not equal to the consumption of the iron works. Agricul ture nearly the same as in Biscay.

Iron may be had in any quantity. According to Antillon (Géographie Physique, p. 85.), 100,000 quintals used to be annually wrought up into hinges, nails, horseshoes, boilers, kitchen utensils, arms, anchors, working tools, &c. They make, also, fishing tackle, rigging, tanned leather, coarse cloths of goats' hair, coarse linen and sail-cloth. Ship-building has lost its activity, but some vessels are fitted out for the cod and whale fisheries.

Guipuzcoa imports what grain it wants from Alava; wine, from Navarre and Rioja; soap, oil, flax, &c., from Castile and Andalusia; woollens, cottons, cloths, silks, jewellery, and articles of fashion, from England, Holland, and France. It exports little native produce but iron, hardware, and fruits; but wool, and sometimes corn, are brought from the interior to its ports for shipment. Formerly, it had a considerable coasting trade to the shores of the Mediterranean, and a large share of the whale fishery and the cod fishery at Newfoundland. The famous Caracas Company originated here. Its commerce has fallen off since 1809. Being a frontier prov., it admits the royal troops to garrison its strong posts. (Diccionario por la Academia, i. 321.; Miñano, iv.; Antillon, p. 85.)

3. Álava has the seignory of Biscay and Guipuzcoa on the N.; Navarre on the E.; and Old Castile, from which it is divided by the Ebro, on the S. and W. It now forms a principal part of the prov. of Vitoria, the name of its chief town. The other towns are Salvatierra, Lequiana, and Gamboa. It is surrounded and intersected by mountains, similar to those in the other Basque provs.,

and affording the same products of iron, black and red marble, gypsum, &c. They are covered with oaks, wild apple trees, thorns, box, yews, limes, hollies, &c. The crops of grain exceed the demand of the inhab. Climate cold and damp, with long winters, frequent and heavy rains, snow, frosts, fogs, and mists; but it is healthy, and the inhab. strong and long-lived. Agriculture is the chief pursuit. In some parts they plough with oxen, as in Navarre; and in others, use the laya, as in Biscay and Guipuzcoa, weeding the ground repeatedly till it looks like a garden. The iron-works are greatly reduced in consequence of the destruction of the forests which supplied them with fuel, and of the weight of the duties paid on iron taken into Castile. nufactories of hats, shoes, boxes, &c., are also in a state of decay, but a good many hands are occupied in the manufacture of table linen and coarse cloths. They also make a good deal of salt. (Diccionario por la Academia, i. 13. Miñano, i. 54.; Antillon, p. 92.; Journal of the British Legion by a Staff Officer, p. 155.)

The ma

The Basques have a peculiar language, which is undoubtedly of great antiquity. Lécluse, in his Grammaire Basque, endeavours to trace it to the Hebrew, as a dialect of the Phoenician, brought to Carthage, and thence to Spain; and attempts by its means to interpret the speech of Hanno in Plautus! From the supposed prevalence of Basque names of mountains, plains, forests, rivers, and towns in every part of Spain and Portugal, it has been concluded that the Basques once pervaded the whole peninsula. They have no alphabet of their own, but learned men write the language with Roman letters. Its chief characteristics are its similarity to the Hungarian and Turkish, in its inversion of the order of its particles, and its unparalleled variety of verbal inflections. Their only books are the New Testament, printed at Rochelle in 1571, some devotional tracts. catechisms, national poetry, dictionaries, and vocabularies. They count by twenties up to a hundred, and seem originally to have had but three days in their week, there not being ancient names for more. Few natives, except the gentry, know any language other than the Basque. It is also spoken, with some variation, in part of Navarre, as well as by the French Basques. (Lécluse, Grammaire Basque, p. 2, 3. 14. 26. 28. 219.; W. Humboldt, Prüfung der Untersuchungen über die Urbewohner Hispaniens, &c.)

The government of these provinces has had, from the earliest times, a republican form. The people choose the members of the ayuntamientos, or municipal corporations, who, again, elect the deputies to the provincial assemblies, which meet every two years in Biscay, once a year in Guipuzcoa, and twice a year in Alava, to provide for the interior administration of their respective provinces, to vote the supplies, and to determine the appropriation of the money granted. Each assembly chooses a magistrate, in whose hands the executive power is placed when the juntas are not sitting, and who treats on equal terms with the corregidores, or ambassadors, appointed by the king of Spain to reside in each prov., but who must not, on any account, be natives of these provinces, nor exercise any authority in them. The people choose, also, the tax-collectors, and pay their civil officers moderate salaries for their services. Their taxes are light, and levied according to a valuation, which is frequently modified. Their ancient privileges, or fueros, order that they shall not be taxed by the Spanish government, except in a small sum, paid by Guipuzcoa and Alava, continuing at about 5407. sterling, the amount paid in the 14th century. But Biscay is free from this, and pays a larger sum every four or five years under the name of donativo or gift.. They have no monopolies nor custom-houses, every article being imported duty free. They are also free from the conscription and impressment to which every other part of Spain is subject; but, in case of foreign invasion, they are bound to defend their frontiers without the king's troops. Another of their important privileges is that of being exempted from torture, or threat of torture, direct or indirect, on any pretence whatever, within Biscay or out of it. Fuero Sit. Ley, xil.) On the other hand, they have always been prohibited from trading directly with the Spanish colonies, and are shut out from a free trade with the rest of Spain, by heavy duties and a line of custom-houses all along the Ebro; and are also obliged to resort to the court of chancery at Valladolid, for the decision of their lawsuits. Their financial system seems to have been well managed, since the price of the Alava 3 per cent. debt, before the breaking out of the present civil war, was 93; and in Biscay and Guipuzcoa, the extra taxes imposed during the French invasion were being refunded to the contributors. Foreigners, not of the Catholic religion, cannot establish themselves in any line of business in the Biscay provinces. (Diccionario Geografico por la Real Academia de la Historia, Madrid, 1802, ii. 488--510.; El Fuero Privilegios, &c. de Vizcaya, Medina del Campo, 1575; Spain past and present, Monthly Chronicle, November, 1838, p. 440.)

The Biscayans being devoted to agriculture, navigation,

and commerce, and having little inequality of condition, possess those virtues that are seldom found united with ease and riches acquired without toil. They are honourable, brave, cheerful, and courteous, without being mean. They are also docile, when well treated; but, if roused by ill usage, are stubborn and inflexible. In general, they retain the dress, customs, and simplicity of manners, as well as the institutions of the 13th century; and pride themselves on their independence, and the antiquity of their lineage. The women, who are robust, assist the men in their severest labours. Not only the in-door, but the out-door, work of the house is done by female servants; and even señoras, delicately brought up, may be seen in their walks climbing the rocks with no other protection than a parasol. (Diccionario por la Real Academia, ii. 484.; Miñano, i. 326.)

Some of

They are very fond of dancing, and assemble every Sunday afternoon to enjoy that amusement. their dances are of a grave, majestic, and ceremonious character; others, gay and lively. They also delight in bull-fights, and play much at a game with a ball, called pelota, for which public sites are every where appropriated, At their weddings they discharge guns and pistols, on entering and quitting the church. Some villages distribute bread and cheese, wine and walnuts, at their fumerals; some beg money for masses for the soul of the deceased. They are sober, but are fond of good living. They dress with a blue cap, red sash, and alpargates, or hempen sandals, tied on with blue or red ribands; and in wet weather, espadillos, or brogues of hide. The women dress as in Castile; the married wear a thin muslin handkerchief, tied on the head, like the Irish; the girls wear their hair braided down their backs. There are theatres at Bilbao and Vittoria, where plays and operas are performed; and the upper classes follow the fashions of France and the rest of Europe. (Diccionario per la Real Academia de la Historia, i 326.; Bowles, p. 206. ; Henningson's Campaign in Navarre and the Basque Provinces, p. 72.)

Little is known of the early history of the Basques before the time of the Romans, or during the ascendancy of the Goths and Saracens; by all of whom the country was partially over-run. The Spanish Academy of Listory says, there is no reason to suppose that any family ever had that absolute sovereignty over it that has been supposed, but that its rulers were subject to the Spanish kings of Asturias, Navarre, and Castile, like the rest of the principal señors of the kingdom, with the exception of that difference which arose from the great power of the family of Haro, who held the lordship for many years. In 1332, the deputies of the three provinces offered the dignity to Alphonso XI., king of Castile, who accepted the lordship; but before the grant was executed, the most formal reserves were made of their franchises and privileges, and the king was obliged to sign a treaty, one of the articles of which was, that the Castilian monarch should never possess any village, fortress, or house, on the Basque territory. Their country has been the scene of frequent and long-con inued wars with foreign nations, and is now the principal theatre of a destructive civil conflict. Though republican in all their institutions, they are much attached to the Spanish dominion. (Diccionario por la Academia, ii. 488–508.; Monthly Chronicle, art. Spain past and present, Nov. 1838.)

BISCEGLIA, a sea-port town of Naples, prov. Terra di Bari, on a rocky promontory, on the Adriatic, 12 m. E.S.E. Barletta; lat. 41° 14' 34 N., long, 16° 31′ E. Pop. 10,000. It is surrounded by lofty stone walls, and is ill built it is the seat of a bishopric, has a cathedral, 2 collegiate and some other churches, convents for both sexes, a public school, an hospital, a mont-de-piété, and a fine theatre. Its port admits only small vessels, and it has little trade. It has numerous reservoirs and cisterns cut in the solid rock, and arched over, for the collection and preservation of the rain water, the place being entirely destitute of springs. It is supposed by some to be the Natiolum of the Peutingerian tables, but other critics contend that its ancient name was Vigilie. Swinburne says that it is destitute of any remains of antiquity. (Swinburne's Two Sicilies, i. 185. 4to. ed.; Craven's Naples, p. 93.; Dict. Géographique, &c.)

BISCHOFSBURG, a village of the Prussian States prov. E. Prussia, on the Dimmer, 15 m. S.S.W. Rossel. Pop. 2,000.

BISCHOFSTEIN, or BISCHSTEIN, a town of the Prussian States, prov. E. Prussia, reg. Königsberg, on a marshy lake, 47 m. S. by E. Königsberg. Pop. 2,200. It has 2 Catholic churches, a high school, fabrics of cloth and stockings, with distilleries, breweries, &c.

BISCHWEILLER, a town of France, dép. Bas Rhin, cap. cant., on the Mcder, 15 m. N. Strasburg. Pop. 5,854. It was once fortified; but the works were destroyed by the Imperialists in 1706. It manufactures coarse woollen and linen cloths, woollen gloves, pottery, tiles, and bricks, and has woollen mills, madder mills, tanneries, &c.

C c

BISENTO, a town of Naples, prov. Abruzzo Ultra I., cap. cant., in a valley, 10 m. N.W. Civita-di-Penne. Pop. 2,000. It has several churches, a dyework for cloth, and fairs on May 16. and 17.

BISHOPS-AUCKLAND, a market-town and township of England, co. Durham, N. W. div. Darlington ward, par. St. Andrew Auckland, 10 m. S.W. Durham. Area of township, 2,570 acres. Pop. 2,859, of which the town may have about 2,000. The latter, which is well built, stands on an eminence, having the Wear on the N., and the Gaunless on the S. E. The par. church is about 1 m. distant; but there is a chapel of ease in the town, and the Methodists, Independents, Quakers, &c. have also chapels. There is here a grammar-school founded by James I., and farther endowed by several prelates; a school on the Madras system for 200 boys, and a school for girls, both founded by Bishop Barrington, &c. The town owes its importance, and, perhaps, existence, to its having at its N.E. end the magnificent castle or episcopal palace of the bishop of Durham. The building is of great extent, has a fine chapel built by Bishop Cosins, and some good pictures. The park includes about 800 acres.

BISHOP'S CASTLE, a par., bor., and town of England, co. Salop, hund. Parslow, 144 m. N.W. by W. London. Area, 6,000 acres. Pop. of par., 1821, 1,870; 1831, 2,007; of which the town had 1,729. It stands on the slope of a hill, near a small branch of the Clare. There are some good houses, in detached situations; but the greater part of the town is irregularly, and meanly built, of unhewn stone. The church (originally a fine structure of the Norman period) was partly destroyed in the last civil war, and subsequently restored. There are several dissenting places of worship, and a free school, educating 50 boys and girls. The townhall, built in 1750, contains prisons for criminals and debtors: both this and the market-house are good brick buildings. A weekly market is held on Friday, and annual fairs, Feb. 13., Friday before Good Friday, Friday after May 1., July 5., Sept. 9., and Nov. 13. That in May is a pleasure, and that in July a wool fair; the rest are for cattle. Both the fairs and markets are much resorted to by the Welsh, who are the chief supporters of the town. The ann. value of the real prop. in 1815 was 8,2487. A charter of the 26th of Elizabeth conferred on the corporation the privilege of returning 2 mem. to the H. of C., which it exercised till the passing of the Reform Act, when it was disfranchised. Its local limits were extensive, having a circ. of 15 m. Its name is derived from an ancient castle of the bishops of Hereford, which has been long demolished: the site of it, however, may still be traced. BISHOP'S STORTFORD, a par. and town of Eng. land, co. Hertford, hund. Branghin, on the Stort, 26 m. N.N.E. London. Area, 3,080 acres. Pop. of par., 1821, 3,358; 1831, 3,958. The greater part of the town stands on the slope of a hill, on the W. side of the river, and consists of two lines of street, intersecting each other at right angles, and forming a cross. It is on the whole well built, and has several good inus. The church stands on an eminence, and has a fine tower. There is a national school for 300 children, and a public library. It has an excellent market-house (built at the intersection of the streets, in 1828, with an Ionic front), which contains a large hall, used as a corn-exchange, over which are assembly and magistrates' rooms. The weekly market is on Thursday, and three annual fairs are held on Holy Thursday; Thursday after Trinity Sunday, and 10th October. The malting and corn trades constitute the chief business of the town, for which there are convenient wharfs along the river and the canal (both of which are contiguous to it); and being in the centre of a good corn district, the trade is considerable. There is also a silk-mill, which employs many hands. The ann. value of real prop. in 1815 was 8,930. Under the Poor Law Amendment Act it is the union town for 20 pars. its own rates average 1,2317. Is. Petty sessions are held every fortnight by the co. magistrates: it is also a polling town for Herts.

BISHOP'S WALTHAM, a par. and town of England, co. Southampton, div. Portsdown, hund. of Bishop's Waltham, 62 m. S. W. by W. London. Pop., in 1821, 2,126; 1831, 2,181: houses at the latter date, 438. It is situated by the Hamble (a small stream rising 1 m. from the town) in the vicinity of Waltham Forest. It has a good church, an endowed charity school for 36 boys, and a national school for 160 boys and girls. It has a weekly market on Friday, and annual fairs, on 2d Friday in May, July 30., and Friday following Old Michaelmas-day. Leather-dressing is the chief trade of the town, which is mostly disposed of at its own fairs, and those of the neighbourhood. There is also some malting business carried on. It is a polling town for the northern division of the county. The ann. value of real prop., in 1815, was 4,8097. The ivy-covered ruins to a fine old castle are in the immediate vicinity. If originated in the reign of Stephen, but owed its sub

war.

sequent magnificence to William of Wykenam. It was demolished by the parliamentary army in the last civil BISHOP-WEARMOUTH. (See SUNDERLAND.) BISIGNANO (an. Besidia), a town of Naples, prov. Calabria Citra, cap. cant., 15 m. N. Cosenza. Pop. 10,000. It is defended by a castle situated on the highest of the 7 hills by which it is surrounded; is the seat of a bishopric; has a fine cathedral, numerous churches, a nunnery, several convents, 2 hospitals, and a house of refuge. Large quantities of silk-worms are reared in the vicinity.

BISSAGOS, a group of small volcanic islands, on the W. coast of Africa, opposite the embouchure of the Rio Grande, between 10 and 120 N. lat., and 1540 and 1640 W. long. The largest is about 15 m. in length, and some of them are uninhabited. The inhab., who are described as brave and treacherous, raise some maize, but are principally dependent on their cattle, goats, and fishery. BISZTRITZ, a free royal town of Transylvania, cap. district, in a fine valley, on the Bisztritz; lat. 470 5' 46' N., long. 24° 32′ 18′′ E. Pop. 6,500. It is fortified, has a gymnasium, two schools, and two hospitals, with a considerable trade in cattle.

BITCHE, a town and fortress of France, dép. Moselle, cap. cant., at the foot of the Vosges, 15 m. E.S.E. Sarguemines. Pop. 3,077. The fortress or citadel stands on an almost inaccessible rock rising from the middle of the town. The interior of the rock is vaulted and casemated; the fort mounts 80 pieces of cannon, may be garrisoned by 1,000 men, is well supplied with water, and is looked upon as next to impregnable. The town, formerly called Kaltenhausen, is built at the foot of the rock, surmounted by the citadel, near a large shallow lake or mere, where the Horne has its source. It produces different sorts of fine pottery. The glass-works of Munsthal, in the vicinity, furnish flint glass of the value of 600,000 fr. a year. (Hugo, art. Moselle.)

BITETTO, a town of Naples, prov. Terra di Bari, in a very fertile plain on the Adriatic, 10 m. S.W. Bari. Pop. 5,000. It is the seat of a bishopric; has a cathedral, remarkable for its pictures and marbles, and several convents.

BITONTO (an. Butuntum), a town of Naples, prov. Terra di Bari, cap. cant., in a fine plain, 10 m. W.S.W. Bari; lat. 41° 13' N., long. 16° 42′ E. Pop. 12,000. Swinburne says that it is a fine town, and that the inhabitants are much easier in their fortunes, and more polished and improved in their manners, than those that dwell in the cities along the coast. It is the seat of a bishopric; has a fine cathedral, 12 parish churches, convents for both sexes, an hospital, and a nunnery. The environs produce a wine called sagarillo, said to be excellent, and in which the town trades extensively. In 1734 the Spaniards, under the Count de Mortemar, gained, in the vicinity of this town, an important victory over the Austrians. (Swinburne's Two Sicilies, i. 397.; Rampoldi, &c.)

BITRITTO, a town of Naples, prov. Terra di Bari, 7 m. S. Bari. Pop. 2,500. It has a fine collegiate church, and its territory is celebrated for its wines and almonds.

BITTBURG, a town of the Prussian States, prov. Lower Rhine, cap. circle, 18 m. N.N.W. Treves. Pop. 2,000. It has a castle, two Catholic churches, and some trade in corn and cattle.

BITTERFELD, a town of the Prussian States, prov. Saxony, reg. Mersebourg, cap. circle, 16 m. S. Dessau. Pop. 3,400. It was founded by a colony of Flemings, whose descendants are said to hold their property in common, and to be governed by peculiar laws. It has fabrics of cloth and earthenware.

BIZERTA, or BENZART (an. Hippo Diarrhytus, or Zaritus), a sea-port town of Tunis, at the bottom of a deep gulph or bay (Sinus Hipponensis), on a channel uniting the gulph with an internal lake or lagoon, 40 m. N.W. Tunis; lat. 37° 17′ 20′′ N., long. 9° 50′ 35 E. Pop. variously estimated at from 8,000 to 14,000. It is about 1 m. in circ., and is defended by walls, and two castles; but as the latter are commanded by a height within a short distance, it could oppose no effectual resistance to an army attacking it by land. Though it has a good appearance at a distance, it is, like most other Turkish towns, really mean and filthy. Its port, which now only admits small vessels, was formerly one of the best in the Mediterranean, and might easily be restored, in this respect, to its ancient pre-eminence. The channel on which the town is built has in parts five and six fathoms water, and it might, with no great labour, be every where deepened to that extent. The lake, or inner harbour, is of great extent, with a depth of water varying from ten to fifty fathoms, and is capable of accommodating the largest navies. The country round is also exceedingly fertile; so much so that, notwithstanding its neglected state, large quantities of corn are occasionally exported from Bizerta. There cannot therefore be a doubt that