Bristol, N. H., a town in Grafton County, 32 miles north from Concord. It is at the junction of the Pemigewasset and New Found rivers; is the terminus of the Bristol branch of the Boston & M. RR., and has become a place of summer resort. It has a public library, and flannel, wooden ware, and paper manufactories. Pop. (1900) 1,600.

Bristol, Pa., a borough in Bucks County; on the Delaware River, the Pennsylvania RR., and the Pennsylvania Canal; 21 miles northeast of Philadelphia. It has a national bank, high school, electric light and street railroad plants, a noted mineral spring, and manufactories of carpets, hosiery, and foundry products. It is in a rich fruit and truck farming region, and is the centre of considerable trade. It was originally called Buckingham, and was settled in 1681. A ferry connects it with the town of Burlington on the New Jersey side of the Delaware. Pop. (1900) 7,104.

lakes, by which communication with the interior is opened up for a considerable distance. Bristol Brick, or Bath Brick, a kind of brick used for cleaning steel, manufactured for some years exclusively in Bridgewater and Bristol, England. A small vein of the sand required for this purpose was found near Liverpool, but was soon exhausted. One of the owners or operatives, who had been concerned in the works at Bristol, visited the United States in 1820, where by accident he discovered that the same kind of sand which was used for the Bristol bricks might be procured at South Hampton, N. H. Since that period, bricks fully equal to the imported article have been manufactured in this country.

Bristol Channel, an arm of the Irish Sea, extending between the southern shores of Wales and the western peninsula of England, and terminating in the estuary of the Severn. It is about 90 miles long, and from 15 to 50 miles the rapidity with which they rise. At Chepstow wide. It is remarkable for its high tides and

service for Fall River and Providence. It is

the seat of the widely known Herreshoff shipbuilding works, where a number of noteworthy sailing and steam yachts and torpedo boats have been constructed; and also of the Saunders & West yacht-building yards. The town has a handsome brown stone library building containing some 15.000 volumes, eight churches, 17 public schools, large market gardening and coast trade interests, and manufactories of rubber, woolen, and cotton goods. Bristol is the site of the residence of King Philip, the great Narraganset chief. Pop. (1900) 6,901.

Bristol, Tenn. and Va. (post-office, Bristol, Tenn. or Va.), a city in Sullivan County, Tenn., and Washington County, Va., adjoin and to all intents and purposes are one place, the centre of State street being the boundary line between the two States, running due east and west. Bristol is the centre of several railroads and is contiguous to the great coal, iron, and timber regions of Southwest Virginia, East Tennessee, Western North Carolina, and Eastern Kentucky, and is the seat of King College (Presbyterian), for males; Sullins College (Southern Methodist), and Virginia Institute (Baptist), for girls; Bristol Normal College for colored people (Presbyterian), and six public schools, three on each side of the town, four white and two colored. Bristol is principally engaged in the manufacture of furniture, leather, flour, lumber, iron, staves, wood pulp, barytes, bark extract, and patent medicines, with a number of smaller industries. Bristol is situated in a beautiful valley surrounded by lofty mountains, is 1,760 feet above the sea level, and is the headquarters for two railroads, V. I. C. & C. Co., three daily newspapers, thirteen wholesale houses, and has a Government building. The present city charter provides for two city councils, one for each State, and a mayor, elected biennially. Pop. (1900) 9,850.

A. C. SMITH, Editor 'Bristol News. Bristol Bay, an arm of Bering Sea, lying immediately to the north of the peninsula of Alaska. It receives the waters of two large

are situated the towns of Cardiff, Swansea, Ilof the Usk, Severn, Wye, Avon, Parrott, Taw, fracombe, Tenby, etc. It receives the waters and Torridge rivers. At the entrance of the channel is Lundy Island.

Bristow, Benjamin Helm, American lawyer: b. Elkton, Ky., 20 June 1832; d. 22 June 1896. He was admitted to the bar in Kentucky in 1853. He served with distinction in the Civil War, and at its close was appointed United States district attorney of Kentucky. In 1874 he became secretary of the treasury, and made his name memorable by the exposure and prosecution of a notorious whiskey ring. He removed to New York in 1876, and had an extensive legal practice there.

Bristow, George Frederick, American musician: b. Brooklyn, N. Y., 1825; d. New York, 1898. From 1851 to 1862 he was the conductor of the New York Philharmonic Society, and later of the Mendelssohn Union. The greater part of his life was spent as an organist in the churches, and as a teacher in the public schools of New York. He wrote 'Rip Van Winkle,' an opera produced in New York 1855; Daniel,' an oratorio (1867); Arcadian Symphony' (1874); and The Great Republic, a cantata (1880).

Bristow, Joseph L., American politician: b. Flemingsburg, Ky., 1859. He was educated for the ministry, but became editor of the Salina, Kan., Republican, and soon after entered politics. He was secretary of the Republican State Committee in 1896, and in 1898 was appointed fourth assistant postmaster-general. In 1900 he became active in exposing frauds in the postoffice department.

Bris'tow Station, now Bristoe, Va., a village in Prince William County, four miles southwest of Manassas Junction. On 27 Aug. 1862 a drawn battle took place here between the Federal army under Gen. Hooker, and a Confederate one under Gen. Early, and on 14 Oct. 1863, the Federal troops under Gen. Warren repulsed with severe loss a Confederate attack under Gen. A. P. Hill.

Britain. See GREAT BRITAIN.

Britain, Ecclesiastical History of, by the Venerable Bede, or Bæda (673-735). Bede was

by far the most learned Englishman of his time; one of the greatest writers known to English literature; in a very high sense "the Father of English History"; an extensive compiler for English use from the writings of the Fathers of the Church; an author of treatises representing the existing knowledge of science; and a famous English translator of Scripture. A recent authority calls him "the greatest name in the ancient literature of England"; and Green's 'History' says of him: "First among English scholars, first among English theologians, first among English historians, it is in the monk of Jarrow that English literature strikes its roots. In the 600 scholars who gathered round him for instruction, he is the father of our national education." It was in point of view and name only that Bede's great work was an ecclesiastical history. It covered all the facts drawn from Roman writers, from native chronicles and biographies, from records and public documents, and from oral and written accounts by his contemporaries. It was written in Latin; first printed at Strasburg about 1473; King Alfred translated it into Anglo-Saxon; and it has had several editions and English versions in recent times.

Britain, New. See NEW BRITAIN. Britan'nia, the ancient name of Britain. Under the name of Britannia, Great Britain is personified as a helmeted woman seated on a globe or an insulated rock, leaning with one arm on a shield, and the other grasping a spear or trident.

Britannia Metal, an alloy that has come into very general use in modern times, many domestic utensils, such as spoons and teapots, being made of it. Such articles are commonly electro-plated, and made to resemble real silver. It consists chiefly of tin and antimony, but often contains also a small quantity of copper, zinc, and bismuth. A common proportion is 140 parts of tin, three of copper, and nine of antimony; but the best alloy is composed of 90 parts of tin and 10 of antimony. The copper is used mainly to impart color to the combination. The manufacture of the metal was introduced into England about 1770. Queen's metal is one of

the varieties of Britannia metal.

Britannia Tubular Bridge, an iron tubular bridge across Menai Strait, which separates Anglesea from Wales, about one mile from the Menai suspension bridge. It has two principal spans of 460 feet each over the water, and two smaller ones of 230 feet each over the land; constructed 1846-50. See BRIDGE.

Britan'nicus, the son of the Roman emperor, Claudius, by Messalina: b. about 42 A.D.; poisoned 55 a.d. He was passed over by his father for the son of his new wife Agrippina. This son became the Emperor Nero, whose fears that he might be displaced by the natural successor of the late emperor caused him to murder Britannicus.

British America, the general name for the whole northern part of the North American continent beyond the territory of the United States. It extends from lat. 41° to 78° N., and from lon. 52° to 141° W. The frontier line between British America and the United States was determined by the conventions of 1839 and 1846. It is bounded east by the Atlantic Ocean, Davis Strait, and Baffin Bay; north by the

Arctic Ocean; northwest by Alaska; west by the Pacific Ocean; and south by the United States. In its broadest sense British America includes Upper and Lower Canada, the Hudson Bay, and Northwestern territories, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Cape Breton, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick, with Vancouver Island in the Pacific, but all British possessions on or near the American continent. Each of these will be treated under its own title.

sec

British Association for the Advancement of Science, a society first organized in 1831, mainly through the exertions of Sir David Brewster. Its first meeting was held at York, 27 Sept. 1831. Its objects are thus described in the preamble to the rules of the association: "To give a stronger impulse and a more systematic direction to scientific inquiry; to promote the intercourse of those who cultivate science in different parts of the British empire with one another and with foreign philosophers; to obtain a more general attention to the objects of science and a removal of any disadvantages of a public kind which impede its progress." The second meeting took place at Oxford in 1832, under the presidency of Dr. Buckland, and since then a meeting has been held every year up to the present. All the principal towns of the United Kingdom have on one or more occasions formed the place of rendezvous, a different locality being chosen every year. In 1884 the meeting took place at Montreal, in 1897 at Toronto, and in 1902, the 72d annual meeting was held in Belfast, Ireland. The meeting for 1903 will be held at Southport and that for 1904 at Cambridge. The sittings extend generally Over about week. The society is divided into a tions, which, after the president's address, meet separately during the sittings for the reading of papers and conference. Soirees, conversaziones, lectures, and other general meetings are usually held each evening during the meeting of the A. Mathematics association. The sections are: and Physics; B. Chemistry; C. Geology; D. Zoology; E. Geography; F. Economic Science and Statistics; G. Mechanical Science; H. Anthropology; I. Physiology; K. Botany; and L. Educational Science. Local committees are formed to arrange for meetings, etc. The important national benefits conferred by the labors of various members of the association have long been duly recognized. Among these may be mentioned more especially the experiments on electricity and magnetism which have achieved such important consequences in the establishment of the electric telegraph and a more thorough knowledge of the laws which govern the weather and other meteorological phenomena. In mechanical science also the labors of members of the British Association have been productive of the most important results. As the funds which the society collects at each meeting are more than sufficient to cover its expenses, it is enabled each year to make direct grants for the pursuit of particular scientific inquiries, which otherwise could not be conducted so efficiently, if at all; but besides this direct encouragement, its indirect influence on the promotion of science is undoubtedly great in many ways. Among the presidents of the association have been many distinguished men, including Dr. Whewell (1841), the Earl of Rosse (1843), Sir John Herschel (1845), Sir R. Murchison (1846), Sir

David Brewster (1850), Sir George Airy (1851), Sir Richard Owen (1858), Prince Consort (1859), Lord Armstrong (1863), Sir Charles Lyell (1864), Sir J. D. Hooker (1868), T. H. Huxley (1870), Lord Kelvin (1871), J. Tyndall (1874), Sir John Lubbock (1881), Lord Rayleigh (1884), Lord Playfair (1885), Sir William Huggins (1891), Sir A. Geikie (1892), and Sir W. Crookes (1898).

British Central Africa Protectorate, The, a portion of British Central Africa, lying around the shores of Lake Nyassa, and extending to the banks of the Zambezi. It includes all British Nyassaland, as well as the Shire Highlands, and the greater part of the basin of the river Shire. The expenses of administering the protectorate are partly met out of revenue locally raised, and further by an annual grant from the Imperial government. The administration is in the hands of a commissioner acting under the foreign office. The port of British Central Africa is Chinde, at the mouth of the Zambesi, where a small concession has been granted by the Portuguese government. The area of the Protectorate is about 40,000 square miles; the European inhabitants number about 500, and the native inhabitants are about 850,000. A number of forts, recently erected, guard the frontier in all directions, especially on the north and southeast, from the ingressions of the slave-trading Arabs and Yaos. The armed forces of the Protectorate consist of 200 Sikhs and 800 negroes. Most of the officers of this force are Indian officers lent, together with the Sikhs, by the Indian government.

The principal occupation of the European settlers is planting; and many thriving plantations of coffee, sugar, cinchona, and tobacco have been established. The chief towns, Blantyre, Zomba, Fort Johnston (the principal port on Lake Nyassa, and naval depot), Karonga (north end of Lake Nyassa), the starting point for Tanganyika, and Kotakota (west coast of Lake Nyassa). The Protectorate is divided into 12 districts, managed by a number of collectors and assistant collectors, judicial officers, etc. There is at least one judicial officer, and in some cases two or three, in each district. Almost the entire trade of British Central Africa is with the United Kingdom. There is telegraphic connection through Umtali with the South African system.

Bibliography.- Scott Keltie, The Partition of Africa (1895); Decle, Three Years in Savage Africa (1897); Johnson, British Central Africa (1897).

British Columbia, the most westerly province of the Dominion of Canada, lies on the Pacific Ocean, and has a series of coast-line fiords or passages unexcelled on any shore in the world. The province extends from south to north from lat. 49° N. to lat. 60° N. Its eastern boundary follows the crest of the Rocky Mountains as far as 55° N. and then follows lon. 120° W. up to lon. 60° N. British Columbia has an area of some 383,000 square miles, being thus more than three times the extent of the British Isles.

It has been called a "Sea of Mountains." Four great mountain ranges determine the character of the terrane of British Columbia. Beginning at the east is the Rocky Mountain Range,

probably the last to be formed of the mountain chains of the province. Like all the mountain ranges of the Pacific coast the Rocky Mountains slope gradually up through a series of foothills from the east, but are exceedingly steep and precipitous on the west side. Great peaks, such as Cascade Mountain, Castle Mountain, Mount Lefroy, Mount Stephen, and Mount Hunter, stand in their glory among the multitude of snow-clad sentinels. Farther north the range culminates in Mount Brown (16,000 feet) and Mount Murchison (13,500 feet) above the sea. The rocks range in geological horizon from the Cambrian to the Cretaceous. Twelve passes are found running through the Rockies, the most notable of them being the Kicking Horse (C. P. R. crossing), Crow Foot, Yellow Head, and Peace River Valley. A wide well-marked valley lies west of the Rocky Mountains, through which run, in different parts, the Kootaney, Columbia, Fraser, Parsnip, Finlay rivers, some of the largest rivers of British Columbia.

On the west side of this valley are the Gold ranges, including the Selkirk, the most picturesque mountains of the west coast (Mount Sir Donald is 10,645 feet above the sea), Purcell, Columbia, and Cariboo mountains. These mountains are largely made up of schists, gneisses, and intrusive granites.

West of the Gold ranges lies the interior plateau of British Columbia, averaging 100 miles wide and rising 3,500 feet above the sea. The Okanagan Valley is the most notable part of this area.

West of this plateau rise the Coast ranges, sometimes called the Cascades, but in no way connected with the Cascade Mountains of Oregon. Great glaciers are found in these mountains, which far north extend to the sealevel. In the northern area the rivers Skeena and Stikine run to the sea. These mountains consist largely of gneisses, granites, and crystalline schists. The west flanks of these mountains are bounded by the Gulf of Georgia, an arm of the Pacific Ocean.

The Vancouver Range is the fourth chain of British Columbia. It is but an axis partially submerged, making up Vancouver Island and Queen Charlotte Island, consisting chiefly of crystalline schists flanked by Cretaceous rocks.

British Columbia is thus an object lesson in geology. On the east slope of the Rockies are found Cambrian, Silurian, Devono-Carboniferous, and Cretaceous rocks, and on the two ranges to the west, gneisses and granites Archæan rocks. West of them on Vancouver mountains are plainly an enormous thrust from runs again the Cretaceous rocks. So that the beneath of the whole series now lying open to view. Tertiary rocks are found here and there also, but it was a great convulsion in the Tertiary Age that split open the earth's crust so completely into a mountainous chaos.

arising from this great exposure of various rocks, The mineral resources of British Columbia, are perhaps the most remarkable in the world. The Cariboo district, and no doubt connected with this, the Yukon, farther north (though it is not in British Columbia), is the most marvelous gold region now known. In the primitive rocks of the Kootenay and elsewhere in British Columbia are rich mines of argentiferous galena