ceiice of its pagodas. It is 80 m N. W. of Hydra-
bad. Long. 78. 2. E. lat. 17. 48. N.

Bedford, an inland county of England. At the
time Britain was invaded by the Romans, Cassib-
elinus, the chief of the inhabitants of this part of
the country, was appointed to the command of all
the forces of Britain, against Ctesar; and under
the heptarchy of the Saxons, it formed part of the
kingdom of Mercia, and the county-town is sup-
posed to have been the burial-place of king Offa;
it was afterwards the scene of many contests be-
tween Britons, Saxons, and Danes and at later
periods became involved in the collisions between
king John and the barons; and in 1642 it took
the side of the people against the kingly authority
of Charles I. The river Ouse intersects it by a
very winding course from west to east; and the
Ivel, with several tributary streams, waters the
south part. The face of the country is varied with
small hills and valleys; and on the south is a
range of chalky hills, which, rising to a consider-
able elevation, and projecting irregularly over the
valleys, give the landscape a bold and remarkable
appearance. From the south-east corner to the
middle of the county runs a line of good meadow-
land ; and the north and east portions have a deep
soil, which is well cultivated and produces large
crops of corn. The mineral productions are lime-
stone, coarse marble, and imperfect coal; and ful-
ler's earth is obtained in considerable quantities.
Mineral springs are found in different parts of the
county, but they have not acquired much celebri-
ty. The manufactures are chiefly confined to the
making of lace and preparing straw plat for bon-
nets, baskets, toys, & c. The remains of both Sax-
on and Gothic architecture are to be seen in sev-
eral of the churches, as also a few specimens of
stained glass in their windows. Roman antiqui-
ties have also been frequently discovered in the
county; and it is intersected by three Roman roads.

Bedford, the chief town of the preceding coun-
ty, is situate about the centre of the county, on
.1 spacious plain, north of the Chiltern hills,
which run across the south part. The river Ouse,
over which there is a beautiful stone bridge of
five arches, divides the town into two parts. It
has five churches, a county hospital, and the luna-
tic asylum, a well endowed public school, and
about 50 alms-houses, liberally endowed by Sir
AVilliam Harpur, knight, a former inhabitant of
the town. It is a borough town, governed by a
mayor, recorder, aldermen, two chamberlains, and
13 common council, and returns two members to
parliament, by the suffrage of the male inhabitants
at large. It is the' seat of assize, and of election
far the county. Pop. in 1821, 5,466, 27 m. E. by
N. of Buckingham, and 50 N. by AV. of London.

Bedford Level, a tract of fenny land, about

300,000 acres, in the counties of Norfolk, Suf-
folk, Cambridge, Huntingdon, Northampton, and
I Lincoln. After various attempts to drain these
fens, in the reign of Henry VI. and Charles I.,
William, earl of Bedford, in 1649, undertook and
completed it; and in the reign of Charles II. a
corporation was established for the government
of this great level. In these fens are several de-
coys, in which innumerable quantities of wild fowl
are taken during the season.

Bedford, a County in the E. District of Virgin-
ia, bounded on the west by the Blue Ridge : on
the north by James River, and on the south by the
Staunton, a branch of the Roanoke. Pop. 20,253.
Liberty, the chief town, in the centre of the coun-
ty, is 162 m. W. by S. of Richmond.

Bedford, is also the name of a county in Wesl
Tennessee. Pop. 30,444. Shellbyville,35m. south
of Murfreesborough, is the chief town.

Bedford, another county in the Western Dis
trict of Pennsylvania, bordering on Maryland,
lying between the Tuscarora and the main ridge
of the Alleghany Mountains. Pop. 54,636. The
chief town of the same name, in the centre of the
county, is 105 m. AV. of Harrisburg.

Bedford, ph. Hillsborough Co. N. Ii. 52 m. fr
Boston. Pop. 1,554.

Bedford, ph. Middlebury Co. Mass. 16 m. N. AV
Boston. xe2x80x98 Pop. 685.

Bedford, ph. West Chester Co. N. Y. 110 m
S. Albany. Pop. 2,750.

Bedford, p.v. Cuyahoga Co. Ohio.

Bedminster, t. Somerset Co. N. J.

Bedminster, t. Bucks Co. Pa.

Bednore, a district of Hindoostan, forming the
N. W. corner of the Mysore, intersected by the
Ghaut Mountains, the chief town of the district,
and which was formerly the capital of Canara, is
situate east of the mountains, and is supposed
once to have been a magnificent and important
place ; but having been repeatedly subject to the
assaults of the Mahrattas, the British, and Tippoo
Saib, it is much reduced. It is seated on a branch
of the Trombudra River, 185 m. N. W. of Ser-
ingapatam.

Bedouins, tribes of wandering Arabs, who live
in tents, and are dispersed all over Arabia, Egypt,
and the North of Africa, governed by their own
chiefs, in the same manner as the Patriarchs liv-
ed and governed anciently; the principal employ-
ment of both, the grazing of cattle.

Bedicin, Great, a borough in Wiltshire, Eng.
it has neither market nor fair, but returns two
members to parliament. It is situate on the line of
the Kennet and Avon Canal, five miles S. W. of
Hungerford, and 70 W. of London. Pop. 1,923.

Bedworth, a town in the county of Warwick,
England, seated on the great coal strata, which is
here extensively worked. A number of persons
are also employed in the riband manufacture;
5 m. N. of Coventry. Pop. in 1821,3,519.

Beekman, ph. Duchess Co. N. Y. 86 m. S. Alba-
ny. Pop. 1,584.

Beekmantown, ph. Clinton Co. N. Y. 160 m. N.
Albany. Pop. 2,391.

Beemah, a river of Hindoostan, which rises in
the mountains to the North of Poonah, and flows
S. E. upwards of 300 miles, till it joins the Kristna,
near Edghir.

Beering's Bay, a bay formerly called Admiral-
ty Bay, in N. lat. 59.18. on the west coast of North
America.

Beering's Island, an Island in the Pacific Ocean,
about 90 m. long and 30 wide, 30 leagues east of
the coast of Kamschatka. Long. 166. 30. E. lat.
55.30. N.

Beering's Strait, the narrow sea between the
west coast of North America and the east coast
of Asia. It is 13 leagues wide in the narrowest
part, between the capes Prince of Wales and
Tchukotskoi, in lat. 65. 45. N. 168. 17. W. long.

Becroo, a country of Negroland, between Zaha-
ra on the north, and Bambara on the south.
Walet is the capital.

Bees, St. a village in Cumberland, Eng. near the
sea, five miles south of Whitehaven. Here is a
noted free-school; also the remains of a priory, the
nave of its church being now used as the parish
church.

Beosko, a town of Brandenburg, Prussia, with a