some parts mountainous, hut well covered with
wood, and yielding abundance of iron and lead.
The pla-ins and valleys are well cultivated, yield-
ing ample supplies of all that is essential to the
coinfort of the inhabitants. The Biscayans are a
brave choleric people, possessing a character and
speaking a language distinct from that of every
other part of Spain ; and through all the mutations
to which Spain has been exposed during a period
of 2300 years, by the irruptions of Romans, Cartha-
ginians, Moors, &c. Biscay has retained its an-
cient Cantabrian laws and independence, and at
the present time forms an independent republic
under the protection of Spain, rather than an integ-
ral part of the kingdom. It admits a corregidor
and commissary appointed by the crown, but
permits no taxes to be levied without the sanction
of the province, and yields none to the crown but
as gratuitous donations, and sanctions no title of
the king but that of lord.

Biscay, Bay of, a large bay of the Atlantic
Ocean ; formed by the Isle of Ushant, N. in lat.
43. 22. N. and Cape Ortegal S. in lat. 43. 47. N.
and 7. 14. W. long, washing the N. coast of
Spain, from Cape Ortegal to St. Jean de Luz, in
lat. 42.23 N. and the AV. coast of France, on a
line of longitude from St. Jeau de Luz, in 1.40.
to Ushant in 5. 3. AV. During a prevalence of
westerlr winds, the swell of tlxc2xbbe Atlantic Ocean
sets into this Bay. and renders the approach to
tiis Br.tish channel by vessels from the S. and
S. AV. exceedingly difficult, and if the gales
are powerful, quite impossible. until they subside ;
tuere being however, plenty of sea-r.-om. it is a
position of tediousness and labour, rather man
of danger.    xe2x80xa2

Biscay, New, a name given by the Spaniards to
a part of the AV. coast of Mexico ; now incorpo-
rated with the intendency of Sonora, Durango,
and Guadalaxara (all of which see.)

Bisckofstein, a town of Prussia Proper, about
50 in. S. of Konigsberg, and 5 S. E. of Heilsburg.

Bischofsheim, a town of the duchy of Wurtzburg,
seated on the Tauber, 20 m. S. S. W. of Wurtz-
burg.xe2x80x94Another seated on the Rhom, 44 m. N. by
E. of AV urtzburg.

Bischofslack, a town of Upper Carniola, with a
good trade in linen and worsted, 17 m. W. by N.
of Lay bach.

Bischofswerda, a town of Upper Saxony, in Mis-
nia. seated on the AVeiseritz, 18 m. E. of Dresden.

Bischofsiccrder, a town of Prussia, in the prov-
ince of Oberland, on the river Oss, 28 m. N. E. of
Calm.

Bis- Hofzell, a town of Switzerland, in Thurgau,
w.tii a castle ; seated at the confluence of the
S.tfir and Thur, 12 m. south of Constance.

Tnere are several other towns prefixed by
Bis' 'xe2x96xa0 /s. in different parts of Germany.

B-s-.j a town of Naples in Terra di Bari, on
a mh. .rrzr the shore of the Adriatic, 6 m. E. of
AV. Tr xe2x80x94 1. Pop. 10,600.

As- .... Blzcrta, or Binzert, a seaport of the
kinga . a A Tunis, in a country abounding with
c ..r:u fruit, oil. cotton, and other valuable produc-
tions. It stands on a canal, winch communi-
cates with a golf of the Mediterranean, 37 m. N.
of Tunis. Long. 9. 79. E. lat. 37. 20. N.

Bisentz. a town of Moravia, near the frontier
of Hungarv, 15 m. S. AV of Haradish. Pop. about

2,600.

Bishops-Auckland, Stortford, Waltham, and
Wearmouth. See Auckland, &c.

Bisliops-eastle, a borough in Shropshire, with
a market on Friday, much frequented by ths
AVelch. It is seated near the River Clun, 8 miles
E. of Montgomery, and 159 W. N. W. of London.
It returns two members to Parliament. Pop. in
1821,1,880. Voters about 180.

Bishopsville, p.v. Sumpter Dis. S. C. 60 m. S
E. Columbia.

*_#* There are about 36 other towns and villages
with Bishop or Bishops prefixed to their names
in different parts of England.

Bissigano, a town of Naples, in Calabria Cite-
riore, with a castle : seated on a hill near the
river Boccona, 16 m. N. of Cosenza.

Bisley, a village in Gloucestershire, Eng. 3 m
S. E. of Stroud. It has a large church standing
on an eminence. Pop. in 1821, 5,421, much em-
ployed in the woolen manufacture.

Bisnagur, or Bijnagur, a town of Hindoostan, in
the country of Sanore. It was the capital of the
ancient Mngdom of Narsinga, and formerly a
large city. It is seated on the S. bank of the
Toombudra, 28 m. S. S. E. of Sanore, and 105
N. by AV. of Chitteldroog. Long. 76. 0. E. lat. 15.

20. N.

Bisnee, a town of Bootan, capital of a district
on the borders of Bengal and Assam. It is 50 m.
E. N. E. of Rangamutty, and 130 S. E. of Tas-
sasudon. Long. 90. 45. E. lat. 26. 27. N.

Bissagos, or Bejugas, a cluster of islands and
shoaIs_#on the AV. coast of Africa. The largest,
called Bissago, is 80 m. in circuit, inhabited by
Portuguese and Negroes, and well cultivated. Its
N. end is opposite the mouth of the Rio Grande.
Long. 15. 10. AV. lat. 10. 58. N.

Bissunpour. a town of Hindoostan, capital of a
circar in Bengal, 74 m. N. AV. of Calcutta.

Bisfricz. a populous town fn the N. E. part of
Transylvania, on the River Bistricz, 142 m. N.
E. of Coloswar.xe2x80x94also the name of another town
in the circle of Prerau, Moravia.

Bitche, a fortified town of France, in the depart
ment of Moselle, with a castle on a rock. It is
seated at the foot of a mountain near the river
Schwelb, 30 m. N. by AV. of Strasburg. Pop.

2,300.

Bitchen. See Pitschen.

Bitteto, a town of Naples, in Terra di Bari, 11
m. S. S. W. of Bari.

Bitono, a town of Naples, in Terra di Bari, 10 m
W. S. W. of Bari.

Bitterfeld, a town of the kingdom of Saxony,
seated on the Mulda, 14 m. S. of Dessau.

Blackburn, an extensive parish and town in the
centre of the county of Lancaster, England, in-
tersected by the Leeds and Liverpool canal. It
is divided into 23 townships, and in 1821, contain-
ed a population of 53,350, chiefly employed in the
various branches of the cotton manufacture. Parts
of the parish are bleak and dreary, but it is part-
ly situate on the great coal strata, which supplies
abundance of fuel. The town of Blackburn is
seated in a valley, on both sides of a stream call-
ed the Derwent, over which there are four bridges,
and it is skirted by the Leeds and Liverpool canal.
Next to Manchester, it is one of the principal
focuses of that wide occupation, the cotton man-
ufacture, there being about a dozen large establish-
ments for spinning, forty more largely occupied
ia the manufacture of calicoes, twenty large estab-
lishments for printing of ditto, with all the attend
ant occupations of bleaching, dyeing, iron found
ing and machine and reed making. It has three
public breweries. In 1821 it contained 21,940 of
the above population. 12 m. E. by S. of Preston