BRITISH NEW GUINEA
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ogy, etc., the Natural History Museum at South Kensington has also been added to the British Museum, making it one of the finest institutions of the kind in the world.
British New Guinea. The British portion of the island of New Guinea has been taken over by the commonwealth of Australia, by a federal act which went into force in 1906, the assumed region now being known as the Territory of Papua. The work of civilization is going on rapidly, great tracts of territory being now occupied by peaceful natives, falling more and more under missionary influence. There are three ports of entry, Fort Moresby, Samarai and Laru, with a central court at the first named, the whole territory being divided into six districts for purposes of justice The D'En-trecasteaux an6: Louisiade groups of islands are included in the New Guinea territory. The revenue, derived largely from import duties in 1907, amounted to $398,355, and the exports for the same year were $401,450. The great forests of the island yield valuable timber and precious woods; gold has been found on the Louisiade Islands, on Woodlark Island and to some extent on the mainland. The principal exports are trepang, copra, pearl shell and pearls, gold, coffee and rubber; the imports are food stuffs, tobacco, cloths and hardware. Nearly all the trade is with Queensland and New South Wales, and for postal and all other purposes the island is treated now as part of the Australian Commonwealth.
Brit'tany, an ancient province of France, consisting of the great northwestern peninsula, which is shaped like a triangle. It now forms five departments, Finistere, C6tes-du-Nord, Morbihan, Ille-et-Vilaine and Loire-Infe"rieure. It is also usually divided into Upper and Lower Brittany. It co v^ers 13,643 square miles. The Bretons, as the people are called, numbering about 3,224,369, are peculiar in many ways. They are strongly attached to their country and customs, and oppose all changes. During the French Revolution they were loyal to the old house of Bourbon. Though not noted in matters of commerce and manufactures, they are among the boldest seamen in the world and are to be met with in the most distant waters. British colonies settled here as early as the 3d century, and by the 5th century had changed trie original name of Armorica to Brittany. It was at different times under the sway of Italy, but gradually became a part of France. The Breton folk-lore and folk-songs consist of a vast wealth of traditional stories and songs. The country abounds in remains of the ancient religion of the Druids. Brittany has given many great men to the world, among them Abe-lard, Jacques Cartier, Chateaubriand, Jules Simon and Ernest Renan. Rennes, once the capital of ancient Brittany, is now the
capital of the French department of Ille-et-Vilaine. Population, 79,372.
Brobdingnag (brob'ding-nag'}, a wonderful land, described by Dean Swift in his Gulliver's Travels, the inhabitants thereof and all natural objects being of gigantic size; hence, to speak of a man as brobdingnagian is to signify one of unusual, indeed of mammoth, height. The term indicating this strange, imaginative land, is frequently, though incorrectly, spelled Brobdignag.
Brock, Sir Isaac, administrator of the province of Upper Canada (now Ontario) for two sessions of Parliament. Commander of the forces of the province and the representative of His Majesty as well, administering its civil affairs. War was declared by the United States against Great Britain on the 18th of June, 1812, and the province was invaded. General Brock's military record is a splendid one. He fell on the i3th day of October, 1812, while bravely leading a charge up Queenston Heights. A few hours after his death the enemy's position was taken, and the American army and its commander surrendered. A handsome monument in memory of his achievements was erected by the province on Queenston Heights.
Brocken, The. See WALPURGIS NIGHT.
Brock'ton, a city in Plymouth Co., Massachusetts. It received its present name in 1874, having formerly been called North Bridgewater. It is a wealthy place and quite a business center. The manufacture of boots, shoes and rubber goods is carried on extensively. Shoe machinery and supplies, tools, bicycles, etc. are also made here. The city has admirable public schools and valuable school property. Population, 56,878.
Brock'ville, a city of 9,000 in eastern Ontario, is beautifully situated on the St. Lawrence River near the Thousand Islands, and is called after General Brock. It is the center of a rich dairying district, and has a large cheese market. One of the hospitals for the insane owned and maintained by the province is located here, occupying a commanding position overlooking the St. Lawrence River. It is served by both the Grand Trunk and Canadian Pacific Railways.
Brok or Brock, was one of the dwarfs in the Norse mythology, skilled in handwork, who, having incurred the wrath of Odin, was sent by him to work in the under darkness.
Bronte (bron'te}, Charlotte, one of the most gifted of English novelists, who wrote under the pen-name of Currer Bell, was born at Thornton, in Yorkshire, in 1816. Almost all her life was one of sorrow and struggle, which showed itself in her character and in her books. She herself was the heroine of Jane Eyre, her greatest novel; and the Lowood of that story was
