Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume II.djvu/581

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BERKELEY BERKSHIRE 561 He was a liberal member of parliament for West Gloucestershire for nearly 20 years. His novel 'Berkeley Castle" (1836) being severely re- viewed in "Eraser's Magazine," he assaulted Mr. Fraser, the publisher, for -which he was prosecuted and compelled to pay 100 damages and costs, and wounded in a duel Dr. Maginn, the writer of the article. He has written many books on sporting in England, France, and the United States. Among his best known pub- lications is "The Upper Ten Thousand at Home and Abroad ; " and his more recent works include "My Life and Recollections" (1864), and "Tales of Life and Death" (2 vols., 1869). His brother, Sir MAURICE FREDEKIOK FITZ-HARDINGE, born Nov. 16, 1826, was a naval commander, reaching the rank of ad- miral of the blue, and represented Gloucester in parliament for many years. In 1861 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Fitz-Hardinge, and died Oct. 17, 1867. BERKELEY, Sir William, royal governor of Virginia, born near London, died at Twicken- ham, July 13, 1677. He was educated at Ox- ford, and went to Virginia as governor in 1641. During the civil war he sided with the king, and the colony long remained loyal to him; but in 1651 a squadron was detached from the fleet sent to Barbadoes, and upon its arrival in Virginia it compelled Berkeley and his friends to submit to the protector. Richard Bennet was made governor in Berkeley's place, but the latter continued to reside in Virginia un- molested. In 1660, after Richard Cromwell's resignation, Berkeley was elected governor by the Virginia assembly, and received a commis- sion for the office from Charles II. Subse- quently he rendered himself very unpopular by his failure to protect the settlers from Indian raids, and a rebellion broke out under Nathaniel Bacon, against which the governor was for a long time powerless. After the death of Bacon Berkeley treated the rebels with extreme sever- ity, and a royal commission sent out to inves- tigate the affair and restore order disapproved of his conduct. He was recalled in 1677, and is said to have died of chagrin. He published " The Lost Lady," a drama (1639), and "A Dis- course and View of Virginia" (1663). BERKELEY SPRINGS, or Bath, a town and the capital of Morgan county, West Virginia, about 3 m. from the Potomac river and the Balti- more and Ohio railroad, 77 m. N. W. of Wash- ington, D. C. ; pop. in 1870, 407. The place is much visited by invalids, the water of the springs being deemed efficacious in cases of neuralgia, dyspepsia, and chronic rheumatism; its temperature is 74 F. BERKHEY, Jan Lefrantq van, a Dutch natu- ralist and poet, born Jan. 23, 1729, died in Leyden in March, 1812. He was the author of various works upon the natural sciences, of which the best was the "Natural History of Holland" (Amsterdam, 1769), and was ap- pointed professor of natural history in the uni- versity of Leyden in 1773. As a member of the Orange party he was afterward subjected to great persecution, and in his old age was reduced , to poverty, and obliged to sell his fine scientific ! collections and to depend upon his relations. ! He published several volumes of poetry. BERKS, a S. E. county of Pennsylvania, in- tersected by Schuylkill river, and drained by Tulpehocken, Maiden, Manatawny, and Little Swatara creeks ; area, 920 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, | 106,701. On its N. W. boundary is the Kitta- tinny range or Blue mountains; another chain, called here South mountain, but known in Vir- i ginia as the Blue Ridge, traverses the S. E. | central part; and between these two ranges lies the extensive and fertile Kittatinny valley, comprising the greater part of the county. The soil here is of limestone formation, and is care- fully cultivated. There are rich iron mines, in which copper is found in small quantities. The Schuylkill and Union canals, the Philadel- phia and Reading, the Reading and Columbia, the Lebanon Valley, the East Pennsylvania, and several branch railroads, pass through the county. Berks was settled by Germans in 1734, and German is still commonly spoken. The chief productions in 1870 were 930,653 bush- els of wheat, 281,867 of rye, 1,267,194 of In- dian corn, 1,425,157 of oats, 400,846 of pota- toes, 114,651 tons of hay, and 2,658,031 Ibs. of butter. There were 16,783 horses, 32,112 milch cows, 19,215 other cattle, 56,110 sheep, and 37,553 swine. Capital, Reading. BERKSHIRE, a county of Massachusetts, forming the W. extremity of the state, extend- ing across it from Vermont on the N. to Con- necticut on the S., and bounded W. by New York; area, about 1,000 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 64,827. It embraces a great variety of pic- turesque scenery. The surface is diversified by mountains, hills, valleys, and rolling land. In the N. part is Saddle mountain, the highest point in the state, and in the N. W. is the Hoosac tunnel, through the mountain of the same name. The soil is fertile, and well water- ed by the Housatonic, Deerfield, Farmington, Hoosac, and several smaller rivers. Most of the land is devoted to grazing. Marble, iron, and limestone are the principal minerals. The Boston and Albany, the Massachusetts and Vermont, the Troy and Boston, the Housa- tonic, and the Pittsfield and North Adams rail- roads traverse the county. Manufacturing is extensively carried on. There are 16 cotton mills, 2 calico print works, 41 paper mills, 27 flour mills, 16 tanneries, 10 planing and turn- ing mills, 154 saw mills, and a great number of other manufactories. The chief productions in 1870 were 2,828 bushels of wheat, 35,903 of rye, 156,384 of Indian corn, 248,642 of oats, 15,667 of barley, 31,901 of buckwheat, 355,670 of potatoes, 84,790 tons of hay. 1,114,343 Ibs. of cheese, 1,038,751 of butter, 134,892 of maple sugar, 119,574 of wool, and 22,810 of tobacco. There were 5,028 horses, 15,834 milch cows, 14,153 other cattle, 27,195 sheep, and 4,274 swine. Capital, Pittsfield.