religious books that were contraband in England. Through the assistance of his friend, Sir Edwin Sandys, treasurer of the Virginia company, he obtained a grant of land in North America, and in September, 1620, the first company of pilgrims set sail in the “Mayflower,” landing where Plymouth, Mass., now stands, on 21 Dec., 1620. Brewster was ruling elder of the church, and until 1629 acted as teacher and minister, enduring the hardships of the memorable first winter with wonderful courage and cheerfulness. He left four sons and a daughter, and his descendants are among the most honored New England families. His sword and many relics of his personal property are still preserved in the museum of the Massachusetts historical society in Boston, and at Plymouth, Mass. See “Life and Times of William Brewster, Chief of the Pilgrims” (Philadelphia, 1857).
BREWSTER, William, ornithologist, b. in
South Reading (now Wakefield), Mass., 5 July,
1851. He was graduated at the Cambridge high
school in 1869, but was prevented by a difficulty
with his eyes from entering Harvard.
Subsequently he devoted his attention exclusively to the
study of ornithology, becoming in 1880 assistant
in charge of the collection of birds and mammals in
the Boston society of natural history, and in 1885
curator of ornithology at the museum of comparative
zoölogy, Cambridge. Mr. Brewster is a
fellow of the American association for the
advancement of science, and in 1876 became president
of the Nuttall ornithological club of
Cambridge. He has published articles in the “Bulletin
of the Nuttall Ornithological Club,” in the
“Annals of the New York Lyceum of Natural History,”
“Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural
History,” “The Auk,” and other periodicals.
BREWSTER, William R., soldier, d. in
Brooklyn, N. Y., 13 Dec, 1869. He was a colonel
in the Excelsior brigade, organized by Daniel E.
Sickles in 18G1, and after the promotion of that
officer was made a brigadier-general of vohinteers.
At the time of his death he held a place in the U. S. internal revenue department.
BRICE, Benjamin W., soldier, b. in Virginia in
1809; d. in Washington, D. C, 4 Dec, 1892. He was
graduated from the U.S. military academy in 1829,
served as"a lieutenant of infantry in an expedition
against the Sac Indians in 1831, and on 13 Feb., 1831,
resigned from the army. He was brigade major in
the Ohio militia in 1835-'9, became a lawyer, and
was a judge of common pleas in 1845, and adjutant-general of the state in 1846. At the beginning of the Mexican war he re-entered the army
with the rank of major on the staff, on 3 March,
1847, and served as paymaster at Cincinnati and in
the field. He was discharged on 4 March, 1849,
but was reappointed on 9 Feb., 1852, and served in
the pay department. He had charge of the pay
district of Kansas and the territories in 1861-'2,
and of that of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware in 1862-'4, and on 29 Nov.,
1864, was appointed paymaster-general with the
rank of colonel. On 13 March, 1865, he was brevetted major-general in the U. S. army for faithful,
meritorious, and distinguished services. He was
continued in charge of the pay department at
Washington, was promoted brigadier-general on
28 July, 1866, and on 1 Jan., 1872, was retired
from active service.
BRICEÑO, Alonso (bre-thayn'-yo), b. in San-
tiago de Chili in 1591 ; d. in Caracas in 1667. He entered the Franciscan order in Lima. Peru, 30 Jan., 1605. and was soon promoted to the office of definer and inspector of the convents of his order in Chili, Charcas, and Cajamarca. Briceno presided over a literary assembly in Rome and distinguished himself so much that he was appointed general of his order and judge of appeals of the Spanish provinces. He was proposed by King Philip IV. for the bishopric of Nicaragua, consecrated at Panama, and then translated to the see of Caracas, Venezuela, where he died.
BRICENO, Antonio Nicolas, a revolutionary
chief of Venezuela, and one of the signers of the
act of independence of that republic, d. in 1813.
He was called " the devil " on account of his fiery
and violent temper. He was the first chief who
made war to the death against the Spanish troops,
as Bolivar did afterward. Briceno did not follow
Bolivar's orders and separated from him. Being
routed by the Spaniards and taken prisoner, he
was executed with others in Barinas.
BRICHER, Alfred Thompson, painter, b. in
Portsmouth, N. H., 10 April, 1837. He was educated in Newburyport (Mass.) academy, and
entered upon a mercantile career in Boston, devoting
his leisure to drawing and painting without
professional instruction. In a few years he attained
noteworthy skill in making landscape studies from
nature, and after 1858 devoted himself to the art
as a profession. He opened a studio in Boston,
and met with some success there, but in 1868
sought a wider field in New York. At the
national academy of that year he exhibited
“Mill-Stream at Newburyport.” Soon afterward he
began to use water-colors in preference to oils, and
in 1873 was chosen a member of the American
water-color society. Since then he has devoted
himself mainly to water-color painting of
landscape, marine, and coastwise scenery. His coloring
is brilliant, harmonious, and singularly
transparent. His attention to detail bars him from the
ranks of modern “impressionists,” but he has
many admirers among lovers of natural scenery.
Among his more notable drawings are “Sunset in
October” (1869); “The Maiden's Rock, Lake
Pepin” (1870); “Mt. Adams” (1871); “On the
Esopus” (1874); “Off Halifax Harbor” (1875); “A Lift in the Fog” (1876); “St. Michael's Mount” (1877); and “What the Tide Left” (1878).
BRICKETT, James, soldier, b. m 1737 ; d. in
Haverhill, Mass., 9 Dec, 1818. He practised medicine successfully in Haverhill until the French war offered him an opportunity for service in the
field. He was a surgeon at Ticonderoga in 1759-'60, when the French abandoned the vicinity of Lake Champlain. At the beginning of the revolutionary war he was made lieutenant-colonel of the Essex co., Mass., regiment, 20 May, 1775, was wounded at Bunker Hill, 17 June, and in the following year was made brigadier in the expedition preparing for Canada. After Burgoyne's surrender at Saratoga (17 Oct., 1777), Gen. Brickett was
placed in command of the escort, and marched the prisoners, about 6,000 in number, from the battlefield on Hudson river to Cambridge, Mass.
BRIDGE, Horatio, naval officer, b. in Augusta, Me., 8 April, 1806; d. in Athens, Pa.. 20 March, 1893. He was graduated at Bowdoin in 1825. Among his classmates were Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry W. Longfellow. After the usual three years' course of study he was admitted to the bar in 1828, and practised for ten years, at first in Showhegan, and afterward in Augusta. In 1838 he was appointed a paymaster in the U. S. navy. He was assigned to the "Cyane," and cruised in her until 1841, when, after aii interval of shore duty, he was ordered to the "Saratoga," and in her visited the African coast. After his return he pub-
