BIENVILLE 629 prevails. It is surrounded by walls and watch towers, and has an old castle used as a town hall, a fine parish church and gymnasium, and other public buildings. The town is especially noted for its manufactures of watches and of cotton prints, besides which cigars, leather, and other articles are made. Formerly under the jurisdiction of the see of Basel and involved in a protracted conflict with that bishopric, it fell to France in 1798, and in 1815 to the can- ton of Bern. II. Lake of (Ger. Bielenee), a sheet of water about 10 m. long and nearly 3 m. wide, commencing 3 m. N. of the lake of Neufchatel, and extending along the Jura mountains. It is about 1,400 feet above the level of the sea, and abounds in fish at a depth of over 200 feet. It has for its only af- fluent a branch of the Suze or Schuss river, and receives the waters of the lake of Neuf- chatel at its S. end through the Thiele, dis- charging them again at the N. E. end through the same river. One of the shores is dotted with villages and villas, while the other is rather desolate. Excellent wine is produced at the N. W. part of the lake between Neuve- ville and Bozingen. The scenery is attractive without being very striking, and the lake ac- quired celebrity through Rousseau, who resided for some time in 1765 on the island of St. Pierre, crowned by a grove of fine oaks, about 6 m. from the town of Bienne, and who gave a glow- ing description of it. His room is preserved nearly in the state in which he left it. On the S. E. shore of the lake is the most extensive peat moss of Switzerland, the peat being manu- factured into petroleum, benzine, and pigments, in an establishment which was formerly known as the Gothic abbey of St. John. An ancient lacustrine village has been dug out recently from the morass. BIENVILLE, a N. W. parish of Louisiana, bounded W. by Lake Bistineau, which commu- nicates with Red river ; area, 081 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 10,636, of whom 5,047 were colored. It is traversed by Black Lake and Saline ba- yous, and intersected in its S. E. corner by Dugdemona river. The chief productions in 1870 were 192,164 bushels of Indian corn, 27,- 621 of sweet potatoes, and 7,253 bales of cot- ton. There were 1,313 horses, 2,786 milch cows, 5,912 other cattle, 4,340 sheep, and 12,485 swine Capital, Sparta. BIEXVILLE, Jean Baptiste le Iloyne, sicur de, French governor of Louisiana, born in Mon- treal, Feb. 23, 1680, died in France in 1768. He was son of Charles le Moyne, and the third of four brothers (Iberville, Serigny, Bienville, and Chateauguay) who played important parts in the early history of Louisiana. Bienville while a lad was severely wounded in a naval action off the coast of New England, in which the French ship Pelican, 42 guns, commanded by Iberville, successfully encountered three English vessels, each of fully equal power with his own. In 1698 Iberville set out from France to found a colony at the mouth of the Mississippi, taking with him his brother Bien- ville, and Sauvolle. The first settlement was made at Biloxi, where Sauvolle was left in command, while Bienville was engaged in ex- ploring the surrounding country. Iberville, who had returned to France, came back with a commission appointing Sauvolle governor of Louisiana. In 1700 Bienville constructed a fort 54 miles above the mouth of the river. Sauvolle died in 1701, and Bienville succeeded to the direction of the colony, the seat of which was transferred to Mobile. In 1704 he was joined by his brother Chateauguay, who brought from Canada 17 settlers. A ship from France brought 20 females, who had been sent out to be married to the settlers at Mobile. Iberville soon after died ; troubles arose in the colony, Bienville was charged with various acts of misconduct, and in 1707 was dismissed from office; but his successor dying on the voyage from France, Bienville retained the command. Meanwhile, the attempt to culti- vate the land by Indian labor having failed, Bienville proposed to the home government to send negroes from the Antilles to be exchanged for Indians, at the rate of three Indians for two negroes. In 1709 and 1710 the colony was reduced to famine. In 1712 the French king granted to Antoine Crozat the exclusive right to trade in Louisiana, and to introduce slaves from Africa. In 1713 Cadillac was sent out as governor, bringing with him a commis- sion for Bienville as lieutenant governor. Quarrels arose between them, and the gov- ernor sent Bienville on an expedition to the Natchez tribe, hoping that he would lose his life. But Bienville succeeded in inducing the Natchez to build a fort for him, in which he left a garrison, and returned to Mobile. In 1717 Cadillac was superseded by Epinay, and Bienville received the decoration of the cross of St. Louis. Crozat surrendered his charter in 1717, and Law's Mississippi company was formed the same year, its first expedition ar- riving in 1718, with a commission for Bienville . as governor. He now founded the city of New Orleans. War breaking out between France and Spain, Bienville took Pensacola, placing Chateauguay in command. In 1723 the seat of government was transferred to New Or- leans. The next year Bienville was summoned to France, to answer charges which had been brought against him. He left a code regu- lating the condition of the slaves, banishing the Jews, and prohibiting every religion ex- cept the Roman Catholic. In 1726 he was removed from office, and Chateauguay was also displaced as lieutenant governor, and or- dered back to France. Bienville remained in France till 1733, when he was sent back to the colony as governor, with the rank of lieu- tenant general. In 1736, 1739, and 1740, he made unsuccessful expeditions against the Chickasaws, in consequence of which he was superseded, and in 1743 returned to France, where the remainder of his life was passed.
