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and (.he year following lie printed a proposal for converting theAmerican Indians, by erecting a college in the Bermudas : hismind was so intent on this scheme, that lie obtained a grant of10,0001. from the commons, and set sail for America , where he re-sided nearly two years; but the project failed, owing to the mi-nister’s applying the money to other purposes. In 1732 he pub-lished the Minute Philosopher, in 2 vols. 8vo. which is a masterlyattack on infidelity. The next year lie was made bishop ofCloyne, and about this time he published the Analyst, in which heendeavoured to prove that the mathematicians admitted mysteries,and even falsities in science, particularly instancing the doctrineof fluxions. He was answered by several writers, to whom he re-plied in 1739, in a Defence of Frcethioking in Mathematics . In173(3 he published the Querist, addressed to magistrates, occasionedby the licentiousness of the times. In 1744 appeared his book onthe virtues of tar-water. He died suddenly of a palsy of theheart, January 14, 1753, in the 69th year of his age, while he waslistening to a sermon.

Berkely, a fertile county of Virginia .

BERKHAMPSTEAD , or BARK HAMPSTEAD, a town ofHertfordshire in England.

BERKLEY, a town and parish of England in Gloucester-shire .

BERKS, a county of Pennsylvania .

Berks, or Berkshire , an inland county of England, whichcontains the whole of that British principality, anciently inhabitedby the Atrebatii, who are supposed to have been originally tromGaul. The air of this county is healthy and remarkably pleasant.It is well stored with timber, particularly oak and beech, and pro-duces great plenty of wheat and barley. Its principal manufac-tures are woollen cloth, sail cloth, aud malt. Its market-townsare Abingdon, Faringdon , Ilungerford, East-Ilsley, Lower Lam-bourne, Maidenhead , Newberry, Ockingham, Reading, Watling-ford, Wantage , and Windsor, remarkable for its royal castle, as thecounty is for Whitehorse-hill, near Lambourne, where is the rudefigure of a horse, which takes up near an acre of ground on theside of a green hill, said to have been made by Alfred in the reignof Ethelred , as a monument to perpetuate a victory over the Danesin 871, at Ashdown, now Ashbury-Park .

Berkshire, the most westerly county of Massachusetts .

BERLIN, a city of Germany, capital of the electorate of Bran-denburg , and of the whole Prussian dominions; one of the largest,and best built of any in Germany . Lon. 13.31. E. I.at. 52. 32. N.

Berlin, a town of York county, Pennsylvania , 13 miles W. ofYork-town. Lon. I. 19. W. Lat”. 39. 5(3. ”N.'

Berlin, a town of Somerset c.ouuty, Pennsylvania .

Berlin, [from Berlin , the city where they w ere first made,] acoach of a particular form, said by some to be the invention of theItalians . The Berlin is a very convenient machine to travel in, be-ing much lighter, and less apt to be overturned than a chariot.

BERLIN A, a name given in Italy to a sort of stage whereoncriminals are exposed to public shame.

BF.RME, [Fr. in fortification,] a space of ground, 3, 4, or 5feet wide, left without between the foot of the rampart and the sideof the mote, to pro ent the earth from falling down into the mote ; jsometimes pallisadoed. i

BERMILCI1, in mineralogy, called the agaric mineral, is vel- ■lowish white, and is composed of slightly cohering very fine par- itides: it is dull, opake, soils the lingers when handled, and is so |light as nearly to float in water. It effervesces, and is dissolved inacids, and appears to be a carbonate of lime. It is found in lime-stone rocks in Switzerland , and at Sunderland in Durham.

BERMUDA Hundred, a port of entry, and post-town ofVirginia . Lon. 2. 22. W. I/at. 37. IS. N.

BERMUDAS, SOMERS, or the SUMMER ISLANDS, acluster of small islands in tire Atlantic ocean , lying almost in theform of a shepherd's crook, in Lon, 63. 0. V . Lat. 32. 20. N.John Bermudas a Spaniard is commonly said to have discoveredthese islands in 1527 ; but this is disputed, and the discovery at-tributed to Henry Mav an Englishman.

BERN, a canton and city of Switzerland , bv far the largest inextent, containing almost one-third ot the whole country. It isbounded on the N. bv the cantons of Basil and Solotlunn, andthe Austrian forest towns. It yields not only plenty^ of grain,fruit, and pasture; but also good wine, a variety ot colouredearths andclavs, sand-stone, mundick, jjypsum, pit-coal, sulphur, !

vol. 1.— no. 27. ''

I and iron ore. It has large herds of cattle, great and small; and,j in consequence of that, great quantities of milk, butter, ami cheese,i The rivers that water this canton are the A-r, the Einmat, thej Wigger, the Aa, the Rusz, the Limmat , the Sancn, the Sensen,

! and the Kuudel. It lies 70 miles N. E. of Geneva. Lon. 7. 10.E. Lat. 46. 52. N.

Bern, a town of Bohemia, 15 miles W. of Prague . Lou. 13. 5.E. Eat. 50. 0. N.

Bern Machine, an engine for rooting up trees, invented by Pe-ter Sommer, a native ot Bern in Switzerland . It consists of asingle pullev compounded with levers.

BERNARD, Dr. Edward, a learned astronomer , linguist,and critic, was horn at Perry St. Paul, on the 2d ol' May, 1638and educated at Oxford . O’n his going to the university, he wasmaster of all the elegancies of the Greek and Latin tongues, andnot-unacquainted with the Hebrew . At the university, he appliedto history, philology, and philosophy ; made himself ma ter of theHebrew, Syriac, Arabic, and Coptic languages, and studied ma-thematics under the famous Dr. Wallis. Having successivelytaken the degrees of B. A. M. A. and B. D. he went to Leydento consult several oriental MSS. left to that university by JosephScaliger and Levinus Warnerus. At his return to Oxford , he col-lated and examined the most valuable MSS. in the Bodleian li-brary ; which induced those who published anv ancient authors,to apply to him for his observations or commendations from theMSS. at Oxford ; which he readily imparted, grudging neithertime nor pains to serve the learned ; whereby he became en-gaged in a very extensive correspondence with the learned ofmost countries. In 1669, the famous Christopher Wren , Savilianprofessor of astronomy at Oxford , having been appointed surveyor-general of bis majesty’s works, and being much detained at Lon -don by this employment, he obtained leave to name a deputy atOxford , and pitched upon Mr. Bernard, which engaged the latterin a more particular application to the study of astronomy In1676, he was sent by the earl of Arlington to France , to be tutorto the dukes of Grafton and Northumberland , sons to King Charles

11. by the duchess of Cleveland, who then lived with their motherat Paris: but the simplicity of his manners not suiting the gaietyof the duchess’s family, lie returned about a year after to Oxford ,and pursued his studies; in which he had made great proficiency,as his many learned astronomical and critical works show. liecomposed tables of the longitudes, latitudes, right ascensions, K:e.of the fixed stars ; Observations on the Obliquity of the Ecliptic ;and other pieces inserted in the Philosophical Transactions . Healso wrote, 1, A Treatise of the ancient Weights and Measures.2. Chronologix Samaritans: Synopsis, in two'Fables. 3.Testimoniesof the Ancients concerning the Greek version of the Old Testa-ment by the LXX. and several other learned works. He was aperson of great piety, virtue, and humanity ; and died January

12, 1696, aged 59, leaving behind him a great number of valuablemanuscripts.

Bernard Castle , atown in the county of Durham, 246 milesN. from London .

Bernard, St. the first abbot of Clairvaux, was born A. D.1091, in the village of Eountaine, in Burgundy. lie acquired sogreat a reputation by his zeal and abilities, that all the affairs of thechurch appeared to rest upon his shoulders, and kings and princesseemed to liave chosen him for a general arbitrator of their differ-ences. It w as owing to him that Innocent II . was acknowledgedsovereign pontiff, and after the death of Peter Leonis anti-pope,that Victor, who had been named successor, made a voluntary al>»dication of his dignity, lie convicted Abelard at the council ofSens, in 1140. He opposed the monk Raoul; ho persecuted thefollowers of Arnaud de Bresse ; and, in 114s, he got Gilheit do laProvice, bishop of Poitiers , and Eonde 1’Etoile, to be condemn <1in the council of Rheims . lie is said to have founded 160 monas-teries, and to have wrought a great number of miracles, lie diedAugust 20, 1153, aged 63. The best edition of his works is thatof 169*), by father Mabillon.

Bernard, St. the Great, in geography, a mountain in Savorand Switzerland , between A'alais and the valley of Aoust, at thesource of the rivers Drance and Dovia. The top is always co-vered with snow; and there is a great monastery seated thereon,where the monks always entertain travellers without distinction ofreligion for three day -. Thi- mountain is flOQGfeet above the levelof the sea.

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