Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume II.djvu/576

 55C BERGEN in the limits of this county, are the Palisades, a range of trap rock which rises perpendicularly from the river to a height of 500 ft. The county is intersected by Ramapo, Hackensack, and Saddle rivers, has an uneven and in the western part mountainous surface, and a pro- ductive soil. It contains limestone and mag- netic iron ore. It is intersected by the Erie railway, the Hackensack branch, and the North- ern railway of New Jersey. The chief pro- ductions in 1870 were 8,788 bushels of wheat, 31,719 of rye, 146,140 of Indian corn, 45,533 of oats, 24,009 of buckwheat, 209,162 of pota- toes, 18,208 tons of hay, and 323,919 Ibs. of butter. There were 3,535 horses, 4,076 milch cows, 1,861 other cattle, 473 sheep, and 2,953 swine. Value of produce of market gardens, $240,462. Capital, Hackensack. BKKGEJf. Ii A province (stift or diocese) of Norway, comprising most of the W. part of the country, including the mainland and many Bergen, Norway. inhabited and desert islands along the toast, bounded N. by Trondhjem, E. by Hamar and Christiania, S. by Christiansand, and W. by the ocean ; area, 14,869 sq. m. ; pop. in 1865, 267,- 354, exclusive of the city of Bergen, which has a separate administrative organization. It con- sists of the districts (amte) of Sondre and Nor- dre (south and north) Bergenhuus and of part of the district of Romsdal. Among the largest gulfs is the Hardanger or Bommelfjord, 83 m. long. The principal river, the Leerdals, rises in the Fille mountains and joins a branch of the Sognef gulf. There is good pasturage between the high mountains which extend over nearly the whole province and around the gulfs ; and cattle breeding and fisheries, chiefly of herrings, are the principal industries. Agriculture has been lately somewhat improved, though corn must still be imported in a few parishes. Mar- ble is found to some extent. Copper and iron ore, though abundant, are not much worked BERGEN-OP-ZOOM owing to their rather inaccessible situation and to the scarcity of wood. Rain is singularly frequent, and the inhabitants suffer much from diseases of the skin. II. A city and seaport, capital of the province, in the bailiwick of Sondre Bergenhuus, on the W. coast, 180 m. W. N. W. of Christiania ; pop. in 1865, 29,194. An island called Asko, opposite the town and 3 m. distant, encloses a bay called Bye- f, jorden, which divides into two branches called Vaagen and Pudefjorden. The town is built upon the promontory between these two parts of the bay, and extends in a semicircle around the Vaagen. Behind the town on the land side are high mountains. It was formerly the first commercial city of Norway, and is now the second in importance. The harbor is ex- cellent, but difficult of access. It is defended by the castle of Bergenhuus and six smaller forts. The Nordlandmen come to the city twice a year with fish, skin, and feathers. In March and April 600 or 700 vessels may be seen in the harbor at one time. About $2,000,- 000 worth offish are ex- ported annually. The city was founded in 1070 by King Olaf Kyrre, who built the castle and some of the churches. It was sev- eral times devastated by the black plague. The first foreign treaty made by the English was made in this city in 1217. The mer- chants of the Hanseat- ic league afterward ob- tained a foothold here, and in 1445 established a Hanseatic trading factory. Their clerks and agents were sub- ject exclusively to the government of the Hanse towns. Marriage was not permitted to them. In September, 1455, they caused to be put to death Governor Olaf Nielsen, Bishop Torlief, and 60 other persons. Final- ly Frederick II. of Denmark on July 25, 1560, issued a decree, called the "Odense Recess," for the determination of disputes between the citizens and the subjects of the league, which broke up its supremacy. Mer- chants from other countries began to share in the business, and in 1763 the last house be- longing to the Hansa became the property of a citizen of Bergen. BERGEN-OP-ZOOM, or Berg-op-Zoom, a fortified town of the Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant, on the river Zoom, near its en- trance into the East Scheldt, 19 m. N. N. W. of Antwerp; lat. 5129'N., Ion. 4 17'E. ; pop. in 1867, 9,431. It is well built, has a good har- bor, a handsome town house, an ancient palace