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 BRDOE BRUGES 353 1308 he defeated the English, and made him- self master of Galloway. In 1315 the chief- tains of Ulster offered him the crown of Ire- land, on condition that he would aid them in expelling the English. He embarked at Ayr with a force of 6,000 men, soon had possession of the whole province of Ulster, and was crowned king May 2, 1316, but was killed at the battle of Dundalk, Oct. 5, 1318. BRUCE, James, a Scottish traveller, born at Kinnaird, Dec. 14, 1730, died there, April, 27, 1794. He was educated at London, Harrow, and Edinburgh, and intended for the profes- sion of law ; but finding the study distasteful, he went to London, where he married the daughter of a wine merchant's widow, and be- came a partner in the business. In 1757 he made a tour of southern Europe, partly on busi- ness and partly for diversion, returning on the death of his father in the following year to take possession of his estate in Scotland. In 1762 he was appointed consul general at Algiers. He had already spent some time in studying the Arabic and other oriental languages, and took great interest in African explorations; and when he reached Algiers in 1763 he made researches into its history and antiquities, be- sides acquiring some knowledge of surgery and medicine. Superseded in 1765, he travelled through Tunis and Tripoli, examining their historical remains, and finally embarked for Syria. He visited Palmyra and Baalbec, resided for some time in Aleppo, went to Alexandria, and after some researches into the antiquities of Egypt set out to explore the head waters of the Nile. He spent about two years in Abys- sinia, and traced the Abai, then supposed to be the main stream of the Nile, to its source. He reached England, after many hardships, in 1774. His "Travels to discover the Sources of the Nile, in the Years 1768-'73," did not ap- pear till 1790 (5 vols. 4to). The work con- tained many statements which were considered fictions at the time of its appearance, but the truth of which has been confirmed by later travellers. A second edition, accompanied by a biography and copious notes, was prepared in 1805 by Dr. Alexander Murray. BRUCE, Michael, a Scottish poet, born at Kin- nesswood, county of Kinross, March 27, 1746, died there, July 6, 1767. .His father was a weaver, but contrived to send him to the uni- versity of Edinburgh, to prepare for the minis- try. There he struggled with poverty and va- rious discouragements, and became melancholy and consumptive. He finally returned to his native village and died when only 21 years of age, leaving a few poems which were collected and edited by the Rev. John Logan. I!KI < IIS II,. a town of Baden, in the circle and 11 m. N. N. E. of Oarlsruhe, on the Seilbach, and on the Mannheim and Oarlsruhe railroad ; pop. in 1871, 9,786. It has a castle which was formerly the residence of the bishop of Spire, a gymnasium, and a hospital of the Brothers of Mercy, with an anatomical museum and an educational institution. The old castle is now used as a prison, conducted on the Pennsyl- vania plan. liltl I II. a bitter alkaline body, associated with the similar bodies, strychnia and igasuria, in the nux vomica and bean of St. Ignatius. It is crystallizable, soluble in hot and cold water and alcohol, and possesses similar medi- cinal properties to those of strychnia. As it has only about -, F the strength of strychnia, this is used in preference. It was originally discovered by Pelletier and Caventou in the false Angostura bark. BRUCK, the name of two towns of Austria. I. Brnek-on-the-Leltha, in Lower Austria, on the Vienna and Buda railway, 20 m. S. E. of Vienna ; pop. in 1869, 4,203. It has a castle of Count Harrach and manufactories of ma- chinery. Near it is a permanent camp of the Austrian army. II. l!nn k-on-lhc-Mnr, in Styria, on the Vienna and Trieste railway, 25 m. N. by W. of Gratz ; pop. about 4,000. Near it is a celebrated cave. BRtJCKENAU, a town of Bavaria, at the foot of the Rhon, in the valley of the Sinn, 36 m. N. of Wurzburg; pop. in 1867, 1,571. It is situated in the midst of beech forests and beautiful mountain scenery, and contains a royal castle. Near the town is a Franciscan convent ; and about two miles distant are the chalybeate baths and springs of Bruckenau. There are three springs and a few lodging houses, belonging to the king, and under the charge of an inspector. BRUCKER, Jakob, a German scholar, born in Augsburg, Jan. 22, 1696, died Nov. 26, 1770. His chief work is the JKstoria Critica Philoso- phies, from the creation of the world to his own time (5 vols. 4to, Leipsic, 1742-'4), which has been frequently abridged, and freely used by historians of philosophy. He wrote several other philosophical and biographical works. BRUGES (Flemish, Brugge), a city of Belgi- um, capital of the province of West Flanders, situated about 8 m. from the North sea, with which it is connected by the canals of Ostend, Ghent, and Sluis, and 55 m. N. W. of Brus- sels; pop. in 1869, 47,621, of whom 15,000 were paupers. It has spacious docks and ex- cellent quays. The shipowners of Bruges are engaged principally in fishing and coasting. Lace is the most important branch of manu- facture, and there are also manufactories of linen, cotton, and woollen goods, of soap, leath- er, tobacco, and porcelain. The town presents a quaint aspect, contains about 200 streets, ! public squares, 54 bridges (which give it its name), and several beautiful fountains. The church of Notre Dame, with a sculptured Vir- gin and child, erroneously ascribed to Michel Angelo, and a spire 442 ft. high, the cathedral of St. Saviour, and the hospital of St. John are remarkable for the works of art which they contain. The belfry tower in the great square is 290 ft. high, and its celebrated chimes sound at every hour. The other 'public buildings are