Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 03.djvu/499

* BRAZILWOOD. 439 BRAZZA. Some confusion exists as to the exact botanical identity of the different varieties of Brazilwood. Much of tlie Brazilwood of commerce is ob- tained from l'<rsalfiinia Brasiliensis. a tree which is a native of the West Indies, commonly grow- ing in dry places suid among rocks, and seldom exceeding" 30 feet in height. It has bipinnate leaves, with many smooth, obtvise, oblong leaf- lets and no terminal leaflets, the llowers in pan-" uicles, with downy stalks. The heartwood alone is of any value. Pernambuco Wood is the product oi C(F!talpini<i ichinata. The sap- wood is extremely thick, and the valuable heart- wood bears a small proportion to the whole di- ameter of the stem. The Sapan wood (qv.) of the East Indies nearly approaches Brazil- wood in quality. It is the product of CwmJpinia ^appan, a small, thorny tree. The Braziletto- Avood, sometimes also called Brazilwood, which is brought from the Antilles, is much inferior. Cwsalpina crista probably yields some of the inferior West Indian Brazilwood. Brazilwood is said not to take its name from Brazil, but to be mentioned under the name BraxUis in docu- ments much older than the discovery of Amer- ica, the sappanwood of the East Indies being probably intended. When freshly cut, the color of Brazilwood is yellow; but when exposed to air. moisture, and light, it becomes red, and is generally sent into market ground down to the size of ordinary sawdust. When treated with water, alcohol, or ether, the weathered Brazilwood readily yields up its red coloring matter, called hruzilin. Strong decoctions of Brazilwood are used by the dyer and calico-printer in the fabrication of reds, bromis, etc. It is also used in the manufacture of red ink. Brazilwood as a dye- stuff has been largely superseded by synthetic dyestuffs. See Ikk. BBAZING, brazing, or Beass-Soldekes-g. The process of uniting two pieces of brass, two pieces of copper, or one of each, by means of a hard solder, i)artaking more or less of the com- position and i)roperties of ordinary brass. (See Alloys.) The edges or parts of metal to be joined are first filed bright, so as to be thor- oughly clean ; then there is strewn over the gap or crevice a mixture of the solder and borax; and then heat is applied. In brazing, a form of solder appropriate to the kind of work is em- ployed, those used for the purpose varying con- siderably in composition. (See Soldeb.) Most of these solders consist of alloys of copper and zinc, though sometimes tin and other metals are added. The various metals are fused together, allowed to cool, and then filed down to a coarse powder, in which the solder is used. The borax is employed to form a glaze over the brightened surfaces, and thus prevent the oxidation of the metal, which would seriously interfere with and even stop the operation. An outward coat- ing or layer of cliarcoal is likewise serviceable in the exclusion of the air during the brazing of large pieces of metal. VA'here a very high heat is required in the process, a little powdered glass is mixed with the borax. The mixture of solder and borax may be applied dry, but it is better to moisten it with water, and to lay it on the filed surfaces with a spoon. The whole is then gently heated, when the water evaporates, and a crust of bora.x and solder is left. The work may now be strongly heated before the blowiiipe, or over a clear lire, and at a bright- red heat the solder fuses aivd the zinc begins to burn with a pale-blue llame. At this stage the solder flushes or becomes liquid enough to per- meate the joint or crevice: but .should it be tardy in acting thus, several slight taps will insure the proper result. The whole is now cooled, and toward the close of this process the articles may be introduced into cold water for more rapid reduction in temperature. Pieces of metal which have undergone the process of braz- ing arc BO firmly luiited that they may be rolled and re rolled without the parts yielding. BKAZOS, brii'zos (Sp., plur. of hra::o, arm, so called on account of its being formed by the two conduents). One of the largest rivers of Texas, formed bv the junction of Clear and Salt forks, in Voting" County (Jlap: Texas, G 5). It flows southeast in a tortuous course, and empties into the Gulf of Mexico about 40 miles to the south- west of Galveston. It is about 900 miles long and drains a very extensive area. It is navi- gable during high water for a distance of 300 miles from its mouth, and at all times to Co- lumbia, 40 miles from the Gulf. It flows through a generally fertile country, the lower part of its course being through alluvial deposits. BHAZOS DE SANTIAGO, da san'te-a'g«. A port of entry in Cameron County, Texas, on the (iulf of Mexico, about 35 miles northeast of Brownsville (Map: Texas, F 6). It has consid- erable coasting and foreign trade, the latter being valued at about $210,000 annually, of which four- fifths are exports. A shifting sand-bar, which rarely admits vessels of over 10 feet draught, is a hindrance to the commerce of the port. BRAZZA, brat'sa (Slav. Brae, from Lat. Bra- ihia, Brattia, Brachia). The largest island of the archipelago forming a part of Dalmatia, Austria-Hungary, in the eastern part of the Adriatic Sea (Map: Austria, E 5). Area about 1.50 square miles. The surface is somewhat moun- tainous, but the soil is fertile, and olives, figs, grapes, and other southern fruit are cultivated on the slopes of the mountains, and grain in the lower portions. It has celebrated marble-quar- ries. Population, in 1900, -24,405. The chief town is San Pietro, with a population of 3239. The island forms a separate administrative di- vision of Dalmatia. BRAZZA, Pierre - P.vul- Fban^ois - C.miu.k, Comte de (1S25 — ). A French explorer, whose veal name is Brazza-Savorgnani, born in Rome. He was educated at the French Xaval Academy, and after becoming a naturaliz<!d French citizen, entered the na%'y in 1875. In the same year he obtained a subsidy from the Government, to en- able him to explore the Upper Ogowai, in which expedition he reached the sources of the .-Mima River. On his return he learned of Stanley's explorations upon the Congo, and determined to open up, by way of the Ogowai and Alinia rivers, a route parallel to the Congo, which should join that river below the Rapids! In 1879 he founded two stations as bases of supplies for his new route, one (Franeeville) on the Upper Ogowai, the other (Brazzaville) on the Congo itself. In 1880 he made a treaty with King Makoko, who put his possessions under French protection, and ceded to Brazza the site for his station. Brazza- ville. Some little while later he discovered a