Braine-Le-Comte

Braine-Le-Comte, a town of Belgium, province of Hainaut, on the Senne, 13 m. N. 1ST. E. of Mons; pop. in 1869, 6,464. It contains a fine chateau, and the handsome church of St. Gery, with a richly carved altarpiece. It is famous for the cultivation of flax and the manufacture of Brussels lace. There are also other branches of industry. Count Baldwin in the 12th century bought the ground from the monks of Mons.

Braintree

Braintree, a town of Norfolk county, Massachusetts, on the Old Colony and Newport, and South Shore railroads, 10 m. S. of Boston; pop. in 1870, 3,948. The manufacture of boots and shoes is extensively carried on; there are also manufactories of linen, woollens, paper, machinery, carriages, etc. John Adams and John Quincy Adams, presidents of the United States, were born in Braintree, in the part which in 1792 was set off as the town of Quincy, where the Adams family now have their summer residence. John Hancock was also born in the same town.

Brake, Or Braake

Brake, Or Braake, a town of Germany, in the grand duchy of Oldenburg, on the left bank of the Weser, 20 m. N. W. of Bremen; pop. 4,077. It carries on considerable trade and ship building, having been a free port since 1834. Until the foundation of Bremerhafen in 1827, Brake was the actual port of Bremen, as vessels of considerable size could ascend the Weser to this point. About 500 vessels a year still arrive at Brake.

Brambanan

Brambanan, a small native town of Java, in the sultanate of Jokjokarta, and about 10 m. distant from the capital of that state. The name signifies "abode of Brahma;" and in its immediate vicinity are the remains of several magnificent temples, which were evidently devoted to the worship of that god. Eight of them are in a fine state of preservation. Sir Stamford Raffles, in his history of Java, gives a full account of these edifices, and fine illustrations of them, in a restored condition, are to be found in the plates accompanying the London edition of 1830 of his work.

The Great Temple at Brambanan.

Branch

Branch, a S. county of Michigan, bordering on Indiana; area, 528 sq. m.; pop. in 1870, 26,226. The St. Joseph and Prairie are the principal rivers; there are several small lakes. The Michigan Southern and the air-line division of the Michigan Central railroad pass through the county, and the Fort Wayne, Jackson, and Saginaw railroad touches the S. E. corner. The soil is a rich sandy loam; the surface undulating and occupied by dense forests and oak openings. Iron is found in several places. The chief productions in 1870 were 420.706 bushels of wheat, 454,593 of corn, 185.707 of oats, 322,145 of potatoes, 35,691 tons of hay, 684,639 lbs. of butter, 277,261 of wool, 62,637 of maple sugar, and 223,425 of flax. There were 7,704 horses, 7,313 milch cows, 8,832 other cattle, 60,877 sheep, and 14,528 swine. Capital, Coldwater.