Bronte

Bronte, a town of Sicily, in the province of Catania, near the western base of Mt. Etna, 22 m. N. N. W. of Catania; pop. about 12,000. It has a number of churches, convents, a seminary, manufactures of woollens and paper, and trade in wine, oil, silk, grain, and fruits. In 1799 the Neapolitan government conferred the title of duke of Bronte, with a revenue of about $18,700 per annum, upon Lord Nelson. The town suffered from an earthquake in 1832.

Brooks

Brooks, a S. county of Georgia, on the Florida border, bounded S. E. by the Withlacoo-chee river, and watered by its tributaries and the Ocilla river; area, 550 sq. m.; pop. in 1870, 8,342, of whom 4,231 were colored. The Atlantic and Gulf railroad passes through it. The chief productions in 1870 were 171,190 bushels of Indian corn, 45,716 of oats, 24,574 of peas and beans, 32,445 of sweet potatoes, and 3,466 bales of cotton. There were 491 horses, 2,618 milch cows, 5,578 other cattle, 4,924 sheep, and 11,087 swine. Capital, Quitman.

Brooke

Brooke, a N. county of West Virginia, forming part of the narrow strip between Pennsylvania and Ohio, called the Panhandle; area, 75 sq. m.; pop. in 1870, 5,464, of whom 97 were colored. It is watered by small creeks that fall into the Ohio. The soil is fertile and the surface hilly. The Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and St. Louis railroad passes through the county. The chief productions in 1870 were 45,884 bushels of wheat, 185,576 of Indian corn, 81,135 of oats, 14,112 of barley, 45,850 of potatoes, 7,570 tons of hay, 110,307 lbs. of butter, and 185,105 of wool. There were 1,230 horses, 1,060 milch cows, 1,509 other cattle, 46,581 sheep, and 2,920 swine. Capital Wellsburg.

Brookings

Brookings, a S. E. county of Dakota, bounded E. by Minnesota, and intersected by the Big Sioux river; area, 750 sq. m.; pop.- in 1870, 163, of whom 145 were civilized Indians. The eastern and central portions are watered by streams flowing into the Minnesota river and the Big Sioux, and by numerous lakes; the N. W. portion is mountainous.

Brookline

Brookline, a town of Norfolk co., Mass., 5 m. S. W. of Boston, of which it is a suburb; pop. in 1870,6,650. Almost the whole town is occupied by beautiful country residences. It contains one of the reservoirs for supplying Boston with water, which covers 38 acres, the water surface being about 22 1/2 acres, and the capacity about 100,000,000 gallons.

Broome

Broome, a S. county of New York, bordering on Pennsylvania; area, 680 sq. m.; pop. in 1870, 44,103. It is drained by the E. branch of the Susquehanna, the Chenango, Otselic, and other smaller streams, and traversed by the New York and Erie, the Syracuse and Binghamton, the Albany and Susquehanna, and the Delaware, Lackawana and Western railroads, and the Chenango canal. The surface is uneven. The valleys are fertile, but the uplands are only fit for grazing. The chief productions in 1870 were 84,926 bushels of wheat, 160,602 of Indian corn, 783,387 of oats, 450,028 of potatoes, 101,955 tons of hay, 2,961,378 lbs. of butter, 72,137 of wool, and 164,809 of hops. There were 7,547 horses, 24,649 milch cows, 14,387 other cattle, 20,134 sheep, and 8,201 swine. Capital, Binghamton.