Blackrod

Blackrod, a Lancashire town, with cotton-mills and collieries, 5 miles SSE. of Chorley. Pop. 3875.

Blackstairs

Blackstairs, a range (2610 feet) between Car-low and Wexford counties.

Blackwall

Blackwall, a suburb of London, in Middlesex, at the junction of the Lee with the Thames, 3 1/2 miles ESE. of St Paul's.

Blackwater

Blackwater, the name of numerous rivers and rivulets in Great Britain and Ireland, of which the longest are: (1) The Blackwater of Munster, 100 miles in length, which enters the sea at Youghal harbour; (2) the Blackwater of Ulster, 50 miles long, falling into the south-west corner of Lough Neagh; (3) the Blackwater of Essex, 40 miles long, falling into the North Sea.

Blackwood

Blackwood, Nithsdale, Dumfriesshire, 6 miles SSE. of Thornhill, the birthplace of Allan Cunningham.

Bladenoch

Bladenoch, a large distillery near Wigtown. Bladensburg, a village of Maryland, on the east branch of the Potomac, 6 miles NE. of Washington. Here the British won the battle deciding the fate of the capital, August 24, 1814.

Blaenavon

Blaenavon, a town of Monmouthshire, with ironworks, 6 miles NNW. of Pontypool. Pop. 10,869.

Blagovestschensk

Blagovestschensk, a town of the Amur province of Russian Asia, at the confluence of the Amur and Seja rivers. Bop. (1880) 8000; (1900) 33,000.

Blairadam

Blairadam, a seat in Kinross-shire, near Loch-leven.

Blair-Athole

Blair-Athole, a Perthshire village, at the confluence of the Garry and Tilt, 20 miles NNW. of Dunkeld. Blair Castle (Duke of Athole) dates from the 13th century, and as restored in 1872 is a fine baronial structure. Claverhouse was buried in the old church of Blair. Pop. 366.

Blairgowrie

Blairgowrie, a Perthshire town, on the Ericht's right bank, 20 miles NNE. of Perth by a branch line (1855). It has flax spinning and weaving factories. Pop. 3378.

Blakesware

Blakesware, a vanished Hertfordshire mansion (Lamb's ' Biakesmoor'), 4 miles E. of Ware.

Blanc

Blanc, Le, a town in the French dep. Indre, 68 miles SSE. of Tours. Bop. 6065.

Blanc

Blanc, Mont. See Mont Blanc.

Blanco

Blanco, Cape, a remarkable headland on the west coast of Africa, in 20° 47' N. lat., and 16° 58' W. long., the extremity of a rocky ridge which projecting westward, and then bending southward, forms a commodious harbour, the Great Bay. It was first discovered by the Portuguese in 1441. - Cape Blanco (i.e. 'white cape') is also the name of headlands in Spain, Greece, America, and the Philippines.

Blandford

Blandford, a town in Dorsetshire, on the Stour, 10 miles NW. of Wimborne. It suffered much in 1579,1677, 1713, and 1731, from fire, only twenty-six houses escaping on the last occasion. It is built of brick, and is neat and regular; its chief charm is Bryanston Park, Lord Portman's seat. It was formerly famed for its bandstrings and lace; now shirt-buttons are made here. Pop. of municipal borough, 3700.

Blankenberghe

Blankenberghe, a summer resort on the coast of West Flanders, 9 miles N. of Bruges by rail. Pop. 4328.