BRESCIA, anciently named Bat XIA, a city of Italy, is the capital of the department of Mella, and chief place of the district of Brescia. It was founded by the G4u1s, under the command of Belovesus ; or, as others sup pose, of Brennus ; but afterwards became a colony of the Romans. In 119 it is said to have received the Christain faith, by the preaching of Apollinaris bishop of Ravenna. In 412, it was burnt by Radagassus, king of the Goths; but was rebuilt by Attila in 452. It was afterwards possessed by the Lombards ; but was taken by Charlemagne in 771, who founded its church of St Denis. It suffered severely during the various revolu tions in Italy, especially in the disputes between the Guelphs and Gibelines ; and, during a space of 28 years, is said to have changed its masters seven times. It was long under the dominion of the dukes of Milan, be fore it surrendered itself, in 1426, to the republic of Venice. It was taken and pillaged in 1512, by Gaston de Foix, general of Louis XII. ; but was again restored to the Venetians by Francis 1. in 1517. In 1478, and in 1524, it was visited by a dreadful pestilence, which, at the first of these dates, swept away 25,000 persons. It was taken by the French, under Bonaparte, in 1796 ; and in 1799 by the Austrians and Russians, to whom the French garrison surrendered as prisoners of war. By the treaty of Luneville, in 1801, it became a constitu tional part of the Cisalpine republic, and now belongs to the kingdom of Italy.
It is situated on the small river Garza, at the foot of a range of mountains, in a beautiful plain, filled with trees, covered with flowers, and watered by a multitude of rivulets. It is about a league in circumference, sur rounded with good walls, in which are five gates, and defended by a castle, which is placed upon a height, and completely commands the town. The streets are clean and handsome ; and most of them washed by small streams from the river. It contains several public squares ; the largest of which is surrounded with piaz zas, and has the town-house in its centre. It has 19 parish churches, several of which are adorned with fine paintings and statues ; 30 convents, a general hospital, a lyceum, and several charitable houses ; a palace of justice, which is a magnificent stone building, construct ed from the ruins of a temple of Vulcan, and remarka ble for its fine architecture and paintings in fresco ; and a cathedral, which is a modern edifice, and in which is shewn the famous cross or standard of Constantine. To Cardinal Quirini, who was once bishop of Brescia, and who, besides, contributing liberally to the building of the cathedral, also presented the city with a library, the magistracy, in 1750, erected two marble statues, one of which is placed in the church, and the other in the library. It is the see of a bishop, suffragan of Milan, who used formerly to bear the title of duke, marquis, or earl ; and its magistracy, before the revolution. con sisted of 600 citizens, divided into several councils, under a noble Venetian, who presided in quality of governor, or Pudesta, a designation, which seems to have been applied to chief magistrates, even in the time of the Romans, as in the following line of Juvenal ; Gabiorumve esse potestas.
Bishop Burnet speaks of Brescia as in his time, " great town, full of trade and wealth." The inhabitants are very ingenious and industrious, and carry on several flourishing manufactures. It has long been famed especially for its pistol and musket barrels, swords, knives, and other articles of armoury ; and, in its neigh bourhood are considerable iron mines and forges, in one of which 300 workmen are employed. In the valleys
in its environs, are found also copper, jasper, alabaster, touch-stones as black as ebony, and capable of receiving a polish like mirrors ; and a peculiar stone, which re sists the influence of fire, and from a single block of which they cut a number of pots or vessels, always tak ing the smaller out of the heart of the larger. There are made also at this 'Race great numbers of mill-stones ; the smaller of a soft grey stone, very easily cut, but quickly hardening in the air ; and the larger of a kind of granite studded with calcareous substances. Lintsced oil, but especially grape-stone oil, is made at Brescia in considerable quantities ; in preparing the last of which, the following process is followed : The mass, which remains in the wine press, is beaten, kneaded, and silted, till the stones be separated from the adhering sub stances ; they arc then winnowed, by being thrown into the air by a shovel, and left to dry during the space of a month ; they arc next bruised under a stone, roasted in a copper over the fire, wrapped in a piece of woollen cloth, and, lastly put into the oil-press. The fisheries on the lakes of Esco and Guarda, furnish considerable employment, as well as an important article of traffic to the inhabitants of Brescia and its neighbourhood. In the rivers Adige and Oglio, besides excellent fish, there is found also quantities of gold ; and one person, by washing the sand, will gain, ordinarily 12, and some times 50 sols a day. The trade in linen and woollen cloths is considerable. That in iron yields 170,000 francs per annum ; in flax, 360,000 ; and in silk, which is the principal manufacture of the place, two millions and a half. The Brescian territories abound in excel lent pasturage ; and cheese is exported by the peasants to the amount of 130,000 livres annually. To these pastures the people around Lodi, who make the greater part of what is called Parmesan cheese, bring their herds of cows, during the winter half year. One of the peculiar productions of the vicinity of Brescia is a wine called Santo, which is of a golden colour, and an agreea ble sweetness. In making this wine, the grapes are kept till the month of February, and put into the press when the weather is cold. It is afterwards exposed to a strong degree of cold, that it may not ferment much ; and is then sealed up for the space of three or four years. The commerce of Brescia and the fertility of its soil are greatly promoted by the numerous rivers in its vicinity, the waters of which are distributed with the utmost care and economy in all directions ; and give motion to an infinity of mills and machinery for spinning silk, manufacturing paper, hammering iron and copper, sawing wood, and boring cannon, Ste. These streams are farmed at a high rent ; and one proprietor is said to . draw 40,000 francs annually for the water on his domains. From the land, through which those canals and rivulets pass, it is common to raise a crop of flax or millet, after one of wheat in the same year ; the fields are frequently manured by a crop of lupins, being raised and left to rot on the ground. Its population is about 42,000 ; its distance from Milan 44 miles, from Mantua 32, from Crema 30 ; its N. Lat. 31', and E. Long. 10° 5'. See Bishop Burnet's Travels, p. 96; Scott's Itinerario d'Italia, p. 96. ; and Tynna's Almanach du Commerce your 1811, p. 919. (0