BRISAC, Butsacn, or BREYSACII, a city of Germany, and capital of Brisgaw in Alsace, was formerly one of the strongest towns in Europe, and from its strength, has been denominated the Citadel of Alsace, the Head of Germany, the Pillow of Austria. In 1331, it was mort gaged by the Emperor Louis of Bavaria, to Otto Duke of Austria, and the transfer was ratified by Charles V. in 1348. Gustavus Horne, a Swedish general, after having acquired great advantages over the imperial army, made an attempt upon Brisac in 1633, but was thwarted in his designs by the activity of the Duke of Ferrara. In 1638, it was besieged by Bernard of Saxony, Duke of \Veimar, and compelled to surrender, after having been reduced by famine to such extremities, that the governor found it necessary to place guards upon the burying grounds, to prevent the inhabitants from digging up and devouring the dead. It was soon after occupied by the Marshal of Gue briant in the name of Louis XIII. of France, to whom it was formerly ceded, both at the peace of Westphalia in 1648, and at the peace of the Pyrenees in 1659 ; but it was restored to the Emperor of Germany in 1700, after a stone bridge, built over the Rhine in its vicinity, had been destroyed. It was taken again by the French in 1704, with an army of 40,000 men under the Duke of Burgundy, after the trenches had been opened against it only three days ; but, upon suspicion of treachery, its governor, Count D'Arce, was beheaded ; the second in command, Count Marsigli, sentenced to have his sword broken over his head by the hands of the common hang man ; and all who signed the capitulation subjected to punishment. It was restored to the empire in 1715, with many of its strong works dismantled ; and in 1741, its fortifications were completely destroyed by order of Ma ria Theresa, Queen of Hungary and Bohemia. A bridge
of boats over the Rhine was also broken down, and there is now only a ferry in its place. It is thus described by Bishop Burnet, as it appeared in 1635, before it had un dergone these successive demolitions. " The town of Brisac riscth all on a hill, which is a considerable height. There were near it two hills; the one is taken within the fortifications, and the other is so well levelled with the ground, that one cannot so much as find out where it was. All the ground about, for many miles, is plain, so that from the hill, as from a cavalier, one can see exactly well, especially with the help of a perspective, all the motions of an army in case of a siege. The for tification is of a huge compass, above a French league, indeed almost a German league. The bastions are quite filled with earth ; they are faced with brick, and have a huge broad ditch full of water round them. The coun terscarp, the covered way, (which bath a palisade within a parapet,) and the glacis, are all well executed. There is a half moon before every cortin ; the bastions have no orillons except one or two; and the cortins are so dis posed, that a good part of them defendeth the bastion. The garrison of this place, in time of war, must needs be 8000 or 10,000 men. There bath not been much done of late to this place, only the ditch is so adjusted that it is all defended by the flanks of the bastions." It is si tuated on the right bank of the Rhine, 27 miles north of Basle, and 40 from Strasburg. N. Lat. 51', E. Long. 49'. (q)