Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume III.djvu/289

BRIDLINGTON BRIE 283 readily. This having been attained, her teacher presented her with an object with which she was not familiar, and left her for a time to inform herself concerning its form and use. The teacher then spelled its name with the manual alphabet, the child following each letter till she had comprehended that it WAS the name of the object, when she herself spelled it in the same way, then composed it with her types, and finally, as if to make assurance doubly sure, placed the word thus composed by the side of the object. All this was accomplished in the first three months. The same course, together with some lessons on the physical re- lations of objects, was continued through the year. Laura never wearied of this instruction, but when left to herself was constantly spelling words either with her type or the manual al- phabet. Her instruction was confined for the first two years to the names of objects ; the attempt was then made to instruct her in their qualities, and subsequently in their relations to each other. There were many difficulties con- nected with each step, but patience and per- severance overcame them all. She was next taught to write, and her first effort was to write a letter unassisted to her mother. She subsequently acquired the rudiments of arith- metic; took lessons on the piano, on which she became a skilful performer ; and acquired a practical knowledge of needlework, and of some household duties. The ideas she acquired were constantly the subjects of thought and inquiry. She one day addressed to Dr. Howe this question : " Man has made houses and ves- sels, but who made the land and the sea? " The answer that it was God who made all things, and the explanation of his character, affected her deeply. She sought to know more of this wonderful being, and did not rest satis- fied till her teachers had explained to her the great truths of revelation. The fear of death, which had formerly distressed her, passed away with the entrance of the hope of a resurrec- tion. In deportment she is modest almost to diffidence. She possesses a decided love of system and neatness, never leaving her room in disorder, and exhibiting great solicitude for propriety and taste in the arrangement of her dress. She exhibits a marked regard for the rights of others, and i at the same time jeal- ously mindful of her own. She is now (1873) in her 44th year, and makes her home most of the time at the Perkins institution. Dr. Howe writes : " She enjoys life quite as much, prob- ably more, than most persons do. She reads whatever books she finds in raised point, but especially the Bible. She makes much of her own clothing, and can run a sewing machine. She seems happiest when she can find some person who knows the finger alphabet and can sit and gossip with her about acquaintances, the news, and general matters. Her moral sense is well developed." BRIDLINGTON (formerly written BBKLLINO- TON, and usually called BURLINGTON), a parish of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, on the railway from Hull to Scarborough, on the North sea, 6 m. W. S. W. of Flamborough Head and 25 m. N. N. E. of Hull. It includes the market towns of Bridlington and Bridling- ton Quay; pop. in 1871, 9,662. The town of Bridlington is built chiefly along one narrow street, and contains the remains of a priory built in the 13th or 14th century, and now used for the parochial church. There are also places of worship for several dissenting sects, three or four schools, and manufactories of hats. It gives the title of earl to the Cavendish family. Bridlington Quay is situated on a fine bay about a mile from Bridlington, and is much resorted to in summer for bathing. There is here a chalybeate spring. The town has a good harbor, formed of two handsome piers, and an active export trade in corn. Paul Jones captured here the convoy of the Baltic fleet, Sept. 21, 1779. BRIDPORT, a seaport town and municipal and parliamentary borough of Dorsetshire, England, 127 m. S. W. of London ; pop. in 1871, 7,666. It is an ancient town, consisting mainly of three spacious streets. The fine old parish church of St. Mary was restored in 1865 ; among other places of worship is a handsome Congregational church. The town hall, completed in 1860, is a good building. There is a literary and scientific institution, and a school of art. The coasting trade, which was formerly considerable, was diminished by the railways ; but it has recently increased owing to the improvement of the harbor, which is 1J m. from the town, at the mouth of the Brit, and can accommodate vessels of 200 tons. Ship building is carried on to some extent ; there are two weekly markets and two annual fairs for cattle, sheep, cheese, and small wares. Bridport was a borough during the Saxon period, and under Henry VIII. enjoyed the monopoly of supplying the navy with cord- age. The name " Bridport dagger " was for- merly applied to the halter. BRIE (anc. Brigensis pagus or saltus), a for- mer district of France, lying between the Seine and the Marne, and now contained in the de- partments of Aisne, Seine-et-Marne, Marne, and Seine-et-Oise. It was divided into Brie Fran- caise, which belonged to the government of lie de France, and Brie Champenoise, comprised in the government of Champagne. A third division once existed, called Brie Ponilleuse, comprising the environs of Chateau-Thierry ; this was afterward incorporated with Brie Ohampenoise. The latter was the largest of the divisions, and had for its capital Meaux, the most important town in the whole district. Its chief wealth was in vineyards and pastures ; and its butter and cheese are celebrated. Brie Francaise produced grain in great abundance, and was likewise a good grazing country. Its capital was Brie-Comte-Robert. Corbeil, one of its principal towns, was an independent earl- dom from 946 to 1122, when it was taken from