come up to the town of "Wisbeach at all tides, and those of from 500 to 600 tons at spring tides. The draining of the IOWIT lands. which, like the Dutch Polders, are below low-water mark, was carried on by windmills, but these have now been almost superseded by steam-engines; in the North Level the drainage is effected by sluices. As the result of these extensive operations, the level now abounds iu rich pasture and corn lands.
BEDFORDSHIRE, one of the south midland counties of England, surrounded by the counties of Buckingham, Northampton, Huntingdon, Cambridge, and Hertford. It is the fourth smallest county, containing only 295,509 acres or 461 square miles. Its extreme length from north to south is about 47 miles, and its width 21 miles. The great Ouse, which flows through the county eastward, is navi gable from Bedford to the sea at King s Lynn. The Mid land and Great Northern Railways intersect the county, also the Bletchley and Cambridge branch of the London and North- Western. The surface of the county is for the most part level, but the northern half is undulating, with a subsoil generally of boulder-clay and Oxford-clay. A fine tract of land south of Bedford is bounded by a range of lover-greensand running east and west, presenting beautiful woodland scenery, parallel to which, along the Hertford shire border, the Chiltern chalk range rises to 500 feet above the sea-level and 400 feet above the level of Bedford. The county is generally devoted to corn-growing, but the Ouse valley has a large breadth of rich pasturage, and all along the west side of the Great Northern railway is a sandy loara, on which onions, potatoes, and market produce are grown. Agricultural implement and other engineering works employ about 1000 hands at Bedford and Luton; while the female industry of the county is pillow-lace, and in the south straw-plait. The plait is made up, chiefly at Dunstable and Luton, into hats and bonnets, which are ex ported to all parts of the world. Luton is the most populous town in the county, slightly exceeding the county town of Bedford. The county rate assessment is 585,840. and the expenditure in 1873 was 11,802. The county be longs to the diocese of Ely, and coincides with the arch deaconry of Bedford. It contains 9 hundreds and 124 parishes. It is in the Norfolk circuit, and assizes are held twice a year. A court of quarter-sessions sits at Bedford, and the petty sessional divisions are seven. Two members are returned to parliament for the county and two for the town of Bedford. The titles derived from the county are that of duke to the house of Russell, and of baron of Bletsoe to the family of Lord St John, and the largest landowners are the duke of Bedford and Mr Whitbread of Southill. The most distinguished residence in the county is Woburn Abbey (duke of Bedford), near the town of that name* It was formerly a Cistercian abbey, granted at the Reformation by Henry VIII. to the family of Russell, the fourth duke of which house erected the present edifice. It is a very grand and capacious pile, situated in an extensive park, and is furnished with a large and valuable collection of paintings and statues. Luton Hoo is also an extensive mansion, which was reconstructed and improved for the third earl of Bute by the brothers Adam. A library, 146 feet in length, furnished with a valuable collection of books, and a large selection of paintings of some of the first masters, chiefly of the Italian school, are its distinguishing ornaments. Besides these there are other mansions which are highly deserving of notice, especially that of Mr Whitbread at Southill; Wrest Park, belonging to the Dowager Countess Cowper , Hawnes House, to the Rev. Lord John Thynne ; Sutton, to Sir John M. Burgoyne ; and Oakley House, to the marquis of Tavistock.
There are a general infirmary and fever hospital at Bedford; near Aresey is the Three Counties Lunatic Asylum (for Beds, Herts, and Hunts) provided for 685 patients ; at Carlton is the juvenile county reformatory ; at Kempston the comity school (300 boys), also the Military Brigade Depot. Cuunected with the county are the militia (18th Light Infantry), the duke of Manchester s cavalry volunteer corps, and the rifle volunteers.
The population of the county stood at the four last decennial enumerations as follows:—
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Year. Males. Females. Total. Houses. 1841, 52,190 55,746 107,936 21,964 1851, 59,941 64,537 124,478 25,461 1861, 63,940 71,347 135,287 28,314 1871, 69,046 77,211 146,257 32,099
In the year 1871 the number of agricultural labourers was 15,962, of straw-plaiters 23,508 (90 per cent, being females), and of lacernakers 6051, all females. The towns and their populations in 1871 were as follows: Luton, 17,317; Bedford, 16,850; Leighton-Buzzard, 4696; Dunstable, 4558; Biggleswade, 4244.
When the Romans landed in Britain Bedfordshire formed a portion of the district of the Cattieuchlani, whose sovereign or chief, Cassibelenus or Cassivelaunus, com manded the united forces which opposed Julius Caesar. When, in the year 310, the Emperor Constantine ruled the whole island, and divided it into five provinces, Bedford shire was included in the third division called Flavia Caesar iensis, and remained so till the final abandonment of Britain by the Romans. Under the Saxon heptarchy it formed part of the kingdom of Mercia, until with the rest of the island it was united to the kingdom of the West Saxons, which was divided by Alfred into counties, hundreds, and tythings, when this county first received its present name.
There are many remains of Roman, Saxon, and Norman antiquities. Traces of a Roman station are to be seen at Sandy near Potton, and at Maiden-Bower near Dunstable. Leighton-Buzzard, or Beaudesert, is supposed to have been a Roman camp. The ancient Ickhield and Watling Streets passed through the county; and the remains of both may be definitely traced, as well as of some others constructed by the Romans.
BEDNOR, a town of Hindustan, in the territories of the Rajd of Mysore, situated in 13 50 N. lat., and 75 6 E. long. In 1645 the seat of government of the Rajas of Ikeri was transferred to this place ; as the inhabitants of the former capital removed with the court, Bednor became a city of great importance, containing, it is said, 20,000 houses, besides huts. It was taken and plundered by Haidar All in 1763, who ordered it to be called Haidar- nagar. It is still, however, known by its original name of Bednor. At that time it was estimated at 8 miles in cir cumference. In 1783 it surrendered to a British detach ment under General Matthews, but being shortly after invested by Tipu Sultan, the garrison capitulated on con dition of safe conduct to the coast. Tipu violated the stipulation, put General Matthews and the principal officers to death, and imprisoned the remainder of the force. At Tipu s death it contained 1500 houses, besides huts. The district of Bednor is situated on the summit of that range of hills, the Western Ghats, which overlooks the pro vinces of Canara and Malabar. In consequence of its elevation above the sea, and the steepness of the mountain chain, which rises like a -wall to the height of 4000 or 5000 feet, the clouds of the south-west monsoon are here inter cepted, and their contents precipitated on the table-land in deluges of rain, which continue for six months in the year, and are extremely favourable to vegetation. Its products are pepper, betel-nut, cardamums, and sandal wood. Cattle of small size are also bred. The imports are salt, rice, cocoa-nuts, oil, turmeric, and cotton cloths.
