BOURG, the chief town of the department of Ain in France, and formerly the capital of the province of Bresse, is situated 27 miles N.E. of Lyons, on the banks of the Reyssouze, a tributary of the Saône. Its streets are narrow and crooked, and the whole town is very irregularly laid out. Among its public buildings are a new prefecture, a tneatre, a library (with upwards of 22,000 volumes), an asylum, a foundling hospital, a lyceum, and a theological seminary. In the suburb of St Nicholas is the famous church of Nôtre Dame de Brou, which was built in the first half of the 6th century by Margaret of Austria, and is remarkable for the richness of its sculpture and carving. Two of the squares of the town are ornamented, one with a statue of Bichat by David d’Angers, and the other by an obelisk to the memory of General Joubert. The manufactures of the place consist of cloth, linen, hats, hosiery, horn combs, and pottery; and there is an active trade in grain, cattle, horses, and wine. The early history of Bourg and its identification with any of the places recorded by the Roman writers have been matters of considerable dispute. In the earlier part of the Middle Ages it seems to have been called Tanuni. Raised to the rank of a free town in the end of the 13th century, it was afterwards chosen by Amadeus IV. of Savoy as the chief city of the province. In 1535 it passed to France, but was restored to Duke Philibert Emanuel, who in 1590 built a strong citadel, which afterwards withstood a six months’ siege by the soldiers of Henry IV. The town was finally ceded to France in 1G01. In 1814 the inhabitants, in spite of the defenceless condition of their town, offered resistance to the Austrians, who put the place to pillage. Vaugelas the grammarian and Lalande the astronomer ...

BOURGAS, Burghaz, or Borgas, called in the Middle Ages Pyrgos, a seaport town of Turkey in the province of Rumelia, situated on a bay of the Black Sea, to which it gives its name, about 70 miles N.E. of Adrianople, in 42° 30' N. lat. and 27° 30' E. It is neatly built, and has a large public square surrounded with stalls for the accommodation of 5000*horses. Pottery and pipes are manufactured with great 'taste from clay obtained in the neighbourhood, and there is a considerable trade in grain, woollen stuffs, tallow, butter, cheese, rosewater, and other productions of the surrounding country. Not far distant is Litzin, a favourite summer watering-place. In 1825 the Russians besieged the town. The population is estimated at 5000.

BOURGELAT, Claude, who may be called the father of veterinary science, was born at Lyons in 1712, and died in 1799. He entered the profession of law, but abandoned it in disgust at having gained an unjust suit for a client. Embracing the military profession he served in the cavalry, and thus had ample opportunity of studying the diseases of animals. In 1772 he opened at Lyons a veterinary school, which soon became celebrated over Europe. His great success induced the Government to establish several similar institutions; and Bourgelat was appointed to superintend the school established at Alfort, which became, and continues to be, the chief seat of veterinary science in France. Bourgelat was a member of the Academies of Sciences of Paris and of Berlin, and corresponded with some of the most eminent men of science of his time. His works on veterinary subjects »re numerous and valuable; perhaps the most important is the Traité de la conformation extérieure du cheval, de sa beauté et de ses défautes, 1776.

BOURGES, a city of France, formerly the capital of the province of Berry, and now the chief town of the department of Cher, is situated about 100 miles S. of Paris, at the confluence of the Auron and Yevre, in 47° 4' 59" N. lat. and 2° 32' E. long. The sixty watch-towers by which it was formerly defended have been removed, but it is still surrounded by ramparts laid out as promenades, and its streets are remarkable for the numerous specimens which they preserve of mediaeval architecture. The cathedral, which dates in its earlier portions from the 13th century, is regarded as one of the finest in France, and the Hôtel de Ville, originally the house of Jacques Coeur, the famous jeweller under Charles VIL, is a splendid example of the florid style of the 15th century. The house of the Lallemant family, built about 1520, that of Cujas, the famous jurist, dating from the 16th century, and now used as barracks for the gendarmerie, and the gate of Saint Ours, are also worthy of notice. The archiépiscopal palace, the great prison, and the grand séminaire, new converted into cavalry barracks, are the most important of the other buildings. There are also in the town a museum, a large public library, and a number of colleges. A certain amount of trade is carried on in grain, hemp, wood, skins, wool, and cattle; and cloth, leather, and cutlery are manufactured. There are also several breweries, and the nurseries in the neighbourhood are famous. In 1861 the city became the seat of a military arsenal, which is now of considerable importance. The population, stated at 22,465 in 1851, amounted in 1872 to 27,377. Bourges occupies the site of the Gallic town of Avaricum, mentioned by Caesar as one of the most important of all Gaul. In 52 b.c., during the war of Vercingetorix, it was ...