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British North America

a name under which are included the Dominion of Canada and the colony of Newfoundland, comprising all the mainland N. of the United States (except Alaska) and a great many islands.

BRITISH SOMALILAND. See MALILAND PROTECTORATE.

See So- BRITISH SOUTH AFRICA.

SOUTH AFRICA, UNION OF.

See BRITISH SOUTH AFRICA COM- PANY, a corporation founded in 1889, with. a royal charter, by Cecil Rhodes and others, for the purpose of controlling, settling, administering and opening up by railways and telegraphs, etc., certain territories in central south Africa. Mashonaland was first settled, and, in 1893, Matabeleland was annexed and settled after the defeat of King Lobengula. In 1895, North Zambezia, in British Central Africa, was added, as well as a strip of territory in the Bechuanaland Protectorate. This territory has been called Rhodesia, or British Zambezia; area, about 500,000 square miles. In consequence of the filibustering raid of Dr. Jameson, an officer of the company, near the close of 1895, Rhodes resigned his connection with the company in 1896, and a joint administrator of the territory was appointed by the British crown.

BRITTANY. See BRETAGNE.

BRIZA (Quaker grass), a genus of grasses with panicles consisting of awnless spikelets much compressed laterally, and cordate deltoid in form.