[The battles which are thus (*) marked will be found described in their alphabetical order through the volume, for more particular reference.

BAUTZEN, BATTLE OF. Between the allied army under the sovereigns of Russia and Prussia, and the French commanded by Napoleon; the allies were signally defeated, and this battle, followed by that of Wurtzchen, compelled them to pass the Oder, and led to an armistice, which, however, did not produce peace. May 20, 1813. BAVARIA, HOUSE OF. The dukedom founded in the eleventh century: this house bas the same origin as that of Saxony, and is a branch of the Guelphian family; Henry Guelph was made duke of Bavaria by Conrad II., emperor of Germany, who reigned in 1024. Otho, count Wittelpatch, was made duke in 1179; and Maximilian I. elector in 1624. Bavaria was erected into a kingdom by Buonaparte in December 1805; and obtained by the treaty of Presburg the incorporation of the whole of the Italian and German Tyrol, the bishopric of Anspach, and lordships in Germany. This kingdom joined the coalition against France in Oct. 1813.

BAYEUX TAPESTRY. This important historical document was wrought by Matilda, the queen of William I., and represents the facts of the Conquest, from the signature of the will of the Confessor down to the crowning of William, 1066.-Rapin. This curious monument of antiquity embroidered by Matilda, is 19 inches wide, 214 feet long, and is divided into compartments showing the train of events, commencing with the visit of Harold to the Norman court, and ending with his death at Hastings; it is now preserved in the town-house of Rouen.-Agnes Strickland. BAYONNE. Charles IV. of Spain abdicated here in favour of "his friend and ally the emperor Napoleon; and Ferdinand, prince of Asturias, and don Carlos and don Antonio renounced their rights to the Spanish throne, May 1, 1808. Bayonne, the strongest citadel in France, was invested by the British in January 1814, during which the French made a sally, and attacked the English with success, but were at length driven back. The loss of the British, in this affair, was considerable, and their commander wounded and taken prisoner.

BAYONETS. Invented at Bayonne (whence their name) in 1670. The use of them in battles was introduced by the French with great success, 1693.-Lenglet. BAZAAR, OR COVERED MARKET. The word is of Arabic origin. The bazaar of Ispahan is magnificent, yet it is excelled by that of Tauris, which has several times held 30,000 men in order of battle. Places of this name have opened recently in these countries. In London, the Soho-square bazaar was opened by Mr. Trotter in 1815. The Queen's bazaar, Oxford-street, a very extensive one, was (with the Diorama) burnt down, and the loss estimated at 50,0007., May 27, 1829: a new one has since been erected. The St. James' bazaar was built by Mr. Crockford in 1832. There are also the Pantheon, the Western Exchange, &c.

BEADS. The Druids appear to have used beads. They were early used by Dervises and other holy men in the East. Generally used in Catholic devotions, A.D. 1213. BEANS, BLACK AND WHITE. Used by the ancients in gathering the votes of the people, and for the election of magistrates. A white bean signified absolution, and a black one condemnation. The precept of Pythagoras to abstain from beans, abstide a fabis, has been variously interpreted. "Beans do not favour mental tranquillity."-Cicero.

BEARDS. Various have been the customs of most nations respecting them. The Tartars, out of a religious principle, waged a long and bloody war with the Persians, declaring them infidels, because they would not cut their beards after the rites of Tartary. The Greeks wore their beards till the time of Alexander, who ordered the Macedonians to be shaved, lest the beard should give a handle to their enemies, 330 B.C. Beards were worn by the Romans, 297 B.C. In England, they were not fashionable after the Conquest, A.D. 1066, until the thirteenth century, and were discontinued at the Restoration. The Russians, even of rank, did not cut their beards until within these few years; and Peter the Great, notwithstanding his enjoining them to shave, was obliged to keep officers on foot to cut off the beard by force. BEARDS ON WOMEN. A bearded woman taken by the Prussians at the battle of Pultowa, and presented to the Czar, Peter I. 1724: her beard measured 1 yard. A woman seen at Paris with a bushy beard, and her whole body covered with hair.— Dict. de Trévoux. The great Margaret, governess of the Netherlands, had a very long stiff beard. In Bavaria, in the time of Wolfius, a virgin had a long black beard. BEAULIEU, ABBEY OF. Founded by king John in the New Forest, Hampshire: here Margaret of Anjou sought refuge after the defeat and death of the earl of Warwick at the battle of Barnet, April 14, 1471. See Barnet, Battle of. BEAUVAIS, HEROINES OF. On the town of Beauvais being besieged by the duke of Burgundy at the head of 80,000 men, the women under the conduct of Jeanne de la Hachette, or Laine, particularly distinguished themselves, and the duke was obliged to raise the siege, July 10, 1472. In memory of their noble exploits the females of Beauvais walk first in a procession on the anniversary of their deliverance.-Henault. BECKET'S MURDER. Thomas, archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered at the altar, December 29, 1171. Four barons hearing Henry II. say, in a moment of exasperation," What an unhappy prince am I, who have not about me one man of spirit enough to rid me of this insolent prelate," resolved upon Becket's assassination; and rushing with drawn swords into the cathedral of Canterbury, where he was at vespers, they announced their design, when he cried out, "I charge you, in the

name of the Almighty, not to hurt any other person here, for none of them have been concerned in the late transactions." The confederates then strove to drag him from the church; but not being able to do so, on account of his resolute deportment, they killed him on the spot with repeated wounds, all which he endured without a groan. The bones of Becket were enshrined in gold and set with jewels, in 1220; and were taken up and burned in the reign of Henry VIII. 1539.-Stowe. BED. The practice universal in the first ages, for mankind to sleep upon the skins of beasts.-Whittaker. This was the custom of the early Greeks and Romans, and of the Britons, before the Roman invasion. They were afterwards changed for loose rushes and heather. Straw followed, and was used in the royal chambers of England so late as the close of the 15th century. The Romans were the first who used feathers. BEER. See Ale. A beverage of this sort is made mention of by Xenophon, in his famous retreat, 401 B.C. Beer was drunk generally in England in the thirteenth century. By a law of James I., when there was a kind of duty paid on "ale called bere," one quart of the best thereof was to be sold for a penny. Subjected to excise in 1660. There have been various statutes passed from time to time regulating the sale of beer. In England the number of retailers under the late acts of 1 William IV., and 4 William IV. 1834, amount to about 60,000. See Brewers; Porter. BEES. Mount Hybla, on account of its odoriferous flowers, thyme, and abundance of honey, has been poetically called the " empire of bees." Hymettus, in Attica, is also famous for its bees and honey. The economy of bees was admired in the earliest ages; and Eumelus, of Corinth, wrote a poem on bees, 741 B.C. There are 292 species of the bee, or apis genus, and 111 in England. Strange to say, bees were not originally natives of New England: they were introduced into Boston by the English, in 1670, and have since spread over the whole continent; the first planters never saw any.-Hardie's America.

BEET-ROOT. It is of recent cultivation in England. Margraff first produced sugar from the white beet-root, in 1747. M. Achard produced excellent sugar from it in 1799; the chemists of France at the instance of Buonaparte, largely extracted sugar from the beet-root in 1800. A refinery of sugar from beet-root was lately erected at the Thames-bank, Chelsea.

BEGUINES. Nuns, first established at Liege, and afterwards at Nivelle, in 1207. The "Grand Beguinage "of Bruges is the most extensive of modern times.Some of these nuns once fell into the extravagant error that they could, in this life, arrive at the highest moral perfection, even to impeccability. The council of Vienne condemned this error, and abolished a branch of the order in 1311. BEHEADING-or Decollatio of the Romans, introduced into England from Normandy, (as a less ignominious mode of putting high criminals to death) by William the Conqueror, 1074, when Waltheof, earl of Huntingdon, Northampton, and Northumberland, was first so executed.-Salmon's Chron. Our English history is filled with instances of this mode of execution, particularly in the reigns of Henry VIII., and Mary, when even women of the noblest blood, greatest virtues, and most innocent lives, thus suffered death*.

BEHRING'S STRAIT. Explored by a Danish navigator in the service of Russia whose name it bears. Behring thus established that the continents of Asia and America are not united, but are distant from each other about thirty-nine miles, 1728. BELFAST. First mentioned about A.D. 1315. Its castle is supposed to have been built by John de Courcy, then destroyed by the Scots, under Edward Bruce. Belfast was granted by James I. to Sir Arthur Chichester, then lord deputy, 1612. It was erected into a corporation, 1613. The long bridge, 2,000 feet in length, and of 21 arches, was commenced in 1682. William III. resided here several days, June, 1690. Here was printed the first edition of the Bible published in Ireland, 1704.

Among other instances (besides queens of England), may be mentioned the lady Jane Grey, beheaded Feb. 12, 1554; and the venerable countess of Salisbury,-the latter remarkable for her resistance of the executioner. When he directed her to lay her head on the block, she refused to do it; telling him, that she knew of no guilt, and would not submit to die like a criminal. He pursued her round and round the scaffold, aiming at her hoary head, and at length took it off, after mangling the neck and shoulders of the illustrious victim in a horrifying manner. She was daughter of George, duke of Clarence, and last of the royal line of Plantagenet. May 27, 1541.-Hume.

F

Charles V. annexed the Netherlands to
the crown of Spain

Seven provinces, under William, prince

The castle was burnt, April, 1708. The bank built 1787. The mechanics' institute established 1825. The merchants of Belfast are the only commercial men in Ireland who have uniformly used their own vessels as the carriers of their own trade. -Hardy's Tour. BELGIUM. Late the southern portion of the kingdom of the Netherlands, and anciently the territory of the Belge, who were conquered by Julius Cæsar, 47 B.C. Under the dominion of France so late as A.D. 1369; formed into a kingdom in 1831. Became an acquisition of the house of the Allied Powers, announced by Van Austria der Weyer Dec. 26, 1830 Duke de Nemours elected king; but his father, the king of France, refuses his consent

1477

1556

Feb. 3, 1831

Oct. 4, 1830

Leopold, prince of Cobourg, is elected

The king of the Netherlands recom

mences the war Aug. 3, 1831 [France sends 50,000 troops to assist Belgium, and an armistice ensues.] A conference of the ministers of the five great powers is held in London, which terminates in the acceptance of the 24 articles of pacification

Nov. 15, 1831

Aug. 9, 1832

Leopold marries Louise, eldest daughter
of Louis Philippe .
The French army returns to France,

Dec. 27, 1832

The revolution commences at Brussels, Aug. 25, 1830 The Provisional Government declares Belgium independent The Belgian troops take Antwerp; the Dutch are driven to the citadel, from whence they cannonade the town, Oct. 27, 1830 Belgian independence acknowledged by This last treaty arose out of the conference held in London on the Belgian question; by the decision of which, the treaty of November 15, 1831, was maintained, and the pecuniary compensation of sixty millions of francs, offered by Belgium for the territories adjudged to Holland, was declared inadmissible.

April 19, 1839

BELGRADE, BATTLE OF, between the German and Turkish armies, in which the latter was defeated with the loss of 40,000 men, fought 1456. Belgrade was taken by Solyman, 1522; and re-taken by the Imperialists in 1688, from whom it again reverted to the Turks in 1690. Taken by prince Eugene in 1717 (see next article), and kept till 1739, when it was ceded to the Turks. It was again taken in 1789, and restored at the peace of Reichenbach, in 1790.

BELGRADE, SIEGE OF. The memorable siege, so often quoted, was undertaken in May, 1717, under prince Eugene. On August 5, of that year, the Turkish army, of 200,000, approached to relieve it, and a battle was fought, in which the Turks lost 20,000 men; after which Belgrade surrendered. Belgrade has been frequently besieged. See Sieges.

BELL, BOOK, AND CANDLE; an ecclesiastical ceremony of the Romish church, used in excommunication, which see, and also Interdict. The bell is rung, the book closed, and candle extinguished; the effect being to exclude the excommunicated from the society of the faithful, depriving them of the benefits of divine service and the sacraments.-Pardon. Swearing by bell, book, and candle, is said to have originated in the manner of the pope's blessing the world yearly from the balcony of St. Peter's, at Rome.

BELL-ROCK LIGHT-HOUSE; justly esteemed as one of the finest structures of the kind in Great Britain. It is nearly in front of the Frith of Tay, and is 115 feet high; built upon a rock that measures 427 feet in length and 200 in breadth, and is about 12 feet under water. Upon this rock, tradition says, the abbots of the ancient monastery of Aberbrothock succeeded in fixing a bell in such a manner that it was rung by the impulse of the sea, so as to warn mariners of their impending danger. Tradition also tells us, that this apparatus was carried away by a Dutchman, who, to complete

the story, was afterwards lost upon the rock, with his ship and crew. The present lighthouse was commenced in 1806; it is provided with two bells, for hazy weather, and hence its name.

BELLAIR, BATTLE OF, in America. The town was attacked by the British forces under command of sir Peter Parker; but, after an obstinate engagement, in which the result was a long time doubtful, they were repulsed with considerable loss, and their gallant commander was killed, Aug. 30, 1814.

BELLEISLE; erected into a duchy in favour of marshal Belleisle, in 1742, in reward of his brilliant military and diplomatic services, by Louis XV. Belleisle was taken by the British forces under commodore Keppel and general Hodgson, after a desperate resistance, June 7, 1761; but it was restored to France in 1763. BELLES-LETTRES, OR POLITE LEARNING. We owe the revival of the belles-lettres in Europe, after the darkness of previous ages, to Brunetto, Latini, and other learned men in different countries, about A.D. 1272.-Gen. Hist. Learning greatly promoted by the Medici family in Italy, about 1550.-Fontana. Literature began to flourish in France, Germany, and England, about this time. The belles-lettres commenced with us in the reign of Elizabeth, and flourished in that of Anne. BELLMEN, first appointed in London, to proclaim the hour of the night before public clocks became general. They were numerous about A. D. 1556. The bellman was to ring his bell at night, and cry, "Take care of your fire and candle, be charitable to the poor, and pray for the dead."-Northouck's History of London. BELLOWS. Anacharsis, the Scythian, is said to have been the inventor of them, about 569 B.C. To him is also ascribed the invention of tinder, the potter's wheel, anchors for ships, &c. Bellows were not used in the furnaces of the Romans. BELLS. Used among the Jews, Greeks, Roman Catholics, and heathens. The responses of the Dodonæan oracle were in part conveyed by bells.-Strabo. The monument of Porsenna was decorated by pinnacles, each surmounted by bells.-Pliny. Introduced by Paulinus, bishop of Nola, in Campagna, about A.D. 400. First known in France in 550. The army of Clothair II., king of France, was frighted from the siege of Sens by the ringing of the bells of St. Stephen's church. The second Excerption of our Egbert, in 750, commands every priest, at the proper hours, to sound the bells of his church. Bells were used in churches by order of pope John IX., as a defence, by ringing them, against thunder and lightning, about 900. First cast in England by Turkeytel, chancellor of England, under Edmund I. His successor improved the invention, and caused the first tuneable set to be put up at Croyland abbey, 960.-Stowe.

The last is the great unsuspended bell, the wonder of travellers.

Its metal alone is

valued, at a very low calculation, at £66,565 sterling. In its fusion great quantities of gold and silver were thrown in as votive offerings by the people.

BELLS, BAPTISM OF. They were early anointed and baptised in churches.-Du Fresnoy. The bells of the priory of Little Dunmow, in Essex, were baptised by the names of St. Michael, St. John, Virgin Mary, Holy Trinity, &c., in 1501.-Weever. The great bell of Notre Dame, in Paris, was baptised by the name of Duke of Angoulême, in 1816. On the Continent, in Catholic states, they baptise bells as we do ships, but with religious solemnity.-Ashe.

BELLS, RINGING OF, in changes or regular peals, is almost peculiar to England; and the English boast of having brought the practice to an art. There were formerly societies of ringers in London.-Holden. A sixth bell was added to the peal of five, in the church of St. Michael, 1430.-Stowe's Survey. Nell Gwynne left the ringers of the church bells of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields, where there is a peal of twelve bells, a sum of money for a weekly entertainment, 1687.

BENARES, a holy city of the Hindoos, abounding in temples. It was ceded by the nabob of Oude, Asoph ud Dowlah, to the English, in 1775. An insurrection took place here, which had nearly proved fatal to the British interests in Hindostan, 1781. The

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