Bay Islands (the chief, Ruatan), in the bay of Honduras, Central America, belonged to Spain till 1821; then to Great Britain, which formed them into a colony in 1852, but ceded them to Honduras, 28 Nov. 1859; see Honduras. Bayeux Tapestry, said to have been wrought by Matilda, queen of William I. (?) It is 19 inches wide, 214 feet long, and is divided into compartments showing the events from the visit of Harold to the Norman court to his death at Hastings; it is now preserved in the public library of Bayeux near Caen. A copy, drawn by C. Stothard, and colored after the original, was published by the Society of Antiquaries in 1821-3. It was reproduced by autotype process by F. R. Fowke, with notes, 1875. Baylen (S. Spain), where, on 20 July, 1808, the French, commanded by gens. Dupont and Wedel, were defeated by the Spaniards under Reding, Coupigny, and other generals. Bayonet, the short dagger fixed at the end of firearms, said to have been invented at Bayonne, in France, about 1647, 1670, or 1690. It was used at Killiecrankie in 1689, and at Marsaglia by the French, in 1693, "with great success, against the enemy unprepared for the encounter with so formidable a novelty." The ring-bayonet was adopted by the British, 24 Sept. 1693. Bayonne (S. France), an ancient city. It was held by the English from 1295 till it was taken by Charles VII. The queens of Spain and France met the cruel duke of Alva here, June, 1556, it is supposed to arrange the massacre of St. Bartholomew. Charles IV. of Spain abdicated here in favor of "his friend and ally" the emperor Napoleon, 4 May, and his sons, Ferdinand prince of Asturias, don Carlos, and don Antonio renounced their rights to the Spanish throne, 6 May, 1808. In the neighborhood of Bayonne was much desperate fighting between the French and British armies, 9-13 Dec. 1813. Bayonne was invested by the British, 14 Jan. 1814; on 14 April, the French made a sally, and attacked the English with success, but were at length driven back. The loss of the British was considerable, and lieut.-gen. sir John Hope was wounded and taken prisoner. A Franco-Spanish industrial and fine arts exhibition was opened at Bayonne in July, 1864. Bayreuth (N. Germany), a margraviate, held formerly by a branch of the Brandenburg family, was with that of Anspach abdicated by the reigning prince in favor of the king of Prussia, 1790. The archives were brought (in 1783) from Plassenburg to the city of Bayreuth, which was incorporated with Bavaria by Napoleon in 1806. Bazaar, or covered market, a word of Arabic origin. The magnificent bazaar of Ispahan was excelled by that of Tauris, which has held 30,000 men in order of battle. In London the Soho-square bazaar was opened by Mr. Trotter in 1816 to relieve the relatives of persons killed in the war. The Queen's bazaar, Oxford street, a very extensive one, was (with the Diorama) burned down, and the loss estimated at 50,000l., 27 May, 1829. It was rebuilt, and converted into the Princess's theatre, opened 30 Sept. 1841. The St. James's bazaar (built by Mr. Crockford) in 1832. The Pantheon, made a bazaar in 1834; see Pantheon. The London Crystal Palace bazaar, 1858. The most imposing sale termed a bazaar was opened for the benefit of the Anti-Corn-law League in Covent Garden theatre, 5 May, 1845; in six weeks 25,000l. were obtained, mostly by admission money. The Corinthian bazaar, Argyll street, Oxford street (to replace the bazaar at the Pantheon), opened 30 July, 1867; closed in 1868. rages were said to have been committed. Of nearly 2000 inhabitants it was asserted scarcely fifty remained alive, and these indignantly denied having given provocation. Much controversy ensued, and in July, 1871, gen. Von der Tann asserted correctly that the number of deaths had been grossly exaggerated, that there had been much provocation, and denied the alleged cruelties. Bazoche-des-Hautes, near Orleans, central France. Here a part of the army of the Loire, under gen. D'Aurelle de Paladines, was defeated, after a severe action, by the Germans under the grand-duke of Mecklenburg, 2 Dec. 1870; see Orleans. Beachy Head, a promontory (S.E. Sussex), near which the British and Dutch fleet, commanded by the earl of Torrington, was defeated by a superior French force under admiral Tourville, 30 June, 1690; the allies suffered very severely. The Dutch lost two admirals, 500 men, and several ships-sunk to prevent them from falling into the hands of the enemy; the English lost two ships and 400 men. The admirals on both sides were blamed; ours for not fighting, the French for not pursuing the victory. Beacons, see Light-houses. Beaconsfield ADMINISTRATION, see Disraeli and People's Tribute. Beads were early used in the East for reckoning prayers. St. Augustin mentions them 366. About 1090 Peter the Hermit is said to have made a series of 55 beads. To Dominic de Guzman is ascribed the invention of the Rosary (a series of 15 large and 150 small beads), in honor of the Blessed Virgin, about 1202. Beads soon after were in general use. The Bead-roll was a list of deceased persons, for the repose of whose souls a certain number of prayers was recited. Beads have been found in British barrows. Beam AND SCALES. The apparatus for weighing goods was so called, "as it weighs so much at the king's beam." A public beam was set up in London, and all commodities ordered to be weighed by the city officer, called the weigh-master, who was to do justice between buyer and seller, stat. 3 Edw. H. 1309.-Stow. Beams and scales, with weights and measures, were ordered to be examined by the justices at quarter sessions, 35 Geo. III. 1794; see Weights and Measures. Beans, BLACK AND WHITE, were used by the ancients in gathering the votes of the people for the election of magistrates. A white bean signified absolution, and a black one condemnation. The precept of Pythagoras to abstain from beans, abstine a fubis, has been variously interpreted. "Beans do not favor mental tranquillity."-Cicero. The finer kinds of beans were brought here, with other vegetables, in Henry VIII.'s reign. Bear-baiting, an ancient popular English sport, prohibited by parliament in 1835. Beards. The Egyptians did not wear beards; the Assyrians did. They have been worn for centuries by the Jews, who were forbidden to mar their beards, 1490 B.C. (Lev. xix. 27). The Tartars waged a long war with the Persians, declaring them infidels, because they would not cut their beards, after the custom 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, 390 B.C. The emperor Julian wrote a diatribe (entitled "Misopogon ") against wear *A bearded woman was taken by the Russians at the battle of Pultowa, and presented to the czar, Peter I., 1724; her beard measured 1 yard. A woman is said to have been seen at Paris with a bushy beard, and her whole body covered with hair.-Dict. de Trévoux. The great Margaret, governess of the In Bavaria, in the Bazaine, MARSHAL, trial, etc., Dec. 1873, and Aug. Netherlands, had a very long stiff beard. 1874; see Metz and France. time of Wolfius, a virgin had a long black beard. Mdlle. Bois de Chêne, born at Geneva (it was said) in 1834, was exhibited Bazeilles, a village in the Ardennes, N. E. France. in London in 1852-3, when, consequently, eighteen years of age; she had a profuse head of hair, a strong black beard, large During the dreadful battle of Sedan, 1 Sept. 1870, Ba-whiskers, and thick hair on her arms and down from her neck zeilles was burned by the Bavarians, and atrocious outon her back, and masculine features. ing beards, A.D. 362.-In England they were not fashion- | Catholic church at Canterbury, dedicated to him, was able after the Conquest, 1066, until the thirteenth cen- opened by cardinal Manning, 13 April, 1875. tury, and were discontinued at the Restoration. Peter the Great enjoined the Russians, even of rank, to shave, but was obliged to keep officers on foot to cut off the beard by force. Since 1851 the custom of wearing the beard gradually increased in Great Britain. Bearn (S. France), the ancient Benecharnum, was held successively by the Romans, Franks, Goths, and Gascons, and became an hereditary viscounty in 819, under Centule I., son of Loup, duke of Gascony. From his family it passed to the houses-of Gabaret, 1134; of Moncade, 1170; of Foix, 1290; and of Bourbon, 1550. annexation to France was decreed by Henry IV., 1594; affirmed by Louis XIII., 1620. Bears AND Bulls, see Stocks. Its Beaulieu, ABBEY OF (reformed Benedictines), founded by king John, in the New Forest, Hampshire, in 1204, and dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, had the privilege of sanctuary. It afforded an asylum to Margaret, queen of Henry VI., after the defeat of the earl of Warwick, at Barnet, 14 April, 1471; and also to Perkin Warbeck, Sept. 1497. Bed. The ancients slept on skins. Beds were afterwards made of loose rushes, heather, or straw. The Romans are said to have first used feathers. An air-cushion is said to have been used by Ileliogabalus, 218-222; air-beds were in use in the sixteenth century. Featherbeds were in use in England in the reign of Henry VIII. The bedsteads of the Egyptians and later Greeks, like modern couches, became common among the Roman upper classes. The ancient Great Bed at Ware, Herts, capable of holding twelve persons, was sold, it is said, to Charles Dickens, 6 Sept. 1864. A bedstead of gold was presented to the queen on 2 Nov. 1859, by the maharajah of Cashmere. Air-beds and water-beds have been made since the manufacture of india rubber cloth by Clark in 1813; and by Mackin> tosh in 1823. Dr. Arnott's hydrostatic bed invented in 1830. Bed OF JUSTICE, a French court presided over by the king, whose seat was termed a "bed." It controlled the Bedford, a town (N.N.W. London) renowned for its many free educational establishments, endowed in 1561 by sir William Harpur, a London alderman. Here John Bunyan preached, was imprisoned, and wrote "The Pilgrim's Progress." Beaumont, a village near Sedan, department of Ar-sidered to be miraculous. dennes, N.E. France. Near here a part of the army of marshal MacMahon under De Failly, which, after vainly endeavoring to reach Metz, was retreating before the Germans under the crown-prince of Prussia, was surprised, defeated, and driven across the Meuse at Mouzon, 30 Aug. 1870. The French loss included about 7000 prisoners, many guns, and much camp equipage. The victory was chiefly gained by the Bavarians. Beaune-la-Rollande, a village in the Loiret, France. Here the French army of the Loire, under gen. D'Aurelle de Paladines, was defeated by the Germans, under prince Frederick Charles, in an attempt to march in the direction of Fontainebleau to relieve Paris, 28 Nov. 1870. The French loss was reported by the Germans to be 1000 dead, 4000 wounded; above 1700 prisoners. Their own loss was heavy. Beauvais (N. France), the ancient Bellovaci, formerly capital of Picardy. When besieged by Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy, with 80,000 men, the women, under Jeanne Fourquet or Lainé, also de la Hachette, from her using that weapon, particularly distinguished themselves, and the duke raised the siege, 10 July, 1472. In memory of this the women of Beauvais walk first in the procession on the anniversary of their deliverance. A statue of Bunyan, the gift of the duke of Bedford, was uncovered here, 10 June, 1874. Bronze gates for the Bunyan church, given by the duke, were inaugurated by him 5 July, 1876. Bedford Level, a portion of the great fen districts in the eastern counties, drained in the early part of the seventeenth century by the earl of Bedford, aided by the celebrated Dutch engineer, sir Cornelius Vermuyden, amid great opposition; see Levels. Bedlam, see Bethlehem. Bedouins, wandering tribes of Arabs, living on the plunder of travellers, etc. They profess a form of Mahometanism, and are governed by sheiks. They are said to be descendants of Ishmael, and appear to fulfil the prophecy respecting him (Gen. xvi. 12), 1911 B.C. Beef-eaters, see Buttle-axe. "Beefsteaks, THE SUBLIME SOCIETY OF," was esBeaver Dams, AFFAIR AT, in Upper Canada, seven atre, in the painting-room of which the members dined tablished in 1735 by Rich, an actor at Covent Garden themiles west of Queenstown. There was an engagement 24 Jan. 1813, between 540 Americans, under lieut.-col. upon beefsteaks. The society became fashionable, and Boerstler, and 800 British and Indians. The Ameri-long included among its members the prince of Wales, can loss, 25 killed, 50 wounded, and 460 officers and men made prisoners. The British loss, 30 killed and 35 wounded. Becket's Murder.* Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered at the altar, 29 Dec. 1170. The king was absolved of guilty knowledge of the crime in 1172, and did penance at the tomb in 1174. The bones of Becket were enshrined in gold and jewels in 1220; but were burned in the reign of Henry VIII., 1539. The Merchant Adventurers were at one time termed "the Brotherhood of St. Thomas à Becket." A Roman *Thomas Becket was born in 1119. His father, Gilbert, was a London trader, and his mother is stated to have been a to its somewhat ludicrous regulations. It became exroyal dukes, and other eminent persons, who submitted tinct in 1867, its last place of meeting being a room in the Lyceum theatre. Its history was published by brother Arnold in 1871. Bees. Mount Hybla, on account of its odoriferous flowers, thyme, and abundance of honey, has been poeticonvert from Mahometanism. He was educated at Oxford, cally called the "empire of bees." Hymettus, in Attica, and made archdeacon by Theobald, archbishop of Canterbury, was also famous for its bees and honey. The economy who introduced him to the king, Henry II. He became chancellor in 1155, but on being elected archbishop of Canterbury in 1162, he resigned the chancellorship, to the great offence of the king. He opposed strenuously the constitutions of Clarendon in 1164, and fled the country; and in 1166 excommunicated all the clergy who agreed to abide by them. He and the king met at Fretville, in Touraine, on 22 July, 1170, and were formally reconciled. On his return he recommenced his struggle with the king, which led to h's tragical death. of bees was admired in the earliest ages; and Eumelus (1860-2). The Ligurian variety of the honey-bee was The Castle burned.. A British Beekeepers' Association founded 16 May (sir John Bees', St., Cumberland. A monastery was founded here by St. Bega, 650; a grammar-school by abp. Grindall, 1583; a clerical training college by bp. Law, 1817. Beet-root is of recent cultivation in England. Beta vulgaris, red beet, is used for the table as a salad. Margraff first produced sugar from the white beet-root in 1747. M. Achard produced excellent sugar from it in 1799; and the chemists of France, at the instance of Bonaparte, largely extracted sugar from the beet-root in 1800. 60,000 tons of sugar, about half the consumption, are now manufactured in France from beet. It is also largely manufactured in other countries. A refinery of sugar from beet-root has been erected at the Thames bank, Chelsea. The cultivation of beet-root in England and Ireland much advocated, 1871. The Bank built.. The Mechanics' Institute established.. .4 April, 1708 1787 1825 The Queen's Bridge (5 arches) built on site of the Long Of three colleges established in Ireland in 1845, one in- 1841 .Oct. 1849 1852 ..July-Sept. 1857 Much rioting at Belfast through Mr. Hanna's open-air preaching... "Victoria Chambers" burned down; the loss estimated at 100,0001.. .1 July, 1859 Exciting religious revivals. ..Sept. Fierce conflicts between Roman Catholics and Protestants on account of the foundation of the O'Connell monument at Dublin-9 lives lost and 150 persons injured... Rioting again.. .10-27 Aug. 1864 30 April, 1865 .....July, Visit of the lord lieutenant the marquess of Abercorn, Severe rioting; much destruction of property and many ........ France, was invested by the Germans 3 Nov. 1870; caBelfort, or Befort, a fortified town in Alsace, E. pitulated 16 Feb. 1871; reserved to France when Alsace was ceded, 26 Feb.; quitted by the Germans Aug. 1873. Belgium, the southern portion of the Netherlands, and anciently the territory of the Belga, who were finally conquered by Julius Caesar, 51 B.C. Its size is about Beggars were tolerated in ancient times, being often musicians and ballad-singers. In modern times severe laws have been passed against them. In 1572, by 14 Eliz. c. 5, sturdy beggars were ordered to be "grievously whipped and burned through the right ear;" punished capitally for the third offence. By the Vagrant Act one eighth of Great Britain. Its government is a liber(1824), 5 Geo. IV. c. 83, all public beggars are liable to a al constitutional monarchy, founded in 1831. For premonth's imprisonment. About 30,000 tramps in Eng-vious history, see Flanders, Netherlands, and Holland. land and Wales.-Judicial Statistics, 1865. See Poor- The population (31 Dec.), 1862, 4,836,566; 1865, 4,984,laws and Mendicity Society. The "BEGGAR'S OPERA," 451; 1866, 4,829,320; 1870, 5,087,105; 1879, 5,536,146. by John Gay, a satire against the government of sir Rob- The revolution commences at Brussels... 25 Aug. 1830 ert Walpole, was produced at the Lincoln's-inn-fields The provisional government declares Belgium indetheatre, 29 Jan. 1727-8, and had a run of 63 nights; see pendent (M. Van de Weyer, active).. .....4 Oct. Antwerp taken (except the citadel).. 23 Dec. Gueux. Belgian independence acknowledged by the all'ed pow26 Dec. Duke de Nemours elected king (his father, king, refused his consent).. Surlet de Chokier is elected regent.. Beguines, a congregation of nuns first established at Liège, and afterwards at Nivelle, in 1207, some say 1226. The "Grand Beguinage" of Bruges was the most extensive. Some of these nuns imagined that they could become sinless. The council of Vienne condemned this error, and abolished a branch of the order in 1311. They still exist in Germany and Belgium, acting as nurses to the sick and wounded, etc. Beheading, the Decollatio of the Romans, introduced into England from Normandy (as a less ignominious mode of putting high criminals to death) by William the Conqueror, 1076, when Waltheof, earl of Huntington, Northampton, and Northumberland, was first so executed. Since then this mode of execution became frequent, particularly in the reigns of Henry VIII., Mary, and Elizabeth, when even women of the noblest blood thus perished: the aged countess of Salisbury, 27 May, 1541; lady Jane Grey, 12 Feb. 1554. Behistun, in Persia. At this place is a rock containing important inscriptions in three languages, in cuneiform (or wedge-shaped) characters, which were deciphered and translated by sir H. Rawlinson in 1844-6, and published in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. Each paragraph commences with "I am Darius the Great King." Behring's Strait, discovered by capt. Vitus Behring, a Danish navigator in the service of Russia. He thus proved that the continents of Asia and America are distant from each other about thirty-nine miles, 1728. He died at Behring's Island in 1741. In 1778, capt. James Cook surveyed the coasts of both continents. Belfast, capital of Ulster, N. Ireland. Its castle, supposed to have been built by John de Courcy, was destroyed by the Scots under Edward Bruce, 1315; see Orange. the Belgian question, by the decision of which the treaty of 15 Nov. 1831, was maintained, and the pecuniary compensation of sixty millions of francs offered by Belgium for the territories adjudged to Holland was declared inadmissible. *This treaty arose out of the conference held in London on At the revolution in 1830, the Roman Catholic clergy lost Belfast granted by James I. to sir Arthur Chichester, lord the administration of the public charities, which they have deputy, 1612; and erected into a corporation... 1613 struggled to recover ever since. In April, 1857. M. Decker, The Long Bridge (21 arches, 2562 feet long) built... .1682-6 the head of the ministry, brought in a bill for this purpose, The first edition of the Bible in Ireland printed here..... 1704 | but was compelled to withdraw it, and eventually to resign. Great distress through decay of trade. Fierce dissensions through Roman Catholics, Jan.; the ministry resigns, but resumes office, 4 Feb.; dissolution of the chambers, 17 July; the Protestants superior in the election... Death of Leopold I.. .Aug. 1862 | National exhibition at Brussels opened by the king and queen..... ...16 June, 1880 Representative at the Vatican recalled through ecclesiastical disputes; suspension of diplomatic arrangements, 28 June, Jubilee to celebrate national independence.. .18 July, Statue of Leopold I. unveiled at Laeken. .21 July, Patriotic fête in the Brussels exhibition.........16 Aug. Aug. 1864 ..10 Dec. 1865 The new king and queen visit England, 5 July; and Ghent and other Belgian cities.. July, 1866 National rifle meeting (tir). .12-16 Oct. 66 Mr. Phillips, lord mayor of London, and 1100 English volunteers visit Belgium under col. Loyd - Lindsay; other foreigners attend; grand banquet given by the king at Brussels. 20 Oct. Opening of the chambers, with a reassuring speech from the king. 13 Nov. 66 Violent rioting in mining districts (Marchienne-au-Pont) on account of reduction in wages; suppressed by the military... .1-2 Feb. 1867 About 2400 Belgians (of the garde civique and volunteers) visit England; arrive, 10 July; received by lord mayor, 12 July; by prince of Wales at Wimbledon, 13 July; dine at Windsor, 16 July; at a ball at Agricultural Hall, 18 July; received by Miss Burdett-Coutts, 19 July; attend the review at Wimbledon, 20 July; leave London.... .22 July, New ministry (under M. Frère-Orban); liberal....3 Jan. 1868 Serious riots in the mining districts; put down by the military; 10 lives lost... .25-29 March, Monument to Charlemagne at Liège, inaugurated 26 July, International congress of workmen at Brussels, 6-13 Nov. The crown prince Leopold Ferdinand, duke of Brabant, died... .22 Jan. 1869 Concession of a Luxembourg railway to a French railway company, without the assent of the state, prohibited by the assembly, 13 Feb.; dispute with the French government arranged.. May, International rifle meeting held at Liège... 19 Sept. Resignation of Frère-Orban ministry......about 19 June, 1870 M. d'Anethan's ministry announced. .......3 July, Warm gratitude to Great Britain expressed by the king and people.. ......8 Aug. Treaty for the neutrality of Belgium between Great Britain and Prussia, signed 9 Aug.; and France, signed 11 Aug. After surrender of Sedan many French soldiers enter Belgium; disarmed and interned.. .1-2 Sept. Strong opposition to the ministry by M. Barra and others; riots at Brussels.. 22-25 Nov. 66 Resignation of D'Anethan; M. Malou (a moderate) forms a ministry.. 7 Dec. 1871 The comte de Chambord arrives at Antwerp, 17 Feb. ; compelled to quit Belgium through popular demon strations. 66 66 66 ..27 Feb. 1872 The French government denounce the treaty of commerce with Belgium.... . 29 March, .....5 Feb. 1873 .22 May, Treaty of commerce with France signed. M. Van de Weyer, statesman; active during the revolution ...June, 66 of 1830; ambassador to England, 1831-67; died, 23 May, 1874 International conference at Brussels respecting rights of neutrals during war-no results....... 27 July-28 Aug. Notes from the German government, complaining of publications favoring the censured German ecclesiastics, Feb.; respecting the Duchesne's proposal to the archbishop of Paris to assassinate Bismarck..15 April, 1875 Dignifled Belgian replies... March and May, The court at Liège cannot interfere, May; modification of the criminal law proposed.... Much popular opposition to religious processions: riots, May, June, The king visits England... .29 May, 1876 Catholic successes in the elections; riots against them at Brussels and Antwerp. ..about 16, 17 June, Statue of Van de Weyer, at Louvain, inaugurated by the king. ..1 Oct. International congress respecting hygiene, etc., held at Brussels.. .27 Sept.-2 Oct. Catholic minority in elections; the Malou ministry resign, 13, 14 June; M. Frère-Orban forms a liberal ministry... .20 June, 1878 Gigantic weir for water-distribution at La Gileppe, near Verviers, inaugurated by the king. .28 July, The king's silver wedding enthusiastically celebrated, 22-25 Aug. KINGS. ...... 66 66 66 1831. Leopold," first king of the Belgians; born 16 Dec. 1790; inaugurated 21 July, 1831, at Brussels; married, 9 Aug. 1832, Louise, eldest daughter of Louis Philippe, king of the French (she died 11 Oct. 1850). He died 10 Dec. 1865. 1865. Leopold II., son; born 9 April, 1835; married archduchess Maria Henrietta of Austria, 22 Aug. 1853. Daughter. Princess Louise, born 18 Feb. 1858; married duke Philip of Saxony, 4 Feb. 1875. Brother. Philip, count of Flanders; born 24 March, 1837; married Mary, princess of Hohenzollern Sigmaringen, 25 April, 1867; heir, Baldwin, born 3 June, 1869. Belgrade, an ancient city in Servia, on the right bank of the Danube. It was taken from the Greek emperor by Solomon, king of Hungary, in 1072; gallantly defended by John Hunniades against the Turks, under Mahomet II., July to Sept. 1456, when the latter was defeated, with the loss of 40,000 men. Belgrade was taken by sultan Solyman, Aug. 1521, and retaken by the Imperialists in 1688, from whom it was again taken by the Turks, 1690. It was besieged in May, 1716, by prince Eugène. In that year the Turkish army, 200,000 strong, approached to relieve it, and on 5 Aug. a sanguinary battle was fought at Peterwaradein, in which the Turks lost 20,000 men. Eugène defeated the Turks here, 16 Aug. 1717, and Belgrade surrendered 18 Aug. In 1739 it was ceded to the Turks, after its fine fortifications had been demolished. It was retaken in 1789, and restored at the peace of Reichenbach, in 1790. The Servian insurgents had possession of it, 1806-13. it was placed under prince Milosch, subject to Turkey. The fortifications were restored in 1820. On 19 June, 1862, the Turkish pacha was dismissed for firing on the town during a riot. The university was established by private munificence, 1863. The fortress was surrendered by the Turks to the Servians, 18 April, 1867. The independence of Servia proclaimed here, 22 Aug. 1878; see Servia. In 1815 Belgravia, a southwestern district of the metropolis, built between 1826 and 1852 upon land belonging to the marquess of Westminster, who is also viscount Belgrave. Belize, see Honduras. Bell, BOOK, AND CANDLE: in the Romish ceremony of excommunication (which see), the bell is rung, the book is closed, and candle extinguished; the effect being to exclude the excommunicated from the society of the faithful, divine service, and the sacraments. Its origin is ascribed to the eighth century. Bell Rock Light-house, nearly in front of the Frith of Tay, one of the finest in Great Britain; it is 115 feet high, is built upon a rock that measures 427 feet in length and 200 feet in breadth, and is about 12 feet under water. It was erected in 1806-10. It has two bells for hazy weather. Bellair, North America. The town was attacked by the British forces under sir Peter Parker, who, after an obstinate engagement, was killed 30 Aug. 1814, Belleisle, an isle on the south coast of Brittany, France, erected into a duchy for marshal Belleisle, in 1742, in reward of his military and diplomatic services, by Louis XV. Belleisle was taken by the British forces under commodore Keppel and general Hodgson, after a * Leopold married, in May, 1816, the princess Charlotte of Wales, daughter of the prince-regent, afterwards George IV. of England; she died in childbed, 6 Nov. 1817. Upon this rock, it is said, the abbots of Aberbrothock fixed the Inchcape bell, so that it was rung by the impulse of the sea, thus warning mariners. It is also said that a Dutchman, who took the apparatus away, was here lost with h ́s ship and crew. desperate resistance, 7 June, 1761, but was restored to France in 1763. BAPTISM OF BELLS.-They were anointed and baptized in churches, it is said, from the tenth century.-Du Fresnoy. The bells of the priory of Little Dunmow, in Essex, were bap Belles-lettres, or POLITE LEARNING, see Acade- tized by the names of St. Michael, St. John, Virgin Mary, Holy mies and Literature. Belleville, the red republican stronghold of Paris, defended by seven barricades, was captured by L'Admirault and Vinoy, 27, 28 May, 1871, when the insurrection was suppressed. Bellmen, appointed in London to proclaim the hour of the night before public clocks became general, were numerous about 1556. They were to ring a bell at night, and cry, "Take care of your fire and candle, be charitable to the poor, and pray for the dead." Bellows. Anacharsis, the Scythian, is said to have been the inventor of them, about 569 B.C.; and to him is ascribed the invention of tinder, the potter's wheel, anchors for ships, etc. Bellows were not used in the furnaces of the Romans. The great bellows of our foundries must have been early used; see Blowing-machines. Bells were used among the Jews, Greeks, and Romans. The responses of the Dodonaan oracle were in part conveyed by bells.-Strabo, The monument of Porsenna was decorated with pinnacles, each surmounted by bells.-Pliny. Said to have been introduced by Paulinus, bishop of Nola, in Campagna, about 400; and first known in France in 550. The army of Clothaire II., king of France, was frightened from the siege of Sens by the ringing of the bells of St. Stephen's church. The second excerption of our king Egbert 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., about 900, as a defence, by ringing them, against thunder and lightning. Bells are mythically said to have been cast by Turketul, abbot of England, about 941. The celebrated "Song of the Beli," by Schiller (died 1805), has been frequently translated. The following list is that given by Mr. E. Beckett Denison (afterwards sir Edmund Beckett) in his discourse on bells at the Royal Institution, 6 March, 1857. The lecture of the Rev. H. R. Haweis, at the same place, 7 Feb. 1879, was well illustrated. The metal has been valued, at the lowest estimate, at 66.5657. Gold and silver are said to have been thrown in as votive offerings. The largest bell in England (named Big Ben, after sir Benjamin Hall, the then chief commissioner of works), cast at Houghton le Spring, Durham, by Messrs. Warner, under the superintendence of Mr. E. Beckett Denison, and the Rev. W. Taylor, at an expense of 3343/. 148. 9d. The composition was 22 parts copper and 7 tin. The diameter was 9 ft. 54 in.; the height 7 ft. 10 in. The clapper weighed 12 cwt.-Rev. W. Taylor. The bell Big Ben "having been found to be cracked, on 24 Oct. 1857, it was broken up, and another bell cast with the same metal, in May, 1858, by Messrs. Mears, Whitechapel. It is rather different in shape from its predecessor, Big Ben," and about 2 tons lighter. Its diameter is 9 ft. 6 in.; the height, 7 ft. 10 in. It was struck for the first time 18 Nov. 1858. bell. The clapper weighs 6 cwt.-half that of the former The note of the bell is E natural; the quarter-bells being G, B, E, F. On 1 Oct. 1859, this bell was also found to be cracked. § The clapper of St. Paul's bell weighs 180 lbs.; the diame: ter of the bell is 10 feet (Mr. Walesby says 6 ft. 94 in.), and its thickness 10 in. The hour strikes upon this bell, the quarters upon two smaller ones; see Clocks. Trinity, etc., in 1501.-Weever. The great bell of Notre Dame of Paris was baptized by the name of duke of Angoulême, 1816. On the continent, in Roman Catholic states, they baptize bells as we do ships, but with religious solemnity.-Ashe. RINGING OF BELLS, in changes of regular peals, is almost peculiar to the English.-Stow. "Companie of the Schollers of Chepeside," 1603; "Society of College Youths," 1637; "Society of Cumberland," 1683; the Society of Union Scholars," 1713; the Society of Eastern Scholars," 1733; "London Youths," 1753; "Westminster Youths," 1776. Fabian Stedman, about 1650, invented a system known as "Stedman's principle." Benjamin Anable soon after invented Grandsire Triples." 720 changes can be rung in an hour upon twelve bells; 479.001,600 changes rung upon them require 75 years, 10 months, and 10 days. Nell Gwynne left the ringers of the bells of St. Martin's-in-theFields money for a weekly entertainment, 1687, and many others have done the same. CARILLONS, a collection of bells, arranged in two or three chromatic scales, played by pedals or keyboards, or by machinery. The first set is said to have been made at Alost, in Flanders, in 1487, and that country and Holland are renowned for carillons. Matthias van den Gheyn was an eminent maker (1721–85). Excellent carillon machines are now made by Messrs. Gillet, Bland, & Co., Croydon. One at Manchester was started 1 Jan. 1879. It plays 35 tunes on 20 bells. Belmont (Mo.), BATTLE OF, opposite Columbus, Ky., fought 7 Nov. 1861. Gen. Grant, commanding the national forces, at first obtained a great advantage over gen. Pillow, the Confederate commander; but the latter, being reinforced from Columbus, compelled Grant to withdraw from the field. Beloochistan, the ancient Gedrosia (S. Asia). Khelat, the capital, was taken by the British in the Afghan war, 1839; abandoned, July, 1840; taken and held a short time, Nov. 1840. The khan was subsidized in 1854, under certain conditions, which were not observed; the arrangement was broken up in 1873; the negotiations of major (afterwards sir Robert) Sandeman, in 1875, were successful, and Quettah was occupied by the British in 1877, and has since become a prosperous station. The khan proffered assistance after the defeat of gen. Burrows in July, 1880. Belvedere Explosion, see Gunpowder, note. Bemis's Heights, FIRST BATTLE AT. General Gates, at the head of the Northern American army, in the autumn of 1777, established a fortified camp on Bemis's Heights, near Stillwater, where he was attacked by the British and Hessians, under gen. Burgoyne, on 19 Sept. Night terminated the conflict, and both parties claimed the victory. Burgoyne fell back to his camp, a few miles above, to wait for expected reinforcements, before renewing the conflict. The British force engaged was about 3000, and the American about 2500. The former lost, in killed, wounded, and missing, a little less than 500; the latter, 319. Bemis's Heights, SECOND BATTLE AT. Despairing of reinforcements, his army diminishing by desertions, Burgoyne perceived that he must fight or flee. He advanced, and again attacked Gates on 7 Oct., almost upon the battle-ground of 19 Sept. They fought severely, and Burgoyne fell back to the heights of Saratoga, now Schuylerville. There he was compelled to surrender on 17 Oct. The whole number of troops surrendered was 5791, of whom 2412 were Germans, or Hessians, under the baron Riedesel; the remainder were British regulars and Canadians; see Saratoga. Benares, in India, 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 rajah, Cheyt Sing, was deposed in consequence of it in 1783. Mr. Cherry, capt. Conway, and others were assassinated at Benares by vizier Aly, 14 Jan. 1799. In June, 1857, col. Neil succeeded in suppressing attempts of the native infantry to join the mutiny; see India. Visit of prince of Wales, 5 Jan. 1876. |