Bisutun

See Behistun. Bit Humri (bēt höm'ri). ('The house of Omri.'] The name of the country of Israel in the A yrian inscriptions: after Omri, the founder of the 4th dynasty in the kingdom of Israel. It was the A yrian fashion to name countries after the founders of their reigning houses. Bithynia (bi-thin'i-ä). [Gr. Βιθυνία .] In ancient geography, a division of Asia Minor, lying between the Pro pont is, Bosporus, and Euxine on the north, Mysia on the west, Phrygia and Galatia on the south, and Paphlagonia on the east. Its inhabitants were of Thracian origin. Nicomedes I. became its first independent king about 278 B. C.; and Nicomedes III. bequeathed the kingdom to Rome 74 B. C. It was governed by Pliny the Younger. It contained the cities of Chalcedon, Heraclea, Prusa, Nicæa, and Nicomedia. Biton (bi'ton) and Cleobis (klē'ō-bis). [Gr. Βίτων and Κλέοβις.] In Greek legend, sons of Cydippe, prieste of Hera at Argos. During a festival the prieste had to ride to the temple in a chariot, and as the oxen were not at hand, Biton and Cleobis dragged the chariot with their mother forty-five stadia to the temple, in which they fell asleep, and, in answer to a prayer of their mother to Hera to reward this act of filial piety with the greatest boon for mortals, never awoke. Hero dot us makes Solon relate this story to Cræsus. Bit on to (be-ton'tō). A city in the province of Bari, Apulia, Italy, situated 11 miles west of Bari: the Roman Bituntum (whence the name). Here, May 25, 1734, the Spaniards under Monte mar defeated the Austrians, thereby gaining the kingdom of Naples. The cathedral is a medieval church with Saracenic elements, remaining almost untampered with. It has three apses, in the nave alternate coupled and clustered columns, handsome ambones, and a well-proportioned and richly ornamented front. The crypt is of the char act eristic Southern type. Population (1881), commune, 26,207. Bitsch (bich), formerly Kaltenhausen (käl' ten-hou-zen). [G. Bitsch , F. Bitche .] A town in Lorraine, Alsace-Lorraine, situated on the northern slope of the Vosges, in lat. 49° 4′ Ν., long. 7° 26′ E. It is a noted fortre , supposed to be impregnable. It was besieged by Germans in 1870, and surrendered after the peace. Population (1890), 2,764. Bitterfeld (bit'er-feld). A manufacturing town in the province of Saxony, Pru ia, situated on the Mulde 20 miles north of Leipsic. Population (1890), commune, 9,047. Bit Yakin (bēt yä-ken'). ['House of Yakin.'] A principality in the extreme south of Babylonia, on the sea-coast, named for its ruling family, from which Merodach-baladan, king of Babylonia (722-702 в.с.), descended. The last king of this powerful family was subdued by As urban i pal, king of As syria 668-626 в. с. Bitzer (bit'zer). A school-boy under Mr. M'Choakum brought up on the Grad grind system, in Charles Dickens's story "Hard Times": afterward a porter in Bounder by's bank, with a heart "acce ible to reason and nothing else." He is a spy. Bitzius (bět'sē-ös), Albert: pseudonym Jeremias Gotthelf. Born at Morat, in Fribourg, Switzerland, Oct. 4, 1797: died at Lützelflüh, in Bern, Switzerland, Oct. 22, 1854. A Swi pastor and author, noted chiefly for his moralizing novels illustrating the home life of the Bernese peasantry. Bivar, Rodrigo de. See Cid . Bizerta, or Biserta (bē-zer'tä), or Benzert. A seaport in northern Tunis, in lat. 37° 17′ N., long. 9° 9°53′ E., on the site of the ancient Hippo Zaritus. Bizet (bi-zā'), Alexandre César Léopold (called Georges). Born at Bougival, near Paris, Oct. 25, 1838: died at Paris, June 3, 1875. A French composer, author of "Carmen" (1875), etc. Bjarme, Brynjolf. A pseudonym of Henrik Ibsen. Bjelgorod. See Bielgorod . Björneborg (byer'ne-bôrg). A town in the on the Gulf of Bothnia in lat. 61° 28′ N., long. 21° 22′ E. Population (1890), 9,077. Björnson (byern's on), Björnstjerne. Born at Kvikne, Österdalen, Norway, Dec. 8, 1832. A Norwegian poet, novelist, and dramatist. His father was a clergyman at Österdalen and later held the living at Næs in the Romsdal. After attending the gram mar-school at Molde he went to the at tiania, and was subsequently in Upsala and Copenhagen. In 1857 he returned from abroad, and was first director of the theater in Bergen, and afterward (1859) for a short time editor of the journal "Aftenbladet" in Christiania. In 1860 he went abroad; upon his return, in 1863, the Storthing voted him a yearly stipend. From 1865 to 1867 he was director of the Christiania theater, and editor, during the time, of the journal "Norske Folkeblad." He has taken an active part in the political and social life of Scand in a via. In 1880 he traveled in America. Recently he has lived upon his estate Olestad, in the Gausdal. His first novel, "Synnöve Solbakken," appeared in 1857. It was followed by "Arne" (1858), "En Glad Gut" ("A Happy Boy," 1860), and later (1868) by "Fiskerjenten ("The Fisher Maiden ") - all stories of Norwegian peasant life, to which are to be added at various times, in the same vein, a number of shorter tales. "Magnhild" (1877) and "Captain Manzana" followed-the one a tale of middle cla life in Norway, the other an Italian story. His latest novels, in Det Flager i Byen og paa Havnen Flags are Flying in the Town and Harbor"), and "Paa Guds Veie" ("In God's Way "), are novels of tendency. He is the au besides, of numerous dramas whose material has been taken from the sagas, from recent history, and from modern life. They are "Mellem Slagene" ("Between the Battles") and "Halte Hulda" ("Lame Hulda," 1858), "Kong Sverre" ("King Sverre," 1861), the trilogy "Sigurd Slembe" (1862), "Maria Stuart i Skotland" (Mary Stuart in Scotland," 1863), "De Nygifte" ("The Newly Wedded Pair," 1865), "Sigurd Jorsalfar" ("Sigurd the Crusader," 1873), "En Fallit" ("A Bankruptcy") and "Redaktören" ("The Editor," 1875), "Kongen" ("The King," 1877), "Leonardo" and "Det nye System" ("The New System," 1879). There are a number of le important dramas, viz.: "En Hauske," "Geografi og Kjaerlighed," "Over Ævne." The earlier works, like "Arne," contain a num peared in 1870. ber of lyrics. An epic poem, "Arnljot Gelline," apBjörnstjerna (byėrn's her'nä), Count Magnus Fredrik Ferdinand. Born at Dresden, Oct. 10, 1779: died at Stockholm, Oct. 6, 1847. A Swedish diplomatist, lieutenant-general, and political writer. He was minister plenipotentiary to Great Britain 1828–46. Blacas d'Aulps (blä-käs' dop'). Born at Aulps or Aix about 1160: died 1229. A French troubadour. Black friars Offspring. Born at London, 1654: died at Exeter, England, Nov. 29, 1716. An English prelate and controversialist, made bishop of Exeter in 1708. He engaged in controversies with John To land, whom he accused of having denied the genu- inene of the Scriptures in his "Life of Milton," and with Bishop Hoadley, against whom he supported the cause of Charles I. and High-Church principles. Black A ize, The. A name given to the Ox- ford a ize of 1577, in which year Oxford was ravaged by jail-fever. Black Bateman of the North. A play by Thomas Dekker, with Drayton, Wilson, and Chettle (1598). Black Be . The famous mare of Dick Turpin, which saved his life by her speed and strength. Black Book, The. A prose satire by Thomas Middle ton, a coarse but humorous attack on the vices and follies of the time: published in 1604. It was suggested by Nash's "Pierce Black Brunswick ers, or Death's-Head Corps. A corps of 2,000 horsemen equipped by the Duke of Brunswick to operate against Napo- leon in Germany. It vainly attempted to co- operate with the Austrians in 1809. Pennile e." Black burn (blak'bėrn). A town in Lancashire, England, in lat. 53° 44′ N., long. 2° 28′ W. Its chief industry is cotton manufacture (Black burn checks, Black burn grays). It is the birthplace of Hargreaves. Population (1901), 127,527. Black Code, The. The system of law regulat- ing the treatment of the colored race which prevailed in the southern United States before the emancipation of the slaves. Black Country, The. The mining and manu- facturing region in the neighborhood of Bir- mingham, England. Black Crom. See the extract. publisher, at Edinburgh, and politician. Hav ing begun a bookselling busine in his own name in 1807, he established 26 years later, by taking his nephew into partnership, the house of Adam and Charles Black. He acquired the copyright of the "Encyclopædia Britannica" on the failure of Archibald Constable and Co. in 1827. He was member of Parliament for Edinburgh 1856-65. domino noir" (1837). vier. Black, Jeremiah Sullivan. Born at the Glades, Somerset County, Pa., Jan. 10, 1810: died at York, Pa., Aug. 19, 1883. An American jurist and statesman, attorney-general 1857-60, and secretary of state 1860–61. Black, Joseph. Born at Bordeaux, France, 1728: died at Edinburgh, Dec. 6, 1799. A cele brated Scotch chemist, noted for his discoveries in regard to carbonic-acid gas and latent heat. He became profe or of medicine in the University of Glasgow in 1756, and of medicine and chemistry at Edin burgh in 1766. Black, William. Born at Glasgow, Nov., 1841: died at Brighton, Dec. 10, 1898. A British novelist and journalist. In 1864 he went to London, and was attached to staff of the London "Morning Star" in 1865. He was also for some years a istant editor of the London "Daily News.” His works include "In Silk Attire” (1869), "A Daughter of Heth"(1871), "The Strange Adven tures of a Phaeton" (1872), "A Prince of Thule" (1873), "The Maid of Killeena, and other Stories" (1874), "Three Feathers" (1875), "Madcap Violet" (1876), “Lady Silver dale's Sweetheart, and other Stories" (1876), "Green Pastures and Piccadilly" (1877), "Macleod of Dare" (1878), "White Wings, etc." (1880), "Sunrise, etc." (1880), "White Heather" (1885), "In Far Lochaber" (1888), etc. Black acre (blak'ā-kėr), Jerry. In Wycherley's "Plain Dealer," a raw booby, not of age and still under his mother's government, bred by her to the law, or at least to a glib use of its terms. Black acre, Widow. In Wycherley's "Plain Dealer," a petulant, litigious woman, always with a law case on hand. She is one of the author's best and most amusing characters, and is taken from the counte in Racine's "Les plaideurs." Black Act, The. An English statute of 1722, so called because designed originally to suppre a ociations of lawle persons who called themselves blacks . It made felonies certain crimes against game laws, the sending of anonymous letters demanding money, etc. Black Agnes. See Dunbar , Agnes , Counte of. province of Abo-Björneborg, Finland, situated Black all (blak'al), or Black hall (blak hål), Edward Mauley, who was deformed gnomish-looking. Black-eyed Susan. A ballad (the farewell of Sweet William to Black-eyed Susan) by Gay, published in 1720 in a collection of his poems. The music was written by Richard Leve ridge (Grove). Black-eyed Susan, or All in the Downs. A comedy by Douglas Jerrold, produced June 8, 1829. It was played four hundred times in that year alone. Black feet. See Sihasapa . Black Flags. Bands of irregular soldiers infesting the upper valley of the Red River in Tonquin. They were originally survivors of the Taiping re bellion in China. Increased by the acce ion of various adventurers, they fought against the French in their wars with Annam. Black Forest, G. Schwarzwald (shvärts'väld). A mountainous region in the eastern part of Baden and the western part of Würtemberg, between the valleys of the Rhine and Neckar: famous in poetry and romance. It is divided by the Kinzig into the Lower Black Forest in the north, and the Upper Black Forest in the south. It has manufactures of clocks, hats, wooden wares, etc. The highest summit is the Feldberg (4,900 feet). Among other peaks are the Belchen and Hornisgrinde. Black Forest Circle. An administrative division in Würtemberg. Area, 1,842 square miles. Population (1890), 481,334. Black friars. Aname given to the locality at the southwestern angle of old London city, on the Fleet. The Black Friars, or mendicant monks of the Dominican order, made their appearance in London in 1221 under the patronage of Hubert de Burgh, and were located in Holborn. In 1285 they moved to the site of the old Montfichett tower, which had been given them for a monastery. The tower itself was destroyed and the material used in building the church. From Ludgate to the river the city wall was pulled down and moved westward to the Fleet, all the added space being devoted to the monastery. The original site was given by Gregory Rokesley "in a street of Baynard Castle." The monastery was endowed with a privilege of asylum, which attached itself to the locality after the di olution. To this privilege and to the odor Black friars of sanctity attached to the place may be attributed the existence of the Theatre of Black friars (which see). Players had been expelled from the city limits, but the sheriff could not touch them here. W. J. Loftie , History of London. Black friars Bridge. One of the great stone bridges of London, the third bridge from the tower, originally called Pitt Bridge, but soon named from the locality. After much discu ion its construction was intrusted to Mr. Mylne, of Edinburgh. pleted D. 191769, at a cost of $300,000. It was 995 feet long, 42 feet wide, 62 feet high. The central span was 100 feet wide. It was demolished in 1864, and rebuilt in a few years, from the designs of Cubitt, at a cost of £320,000. The first pile was driven June, 1760, and the structure com Black friars Theatre. A famous London the ater, the site of which is now occupied by the "Times" office and Playhouse Yard. Sometime in 1596 Sir William More conveyed to James Burbage, the father of Richard Burbage the actor, part of a large house in Black friars, consisting of "seaven greate upper romes." This he converted into a theater. The first tenants were the Children of the Chapel, afterward called the Children of Her Majesty's Revels. Shakspere and his colleagues, Richard Burbage, Lowin, and Condell, acted in Black friars. They were first known as the Lord Chamberlain's Company, but in 1603 James I. allowed them to take the title of King's Servants. The actors of Black friars were of grave and sober behavior, and men of high standing. The theater was celebrated for its music: the musicians, however, paid for the privilege of playing here. The stage was covered by a silk curtain. There were three tiers of galleries, and beneath them rooms or boxes. The orchestra was seated in a balcony at the side of the stage, and played at the beginning and between the acts as now. At a triple flourish of trumpets the curtain opened and disclosed the stage, which was strewn with rushes and, if a tragedy was to be represented, hung with black. Shakspere wrote exclusively for the Globe and Black friars. Almost all of the great dramas of the time were performed here. It was pulled down in 1655 ( Doran ). Black Friday. 1. Good Friday: so called because on that day, in the Western Church, the vestments of the clergy and altar are black. 2. Any Any Friday marked by a great calamity: with special reference in England to Friday, Dec. 6, 1745, the day on which news reached London that the Young Pretender, Charles Edward, had reached Derby Derby; or to the commercial panic caused by the failure of the house of Over end and Gurney, May 11, 1866; and in the United States to the sudden financial panic and ruin caused by by reckle speculation in gold on the exchange in the city of New York on Friday, Sept. 24, 1869; or to another similar panic there, which began Sept. 18, 1873. tions. nic there. Black Hamble ton. One of the oldest racecourses in England. It appears in an early document as a place enjoying special privileges and exempBlack Hawk. Born at Kaskaskia, Ill., 1767: died near the Des Moines River, Iowa, Oct. 3, 1838. An American Indian, chosen chief of the Sacs about 1788. He was the leader in the revolt of the Sacs and Foxes in 1832 ("Black Hawk's War"). Black heath (blak'heth). [ME. Blak Heth .] An open common in Kent, England, 5 miles southeast of St. Paul's, London. The Danes were defeated here 1011. It was the scene of Wat Tyler's rising 1381, and of Jack Cade's rising 1450. The Cornish rebels were defeated here by royalists, June 22, 1497. Black Hills. A group of mountains in the southwestern part of South Dakota and the northeastern part of Wyoming, noted for their mineral wealth. The chief town in the region is Deadwood. The highest point is Harney's Peak (7,215 feet). Gold was discovered here in 1874. Black Hole of Calcutta. The garrison strongroom or black hole at Calcutta, measuring about 18 feet square, into which 146 British prisoners were thrust at the point of the sword by the Nawab Sirāj-ud-Daulā, on June 20, 1756. The next morning all but 23 were dead. Blackie (blak'i), John Stuart. Born at Glasgow, July, 1809: died at Edinburgh, March 2, 1895. A Scotch philologist and poet, profe or of Greek at Edinburgh 1852-82. He translated Æschylus in 1850, and wrote "Four Phases of Morals" (1871), "Lays of the Highlands" (1872), "Horæ Hellenicæ" (1874), etc. Black Isle, The. The peninsula in northern Scotland between Cromarty Firth and Beauly IMG:content-0244.png:[blocks in formation] burgh, July 7, 1791. A blind poet of Scotland. He was of humble parentage; lost his sight at the age of six months by an attack of smallpox; was given an education, including a course at the University of Edinburgh, by Dr. Stevens on, a physician of Edinburgh; was licensed to preach in 1759; became minister of Kirk cud bright about 1762; resigned in 1764; and enjoyed the friendship and patronage of Hume and Joseph Spence. An edition of his poems appeared in 1756, with an introduction by Spence. Black lock, William James. Born at Cumwhitton, near Car lisle, about 1815: died at Dumfries, Scotland, March 12, 1858. A Scottish landscape-painter. Black Man, The. A popular epithet of the devil. Black Maria. A popular name of the covered van, commonly painted black, in which criminals are conveyed to and from jail. Black Monday. Easter Monday: so called from a terrible storm on Easter Monday, 1360, from which the English army before Paris suffered severely. Shak ., M. of V., ii. 5. 25. Black more (blak'mor), Sir Richard. Born at Corsham, Wilts hire, England, about 1650: died at Boxsted, E ex, Oct. 9, 1729. An English physician, poet, and prose-writer, physician in ordinary to William III. His best-known work is "The Creation" (1712). Black more, Richard Doddridge. Born at Long worth, Berks hire, June 9, 1825: died at Tedding ton, Jan. 20, 1900. An English lawyer and novelist. He was graduated from Oxford in 1847, and was called to the bar in 1852. His works include "Clara Vaughan" (1864), "Cradock Nowell, etc." (1866), "Lorna Doone: a Romance of Exmoor" (1869), "The Maid of Sker" (1872), "Alice Lorraine" (1875), "Cripps the Carrier" (1876), "Erema" (1877), "Mary Anerley" (1880), "Cris to well (1882), "Tommy Up more" (1884), "Spring haven" (1887), "Kit and Kitty" (1889). He also published "The Fate Georgics in 1862 and 1871. of Franklin," a poem, in 1860, and translations of Vergil's Black Mountain. See Monte negro. Black Mountains. A group of mountains in western North Carolina (chiefly in Yancey County), the highest in the Appal a chi an system. The chief peak is Mount Mitchell, 6,710 feet high. Black Mountain Tribes. The tribes on the northwestern frontier of India, west of the upper Indus. British expeditions against them were despatched in 1888, 1890, and 1891, without great succe . Black pool (blak'pöl). A watering-place in Lancashire, England, situated on the Irish Sea 15 miles west-northwest of Preston. Population (1891), 23,846. Black pool, Stephen. In Charles Dickens's "Hard Times," a power-loom weaver of upright character tied to a miserable drunken He cannot see the propriety of living with her wife. and giving up a better woman whom he loves, and in his own words "'t is a' a muddle." He dies a lingering death from a fall into an abandoned mine, and it appears that his goodne and integrity have met with a poor return in this world. IMG:content-0245.png:[blocks in formation] Black Republic. A name given to the republic of Haiti, which is formed mostly of negroes. Black River. A river in New York which empties into Lake Ontario. Length, about 120 miles. Black Rock. A town in County Dublin, Ireland, on Dublin Bay: a resort for sea-bathing. Population (1891), 8,401. Black Rock. A district within the municipality of Buffalo, New York, situated on the Niagara River: the scene of several engagements between the Americans and British 1812-14. Black Rod. The title of a gentleman usher, with special duties, in the English houses of Lords and Commons. He carries a black rod of office surmounted with a gold lion. Blacks, The. The Neri, an Italian faction. See Neri . Black Saturday. In Scotch history, Aug. 4, 1621, when the Parliament at Edinburgh pa ed certain acts favoring Episcopacy. Black Sea. [F. Mer Noire , G. Schwarzes Meer, L. Pontus Euxinus , Gr. Πόντος Εύξεινος, Εύξεινον πέλαγος, Εύξεινος θάλασσα (the Euxine), lit. 'the hospitable sea, earlier called " Ἄξεινος πόντος, the inhospitable sea.] An inland sea bounded by Ru ia on the north and east, Asia Minor on the south, and European Turkey, Bulgaria, and Rumania on the west. It extends from lat. 40° 45′-46° 45' N., and long. 27° 30′-41° 50′ E. It communicates with the Mediterranean by the Strait of Bosporus, the Sea of Marmora, and the Strait of Dardanelles. Its chief arms are the Sea of Azov and the Gulf of Perekop; its chief tributaries Blair, Hugh the Danube, Dniester, Bug, Dnieper, Don, Kuban, Tchoruk, Yeshil-Irmak, Kizil-Irmak, and Sakaria. On it are situated Burgas, Varna, Ode a, Sebastopol, Sukhum, Kale, Poti, Batum, Trebizond, Samsun, Sinope. The Black Sea was neutralized by the treaty of Paris 1856, no war-ships being permitted in its waters, and no military or naval arsenals on its coasts. Ru ia in 1870 abrogated the provisions relating to her war-ships and arsenals. Length, 740 miles. Greatest width, 390 miles. Estimated area, 168,500 square miles. Black stone (blak's ton), Sir William. Born at London, July 10, 1723: died at London, Feb. 14, 1780. A celebrated English jurist, appointed Vinerian profe or of common law at Oxford in 1758, and justice in the Court of Common Pleas in 1770. His chief work is "Commentaries on the Laws of England" (1765-68). Eight editions appeared in the author's lifetime, and for sixty years after his death they followed in quick succe ion. These editions were edited and annotated by Cole ridge, Chitty, Christian, and others. An American edition was printed in 1884, but the text has not been reprinted in England since 1844. There are various adaptations of it for modern use. Black stone, William. Died near Providence, R. I., May 26, 1675. An English colonist in America, the first white settler in Boston (about 1623). Black stone River. A river which rises in Worcester County, Ma achusetts, and joins the Providence River near Providence. Length, about 75 miles. Black Warrior. A river in Alabama which joi joins the Tombigbee in lat. 32° 32′ N., long. 87° 58′ W. It is navigable to Tuscaloosa. Length, about 300 miles. Black Watch. A body of Scotch Highlanders employed by the English government to watch the Highlands in 1725, and enrolled as a regiment in the regular army in 1739: so called from their dark tartan uniform. Blackwater (blak'water). A river in Munster, Ireland, which flows into Youghal Bay 26 miles east of Cork. Length, over 100 miles. Blackwater. A river in Ulster, Ireland, which flows into Lough Neagh 11 miles north-northwest of Armagh. Near here, Aug. 14, 1598, the Irish under the Earl of Tyrone defeated the English under Bagnal. Blackwood (blak wud), Frederick Temple Hamilton. Born June 21, 1826: died Feb. 12, 1902. An English statesman and diplomatist, created marquis of Duffer in and Ava in 1888. He was governor-general of Canada 1872-79; amba ador to Ru ia 1879-81; amba ador to Constantinople 18811884; governor-general of India 1884-88; amba ador to