Black, William

b. in Glasgow, Scotland, 1841. Abandoned journalism for fiction in 1867, when he published Love or Marriage, soon followed by A Daughter of Heth, A Prince of Thule, . His most recent novels are Highland Cousins, 1894, and Briseis, 1896. Black Band. ( Min .) A clay ironstone, or compact carbonate of iron, in which there is from 25 to 30 per cent. of carbonaceous matter. It is found in abundance in the coal-fields of Scotland, and is used almost exclusively in that country for the production of certain grades of iron. While not very rich in iron, it is easily reduced. The coal-measures of Ohio also contain blackband iron ore, and it is here used to a small extent in iron production. Black Flags. The name given to certain surviving bands of the Taiping rebellion in China, who, after the overthrow of the rebel army, took refuge in Tonquin, where in 1868 they held the valley of the Red River as far as Hanoi. Soon after they were forced back to the upper part of the valley. In 1873 the Black Flags were called upon by the Tonquinese to aid in expelling the French from Hanoi, and in the struggle that followed they defeated a French sortie and killed its commander, Garnier. In 1882 the French commander, Rivière met with a like fate at their hands in the same locality. In 1885 China had become engaged in the war for the expulsion of the French, and the Black Flags, with troops from China, held the pa es above Tuyen-Kivan for nearly a month against repeated a aults from the French, and were still in po e ion when the war was ended by negotiations. The year before the B. F. had become notorious for their ma acre of the native Christians at the French mi ion stations, nearly 10,000 falling victims to their murderous fury. The B. F. at present number about 5,000, many of them desperadoes in character and given to pillage. The Yellow Flags, a considerably more numerous band, are peacefully disposed. Black Fungi. ( Bot .) An order ( Pyrenomycetese ), of fungous plants of the cla Ascomycetes, degraded in character, usually hard in texture and often of a black color. They are e entially parasitic in habit, although in many cases saprophytic, and in all number about 7,000 species, divided among a number of families. Among those best known and most troublesome to agriculturists are Claviceps purpure a , the ergot of rye, and Plow right i a morbosa , the black-knot of the plum tree. Some of them, microscopic in size and greatly degraded in function, are parasitic on insects. Black Hills, in South Dakota , so called from the Indian name, Pah - Sappa (black-hill). Surface mountainous; Harney's Peak, the second highest, is 7,440 ft. ab. tidewater. The timber is chiefly pire. Soil usually rich, black loam, well adapted for agricultural and grazing. Climate excellent, neither hot nor too cold; thunder-storms prevail. Animals: bear, deer, wolves, foxes, and beavers. Birds are not numerous, and fish but few. In the granitic area of the E. section of the B. H. , containing abt. 700 sq. m., indications of gold abound; in the valleys of the streams gold is generally found, but not in sufficient quantity to pay the ordinary pan miner. The approach to the B. H. is through long stretches of inhospitable, treele plains, with water too alkaline for use; but when you reach the B. H. you enter a country of beautiful scenery, excellent soil, fine climate, abundant timber, and building stone. As a grazing country it has no superior. This region was ceded to the U. S. by the Dakota Indians in 1875, and was rapidly occupied by miners, an important industry in gold mining soon springing up. Since that time the district has produced gold to the value of over $50,000,000, with about $1,000,000 in silver. Deposits of tin have also been found, but in a form not easily reducible. Black Walnut. Juglans nigra, one of the most valuable timber trees of the U. S. It is found throughout the eastern half of the country, though at present rare in New England. The B. W. is a handsome tree and produces a nut which, though edible, is le so than that of the European walnut. Its special value lies in its solid, dark-red timber, which has no superior as a cabinet wood, and is employed largely for furniture and a great variety of other purposes.