Bauxite

( Min.) A mineral occurring in round concretionary di eminated grains. Also ma ive oülitic; and earthy, clay-like. Color, whitish, grayish, to ochre yellow, brown and red. Comp. Alumina 50-4, sesquioxide of iron 26-1, water 23-5=100. It is found extensively in France, and in other parts of Europe. The purest B. is used for the manufacture of aluminium, and is called aluminium ore. By fusing B. with soda ash, an aluminate of soda is produced, which is extensively used in calico printing, and which could be employed in the manufacture of gla and of ultramarine. It is also proposed to fuse it with common salt, as a first step in a new proce for the manufacture of soda ash. It is stated that from that new mineral a large establishment in Newcastle, England, prepares 60 tons of sulphate of alumina every month. They also make aluminate of soda and sulphite of alumina from it, the latter salt being of great value in the manufacture of beet-sugar. Bava'lite, n. (Chem.) Carbono-phosphate of iron; chamoisite; berthierine. Bavaria. [Ger. Bayern ; Fr. Bavière .] A kingdom of Germany, and one of the principal of the secondary European States. B. is composed of two distinct parts, commonly designated the Territory of the Danube and Maine, and the Territory of the Rhine. The former, which comprises about 7ths of the monarchy, extends from 47° 20' to 50° 41′ N. Lat., and from 9° to 13° 48′ E. Lon., and is bounded N. by Saxony, the principalities of Reu , and the duchies of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and Saxe-Me in in gen; E. and S. by Austria; and W. by the territories of Electoral He e, He e-Darmstadt, Baden, and the kingdom of Würtemberg. The Rhine territory, or Palatinate, lies on the W. side of that river, and is completely separated from the rest of the Bavarian dominions by the interposition of the territories of Baden and He e-Darmstadt. It is bounded N. by Rhenish Pru ia and He e-Darmstadt, E. by Baden, S. by France, and W. by Rhenish Pru ia and He e-Homburg. The kingdom extends from 48° 57′ to 49° 50′ N. Lat., and from 7° 6 to 8° 31′ E. Lon. - DIVISIONS. The kingdom is administratively divided into 8 Kreise , or circles, of the following extent and population, according to the latest sources of information, and after deduction of several small districts N. of the river Maine; embracing a territory of 291 sq. m., and a population of 32,470, detached from B. and annexed to Pru ia, in consequence of the war of 1866. IMG:content-0559.png:[blocks in formation] DESC.-Viewed as a whole, this country may be considered as hilly rather than mountainous, although in the S. the Alps, in the Zugspitz, attain an elevation of 10,150 feet; on the E., between Bavaria and Bohemia, the Arber and Rachel berg respectively attain to 4,613 and 4,561 feet. There are numerous other peaks scattered over the country, but none of them rising to more than 3,500 feet above the level of the sea. The principal plains are the valleys of the Lech and Iser, and the extensive elevated plateau on the S. of the Danube, called the Donau-mo . It is in these plains that the chief sources of Bavarian wealth are to be found, where the arts of agriculture are carried to the highest state of perfection. - Rivers . The Danube, the Rhine, and the Maine. The first on its right bank receives the Iller, Lech, and Iser; while on its left the Wornitz, Altmühl, Naab, and Regen, with a great many more smaller streams, are taken into its course. The Rhine forms the eastern line of the Rhenish sub-division of the kingdom, and is merely a boundary river. The Main, which has its source in two small streams in Suabia, drains all the N. part of the principal territory, and during its course receives several affluents. The Danube, however, is the principal river in the kingdom, and in its course, through the Bavarian territory alone, is fed by no fewer than 38 streams. Lakes . These are neither numerous nor of great extent. The most remarkable are the Ammer, the Würm, and the Chien, which are all situate in the S. plateau. The largest is the Chien, which has a circuit of about 35 miles. There are some other lakes lying within the range of the Noric Alps, but they are of no great size. Climate . On the whole, temperate and healthy. Forests. Extensive, covering nearly a third of the entire surface of the country, and composed chiefly of pine and fir-trees. Prod . There are few countries so highly favored for productivene of soil. The principal crops are wheat, rye, oats, barley, and, in some districts, maize, rice, spelt, and buckwheat. Tobacco, fruit, and potatoes are extensively cultivated in the valleys of the Rhine and the Main. The hop plant and the vine are also largely cultivated; and the wines of Franc on i a have attained a wide-spread celebrity. The famed Stein we in is produced in Steinberg; and the Leis ten we in is produced in the same district. The choicest of all the Bavarian wines, however, are the produce of the vineyards near Forst, Deidesheim, and Wachenheim, on the declivities of the Hartz Mountains. Cattle-rearing is carried on to a great extent, but the stock is generally of an inferior quality, notwithstanding the general excellence of the pastures; while swine, poultry, and wild fowl are abundant in all parts of the country. Minerals . The principal are salt, coal, and iron. The first was once a government monopoly, the second is found everywhere throughout the kingdom. Copper, manganese, mercury, and cobalt are also found; while there are numerous quarries of marble, alabaster, gypsum, and stone, distributed over various parts of the territory. Porcelain clay also abounds in various districts, and is usually of the finest quality. - Com . The central situation of B. renders her well suited for the transit and carrying trades; and to these, Augsburg, Nuremberg, Ratisbon, and Spires owed the greater part of their wealth and celebrity during the Middle Ages. The 4,000 miles or railroad that now intersect her comparatively small territory show that this advantageous position is still appreciated at the present day. It is said that the industrial population of the kingdom is decreasing, and this is ascribed to the system of industrial protection prevailing to the present day, nearly all trades being united in guilds, po e ing great privileges and monopolies. The exports consist chiefly of corn, timber, wine, cattle, sheep, butter, salt, iron, leather, gla , hops, fruit, beer, wool, optical and mathematical instruments, wooden toys, jewelry, maps, and artistic objects. Beer forms a large item of export. The imports consist principally of sugar, coffee, spices, dye-stuffs, cotton stuffs, silks, woollens, and fine manufactures of all kinds; drugs, hemp, and flax. The first railway with locomotives constructed in Germany was that between Nurem IMG:content-0560.jpg:[blocks in formation] ter, according to their descent from the different tribes of that people. The inhab. of the Rhenish provinces are the most lively, active, gay, and enterprising. The Suabians are remarkable for a certain good-natured indolence, which has exposed them to much undeserved ridicule. The Franc on i ans are diligent, intelligent, and steady. The popul. of the provs. S. of the Danube retain more characteristic peculiarities; and the Bavarians, though equally brave and well-disposed with the rest, are heavier, more superstitious, and le active, though not le industrious. In the valleys of the Alps, the dre and manners of the Bavarians and Suabians bear a great resemblance to those of the Tyrolese; and the climate inclines them to prefer pasture to arable husbandry. The women are here more in the fields, and partake more of the out-door labor of the men than is the case in the N. provs. They drive the cattle up to the hills in summer; and their robust health manifests itself in the zeal with which they join in the waltz, and in their peculiar manner of singing, called Jodeln. - Rel. and Educ. Rather more than two-thirds of the pop. are Roman Catholics. The kingdom is divided into two R. Catholic archbishoprics (Munich and Bamberg), 6 bishoprics, 171 deaneries, and 2,756 parishes. The admin. of the Protestant Church is under a General Consistory (Ober Consistorium), and 4 provincial consistories. Of the 3 universities of B. , two (Munich and Würzburg) are R. Catholic, and one (Erlangen) Protestant. The R. Catholic Church is richly endowed, po e ing property amounting to more than $45,000,000, and receiving besides annually from the State $650,000. The Constitution guarantees complete religious liberty, and all di enters enjoy unrestricted freedom of worship. Elementary schools, Volk chulen , exist in all parishes, and attendance on them is compulsory for all children till the age of fourteen. Munich, the capital, and Würzburg, Erlangen, Nuremberg, Ratisbon, Augsburg, .. po e numerous literary institutions. - Gov. The Constitution of B. dates from May 25, 1818, and was modified in 1848-9. The crown is hereditary in the male line. To the king belongs the executive power; but his ministers are responsible for all his acts. The legislative functions are exercised jointly by the king and parliament, the latter consisting of an Upper House or Chamber of Reichs räthe, composed of members hereditary or appointed by the crown; and of a Lower House, or Chamber of Representatives, composed of deputies of towns, universities, and religious corporations. The large income of the sovereigns of B. , from private domains, has been extensively curtailed of late. Finances . The amount of the public debt, 1891, including the railroad debt, was about $317,299,146.- Army . Since the treaty of Nov. 23d, 1870, relative to the entry of B. into the German Empire, the army of B. forms a distinct part of the German army, having an independent administration, under the military sovereignty of the king of Bavaria; in time of war it is placed under the chief command of the emperor and under the same regulations as exist in the German army. The Bavarian Contingent consists of two army corps, each divided into two divisions. Of the population in 1890, 2,731,120 were males, and 2,863,862 were females; 3,839,168 were Roman Catholics, and 1,521,114 were Protestants; the proportion of these two being 989 per 1,000. Munich, the capital and chief city, is one of the leading art centres of Europe, and her art galleries and facilities for art culture are world renowned. The flag of B. ( Fig . 319) is red. Its upper part, on the side fastened to the staff, is divided into 4 equal squares, of which 2 are black, and 2 lozenged white and blue.- Hist . The earliest known inhabitants of B. IMG:content-0561.png:[graphic] were the Boii, a tribe of Celtic origin; from them its old Latin name Boia ria , and the Ger. name Bayern , are derived. It was annexed to the Roman empire as part of Noricum and Vindelicia, B. c. 15. It subsequently fell into the power of the Ostrogoths and the Franks, and, A.D. 788, was annexed to the empire Fig . 319. FLAG OF BAVARIA. of Charlemagne. In 1072, B. pa ed, by imperial grant, into the po e ion of the Guelphs. In 1180, the Emperor Frederick I. bestowed it on Otto of Wittelsbach. The Palatinate was separated from B. in 1294, and restored to it in 1648 by the treaty of Westphalia, which constituted B. the eighth electorate. During the war of the Spanish Succe ion, B. suffered severely from following the adverse fortunes of France; but in 1777, the Electorate, which had been seized by Maria The res a in 1744, was restored to it. During the wars of the first French empire, B. being long the firm ally of Napoleon, was rewarded with large acce ions of territory from the spoils of Austria and Pru ia; and the Bavarian monarch having contrived to change sides at a critical moment, when the fortunes of Napoleon were still doubtful, was confirmed in his extensive acquisitions (or equivalents) by the treaties of 1814 and 1815. Elector Maximilian Joseph was made king by Napoleon 1., in 1805, and recognized at the Congre of Vienna. In 1848, the discreditable conduct of King Louis, who became infatuated with the notorious Lola Montez, caused his subjects to take up arms; after a short conflict they were succe ful, he was, on March 21st, forced to resign in favor of his son Maximilian Joseph II., who died March 10th, 1864, and was suc. by his son, Louis II., who, becoming hopele ly insane, was deposed and committed suicide the same month, June, 1886. He was suc. by his imbecile brother Otte I., under the regency of his uncle Luitpold. In 1870, B. joined Pru ia against France, and became a unit of the German Confederation in 1871.