the N. side of the Patapsco, 14 miles above Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore takes
its name from Lord Baltimore, the founder of Maryland; it was first laid
out as a town in 1729; and was erected into a city in 1797. It is well
built, chiefly of brick, and is known as the 'monumental city', from the
public monuments which adorn it, the principal being the Washington
monument. Among its buildings are the city hall, built in Renaissance
style, of white marble, with a tower and dome rising 240 feet; the Peabody
Institute, containing a library, art gallery, &c.; the Maryland Institute;
the custom-house; the post office; the United States court-house and jail,
the Johns Hopkins hospital, the Roman Catholic cathedral, &c. The chief
educational institution, now one of the most important in the States, is
the Johns Hopkins University, endowed with 3,500,000 dollars by its founder
(whose name it bears). There is a Roman Catholic archbishop with the rank
of primate, and a Protestant episcopal bishop. Industries: shipbuilding;
manufactures of iron, wool, cotton, pottery, &c.; sugar-refining,
distilling, tanning, the making of agricultural implements, canning oysters
and fruits, &c. As a flour market Baltimore is an important centre; and it
does an immense trade in exporting tobacco and other products. The harbour
is very extensive. Pop. (1920), 733,826.
BALTIMORE, George Calvert, Lord, born in Yorkshire about 1580, died in
London 1632. He was for some time Secretary of State to James I, but this
post he resigned in 1624 in consequence of having become a Roman Catholic.
Notwithstanding this he retained the confidence of the king, who in 1625
raised him to the Irish peerage, his title being from Baltimore, a
fishing-village of Cork. He had previously obtained a grant of land in
Newfoundland, but as this colony was much exposed to the attacks of the
French he left it, and obtained another patent for Maryland. He died before
the charter was completed, and it was granted to his son Cecil, who deputed
the governorship to his brother Leonard (1606-47).
BALTIMORE BIRD, an American bird, the _Ict[)e]rus Baltimorii_, family
Icteridae, nearly allied to the Sturnidae, or starlings. It is a migratory
bird, and is known also by the names of 'golden robin', 'hang-bird', and
'fire-bird'. It is about 7 inches long; the head and upper parts are black,
the under parts of a brilliant orange hue. It builds a pouch-like nest,
very skilfully constructed of threads deftly interwoven, suspended from a
forked branch and shaded by overhanging leaves. It feeds on insects,
caterpillars, beetles, &c. Its song is a clear, mellow whistle.
BALUCHISTAN (ba-loe'chi-staen), a country in Asia, the coast of which is
continuous with the north-western seaboard of India, bounded on the north
by Afghanistan, on the west by Persia, on the south by the Arabian Sea, and
on the east by Sindh. It has an area of about 135,000 sq. miles, and a
population estimated at 834,703. The general surface of the country is
rugged and mountainous, with some extensive intervals of barren sandy
deserts, and there is a general deficiency of water. Various kinds of grain
are cultivated, and there is abundance of excellent fruits. The main body
of the inhabitants are divided into two great branches, the Baluchis and
Brahuis, differing in language, figure, and manners. The Baluchi language
resembles the modern Persian, the Brahui presents points of agreement with
the Dravidian languages of India. The Baluchis in general have tall
figures, long visages, and prominent features; the Brahuis have shorter,
thicker bodies, with round faces and rather flat features. Both races are
Mahommedans, hospitable and brave. There are also many Afghans and others
in the country. The Khan of Khelat, the nominal ruler of the whole land, in
1877 concluded a treaty with Britain, in virtue of which he became a
feudatory of India. Since then Quetta, in the north-east, occupying an
important position, and certain portions of territory, have been absolutely
annexed, and in 1887 a separate administration was constituted, and British
authority established, under the Governor-General's agent. The area of
British Baluchistan, including tribal areas, is 54,228 sq. miles; pop.
414,412. The country nominally under the Khan of Khelat has an area of
72,280 sq. miles; pop. 359,086. Under British administration roads and
railways have been made, with telegraphs and a postal service. Wool,
fruits, &c., are exported, cottons and other goods imported, and there is a
fair transit trade.--BIBLIOGRAPHY: Floyer, _Unexplored Baluchistan_; T.
Thornton, _Life of Sandeman_.
BAL'USTER, a small column or pilaster, of various forms and dimensions,
often adorned with mouldings, used for balustrades.
BALUSTRADE', a range of balusters, together with the cornice or coping
which they support, used as a parapet for bridges or the roofs of
buildings, or as a mere ornament; also serving as a fence or enclosure for
balconies, terraces, staircases, &c.
BALUZE (b[.a]-luez), Etienne, French historian and miscellaneous writer,
born 1630, died 1718. For more than thirty years he was librarian to M. de
Colbert, and was appointed professor of canon law in the Royal College, but
displeasing Louis XIV with his _Histoire Generale de la Maison d'Auvergne_,
he was thrown into prison and his property confiscated. He recovered his
liberty in 1713, but did not regain his position. He left some 1500 MSS. in
the national library of Paris, besides forty-five printed works, including
_Regum Francorum Capitularia_ (2 vols.) and _Miscellanea_ (7 vols.).
BALZAC (b[.a]l-z[.a]k), Honore de, a celebrated French novelist, was born
at Tours in 1799, died 1850. Before completing his twenty-fourth year he
had published a number of novels under various assumed names, but the
success attending all was very indifferent; and it was not till 1829, by
the publication of _Le Dernier Chouan_, a tale of La Vendee, and the first
novel to which Balzac appended his name, that the attention of the public
was diverted to the extraordinary genius of the author. A still greater
popularity attended his _Physiologie de Mariage_, a work full of piquant
and caustic observations on human nature. He wrote a large number of
novels, all marked by a singular knowledge of human nature and distinct
delineation of character, but apt to be marred by exaggeration. Among his
best-known works are: _Scenes de la Vie de Province_, _Scenes de la Vie
Parisienne_, _Le Pere Goriot_, _Eugenie Grandet_, and _Le Medecin de
Campagne_. The publication of this last, in 1835, led to a correspondence
between Balzac and the Countess Eveline de Hanska, a Polish lady whom,
after about fifteen years, he visited and married. A collected edition of
his works, under the title _La Comedie Humaine_, was published in 45 vols.,
Paris, 1856-9, and another in 1869. In 1899 appeared the first volume of
Balzac's _Oeuvres Posthumes_, and in 1906 the second.--BIBLIOGRAPHY: F.
Wedmore, _Balzac_; M. F. Sandars, _Balzac_; W. H. Helm, _Aspects of
Balzac_; Taine, _Essay on Balzac_.
BALZAC (b[.a]l-z[.a]k), Jean Louis Guez de, French writer, born 1594, died
1654. His writings, which had a great reputation in their day owing to the
elegance of his style, are now neglected. The most esteemed are his
_Familiar Letters_, _Le Prince_, _Le Socrate Chretien_, and _Aristippe_.
BAMAKO, capital of the French colony of Upper Senegal and Niger since 1904.
It is an important trade-centre and the terminus of the Niger-Senegal
railway. Pop. 8000.
BAMBA, a district of the Congo, W. coast of Africa, lying to the south of
the River Ambriz. It is thickly populated, and is rich in gold, silver,
copper, salt, &c.
BAMBAR'RA, a territory of Western Africa, on the Upper Niger, first visited
by Mungo Park, now in the French portion of the Sudan. The country is
generally very fertile, producing wheat, rice, maize, yams, &c. The
inhabitants are of negro or mixed race, and some are Mohammedans. Excellent
cotton cloth is made. The chief town is Segou. Pop. estimated at 2,000,000.
See _Senegal_.
BAM'BERG, a town of Germany, Bavaria, charmingly situated on several hills,
on the navigable River Regnitz, some 3 miles from its mouth in the Main. It
is the seat of a Catholic archbishop; the cathedral, founded in 1004 (the
present structure dates from 1111), is one of the finest churches in
Germany. The royal library contains 100,000 volumes and valuable MSS.
Bamberg carries on a large trade; its industries are cotton-spinning,
tobacco-manufacture, brewing, &c. Pop. 48,063.
BAMBINO (b[.a]m-b[=e]'n[=o]; It., an infant), the figure of our Saviour
represented as an infant in swaddling-clothes. The _Santissimo Bambino_ in
the church of Ara Coeli at Rome, a richly-decorated figure carved in wood,
is believed to be able to perform miracles and heal the sick. According to
popular belief, the painting was miraculously done by St. Luke or by an
angel. Bambinos are set up for the adoration of the faithful in many places
in Catholic countries.
BAMBOCCIADES (bam-boch-[=a]dz'), pictures, generally grotesque, of common,
rustic, or low life, such as those of Peter Van Laar, a Dutch painter of
the seventeenth century, who on account of his deformity was called
_Bamboccio_ (cripple). Teniers is the great master of this style.
[Illustration: Bamboo (_Bambusa arundinac[)e]a_)]
BAMBOO', the common name of the arborescent grasses belonging to the genus
Bamb[=u]sa. There are many species, belonging to the warmer parts of Asia,
Africa, and America, and growing from a few feet to as much as 100 feet,
requiring much moisture to thrive properly. A peculiarity of the bamboo
family is that they flower on reaching a certain age, generally about 130
years. The best-known species is _B. arundinac[)e]a_, common in tropical
and sub-tropical regions. From the creeping underground rhizome, which is
long, thick, and jointed, spring several round jointed stalks, which send
out from their joints several shoots, the stalks also being armed at their
joints with one or two sharp rigid spines. The oval leaves, 8 or 9 inches
long, are placed on short footstalks. The flowers grow in large panicles
from the joints of the stalk. Some stems grow to 8 or 10 inches in
diameter, and are so hard and durable as to be used for building purposes.
The smaller stalks are used for walking-sticks, flutes, &c.; and indeed the
plant is used for innumerable purposes in the East Indies, China, and other
Eastern countries. Cottages are almost wholly made of it; also, bridges,
boxes, water-pipes, ladders, fences, bows and arrows, spears, baskets,
mats, paper, masts for boats, &c. The young shoots may be either pickled or
salted and eaten with rice, or candied and preserved in sugar; the seeds of
some species are also eaten. The substance called _tabasheer_ is a
siliceous deposit that gathers at the internodes of the stems. The bamboo
is imported into Europe for various purposes, and is grown in British
gardens.
BAMBOOK', a country in Western Africa between the Faleme and Senegal
Rivers, about 140 miles in length, by 80 to 100 in breadth. It is on the
whole hilly and somewhat rugged. The valleys and plains are remarkably
fertile. The natives are Mandingoes, mostly professed Mahommedans ruled by
independent chieftains, most of whom acknowledge the supremacy of France.
Gold and ivory are exchanged for European goods.
BAMBOOK-BUTTER, shea-butter (q.v.).
BAM'BOROUGH CASTLE, an ancient English castle on the coast of
Northumberland, formerly with connected estate the property of the
Forsters, and forfeited to the Crown in 1715, both being purchased by Lord
Crewe, Bishop of Durham, and bequeathed by him for charitable purposes.
BAMBU'SA. See _Bamboo_.
BAM'IAN, a valley and pass of Afghanistan, the latter at an elevation of
8496 feet, the only known pass over the Hindu Kush for artillery and heavy
transport. The valley is one of the chief centres of Buddhist worship, and
contains two remarkable colossal statues and other ancient monuments.
BAMO. See _Bhamo_.
BAMPTON LECTURES, a course of lectures established in 1751 by John Bampton,
Canon of Salisbury, who bequeathed certain property to the University of
Oxford for the endowment of eight divinity lectures to be annually
delivered. The subjects prescribed are mainly connected with the evidences
of Christianity, and the lecturer must have taken the degree of M.A. at
Oxford or Cambridge. The first course of lectures was delivered in 1780,
and they have been delivered every year since, with the exceptions of 1834,
1835, and 1841. Among the more remarkable lectures were those by Dr. White
in 1784, by Dr. Mant in 1812, by Reginald Heber in 1815, Whately in 1822,
Milman in 1827, Dr. Hampden in 1832, H.L. Mansel in 1858, Canon Liddon in
1866, Canon Gore in 1891, J. R. Illingworth in 1894, and W. R. Inge in
1899. A similar course of lectures, the Hulsean, is annually delivered at
Cambridge.
BAN, in political law, is equivalent to excommunication in ecclesiastical.
In Teutonic history the _ban_ was an edict of interdiction or proscription:
thus, to put a prince under the ban of the empire was to divest him of his
dignities, and to interdict all intercourse and all offices of humanity
with the offender. Sometimes whole cities have been put under the _ban_,
that is, deprived of their rights and privileges.
BAN, anciently, a title given to the military chiefs who guarded the
eastern marches of Hungary; till 1919 the title of the Governor of Croatia
and Slavonia. A province over which a ban is placed is called _banat_, and
is equivalent to the German term _mark_. During the European War, Serbia
occupied the banat to the south of Hungary, and her claims to that region
were disputed both by Hungary and Roumania. The territory is bounded almost
entirely by the Danube, Theiss, and Maros Rivers, except on the east, where
it is shut in by the Transylvanian Carpathians. The banat was ultimately
divided between Yugo-Slavia and Roumania. See _Temesvar_.
[Illustration: Banana (_Musa sapientum_)]
BANA'NA, a plant of the genus Musa, nat. ord. Musaceae, being _M.
sapientum_, while the plantain is _M. paradisi[)a]ca_. It is originally
indigenous to the East Indies, and an herbaceous plant with an underground
stem. The apparent stem, which is sometimes as high as 30 feet, is formed
of the closely-compacted sheaths of the leaves. The leaves are 6 to 10 feet
long and 1 or more broad, with a strong midrib, from which the veins are
given off at right angles; they are used for thatch, basket-making, &c.,
besides yielding a useful fibre. The spikes of the flowers grow nearly 4
feet long, in bunches, covered with purple-coloured bracts. The fruit is 4
to 10 or 12 inches long, and 1 inch or more in diameter; it grows in large
bunches, weighing often from 40 to 80 lb. The pulp is soft and of a
luscious taste; when ripe it is eaten raw or cooked. The banana is
cultivated in tropical and sub-tropical countries, and is the food of
millions. It is estimated that in Jamaica alone 40,000 acres are devoted to
its culture. Excellent biscuits may be made from banana meal, but it is not
suitable for bread. Vast quantities are imported by Britain and the United
States. Manila hemp is the product of a species of banana.
BANA'NA, an African port, in Belgian Congo, at the mouth of the Congo.
BANANA-BIRD, a pretty insessorial bird (_Ict[)e]rus leucopt[)e]ryx_), a
native of the West Indies and the warmer parts of America. It is a lively
bird, easily domesticated, tawny and black in colour, with white bars upon
the wings.
BANAT. See _Ban_.
BAN'BRIDGE, a town of Ireland, County Down, 22 miles S.W. of Belfast, on
the Bann. The manufacture of linen is carried on to a great extent in town
and neighbourhood. Pop. 5101.
BANBURY (ban'be-ri), a town of England, in Oxfordshire, long celebrated for
its cheese, its cakes, and its ale; a parliamentary borough till 1885, and
now giving name to a parliamentary division of the county. Pop. (municipal
borough) (1921), 13,347.
BANCA, an island belonging to the Dutch East Indies, between Sumatra and
Borneo; area, 4446 sq. miles; pop. 113,658, of which a considerable
proportion are Chinese. It is celebrated for its excellent tin, of which
the annual yield is above 6000 tons; but it produces nothing else of any
importance.
BANCO, in commerce, a term employed to designate the money in which the
banks of some countries keep or kept their accounts, in contradistinction
to the current money of the place, which might vary in value or consist of
light and foreign coins. The term was applied to the Hamburg bank accounts
before the adoption (in 1873) of the new German coinage. The mark _banco_
had a value of 1s. 5-1/2d.; but there was no corresponding coin. See
_Bank_.
BAN'CROFT, George, American historian, born near Worcester, Mass., 1800,
died 1891. He was educated at Harvard and in Germany, where he made the
acquaintance of many literary men of note. In 1823 he published a
translation of Heeren's _Politics of Ancient Greece_, and a small volume of
poems, and was also meditating and collecting materials for a history of
the United States. Between 1834 and 1840 three volumes of his history were
published. In 1845 he was appointed Secretary of the Navy, and effected
many reforms and improvements in that department. He was American
ambassador to Britain from 1846 to 1849, when the University of Oxford
conferred on him the honorary degree of D.C.L. He took the opportunity
while in Europe to perfect his collections on American history. He returned
to New York in 1849, and began to prepare for the press the fourth and
fifth volumes of his history, which appeared in 1852. The sixth appeared in
1854, the seventh in 1858, the eighth soon after, but the ninth did not
appear till 1866. From 1867 to 1874 he was Minister Plenipotentiary at the
Court of Berlin. The tenth and last volume of his great work appeared in
1874. An additional section appeared first as a separate work in 1882:
_History of the Formation of the Constitution of the United States_, and
the whole came out in 6 vols. in 1884-5. He has also published many essays
in the _North American Review_ and other periodicals, a selection from
which was published in 1855 under the title of _Miscellanies_.
BAN'CROFT, Richard, born in Lancashire 1544, died 1610, studied at
Cambridge, entered the Church, and rose rapidly during the reign of
Elizabeth till he obtained the see of London in 1597. James I made him
Archbishop of Canterbury on the death of Whitgift. He suppressed the
Puritans mercilessly, and they in return never ceased to abuse him.
BAN'CROFT, Sir Squire, English actor, born in London in 1841. After playing
in Dublin and elsewhere he made his first appearance in London, at the
Prince of Wales's Theatre, in 1865. He married Miss Marie Effie Wilton in
1867, and was knighted in 1897. In collaboration with his wife he has
written _The Bancrofts: Recollections of Sixty Years_ (1909).
BANDA, a town and district of India, in the United Provinces. The town
stands on a plain on the right bank of the Ken River, 95 miles S.W. from
Allahabad, and is a considerable cotton mart. Pop. 22,000.--Area of
district 2965 sq. miles. Pop. 660,000.
BANDA ISLANDS, a group belonging to Holland, Indian Archipelago, south of
Ceram, Great Banda, the largest, being 12 miles long by 2 broad. They are
beautiful islands, of volcanic origin, yielding quantities of nutmeg.
Goenong Api, or Fire Mountain, is a cone-shaped volcano which rises 2320
feet above the sea. Pop. 10,000.
BANDAJAN', a pass over a range of the Himalaya, Kashmir State, 14,854 feet
above sea-level.
BANDAN'NA, a variety of silk handkerchief having a uniformly-dyed ground,
usually of bright red or blue, ornamented with white or yellow circular,
lozenge-shaped, or other simple figures produced by discharging the
groundcolour.
BANDA ORIENTAL. See _Uruguay_.
BANDEL'LO, Matteo, an Italian writer of _novelle_ or tales, born about
1480, died about 1562. He was, in his youth, a Dominican monk, and having
been banished from Italy as a partisan of the French, Henry II of France
gave him in 1550 the bishopric of Agen. He left the administration of his
diocese to the Bishop of Grasse, and employed himself, at the advanced age
of seventy, in the completion of his _novelle_. He also wrote poetry, but
his fame rests on his _novelle_, which are in the style of Boccaccio's
_Decameron_ and the Queen of Navarre's _Heptameron_, and have been made use
of by Shakespeare, Massinger, and Beaumont and Fletcher.
BANDE NOIRE. See _French Revolution_.
BAND-FISH, the popular name of fishes of the genus Cep[)o]la, from their
long, flat, thin bodies. _C. rubescens_, a very fragile creature, is
sometimes cast up on British shores. Also called _Snake-fish_,
_Ribbon-fish_.
[Illustration: Pig-footed Bandicoot (_Chaeropus castanotis_)]
BAN'DICOOT (Perameles), a genus of small Australian marsupials. The most
common species (_P. nasuta_), the long-nosed bandicoot, measures about
1-1/2 feet from the tip of the snout to the root of the tail. It is not
unlike an overgrown rat, and is most destructive to farm-produce.
BAN'DICOOT RAT, the _Mus gigant[=e]us_, the largest known species of rat,
attaining the weight of 2 or 3 lb., and the length, including the tail, of
24 to 30 inches. It is a native of India, and is very abundant in Ceylon.
Its flesh is said to be delicate and to resemble young pork, and is a
favourite article of diet with the coolies. It is destructive upon
rice-fields and gardens.
BANDINELLI, Baccio, Italian sculptor, born at Florence 1493, died there
1560. He was jealous of and strove to rival Michael Angelo. Among his works
are a _Hercules and Cacus_, _The Dead Body of Christ held up by an Angel_,
_Adam and Eve_, &c.
BAN'DIT, It. _bandito_, originally an _exile_, banished man, or outlaw, and
hence, as persons outlawed frequently adopted the profession of brigand or
highwayman, the word came to be synonymous with brigand, and is now applied
to members of the organized gangs which infest some districts of Italy,
Sicily, Spain, Greece, and Turkey.
BAND OF HOPE. See _Temperance_.
BAN'DOLIER, a large leathern belt or baldrick, to which were attached a bag
for balls and a number of pipes or cases of wood or metal covered with
leather, each containing a charge of gunpowder. It was worn by ancient
musketeers, and hung from the left shoulder under the right arm with the
ball bag at the lower extremity, and the pipes suspended on either side.
The name is now given to a similar belt, worn by mounted troops, for
carrying cartridges. Another form of the word is _bandoleer_.
BAN'DOLINE, a gummy perfumed substance used to impart gloss and stiffness
to the hair.
BAN'DON, a town, Ireland, County Cork, on both sides of the Bandon. Pop.
3122.
BANDS, a small article of clerical dress, made of linen, going round the
neck and hanging down in front for a short distance in two pieces with
square ends, supposed to be a relic of the amice.
BANEBERRY, or HERB CHRISTOPHER (_Actaea spic[=a]ta_), a European plant,
ord. Ranunculaceae, local in England, with a spike of white flowers and
black, poisonous berries. Two American species are considered remedies for
rattlesnake bite.
BANER (b[.a]-n[=a]r'), Johan Gustafsson, a Swedish general in the Thirty
Years' War, born 1596, died 1641. He made his first campaigns in Poland and
Russia, and accompanied Gustavus Adolphus, who held him in high esteem, to
Germany. After the death of Gustavus in 1632 he had the chief command of
the Swedish army, and in 1634 invaded Bohemia, defeated the Saxons at
Wittstock, 24th Sept., 1636, and took Torgau. He ravaged Saxony again in
1639, gained another victory at Chemnitz, and in 1640 defeated Piccolomini.
In Jan., 1641, he very nearly took Ratisbon by surprise.