BEKE, bac, Charles Tilstone, English traveler: b. Stepney, Middlesex, 10 Oct. 1800; d. Bromley, Kent, 31 July 1874. In his 20th year he entered on a business career and was thus led to visit Italy. On his return he studied taw at Lincoln's Inn and in 1834 he followed up several archaeological articles in periodicals by publishing (Origmes Biblicae, or Researches in Primeval History.' In 1840 he set out on his first journey to Abyssinia, in which he not only rendered important services to discovery but collected vocabularies of the native dialects. Returning in 1843 he was awarded the gold medals of the Royal Geographical societies of London and Paris, and again engaged in busi ness. He subsequently made several efforts to open up commercial intercourse with Abyssinia, and in 1861-62 he traveled in Syria, Palestine and Egypt. When the news of the detention of several British subjects by the King of Abys sinia arrived in 1864, Beke went out to secure their release, and was temporarily successful, but ultimately King Theodore had to be coerced by war. In the direction of the military opera tions Beke's knowledge of the country proved of the utmost value. In 1870 he was awarded
a civil list pension of $500 per annum. In 1873 he set out for Egypt in order to explore the country traversed by the Israelites, and to locate Mount Sinai. His published works comprise
BEKtS, ba'kash, or Hungary, market town and capital of the county of the same name, at the junction of the Black and White Koros, 41 miles southwest of Grosswardein and 105 miles east-southwest of Budapest, formerly strongly fortified. There is considerable trade in flax, cattle, wheat, wine and honey. Linen and hemp fabrics are among the chief manufactures. With the exception of Budapest Bakes has the largest Protestant col in Hungary. Of its 42,599' souls, the ma jority profess the Lutheran faith.