Boidie
Boidie, A Family Of Serpents Embracing Two Subfamilies: (1) The Pythonince (pythons), And (2) Boince (boas). This Family Contains The Largest Snakes Of Modern Times, Besides Some Species Of Small Size; And Is Characterized Especially By Possessing Vestiges Of Hinder Limbs, Appearing Externally In The Larger Species As Claw-like Spurs ...
Boii
Boii, Bo'i-i, A Celtic People, Who At First Inhabited Transalpine Gaul. Their Original Seat Is Supposed To Have Been Between The Upper Sa6ne And The Higher Parts Of The Seine And Marne. They Migrated To Cisalpine Gaul, Crossed The Po And Established Themselves Be Tween It And The Apennines, In ...
Boil
Boil, A Superficial Or Deep Localized In Flammatory Process Of The Skin Leading To The Destruction Of Tissue And The Formation Of Pus. In Practically All Instances Some Form Of In Fection By A Micro-organism, Usually The Staphylococcus Pyogenes Aureus Or Albus, Is Present In Boils. In The Superficial Varieties, ...
Boileau
Boileau, Philip, American Portrait Painter And Illustrator: B. Quebec, Canada, June 1863; D. New York, 18 Jan. 1917. He Was Educated In London, England, And Showed A Talent For Both Painting And Music. Later In Life He Became A Finished Pianist. At 23 He Was Sent To Milan, Italy To ...
Boiler
Boiler, In Steam Engineering, A Closed Vessel For The Generation Of Steam Under Pres Sure. In Days When Steam Pressures Did Not Exceed A Few Pounds To The Square Inch, Many Forms Of Boiler Were Used, That Are Now Out Of The On Account Of The Intrinsic Weakness Of Their ...
Boiling Point
Boiling Point, The Temperature At Which A Liquid Boils, At The Ordinary Atmospheric Pressure. When A Liquid Is Freely Exposed To The Air, Evaporation Goes On Constantly From Its Surface, The Heat Required To Make The Change From Liquid To Gaseous Form Being Absorbed From Surrounding Bodies. If The Liquid ...
Bois De Vincennes
Bois De Vincennes, Bwa De The Ancient Hunting Park Of Louis Ix; Now A Pleasure-ground Of 2,250 Acres On The Outskirts Of Paris. A Large Portion Of It Is Devoted To The Purposes Of The Champ De Manoeuvres, Drill Ground, A Race Course And Polygone D'artillerie. Its Scenic Beauty Is ...
Boisgobey
Boisgobey, Fortune Abra Ham Du, French Novelist : B. Granville, 11 Sept. 1821; D. February 1891. In 1811 18 He Was Pay Master In The Army At Algiers, And Began To Write In 1868, Somewhat On The Lines Of Emile Gaboriau. His Novels Were Popular, And In Clude 'the Scoundrels' ...
Boito
Boito, Arrigo, Italian Composer: B. Padua, 24 Feb. 1842. His Great Work, The Opera (mefistofele,) Occupied Him For Nearly 20 Years. The Garden Scene Was Written While He Was A Student In The Milan Conservatory In 1856, And The Score Was Finished For The Stage In 1868, The Composer Having ...
Bojer
Bojer, Johan, Norwegian Anti-intellec Tualist Author Of Plays And Novels: B. Dront Heim 1872. He Supported Himself By Commer Cial Work While Studying At The Local Latin School, And Secured An Income Sufficient To En Able Him To Continue His Education By Writing His First Play, Which Won A Scholarship. ...
Bokhara
Bokhara, The Capital Of The Khanate Of The Same Name, In Lat. 39° 48' N.; Long. 64° 26' E. It Is Eight Or Nine' Miles In Circuit And Is Surrounded By A Mud-wall. It Is Poorly Built, Consisting Of Extremely Narrow Streets And Paltry Houses. The Principal Edifices Are The ...
Bokhara
Bokhara, Bo-ka'ra, A Khanate Of Cen Tral Asia, Practically Vassal To Russia, Bounded On The North By Russian Turkestan, West By Khiva And The Russian Trans-caspian Territory, South By Afghanistan And East By Russian Tur Kestan. It Formerly Occupied Considerably More Territory Than Now, Having Been Reduced By The Conquests ...
Bolero
Bolero, Bo-lero, The Name Given By The Spaniards To A Number Of Their National Dances Of The Ballet Class, Which In Spain Are Regu Larly Performed In Theatres Between The Differ Ent Pieces. They Are Danced Both By Men And Women, The Male Dancers Who Take Part In These Performances ...
Boleslas
Boleslas, The Name Of Six Kings Of Poland And Three Of Bohemia. The Most Cele Brated Of Them, Boleslas, Surnamed The Great, And The First Polish Sovereign Who Had The Title Of King, Was Son Of Duke Mietchislaf, And Suc Ceeded Him In 992. He Completed The Work Of Introducing ...
Boleyn
Boleyn, Anne, Queen Of England, One Of The Wives Of Henry Viii: B. 1507; D. 19 May 1536. The Name Is Also Spelled Bullen And Bouleyne. Her Father, Sir Thomas Boleyn, Had Been Several Times Sent By Henry As Am Bassador To France, And Her Mother Was A Daughter Of ...
Bolingbroke
Bolingbroke, Henry St. John, Vis Count, English Statesman: B. Battersea In Sur Rey 1678 (baptized 10 October) ; D. Battersea, 12 Dec. 1751. He Was The Son Of Sir Henry St. John, Afterward Viscount St. John, Of Battersea, And Mary, Daughter Of Robert Rich Earl Of Warwick, Thus Be Ing ...
Bolivia
Bolivia, Topography And Bolivia, An Inland Republic Of South America, Is Bounded On The North And East By Brazil, Northwest By Peru, Southwest By Chile, South By Argentina And Paraguay. It Extends From North To South Between Lat. 10° 20' S. And 22° 50' S. And From East To West ...
Boll Weevil
Boll Weevil, Mexican. One Of The Most Conspicuous And Harmful Is The Cotton Boll Weevil, Anthonomus Grandis. It Is About One-fifth Of An Inch Long And May Be Differ Entiated From Related Species By The Fact That The Tibia Of The First Pair Of Legs Are Provided With Two Small ...
Bolo
Bolo, Paul, Or Bolo Pasha, French Adventurer: B. Marseilles 1871; D. 16 April 1918. After A Checkered Career Which Took Him To Spain, South America, And Again To France, Including Two Marrigges And A Prison Term, He Turned Up In 'switzerland In The Beginning Of 1915. Here He Renewed His ...
Bologna
Bologna, Bb-lotnya, Italy (anciently Bononia), Capital Of The Province Of The Same Name. It Lies At The Foot Of The Apennines, Be Tween The Rivers Reno And Savena, 190 Miles North-northwest Of Rome., Bologna Is Five Or Six Miles In Circumference, And Is Surrounded By An Unfortified Wall Of Brick. ...
Bolognese School
Bolognese School. Despite A Culture Dating From The Etruscan Period, And An Interest Which Led Martial To Refer To The Dty In The 1st Century A.c. As °cuita Bononia,d We Do Not Find A School Of Artists At Bologna Until Late In The Renaissance, And Then — As The Great ...
Bolometer
Bolometer An In Strument Invented By S. P. Langley, Secretary Of The Smithsonian Institution, For Detecting And Measuring Small Quantities Of Radiant Heat. It Consists Essentially Of A Balanced Wheat Stone's Bridge, One Of Whose Arms Is Formed By A Thin Strip Of Platinum Foil, Blackened To Facilitate The Absorption ...
Bolvar Y Ponte
Bol(var Y Ponte, Simon, South American Liberator: B. Caracas, 24 July 1783; D. San Pedro Alejandrino, 10 Dec. 1830. He Was Educated In Spain And When But 18 Years Old Married In Madrid. His Wife Died Soon Afterward. The Sources Of The Inspira Tion Of His Life's Work Were: (1) ...
Bomb
Bomb, A Hollow Box, Basket Or Shell, Filled With Gunpowder, Or Other Explosive Set Off By Means Of A Time-fuse Or Other Device. For Merly The Term Applied Only To The Spherical Shells Thrown By A Mortar, But With The Use Of Aircraft In War The Missiles Dropped From Them ...
Bombardment
Bombardment, The Act Of Throwing Bombs Or Shells Into A Town Or Fortress For Incendiary Purposes. A Bombardment Is Either Desultory, When Ships, Field Batteries Or A Proportionately Small Number Of Siege Bat Teries Throw Shells Into A Place In Order To Intimidate The Inhabitants And Garrison Into A Hasty ...
Bombay
Bombay, Bom-bx', A Province Or Presi Dency Of British India, Stretching Along The West Side Of The Peninsula, And Bounded On The North By Baluchistan, The Punjab, Rajputana; On The East By The Native State Of Indore, The Central Provinces, Berar And Haidarabad; On The South By Madras And Mysore; ...
Bombay_2
Bombay, India., City And The Chief Sea Port Of Western India, Capital Of The Presi Dency Of The Same Name, Situated At The South Ern Extremity Of The Island Of Bombay, And Con Nected With The Mainland By Causeways And Breakwaters, And With The Interior By Exten Sions Of The ...
Bona Dea
Bona Dea, The Good Goddess, A Myste Rious Divinity Of The Roman Mythology, The Wife Or The Daughter Of Faunus. Her Worship Was Secret, Performed Only By Women; Men Were I Even Required To Ignore Her Name. Her Sanc Tuary Was In A Cavern In The Aventine Hill, But Her ...
Bonaparte
Bonaparte, Brother Of Napoleon: B. Ajaccio, Corsica, 15 Nov. 1784; D. Near Paris, 24 June 1860. At An Early Age He Entered The French Navy As A Midship Man. In 1801 He Was Sent Out On An Expedi Tion To The West Indies, But The Vessel Being Chased By English ...
Bonaparte_2
Bonaparte, Joseph, Eldest Brother Of Napoleon I: B. Corte, Corsica, 7 Jan. 1768; D. Florence, Italy 28 July 1844. He Was Educated In France At The College Of Autun, Returned To Corsica In 1785 On His Father's Death, Studied Law, And In 1792 Became A Member Of The New Administration ...
Bonaparte_3
Bonaparte, Louis (coutrr Of Saint Leu), Second Younger Brother Of The Emperor Napoleon I And Father Of Napoleon Iii: B. Ajaccio, Corsica, 2 Sept. 1778; D. Leghorn, Italy, 25 July 1846. He Was Educated In The Artillery School At Chalons, Accompanied Na Poleon To Italy, And Afterward To Egypt. He ...
Bonaparte_4
Bonaparte, Lucien (prince Of Cans No), Next Younger Brother Of Napoleon' I: B. Ajaccio, Corsica, 21 March 1775; D. Viterbo, Italy, 29 June 1840. He Emigrated To Marseilles In 1793, And Made Himself Conspicuous As A Hot Headed Republican By Addressing Revolutionary Clubs And Publishing Bombastic Pamphlets. Shortly After, Having ...
Bonapartes Of Baltimore
Bonapartes Of Baltimore, The Branch Of The Family Residing In Baltimore, Md., And Derived From The Marriage Of Jerome Bona Parte, Brother Of The Emperor Napoleon I, With Elizabeth Patterson, Daughter Of William Pat Terson, An Eminent! Merchant In The City Of Baltimore. Flizabeth Was Born 6 Feb. 1785, And ...
Bond
Bond, A Written Acknowledgment Or Bind Ing Of A Debt Under Seal. The Person Who Gives The Bond Is Called The Obligor, And He To Whom It Is Given The Obligee. A Bond May Be Single,. As Where The Obligor Obliges Himself, His Heirs, Executors And Administrators, To Pay A ...
Bonds
Bonds, Investment.— Investment Bonds Are Usually Classified Under The Following Gen Eral Heads : Government, Municipal, Railroad, Public Utility, Industrial. Government As Indicated By The Name, A Government Bond Is A Bond Issued By A Government In Exchange For Money Borrowed. For The Prompt Payment Of Its Bonds A Govern ...
Bone
Bone, The Compact Hard Material Making Up The Skeleton Of Mammals, Most Of The Birds, Reptiles And Amphibians, And The Bony Fishes. It Is Also Found In Some Lower Forms. Chem Ically Bone Is Complex. It Is Essentially Organic Substances, 30 To 35 Per Cent, Infiltrated With Inorganic Mineral Salts, ...
Bonheur
Bonheur, Marie Rosa, French Artist Of Distinction, Widely Known As A Painter Of Animals: B. Bordeaux, 22 March 1822 ; D. Fon Tainebleau, 25 May 1899. Of Jewish Origin, She Received Her Earliest Instruction In Art From Her Father, Himself An Artist Of Repute, And When Only 18 Years Old ...
Bonhomme Richard
Bonhomme Richard, The Flagship Of John Paul Jones (q.v.), In The Most Remark Able Naval Victory On Record, 23 Sept 1779; Originally The Duras, A Worn-out, Unseaworthy Merchant Indianian Assigned To Him By The French Government Because None Of Their Own Naval Officers Would Serve Under A Foreigner, And Renamed ...
Boni
Boni, Bone, A District, Formerly A King Dom, In The Island Of Celebes, Dutch East In Dies, With An Estimated Area Of About Square Miles. This Territory Is Mountainous, But, Though Contiguous To The Great Volcanic Belt Of The Archipelago, Exhibits No Traces Of Volcanic Action. Lompoo-batang (great Pillar), Its ...
Boniface
Boniface, Saint, The Apostle Of Ger Many, Who First Preached Christianity: B. Cred Iton, England, 680; D. Dokkum, West Friesland, 5 June 755. His Original Name Was Winfrid. In The Cloister School At What Is Now Exeter He Received His First Lessons In Secular And Religious Training, And At The ...
Boniface_2
Boniface, The Name Of Several Popes. Boniface I, Elected 418 By A Party Of The Clergy And Confirmed By The Emperor Honorius, Who Declared The Anti-pope Eulalius A Usurper. Bon Iface Condemned Pelagianism And 'extended His Authority By Prudent Measures. In A Contest With The Emperor Theodosius, Who Endeavored To ...
Bonn
Bonn, Germany, A City Of The Prussian Province Of The Rhine, Formerly The Residence Of The Electors Of Cologne, On The Left Bank Of The Rhine, Over Which There Is A Magnificent New Bridge, Erected At A Cost Of $1,000,000, With A Central Span Of 600 Feet. It Is A ...
Bonner
Bonner, Edmund, English Prelate: B. About 1500; D. London, 5 Sept. 1569. For His Skill In Canon Law He Was Patronized By Cardi Nal Wolsey, On Whose Death He Acquired The Favor Of Henry Viii, Who Made Him One Of His Chaplains And Sent Him To Rome On Busi Ness ...
Bonnet Monkey
Bonnet Monkey. See Macaque.. A Scotch Coin, So Called From The King's Head On It Being Decorated With A Bonnet Instead Of A Crown. It Was Struck By James V, And Is Dated 1539. Bonnet-pieces Are Very Rare And In High Estimation Among Anti Quaries. Ba-na-roozh, An Em Blem Of ...
Bonneval
Bonneval, Bon-vxl, Claude Alexandre (count De Ot Achmet Pasha), French Ad Venturer: B. Coussac 1675; D. Constantinople 1747. In The War Of The Spanish Succession He Obtained A Regiment And Distinguished Him Self By His Valor As Well As By His Excesses. He Was, In 1706, Appointed Major-general By Prince ...
Bonus Bill
Bonus Bill, An Act Reported To The United States House Of Representatives By John C. Calhoun, 23 Dec. 1816, Appropriating "as A Fund For Constructing Roads And Canals The $1,500,000 Paid By The United States Bank As A Bonus For Its Charter Privileges And All Future Dividends From Its Stock. ...
Book
Book. Used Without Qualification, The Term Currently Implies A Printed Literary Com Position In Many Sheets; But In Law And Cus Tom It Has Received Three Extensions, One Of Form And Two Of Matter. The Form Includes Anything Bound Like A Book—volumes Of Accounts, Or Of Blank Leaves For Keeping ...
Book Club
Book Club, A Private Association Print Ing Books For A Limited Number Of Subscribers. The Members Are Usually Learned Men, And In This Way Render Accessible Rare Books And Manu Scripts. The Earliest Of These Clubs Was The Roxburghe Club (instituted 1813), Which Was Convivial As Well As Literary, And ...
Book Of Common Prayer
Book Of Common Prayer, The Name Given To The Service Book Of The Angli Can Churches Both In England And In All Coun Tries Where Anglican Communities Are Estab Lished. Such A Book Is More Than A Mere Prayer Book, And This Fact Is Made Plain In The Title Which ...
Book Of Mormon
Book Of Mormon. A Work First Pub Lished By Joseph Smith In 1830, And Alleged To Be The English Translation Of An Ancient Record, Embodying The History And More Particularly The Religious Beliefs And Practices, Of The Aboriginal Peoples Of The American Continent. The Period Covered By The Main History ...
Book Of The Dead
Book Of The Dead, The. The Lit Eral Translation Of The Hieroglyphic Title Is: °coming Forth By Day." Modern Egyptolo Gists Have Adopted The Name Given By Lepsius: Das Aegyptische Todtenbuch, °the Egyptian Book Of The Dead." That Title, However, Is Con Sidered Unsatisfactory, For The Simple Reason That It ...
Bookbinding
Bookbinding, The Art Of Arranging, Fastening Together And Covering Sheets Of Paper Composing A Book, Including The Orna Mentation Or Decoration Of The Covers. Follow Ing The Use Of Rolls Of Papyrus Or Wax-covered Tablets, Leaves Of Parchment Were Introduced, And It Became Necessary To Fasten Or Bind Them Together. ...
Bookkeeping
Bookkeeping. Bookkeeping Is The Art Or Science Of Recording Business Transac Tions In A Systematic And Convenient Form. The Objects Of The Record Are, Not Merely To State What Transactions Took Place And When They Occurred, But More Particularly, To Determine The Amounts And Sources Of The Profits Or Losses ...
Bookplate
Bookplate, A Printed Or Engraved Label, Usually Decorative, Placed On The Inside Cover Of A Book As The Owner's Symbol. In A Certain Sense, Any Individualized Label Is En Titled To The Name; But As Usually Understood, The Term Is Restricted To Those With Some Spe Cial Artistic Design, Which, ...
Books
Books, Censorship Of. Unless We Con Sider The Burning Of Condemned Books Under The Roman Emperors As A Censorship, The Es Tablishment Of This Institution Must Be At Tributed To The Popes; But It Cannot Be Denied That It Would Have Sprung Up In A Thousand Other Places Even If ...
Boomerang
Boomerang, A Weapon Peculiar To The Aboriginal Natives Of Australia, Used As A Mis Sile. It Is Made From Hard Wood In The Green State And Is From Two To Four Feet Long, Formed To A Curve Which May Vary From An Arc Of 20 Degrees To One Of 90 ...
Boone
Boone, Daniel, American Pioneer: B. Bucks County, Pa., 11 Feb. 1735; D. 26 Sept. 1822. He Was One Of 11 Children. His Father Emigrated From England And When Daniel Was Very Young Removed With His Family From Bucks Into Berks County, Not Far From Read Ing, Then A Frontier Settlement ...
Boone_2
Boone, Iowa, City And County-seat Of Boone County, On The Chicago & N. W., The Chicago, M. & Saint Paul And The Fort Dodge, D. M. & S. Railroads, 43 Miles Northwest Of I Des Moines. It Is An Important Milling, Manu Facturing And Coal-mining Centre And In The Vicinity ...
Boot
Boot, A Lengthened Kind Of Shoe, Which Is Among The Most Ancient Articles Of Attire. The Form Has Varied Quite As Much As The Material Of Which It Is Made. These Differ Ences Of Form And Material Are Not Merely Due To Caprices Of Fashion But Owe Their Existence In ...
Booth
Booth, Barton, English Actor: B. 1681; D. Hampstead, May 1733. He Was Of A Lan Cashire Family, Related To Henry Booth, Earl Of Warrington, Was Educated Under Dr. Busby, At Westminster School. An Early Attachment For The Drama Was Fostered By The Applause He Met With While Performing A Part ...
Booth_2
Booth, Edwin Thomas, American Actor (4th Son Of Junius Brutus Booth, Q.v.) : B. Near Belair, Md., 13 Nov. 1833; D. New York, 7 June 1893. His First Scholastic Instruction Was Received From Miss Susan Hyde; Subse Quently, Despite A Desultory Attendance At School He Aoctuired A Fairly Good English ...
Booth_3
Booth, James Curtis, American Chem Ist: B. Philadelphia, 28 July 1810; D. West Haverford, Pa., 21 March He Was Graduated At The University Of Pennsylvania In 1829, Spent One Year At The Rensselaer Poly Technic Institute, And In December 1832 Went To Germany And Entered The Private Laboratory Of Prof. ...
Booth_4
Booth, Junius Brutus, English Dian : B. London, 1 May 1796; D. December 1852. After Fulfilling Engagements At Deptford, Near London, And Other Places, And Even Performing At Brussels, In 1814 He Made His Debut At Covent Garden Theatre, London, As Richard Iii. His Personal Resemblance To The Crook Backed ...
Booth_5
Booth, William, Founder Of The Salva Tion Army: B. Nottingham, England, 10 April 1829; D. London, 20 Aug. 1912. He Was Edu Cated In His Native Town, And From 1850 To 1861 Acted As A Minister Of The Methodist New Connection. He Was From The First A Zealous Evangelist, But ...
Boots And Shoes
Boots And Shoes. Boots And Shoes Are The Two General Terms Denoting Footwear Or Covering For The Feet And Lower Leg. Specifically, A Shoe Is An Article Of Footwear Extending Not Above The Ankle, While A Boot Not Only Extends Above The Ankle, But May Reach The Knee Or Even ...
Bopp
Bopp, Franz, German Philologist: B. Mainz, Germany, 14 Sept. 1791; D. Berlin, 23 Oct. 1867. Hellas Been Called ((the Founder Of Comparative Philology,* And It Seems Wholly True, As Was Said At The Time Of His Death, That, But For Him, The Science Of Language Might Not Have Elevated Itself ...
Bora
Bora, Katharina Von, Wife Of Luther: B. Klein-laussig, Near Bitterfeldt, Saxony, 29 Jan. 1499; D. 20 Dec. 1552. She Took The Veil Very Early In The Nunnery Of Nimptschen, Near Grirnma; But Becoming Imbued With Reforma Tion Doctrines, And Feeling Very Unhappy In Her Situation, She Applied, With Eight Other ...
Borax
Borax, A Compound Of The Metal Sodium With Boracic Acid (q.v.). The Formula Of Boracic Acid May Be Written Hbo.± H.0; And If The Hydrogen Of The Hbo, Is Replaced By Sodium, A Compound Known As Sodium Borate Is Formed, Which Crystallizes As Nabo, 4h2o. Fused Borax Is This Salt ...
Borda
Borda, Jean Charles, French Engineer And Afterward A Captain In The French Marine, Famous For His Mathematical Talents: B. Dax, Department Of Landes, 4 May 1733; D. 20 Feb. 1799. In 1756 He Was Chosen A Member Of The Academy Of Sciences And Occupied Himself In Making Experiments On The ...
Bordeaux
Bordeaux, Bor'do', France, Capital Of The Department Of Gironde, Is Situated On The Left Bank Of The Garonne, About 70 Miles From The Sea And 284 Southwest Of Paris. It Is Built In A Crescent Form Round A Bend Of The River, Which Is Lined With Fine Quays For More ...
Bordeaux Wines
Bordeaux Wines. The Finer Red Wines Of The Country Around Bordeaux Are The Best Which France Produces. They Contain But Little Alcohol, Keep Well And Even Improve By Removal. As The Original Fermentation Is Com Plete, They Are, If Judiciously Managed, Less Sub Ject To Disorder And Acidity Than The ...
Borden
Borden, Gail, American Inventor: B. Norwich, N. Y., 6 Nov. 1801; D. Bordon, Tex., 11 Jan. 1874. His Parents Were Of New Eng Land Descent And In 1814 They Emigrated From New York, Settling In Covington, Ky., And Later In Madison, Then In The Territory Of Indiana. In 1822, Finding ...
Borden_2
Borden, Robert Laird, Canadian States Man: B. Grand Pre, Nova Scotia, 26 June 1854, The Son Of Robert Borden, Schoolmaster And Farmer, And Eunice Laird Borden. He Is De Scended From Samuel Borden, Surveyor, Who Came To Falmouth From The American Colonies In 1760. He Was Educated At Acacia Villa ...