visited Palmyra, Damascus, Lebanon and other regions; after which he went to Cairo, in order to proceed with a caravan, through the northern part of Africa, to Fezzan. In 1812, he performed a journey up the Nile, almost to Dongola; and afterwards, in the character of a poor trader, and a Turk of Syria, proceeded through the deserts of Nubia (where Bruce had travelled before him), under great hardships, to Berbera and Shendy, as far as Suakem on the Red sea, whence he passed through Jidda to Mecca. He was now so well initiated into the language and manners of the Arabians, that, when a doubt arose concerning his Islamism, after having passed an examination in the theoretical and practical parts of the Mohammedan faith, he was acknowledged, by two learned jurists, not only a very faithful, but a very learned Mussulman. In 1815, he returned to Cairo, and afterwards visited Sinai. Just before the arrival of the long-expected caravan, he died at Cairo, April 15, 1817. The Mohammedans performed his obsequies with the greatest splendor. He had previously sent home all his journals. His last thoughts were devoted to his mother. B. was the first modern traveller who succeeded in penetrating to Shendy, in the interior of Soudan, the Meroë of antiquity (still, as it was 3000 years ago, the depot of trade for Eastern Africa), and in furnishing exact information of the slavetrade in that quarter. He found articles of European fabric, such as the Zellingen sword-blades, at the great fair of Shendy. His Travels in Nubia, in 1815, were published in London (1819) by the African association, with his researches into the interior of Africa.

BURCKHARDT, John Charles; member of the royal French academy of sciences, one of the first astronomical calculators in Europe, born at Leipsic, April 30, 1773, applied himself to mathematics, and acquired a fondness for astronomy from the study of the works of Lalande. He applied himself particularly to the calculation of solar eclipses, and the occultation of certain stars, for the determination of geographical longitudes. He made himself master, at the same time, of nearly all the European languages. Professor Hindenburg induced him to write a Latin treatise on the combinatory analytic methol (Leipsic, 1794), and recommended him to baron von Zach, with whom he studied practical astronomy at his observatory on the Seeberg near Gotha, and whom he assisted, from 1795 to 1797, in observing 28

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the right ascension of the stars. Von Zach recommended him to Lalande, at Paris, who received him at his house, Dec. 15, 1797. Here he distinguished himself by the calculation of the orbits of comets, participated in all the labors of Lalande, and those of his nephew, Lefrançois Lalande, took an active part in the observatory of the ecole militaire, and translated the two first volumes of Laplace's Mécanique Céleste into German (Berlin, 1800). Being appointed adjunct astronomer by the board of longitude, he received letters of naturalization as a French citizen, Dec. 20, 1799. His important treatise on the comet of 1770, which had not been visible for nearly 30 years, although, according to the calculations of its orbit, it should have returned every five or six, was rewarded with a gold medal, by the institute, in 1800.

This treatise, which proposed some improvements in doctor Olbers' mode of calculation, is contained in the Mem. de l'Institut, 1806. During this year, he was made a member of the department of physical and mathematical sciences in the academy; in 1818, was made a member of the board of longitude, and, after Lalande's death, astronomer in the observatory of the military school. In 1814 and 1816, he published in French, at Paris, Tables to assist in Astronomical Calculations. He also wrote some treatises in von Zach's Geographical Epheme rides. His labors in the board of longitude were particularly valuable. He died in 1825.

BURDEN, OF BURTHEN; 1. the contents of a ship; the quantity or number of tons which a vessel will carry; 2. the part of a song which is repeated at every verse or stanza, is called the burden of the song, from the French bourdon, drone or base, because they are both characterized by an unchangeable tone, and bear upon the ear with a similar monotony.

BURDETT, Sir Francis, baronet, member of the British parliament, in which he has long held a conspicuous place in the opposition, is descended from an ancient and opulent family, and was educated at Westininster. He entered on his parliamentary career in 1796, when he was chosen member from Boroughbridge. He soon distinguished himself as an ardent and enlightened friend of reform, and the steady opposer of the arbitrary measures of the ministry, the suspension of the habeas corpus act, the sedition bills, and the policy towards Ireland. In 1802, he was returned member for Middlesex. In

The friendship of several distinguished young men at the university was now of great service to him. In union with his friends, he studied the ancient classics and the best works in French, Italian, Spanish and English, particularly Shakspeare, and the old English and Scotch ballads. Percy's Relics was his constant companion. His poems soon attracted attention. In 1772, he obtained, by the influence of Boie, the small office of baily in Alten-Gleichen, and, by a reconciliation with his grandfather, a sum for the payment of his debts, which he unfortunately lost, and, during the rest of his life, was involved in pecuniary difficulties. In 1774, he married the daughter of a neighboring baily, named Leonhardt, but his marriage was unfortunate. He conceived a violent passion for the sister of his wife, and married her, in 1784, soon after his first wife's death. She also, his celebrated Molly, died in the first year of their marriage. At the same time, he lost his little property by imprudent management, and was obliged, by intrigues, to resign his place. He was made professor extraordinary in Göttingen, but received no salary, and this favorite poet of the nation was obliged to gain a living for lumself and his children by poorly-rewarded translations for booksellers. A third marriage, in 1790, with a young lady of Suabia, who had publicly offered him her hand in a poem, completed his misfortunes; he was divorced from her two years afterwards. The government of Hanover afforded him some assistance shortly before his death, which took place in June, 1794, and was occasioned by a complaint of the lungs.-In the midst of these misfortunes and obstacles, it is astonishing how much he did. He has left us songs, odes, elegies, ballads, narrative poems and epigrams. In none of these departments does he hold a low rank; in some, the public voice has placed him in the first. Schiller criticised him very severely; he denied him the power of idealizing, and reproached his muse as being of too sensual a character. The judgment of A. W. Schlegel seems more just: he says, "B, is a poet of a more peculiar than comprehensive imagination; of more honest and plain than delicate feelings; his execution is more remarkable than his conception; he is more at home in ballads and simple songs than in the higher lyrical poetry; yet, in some of his productions, he appears as a true poet of the people, and his style, with some faults, is clear, vigorous,

fresh, and sometimes tender." The first collection of his poems appeared in Göttingen, 1778. His poetical works have been published several times by K. Reinhard; last in Berlin, 1823-25, 8 vols.; so also his Lehrbuch der Esthetik (Compendium of Esthetics), Berlin, 1825, and his Lehrbuch des Deutschen Styls (Manual of German Style), Berlin, 1826.

BURGESS, in England; the holder of a tenement in a borough: in a parliamentary sense, the representative of a borough. The latter must have a clear estate to the value of £300 per annum. The burgesses in parliament bear a quadruple proportion to the members for counties; the former being (from England alone) 339, the latter, 80. The whole number of the former, from the three kingdoms, is 396; of the latter, 186. Before the North American revolution, the popular branch of the legislature in Virginia was called the house of burgesses: it is now called the house of delegates.

BURGHERS. (See Seceders.)

BURGLARY (supposed to be derived from the German burg, a house, and larron, a thief, from the Latin latro) is defined to be a breaking and entering the mansion-house of another, in the night, with intent to commit some felony within the same, whether such felonious intent be executed or not. This is the modern signification of the term, which formerly applied, also, to the breaking into a church, fort or town; and the breaking into a church is said, by sir William Blackstone (4 Com. 224), to be, undoubtedly, burglary. Both breaking and entering are considered necessary to constitute the offence. The opening a door or window, picking a lock, or unlocking it with a key, raising a latch, or loosing any fastenings, constitutes a breaking. Likewise, knocking at the door, and, on its being opened, rushing in, has been so considered. So, if a lodger in the same house open and enter another's room; or if a servant conspire with a robber and let him into the house, it will be such a breaking of a house, as, if done with intent to commit a felony, will be burglary. The breaking and entering must, however, be in the night, to make it burglary; and, according to lord Hale's opinion (1 P. C. 550), if there be enough of daylight in the evening twilight or dawn for discerning a man's face, it will not be burglary. But this does not extend to moonlight, since such a construction would secure impunity to many burgla ries. The breaking open of a barn, shop,

shed, or other building, is not burglary, unless it be appurtenant to a dwellinghouse. A chamber in a college, or in the London inns of court, is, for this purpose, considered to be a mansion-house. The more usual punishment of burglary has heretofore been death. In the U. States, there is some diversity of punishment for this offence, the penalty being death in some states, and imprisonment for life or years in others. In Maine, for the principal and accessary before the fact, where the criminal enters a dwelling-house by night, with a deadly weapon, it is death. In New Hampshire, the offence, according to the common definition, is punished by imprisonment and hard labor for life. In Vermont, the punishment is imprisonment in the state prison for a term not exceeding 15 years, or a fine not exceeding 1000 dollars; in Massachusetts, imprisonment for life of the principal and accessary before the fact, in case of being armed with a deadly weapon; in Rhode Island, death; in Connecticut, imprisonment in the state prison not exceeding 3 years; in New York, a fine, and imprisonment with hard labor not exceeding 10 years; in Pennsylvania, for the first offence, imprisonment not exceeding 10 years; for the second, not exceeding 15; in Maryland, restoration of property, and imprisonment not less than 2 nor exceeding 10 years; in Virginia, restoration of property, and imprisonment not less than 5 nor more than 10 years; and in Louisiana, imprisonment not less than 10 nor more than 15 years; and the code of this state makes the crime the same where the culprit conceals himself in the house during the day, until night, as where he breaks into it during the night. The British statute 7 & 8 Geo. IV, c. 29, makes the punishment death; and this statute, pursuing that of 12 Anne, c. 7, makes the committing a felony in a house, and breaking out of it by night, burglary. This statute of Geo. IV also alters the definition of the crime, by substituting dwelling for mansion-house. [The American statutes generally adopt this description.] It also defines what shall be considered as part of the house, saying, that no building within the same curtilage, and occupied with the dwelling-house, shall be deemed a part of it for this purpose, "unless there shall be a communication" with the house "by means of a covered and enclosed passage." This provision clears up a doubt that had hung over the former law. This act also provides (s. 12), that, "if any person shall break and enter

a house and steal," &c., or shall steal any property in any dwelling-house, any person therein being put in fear," or "shall steal to the value of £5," he shall suffer death; and it does not appear, by Mr. Collier's edition of the criminal statutes, 1828, that any distinction is made, in this section, as to the offence being by day or night. This crime is punishable, under the French code (Penal. lib. 3, tit. 2, c. 2, s. 1, No. 381, 383), either by death or by hard labor for life, according to the circumstances of aggravation.

Burgomaster; the name of the chief magistrates of large towns in the Netherlands and Germany. Their number and term of office are different in different places. They are sometimes chosen for life, sometimes for a fixed period. They preside in the municipal counsels, &c. The same officer, in France, is called maire; in England and the cities of North America, mayor.

BURGOS; a city of Spain, the capital of Old Castile, and once the residence of its kings. It stands on the declivity of a hill, on the right bank of the Arlanzon. The streets are narrow and dark. It contains a college, numerous churches and convents, and a population of about 10,000. The cathedral, one of the most beautiful Gothic structures in Spain, was built in the 13th century, and, as well as some of the other churches, contains splendid mausoleums. It is so large, that service can be performed in eight chapels at once, without confusion. wool of Old Castile passes principally through B., and it has some woollen manufactures. It was captured by the English in 1813. Lat. 42° 21′ N.; lon. 2° 40′ W.

The

BURGOYNE, John; an English general officer and dramatist. He was the natural son of lord Bingly, and entered early into the army. In 1762, he commanded a force sent into Portugal for the defence of that kingdom against the Spaniards. He also distinguished himself, in the American war, by the taking of Ticonderoga, but was, at last, obliged to surrender, with his army, to general Gates, at Saratoga. He was elected into parliament for Preston, in Lancashire, but, refusing to return to America, pursuant to his convention, was dismissed the service. He published some pamphlets in defence of his conduct, and is the author of three dramas,-the Maid of the Oaks, Bon Ton, and the Heiress,-all in the line of what is usually called genteel comedy, of which they form light and pleasing specimens.

BURGUETTA, OF ELBURGUETTA; a town of Spain, in the valley of Ronçeval, where the rear-guard of Charlemagne's army was defeated by the Saracens, and the famous Roland slain, A. D. 778; 24 miles N. E. of Pampeluna.

BURGUNDIANS. The Burgundians (called, by the ancients, Burgundi, Burgundiones, Burngundi, Buganta, Bunticca, and sometimes Urugundi), one of the principal branches of the Vandals, can be traced back to the country between the Oder and the Vistula, in what is now the New Mark, and the southern part of West Prussia. They were distinguished from the other Germans by living together in villages, burgen (whence, perhaps, they received the name of Burgundians). The others lived separately, and led a more wandering life. This is probably the reason why they retained possession of their country much longer than the neighboring Goths and Vandals, till, at length, they were no longer able to withstand the Gepida, who pressed in upon them from the mouths of the Vistula. In consequence of the loss of a great battle with the Gepida, they emigrated to Germany, where they advanced to the region of the Upper Rhine, and settled near the Allemanni. From them they took a considerable tract of country, and lived in almost continual war with them. In the beginning of the 5th century, with other German nations, they passed over into Gaul. After a long struggle, and many losses, they succeeded in obtaining possession of the south-eastern part of this country by a contract with the Romans. A part of Switzerland, Savoy, Dauphiny, Liounais and Franche-Comte belonged to their new kingdom, which, even in the year 470, was known by the name of Burgundy. The seat of government seems to have been sometimes Lyons, and sometimes Geneva.-By their old constitution, they had kings, called hendinos, whom they chose and deposed at their pleasure. If any great calamity befell them, as a failure of the crops, a pestileuce, or a defeat, the king was made responsible for it, and his throne was given to another, under whom they hoped for better times. Before their conversion to Christianity (which happened after their settlement in Gaul), they had a high-priest, called sinestus, whose person was sacred, and whose office was for life. The trial by combat even then existed among them, and was regarded as an appeal to the judgment of God. Continually endeavoring to extend their limits, they became

engaged in a war with the Franks, by whom they were finally wholly subdued, under the son of Clovis, after Clovis himself had taken Lyons. They still preserved their constitution, laws and customs for a time. But the dignity of king was soon abolished, and, under the Carlovingians, the kingdom was divided into provinces, which, from time to time, shook off their dependence. In 879, Boson, count of Autun, brother-in-law of king Charles the Bald, and duke of Milan, with the assent of the Burgundian nobles, succeeded in establishing again the royal dignity in this kingdom. He styled himself king of Provence. His residence was at Arles, and hence is derived the name kingdom of Arles. He was deprived of several provinces by Louis and Carloman; but his son Louis added to his hereditary possessions the country lying beyond the Jura, and thus established the kingdom of Burgundy, Cis-Jurana, or Lower Burgundy, which included a part of Provence, with Arles, Dauphiny, Lionnais, Savoy, and a part of FrancheComté. A second kingdom of Burgundy arose when the Guelph Rodolph von Strettlingen (duke of Swiss Lorraine) gained possession of the rest of Lorraine, namely, Switzerland beyond the river Reuss, the Valais, and a part of Savoy, and, in short, all the provinces between the Jura and the Pennine Alps, and caused himself, in 883, to be crowned king of Upper Burgundy (regnum Burgundicum Transjuranum). Both Burgundian kingdoms were united about the year 930, and, after the race of Rodolph became extinct (1032) were incorporated with Germany, under the emperor Conrad II. But a third state, which had its origin about the same time with Upper Burgundy, consisting, principally, of the French province Bourgogne (Burgundy, properly so called), and the founder of which is said to have been Richard, brother of Boson (first king of Lower Burgundy), maintained its independence. From Ludegardis, granddaughter of Richard, and her husband, Otho, a brother of Hugh Capet, sprang the ancient dukes of Burgundy (Bourgogne). They became extinct, in 1361, with the death of duke Philip, and Burgundy was immediately united, by king John of France, with the French crown, partly as a fief of the kingdom, and partly because his mother was sister of the grandfather of the last duke. The dignity of duke of Burgundy was restored in 1363, by his grant of those domains, under the title of