France; but his talents were fully displayed when, after the death of that king, he became regent of France, having been appointed to this post by Henry, in his will. At Verneuil, in 1424, he displayed his military talents; and the difficulties, which, from various causes, he experienced in endeavoring to maintain possession of the conquered provinces in France, afforded frequent occasion for the manifestation of his ability. The greatest blemish in his character is his cruel execution of the maid of Orleans, 'n 1431. He survived this event about four years, and dying, in 1435, at Rouen, was buried in the cathedral of that city. The duke deserves notice also for his patronage of the arts. A curious monument of his taste still exists-the Bedford Missal. Mr. Dibdin, in his Bibliomania, p. 253, gives an account of it. It was made for the duke and duchess, and contains 59 large, and more than 1000 small miniature paintings. In 1786, it was purchased, by Mr. Edwards, for 215 guineas, from the collection of the duchess of Portland; and, a few years after, 500 guineas were offered for it. In a historical point of view, it is interesting on account of several portraits of eminent persons; some of which have been engraved by Vertue, for his portraits to illustrate the history of England. For the antiquarian and the student of the fine arts, it is one of the most interesting monuments of that age. Gough, the antiquarian, published a work in 8vo., describing the Bedford Missal.

BEDFORD; a town in England, and capital of the county of Bedford, to which it gives name, situated on the Ouse; 22 miles S. E. of Northampton, 50 N. of London; lon. 0° 27′ W.; lat. 52° 8' N.; pop. 4605. It contains 5 churches, 3 on the north and 2 on the south side of the river, 3 independent meeting-houses, and a free grammar school liberally endowed. The principal manufacture is lace. It is a place of considerable trade, which is much assisted by the river, navigable to Lynn, and is the only market-town of the county, on the north side of the Ouse. The soil about it is fertile, particularly in excellent wheat. It sends two representatives to parliament. It has two markets weekly.

BEDFORD; a borough town, and capital of Bedford county, Pennsylvania; 91 miles E. by S. of Pittsburg, 190 W. of Philadelphia: population of the borough, 789; including the township, 2116. It is finely situated on a branch of the Juni

atta, regularly laid out, and built on an eininence enveloped by mountains. Will's mountain, on the west side of the town, is 1300 feet high, and Dunning's mountain, on the east side, is 1100 feet high. A mile and a half south of the town, there are mineral springs, which were discovered in 1804, and are much resorted to, and found useful in cutaneous complaints, ulcers, rheumatisms, chronic complaints, &c.-There are several otlier towns and counties of the same name in the U. States: as, B. in the state of New York, Westchester county, population nearly 2500; B. county in the south of Virginia; and another in West Tennessee.

BEDFORD LEVEL; a large tract of land in England, in the counties of Cambridge, Norfolk, Suffolk, Huntingdon, Northampton and Lincoln, formerly full of fens and marshes, and, in rainy seasons, for the most part under water; but drained, at the expense of £400,000, by the noble family of Russell, earls and dukes of Bedford, and others; by which means 100,000 acres of good land have been brought into use.

BEDFORD, NEW; a seaport in Massachusetts. (See New Bedford.)

The

BEDOUINS, OF BEDOWEENS (that is, inhabitants of the desert); a numerous Mohammedan race, which dwells in the deserts of Arabia, Egypt and Northern Africa. It is still doubtful whether they belong to the same race with the Arabs, or differ from them in their descent, as they do in their manner of living. Bedouins live at a distance from cities and villages, in families, under sheiks, or in tribes, under emirs. Their dwellings are tents, huts, caverns and ruins. With their herds and beasts of burden, which carry their little property, they wander in quest of fresh water and pasture. They are all good horsemen, and are generally fond of hunting. The peaceful tribes exchange horses (which they raise with great care) and fat cattle, for arms and cloth, with the neighboring nations. Other hordes are such open robbers, that it is dangerous to travel through their country without a guard or a passport, which the different chiefs sell. They not only plunder, but murder, even when the travellers offer no resistance. Notwithstanding this barbarous custom, the Bedouins hold the rights of hospitality sacred; and the most defenceless enemy is sure of their protection, if they have once allowed him shelter. But the Bedouir. considers every one his enemy who is not his brother, kinsman or ally. Always

careful of his own safety, he attacks no caravan or camp without being sure of his superiority. To superior numbers, and a bold resistance, he yields, and saves himself by a speedy flight. A terror to the neighboring nations, the rapacious Bedouin lives in a state of continual watchfulness; poor, ignorant, wild and rude, but free, and proud of his liberty. This people is remarkable for temperance in regard to food, amounting almost to abstinence.

BEE (apis mellifica, L.); a species of ymenopterous insect, belonging to the family apiaria.-The honey-bee is universally celebrated for its singular instincts, and highly prized for the valuable products of its industry. A vast number of interesting facts have consequently been collected in relation to the economy of the species, for the detail of whose history a volume of considerable size would be required. We shall therefore be able to present nothing more than a sketch of the most striking generalities, obtained from the admirable works of Huber, Cuvier, &c., and to these authentic sources must refer the reader desirous of more ample information.-Three sorts of individuals are found to form a community of honey-bees; the female, mother, or, as she is commonly called, queen; the males, or drones; and the working bees, improp erly termed neuters, as they are actually females, though, in a peculiar respect, imperfect. A hive commonly consists of one mother, or queen, from 6 to 800 males, and from 15 to 20,000 working bees. The last mentioned are the smallest, have 12 joints to their antenna, and 6 abdominal rings: the first joint or square portion of the posterior tarsi is enlarged at the posterior angle of its base, and shaped like a pointed auricle, having its internal surface covered with a fine, short, close, silky down. They are provided with stings. The mandibles are spoon-shaped, and not dentated. There is, on the outside of the hind legs, a smooth hollow, edged with hairs, called the basket: the silky brush of the first joint of the posterior tarsi has 7 or 8 transverse stric. The mother, or queen, has the same characteristics, but is of larger size, especially in the abdomen: she has a shorter sucker or trunk, and the mandibles grooved and velvet-like beneath the trp. The males, or drones, differ from both the preceding by having 13 joints to the antenna; a rounded head, with larger eyes, elongated and united at the summit; smaller and inore velvety mandibles, and

shorter anterior feet, the two first of which are arched. They have no auricular dilatation nor silky brush on the square part of the posterior tarsi, and are destitute of stings. The genitals consist of two horn-shaped bodies of a reddishyellow color, with a broad-ended penis.— When we examine the internal structure of this insect, we find at the superior base of the trunk or sucker, below the labrum, a considerable aperture, shut by a small, triangular piece, which has been called tongue, epipharynx, &c. This opening receives the food, which is thence conveyed by a delicate esophagus, through the corselet, to the anterior stomach, which contains the honey; the second stomach receives the pollen of flowers, and has, on its internal surface, a number of transverse and annular wrinkles. The abdominal cavity of the queen and working bees also contains the little bag of poison communicating with the sting. In the queen, there are, moreover, two large ovaries, consisting of a great number of small cavities, each containing 16 or 17 eggs. These ovaries open near the anus, previous to which they dilate into pouches, where the egg is delayed to receive a viscous coating from an adjacent gland. The inferior half-circles, except the first and last, on the abdomens of working bees, have each on their inner surface two cavities, where the wax is formed in layers, and comes out from between the abdominal rings. Below these cavities is a particular membrane, formed of a very small, hexagonally-meshed network, which is connected with the membrane lining the walls of the abdominal cavity. -Wax, of which the combs are formed, is elaborated from honey. The pollen collected from flowers, mixed with a small quantity of wax, constitutes the food of bees and their larves; and this food appears to be modified in its composition, according to the sort of individuals it is intended for. Another substance collected by bees from the opening buds of poplar and other trees, and used by them for lining their lives, stopping holes, &c., is called propolis.-Besides the distinctions remarked in the female, male and working bees, Huber regards the working bees as of two sorts; one devoted to the collection of provisions, and all the materials necessary to the comb, as well as to its construction; these he calls ciriéres. The others are more delicate, small and feeble, and employed exclusively within the hive, in feeding and taking care of the young. The re

semblance existing between the working and female bees first led to the idea that they were of the same sex, and the ingenious experiments and accurate observations of Huber enabled him to establish this fact in the most satisfactory manner. Having deprived a hive of the mother or queen, he found that the working bees immediately began to prepare a larve of their own class to occupy this important station. This was effected by enlarging the cell to the dimensions of a maternal or royal chamber, and feeding the selected individual on food exclusively destined for the nourishment of the royal larves. If merely fed upon this food, without an accompanying enlargement of the cell, the maternal faculties were but imperfectly acquired, as the female did not attain the proper size, and was incapable of laying any eggs but those which produced males.-The cells of the comb compose two opposite ranges of horizontal hexagons, with pyramidal bases: each layer of the comb is perpendicular, and attached by the summit, and separated from the rest by a space sufficient for the bees to pass in and out. The comb is always built from above downward. The cells, with the exception of those for the female larve and nymph, are nearly of equal size, some containing the progeny, and others the honey and pollen of flowers. Some honey cells are left open, others are closed for future use by a flat or slightly convex covering of wax. The maternal or regal cells vary from 2 to 40 in number, are greatly superior in size, nearly cylindrical, and somewhat larger at the extremity. They have small cavities on the outside, and commonly depend from the comb like stalactites, so that the larve has its head downwards.-The season of fecundation occurs about the beginning of summer, and the meeting between the females and males takes place high in the air, whence the female returns with the sexual parts of the male attached to the extremity of the abdomen. This one fecundation is thought to be sufficient to vivify the eggs which the mother may lay in the course of two years. The laying begins immediately afterwards, and continues until autumn. Réaumur states that the female, in the spring, lays as many as 12,000 eggs in the lapse of 24 days. Each sort of egg is deposited in the appropriate cell, unless a sufficient number of cells have not been prepared: in this case, she places several eggs in one. and leaves to the working bees the

task of subsequently arranging thein. The eggs laid at the commencement of fine weather all belong to the working sort, and hatch at the end of 4 days. The larves are regularly fed by the workers for 6 or 7 days, when they are enclosed in their cell, spin a cocoon, and become nymphs, and in about 12 days acquire their perfect state. The cells are then immediately fitted up for the reception of new eggs. The eggs for producing males are laid two months later, and those for the females immediately afterwards. This succession of generations forms so many particular communities, which, when increased beyond a certain degree, leave the parent hive to found a new colony elsewhere. Three or four swarms sometimes leave a hive in a season. A good swarm is said to weigh at least six or eight pounds. The life of the bee, like that of all the other insects of its class, does not continue long after the great business of providing for the continuance of the species is completed.The history of the bee, as already stated, is too extensive to allow us to attempt more than this brief sketch. But to such as have leisure, and are desirous of instructive amusement, we know of no study which promises a greater degree of satisfaction; and there is no book better adapted for this purpose, than the excellent treatise of Huber, which may almost be regarded as the ne plus ultra of its kind. A beautiful little poem, callea The Bees, written by the Florentine Giovanni Rucellai, appeared in 1539.

BEECH. The beech (fagus sylvatica), one of our handsomest forest-trees, is known by its waved and somewhat oval leaves, and its triangular fruit, consisting of three cells, and enclosed, by pairs, in a husk, which is covered with simple prickles.-Beech woods are very common in almost all the New England and Middle States, in the states of Maine, Pennsylvania, Ohio, &c. They are very luxuriant in their growth. These woods, it has been observed, are peculiarly dry, and pleasant to walk in, and, under their shade, afford to the botanist inany interesting plants, such as the bird's nest (monoiropa), winter-green (pyrola), and some rare orchidea. Beech-trees bear lopping well, and may be trained so as to form lofty hedges, which are valuable for shelter, since the leaves, though faded, remain through the winter, and the twisted branches may be formed into a very strong fence. The wood is hard and brittle, and, if exposed to the air, is

it

liable soon to decay. It is, however, peculiarly useful to cabinet-makers and turners: carpenters' planes, &c. are made of it. When split into thin layers, it is used to make scabbards for swords. Chairs, bedsteads and other furniture are occasionally formed of beech. The fruit of this tree, which has the name of beechmast, and falls in September, is very palatable, but, if eaten in great quantity, it occasions giddiness and headaches; when, however, it is dried and powdered, may be made into a wholesome bread. The inhabitants of Scio, one of the Ionian islands, were once enabled to endure a memorable siege by the beech-mast which their island supplied. This fruit has occasionally been roasted, and used as a substitute for coffee. When subjected to pressure, it yields a sweet and palatable oil, which is equal in quality to the best olive-oil, and has the advantage of continuing longer than that without becoming rancid. Beech-oil is manufactured in several parts of France, and is used by the lower classes of Silesia instead of butter. The cakes which remain after the oil is extracted are a wholesome food, and may be also advantageously employed for the fattening of swine, poultry and oxen. In some countries, the leaves of the beech-tree are collected in the autumn, before they have been injured by the frost, and are used instead of feathers, for beds; and mattresses formed of them are said to be preferable to those either of straw or chaff.

BEEF-EATERS (a corruption from the French buffetiers, from buffet, sideboard) ure yeomen of the guard of the king of Great Britain. They are stationed by the sideboard at great royal dinners. There are now 100 in service and 70 supernumeraries. They are dressed after the fashion of the time of Henry VIII.

BEEJAPOOR (Bija-pur, a corruption of Vijaya-puri, the city of victory, the original name of the capital); a large province of Deccan, between the 15th and 18th degrees of N. lat.; bounded N. and E. by Aurungabad and Beder, S. by North Canara and the river Toombudra, and W. by the sea; about 350 miles long, and 200 broad. It is watered by the Crishna, Toombudra, Beemalı and Gatpurba; and is traversed by the Ghaut mountains. The soil is generally fertile, and provisions plentiful. The chief cities are Beejapoor, Boonah (the capital of the Mahrattas), St. Kuttany and Nubely. Four fifths of the country are subject to the Mahrattas, the rest to the Nizam.

The population is estimated at 7,000,000; one twentieth Mohammedans, the rest Hindoos. The province is divided into 15 territorial divisions. In the southern part of Concan, one of these divisions, Goa (Gowah, or, more properly, Govay), the capital of the Portuguese settlements in the East, is situated. (See Goa.) The productions of B. are, in general, similar to those of the rest of the Deccan. One part-the neighborhood of the Beemahis celebrated for its breed of horses, and supplies the best cavalry in the Mahratta armies.

Beejapoor; the former capital of the above province. (See Bija-pur.)

BEEK, David, a portrait-painter of considerable merit, was born in 1621, at Arnheim, in Guelderland; became a pupil of Vandyck; resided, for some time, at the court of Sweden, and died in 1656. It is related of him, that, on a journey through Germany, he fell sick, and became, to appearance, dead; when one of his servants pouring a glass of wine into his throat, to amuse his companions, B. opened his eyes, and, after a while, recovered his health.

BEELZEBUB (in Hebrew, the god of flies); an idol of the Moabites or Syrians. This term is applied, in the Scriptures, to the chief of the evil spirits. We must remember what a terrible torment insects often are in the East, in order to conceive how this name came to be given to one of the greatest of the imaginary spirits of evil. We find that almost all nations, who believe in evil spirits, represent them as the rulers of disgusting, tormenting or poisonous animals-flies, rats, mice, reptiles, &c. The Greeks worshipped several of their chief deities under the character of protectors against these animals; for instance, Apollo Euívocus, the destroyer of rats. Every one knows, that Christ was charged by the Jews with driving out demons by the power of Beelzebub. (Matt. xii. 24.)

BEER. (See Ale and Brewing.) We have evidence of the use of this liquor for more than 2000 years. The Grecian poet and satirist Archilochus, who lived about 700 B. C., and the Grecian tragedians Eschylus and Sophocles, who lived more than 400 B. C., call it wine of barley. Diodorus of Sicily, who lived about the time of Julius Caesar, about 50 B. C., mentions beer in his History (lib. i. chap. 20). Pliny also, about the middle of the first century after Christ, speaks of this beverage in several places of his Natural History. He says that it is prepared in different ways,

and that there is a species more intoxicating than wine. He says, further, that, in Spain, it is called celia and ceria; but, in Gaul and in other provinces of the Roman empire, cerevisia; that it was in general use among the ancient Germans, who also called it cerevisia (from Ceres, the goddess of grain, and vis, power.) The Egyptians, as the first promoters of agriculture, are said to have invented beer, and to have prepared a kind, in later times, at Pelusium, which was called by the name of that city, and was much celebrated. Beer was afterwards unknown in Egypt, until the French army introduced it anew, since which it is said that beer is still brewed there. We are ignorant how far the beer of the ancients resembled the modern article. The word beer may most naturally be derived from bibere, to drink.

BEER, Michael, sometimes called Michael Berr, a learned Jew in Paris, born at Nancy, in 1784, was the first of his religion who pursued the profession of an advocate in France. His success in this career was brilliant; but he soon gave himself up exclusively to literature, and received the honor, never before conferred on a Jew, of being admitted into the learned academies of France. He was elected a member of the royal society of antiquaries, of the philotechnic society, of the academies of Nancy, Strasburg, Nantes and Göttingen. Napoleon invited him, in 1807, to the assembly of Jews, who were to advise concerning the amelioration of the condition of that people; and the general sanhedrim for France and Italy chose him their secretary. At the erection of the kingdom of Westphalia, on account of his knowledge of the language of the country, he received an appointment in the ministry of the interior, and, afterwards, was appointed to a corresponding office in the French ministry: he also delivered a course of lectures on German literature in the athenæum of Paris. Among his numerous works is an Eloge de Charles Villers.

BEERING, Vitus, captain in the Russian navy, born at Horsens, in Jutland, being a skilful seaman, was employed by Peter the Great in the navy which he had newly established at Cronstadt. His talents, and the undaunted courage display ed by him in the naval wars against the Swedes procured him the honor of being chosen to command a voyage of discovery in the sea of Kamtschatka. He set out from Petersburg, Feb. 5, 1725, for Siberia. In the year 1728, he examined the north

ern coasts of Kamtschatka as far as lat. 67° 18′ N., and proved that Asia is not united to America. It remained, however, to be determined whether the land opposite to Kamtschatka was, in reality, the coast of the American continent, or merely islands lying between Asia and America. June 4, 1741, he sailed, with two ships, from Ochotsk, and touched the north-western coast of America, between lat. 35° and 69° N. Tempests and sickness prevented him from pursuing his discoveries: he was cast on a desolate island, covered with snow and ice, where he grew dangerously sick, and died Dec. 8, 1741. The straits between Asia and America have received the name of Beering's straits (also called Anian), and the island on which he died that of Beering's island. (See Müller's Voyages et Découv. faites par les Russes, Amsterdam, 1766).

BEERING'S ISLAND; an island in N. Pacific ocean, about 90 miles long, and 25 to 30 wide; lon. 163° 12' to 164° 12′ E.; lat. 54° 45' to 56° 10′ N. Neither thunder nor the aurora borealis have ever been observed here. The island has springs of excellent water, and beautiful cataracts. No animals are found here but ice-foxes, scals, sea-bears, sea-lions, sea-cows, &c. No wood grows here, but several kinds of plants are seen. The island is uninhabited. It was discovered by Vitus Beering (q. v.) in 1741. It is sometimes classed with the Aleutian chain.

sea

BEERING'S STRAITS; the narrow between the north-west coast of N. America and the north-east coast of Asia; 39 miles wide in the narrowest part; lon. 168° 15′ to 169° 20′ W.; lat. 65° 46′ to 65° 52′ N. There is a remarkable similarity in the portions of both continents north of the strait: both are without wood; the coasts are low, but, farther from the sea, they rise and form considerable mountains. The depth, in the middle of the straits, is from 29 to 30 fathoms; towards the land, the water on the Asiatic side is deeper. Captain Vancouver, who visited these shores in 1740, gave this name to the straits in honor of Vitus Beering (q. v.), because he thinks that he anchored there. Some have also called these straits Cook's straits.

BEET (beta vulgaris) is a well-known valuable succulent root, which is culti`vated in our kitchen gardens, and grows wild in several countries of the south of Europe. There are two principal vari eties of beet, one of which is of a deep red or purple color, and the other is white. crossed with bands of red.-Red beet is