B. afterwards took a noble revenge. He heard that Boileau was at the baths of Bourbonne entirely destitute: he hastened to him, and compelled him to accept a loan of 200 louis d'ors. Touched by this generous conduct, Boileau struck his name from his satires. B. died at Montluçon, in 1701.

BOUSTROPHEDON; a kind of writing which is found on Greek coins and in inscriptions of the remotest antiquity. The lines do not run in a uniform direction from the left to the right, or from the right to the left; but the first begins at the left, and terminates at the right; the second runs in an opposite direction, from the right to the left; the third, again, from the left, and so on alternately. It is called boustrophedon (that is, turning back like oxen) because the lines written in this way succeed each other like furrows in a ploughed field. The laws of Solon were cut in tables in this manner.

BOUTERWEK, Frederic, professor of moral philosophy at Göttingen, a man of much merit as an academical instructer and a writer on literature, was born April 15, 1766, at Oker, a village not far from Goslar, in North Germany. After applying himself to many departments of learning, jurisprudence, poetry, &c., he at last became entirely devoted to philosophy and literary history. He was at first a follower of Kant, but finally attached himself to Jacobi. His Idee einer Apodiktik was the immediate fruit of his intimate acquaintance with the philosophical views of Fr. H. Jacobi. This work was published in two volumes, 1799. It was afterwards completed by the Manual of Philosophical Knowledge (two volumes, 1813; 2d edition, 1820), and by the Religion of Reason (Göttingen, 1824). In this work, as well as in his Asthetik, two vols., 1806 and 1824, he had to contend with many powerful antagonists. B has gained a permanent reputation by his History of Modern Poetry and Eloquence, published 1801-1821, a work which, though unequal in some respects, and in parts, especially in the first volume, partial and superficial, is an excellent collection of notices and original observations, and may be considered one of the best works of the kind in German literature. Among his minor productions, a selection of which he published in 1818, are many essays, which are superior to the best of his larger speculative works; for instance, the introduction to the History, in which he gives an account of his literary labors until that period, with

great candor, and with almost excessive severity against himself. B. died in 1828. His history of Spanish literature has been translated into Spanish, French and English.

BOUTS RIMÉS (French); words or syllables which rhyme, arranged in a particular order, and given to a poet with a subject, on which he must write verses ending in the same rhymes, disposed in the same order. Ménage gives the following account of the origin of this ridiculous conceit, which may be classed with the eggs and axes, the echoes, acrostics, and other equally ingenious devices of learned triflers. "Dulot (a poet of the 17th century) was one day complaining, in a large company, that 300 sonnets had been stolen from him. One of the company expressing his astonishment at the number, 'Oh,' said he, 'they are blank sonnets, or rhymes (bouts rimés) of all the sonnets I may have occasion to write.' This ludicrous statement produced such an effect, that it became a fashionable amusement to compose blank sonnets, and, in 1648, a 4to. volume of bouts rimés was published." Sarrazin's Dulot Vaincu, où la Défaite des Bouts Rimés, is an amusing performance.

Bow; the name of one of the most ancient and universal weapons of offence. It is made of steel, wood, horn or other elastic substance, which, after being bent by means of a string fastened to its two ends, in returning to its natural state, throws out an arrow with great force. The figure of the bow is nearly the same in all countries, having generally two inflexions, between which, in the place where the arrow is fixed, is a right line. The Grecian bow was nearly in the form of the letter z: in drawing it, the hand was brought back to the right breast, and not to the ear. The Scythian bow was distinguished for its remarkable curvature, which was nearly semicircular; that of the modern Tartars is similar to it. The materials of bows have been different in different countries. The Persians and Indians made them of reeds, The Lycian bows were made of the cornel-tree; those of the Ethiopians, of the palm-tree. That of Pandarus (Il. iv, 104) was made from the horn of a mountain goat, 16 palms in length: the string was an ox-hide thong. The horn of the antelope is still used for the same purpose in the East. The long-bow was the favorite national weapon in England. The battles of Cressy (1346), Poictiers (1356) and Agincourt (1415) were won by this

weapon. It was made of yew, ash, &c., of the height of the archer. The arrow being usually half the length of the bow, the cloth-yard was only employed by a inan six feet high. The arbalist, or cross-bow, was a popular weapon with the Italians, and was introduced into England in the 13th century. The arrows shot from it were called quarrels. The bolt was used with both kinds of bows. Of the power of the bow, and the distance to which it will carry, some remarkable anecdotes are related. Xenophon mentions an Arcadian whose head was shot through by a Carduchian archer. Stuart (Ath. Ant. i.) mentions a random shot of a Turk, which he found to be 584 yards; and Mr. Strutt saw the Turkish ambassador shoot 480 yards in the archery ground near Bedford square. Lord Bacon speaks of a Turkish bow which has been known to pierce a steel target, or a piece of brass, two inches thick. In the journal of king Edward VI, it is mentioned, that 100 archers of the king's guard shot at an inch board, and that some of the arrows passed through this and into another board behind it, although the wood was extremely solid and firm. It has been the custom of many savage nations to poison their arrows, This practice is mentioned by Homer and the ancient historians; and we have many similar accounts of modern travellers and navigators from almost every part of the world. Some of these stories are of doubtful authority, but others are well authenticated. Some poison, obtained by Condamine from South American savages, produced instantaneous death in animals inoculated with it. The poisoned arrows used in Guiana are not shot from a bow, but blown through a tube. They are made of the hard substance of the cokarito-tree, and are about a foot long, and of the size of a knitting-needle. One end is sharply pointed, and dipped in the poison of wooraia: the other is adjusted to the cavity of the reed, from which it is to be blown, by a roll of cotton. The reed is several feet in length. A single breath carries the arrow 30 or 40 yards. (See Bancroft's History of Guiana.)

Bow, in music, is the name of that well known implement by the means of which the tone is produced from viols, violins and other instruments of that kind. It is made of a thin staff of elastic wood, tapering slightly till it reaches the lower end, to which the hairs (about 80 or 100 horsehairs) are fastened, and with which the bow is strung. At the upper end is an 20

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ornamented piece of wood or ivory, called the nut, and fastened with a screw, which serves to regulate the tension of the hairs. It is evident that the size and construction of the bow must correspond with the size of the species of viol-instruments from which the tone is to be produced.

Bow INSTRUMENTS are all the instruments strung with cat-gut or goat-gut, from which the tones are produced by means of the bow. The most usual are the double bass (violono or contrabasso); the small bass, or violoncello; the tenor (viola di braccio); and the violin proper (violino, from violon). In reference to their construction, the several parts are alike: the difference is in the size. (See Violin and Quartett.)

BOWDICH, Thomas Edward; an ingenious and enterprising man; one of the victims of the attempts to explore the interior of the African continent. He was born at Bristol, in June, 1793, and was sent to Oxford, but was never regularly matriculated. At an early age, he married, and engaged in trade at Bristol. Finding the details of business irksome, he obtained the appointment of writer in the service of the African company. In 1816, he arrived at Cape Coast Castle. It being thought desirable to send an embassy to the Negro king of Ashantee, B. was chosen to conduct it; and he executed with success the duties of his situation. After remaining two years in Africa, he returned home, and soon after published his Mission to Ashantee, with a Statistical Account of that Kingdom, and Geographical Notices of other Parts of the Interior of Africa (1819, 4to.) Having offended the company in whose service he had been engaged, and having therefore no prospect of further employment, yet wishing ardently to return to Africa for the purpose of visiting its hitherto unexplored regions, B. resolved to make the attempt with such assistance as he could obtain from private individuals. He, however, previously went to Paris, to improve his acquaintance with physical and mathematical science. His reception from the French literati was extremely flattering. A public eulogium was pronounced on him at a meeting of the institute, and an advantageous appointment was offered him by the French government. To obtain funds for the prosecu tion of his favorite project, B. also published a translation of Mollier's Travels to the Sources of the Senegal and Gambia, and other works; by the sale of which

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he was enabled, with a little assistance from other persons, to make preparations for his second African expedition. He sailed from Havre in August, 1822, and arrived in safety in the river Gambia. A disease, occasioned by fatigue and anxiety of mind, here put an end to his life, Jan. 10,.1824. B. is said to have been a profound classic and linguist, an excellent mathematician, well versed in most of the physical sciences, in ancient and modern history, and in polite literature. He was a member of several literary societies in England and abroad.

BOWDOIN, James, a governor of Massachusetts, born, in the year 1727, at Boston, was the son of an eminent merchant. He was graduated, in 1745, at Cambridge (N. E.). In 1753, he was elected a representative to the general court, and, in 1756, became a member of the council. In this situation he continued until 1769, when he was negatived by governor Bernard, on account of his decided whig principles, but afterwards accepted by Hutchinson, because he thought his influence more prejudicial "in the house of representatives than at the council board." In consequence of his being a member of the committee who prepared the answer to the governor's speeches, which asserted the right of Great Britain to tax the colonies, he was negatived by governor Gage, in the year 1774. In the same year, he was elected a delegate to the first congress, which was to meet at Philadelphia, but was prevented from attending by the state of his health. His place was afterwards filled by Mr. Hancock. In 1775, he was moderator of the meeting in which the inhabitants consented to deliver up their arms to general Gage, on condition of receiving permission to depart from the city unmolested, which agreement, however, was violated by the British commanders. Shortly after, he was appointed chief of the Massachusetts council, and, in 1778, was chosen president of the convention which formed the constitution of that state. In 1785, he was appointed governor of Massachusetts, and had the good fortune to crush, without a single execution, an insurrectionary movement against the government. Governor B. was a member of the convention of Massachusetts assembled to deliberate on the adoption of the • onstitution of the U. States, and exerted himself in its favor. He was ever an ardent lover of learning and science, and a benefactor to others of the same character. The university of Edinburgh honored

him with the degree of doctor of laws, and the royal societies of Dublin and London, with several other foreign societies, admitted him among their members. He was the first president of the academy of arts and sciences, which was established, in 1780, at Boston, in a great measure through his influence and exertions, and to which he contributed several papers, printed in the first volume of their Trans actions. His letters to doctor Franklin have likewise been published. He died at Boston, in 1790.

BOWER. (See Anchor.)

BOX-TREE. The box-tree (buxus-sempervirens) is a shrubby evergreen-tree, 12 or 15 feet high, which has small, oval and opposite leaves, and grows wild in several parts of Britain. It has been remarked, that this tree was formerly so common in some parts of England, as to have given name to several places, particularly to Box-hill in Surry, and Boxley in Kent; and, in 1815, there were cut down, at Box-hill, as many trees of this sort as produced upwards of £10,000. This tree was much admired by the ancient Romans, and has been much cultivated, in later times, on account of its being easily clipped into the form of animals and other fantastic shapes. The wood is of a yellowish color, close-grained, very hard and heavy, and admits of a beautiful polish. On these accounts, it is much used by turners, by engravers on wood, carvers, and mathematical instrument makers. Flutes and other wind-instruments are formed of it; and furniture, made of box-wood, would be valuable were it not too heavy, as it would not only be very beautiful, but its bitter quality would secure it from the attacks of insects. In France, it is much in demand for combs, knife-handles and buttonmoulds; and it has been stated that the quantity annually sent from Spain to Paris is alone estimated at more than 10,000 livres. An oil distilled from the shavings of box-wood has been found to relieve the tooth-ache, and to be useful in other complaints; and the powdered leaves destroy worms.

BOXING. (See Gymnastics.)

BOYDELL, John, born at Dorington, 1719, deserves a place in the history of the arts in England, on account of the influence which his enterprises had upon the advancement of the arts in that coun try. He was an engraver on copper; afterwards, a collector and seller of engravings. His greatest undertaking is his Shakspeare Gallery, for which he em

ployed most of the great painters and engravers of his time. He made some other collections of prints, among which the Houghton Gallery is conspicuous, which was bought by the empress Catharine. To him we owe a work of high interest, Liber Veritatis, a copy of that precious volume in which Claude Lorraine sketched the designs of all his paintings. The original is owned by the duke of Devonshire. Of his Collection of Prints engraved after the best Paintings in England (19 parts), the two first volumes are excellent. B. enjoyed much respect. He was an alderman and lord mayor of London. He died in 1804.

BOYELDIEU, Adrian; one of the most celebrated opera composers of France. He was born at Rouen, in 1775, and, at seven years of age, studied music with Broche, the organist of the cathedral of that place. About 1795, he went to Paris, and soon made himself known and esteemed by the composition and execution of his ballads. He was soon appointed professor of the piano-forte at the conservatory. At this time, he wrote several operas, among which Ma tante Aurore and the Calife de Bagdad are the most celebrated. In 1803, he went to St. Petersburg. His reputation obtained him a favorable reception, and the emperor Alexander appointed him his chapelmaster. For the theatre of the hermitage at St. Petersburg, he wrote his Aline, Queen of Golconda, and the opera Telemachus, which is considered by some as his masterpiece. In 1811, he returned to Paris, and, political events retaining him in France, he devoted his talents entirely to the theatre Feydeau. The most esteemed operas which he has since composed are, La dot de Susette, Jean de Paris (1812), which has had the greatest success of all his pieces; Le nouveau Seigneur de Village (1813); and La Fête du Village Voisin (1816). A later opera, Le Chaperon Rouge, has lively music, but is not equal to John of Paris in originality. His latest opera, La Dame Blanche (1825), has met with great applause. A sweet and natural melody, simple but agreeable accompaniments, an expressive gayety and great variety, are the characteristic excellences of B.

BOYER, Alexis; baron; one of the first surgeons in Europe, clinical professor in Paris, and chirurgien en chef adjoint at the hospital of charity. Surgery is indented to him for many instruments which he has either invented or improved. He was born in 1760, at D'Uzerche, in the Limo

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sin, became a pupil of the celebrated Desault, and, as early as 1787, delivered lectures. He accompanied Napoleon on his campaigns as chief surgeon. HIS Traité complet d'Anatomie (four vols.) has gone through four editions. His Traité des Maladies chirurgicales et des Opérations qui leur conviennent is not yet finished. He explains diseases and their remedies very circumstantially. Without relating what others have done, he describes his own mode of treatment, and the advantages of it. He was for a long time fellow-laborer with Roux and Corvisart in the Journal de Médicine Chirurgie et Pharmacie. He also wrote many surgical articles for the Dictionnaire des Sciences médicales. When the king wished for an official statement of the circumstances of the medical and surgical colleges in the kingdom, in 1815, drawn up by the most learned physicians and surgeons, B. was a member of the committee of inquiry.

BOYER, Jean Pierre, president of the island of Hayti, was born at Port au Prince, in that island, about the year 1780. He is a mulatto, although somewhat darker than most persons of that cast. His father was a shop-keeper and tailor of good repute and some property in the city of Port au Prince, and his mother a Negress from Congo in Africa, who had been a slave in the neighborhood. He joined the cause of the French commissioners Santhonax and Polvere!, in whose company, after the arrival of the English, he withdrew to Jacquemel. Here he attached himself to Rigaud, set out with him for France, and was captured on his passage by the Americans, during the war between France and the U. States. After the conclusion of the war, being released, he resumed his voyage to France, where he remained until Le Clerc's expedition against St. Domingo was organized. Like many other persons of color, he took part in that expedition; but, on the death of Le Clerc, he joined Petion's party, and continued attached to that chieftain until his death. He rose, in the service of Petion, from the rank of his aid and private secretary to be general of the arrondissement of Port au Prince, and was finally named by Petion to be his successor in the presidency. Petion died March 29th, 1818, and B. was immediately installed in his office, and assumed the functions of government. When the revolution broke out in the northern part of the island, 1820, he was invited by the insurgents to

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place himself at their head; and, upon Christophe's death, the north and south parts of the island were united, under his administration, into one government, by the name of the republic of Hayti. In the course of the succeeding year, a similar revolution took place in the eastern or Spanish part, the inhabitants of which voluntarily placed themselves under the government of B., who thus became, in the course of a few years, by mere good fortune, and without any merit on his part, undisputed master of the whole island. Had his wisdom corresponded to his fortune, he might, by fostering the agricultural interests of the island, and strengthening its friendly relations with the U. States and Great Britain, have accomplished much towards establishing the prosperity of the republic on a stable foundation. But he is represented as a vain and weak man; and, although more amiable in his temper than Christophe, is destitute of the energy of character and comprehensive views, by which that despot's policy was directed. The consequence has been the gradual decline of the agriculture, commerce and wealth of Hayti, and, finally, its total prostration, by the absurd arrangement concluded by B. with France in 1825. He foolishly agreed to pay to France an indemnity of 150,000,000 of francs in five equal annual instalments, in consideration of which, France merely recognised the actual government of Hayti; and the absolute inability of B. to make good his engagements_places him at the mercy of France. Franklin's Present State of Hayti. (See Hayti.)

BOYLE, Robert; celebrated natural philosopher; born at Lismore, in Ireland, 1627, 7th son of Richard, the great earl of Cork. In 1658, he went to Geneva, under the care of a learned French gentleman, where he continued to pursue his studies for several years. In 1641, he made a journey to Italy. In 1642, he was left at Marseilles destitute of money, on account of the breaking out of the Irish rebellion. This circumstance did not allow him to return to England until 1644. During this period his father had died, leaving him considerable property. He now went to his estate at Stallbridge, where he devoted himself to the study of physics and chemistry. He was one of the first members of a learned society, founded in 1645, which at first went under the name of the philosophical college. On account of the political disturbances, this society retired to Oxford, but was revived after the restoration, un

der the name of the royal society. B occupied himself, at Oxford, in making improvements in the air-pump. Like Bacon, he esteemed observation the only road to truth. He attributed to matter merely mechanical properties. Every year of his life was marked by new experiments. We are indebted to him for the first certain knowledge of the absorption of air in calcination and combustion, and of the increase of weight which metals gain by oxydation. He first studied the chemical phenomena of the atmosphere, and was thus the predecessor of Mayow, Hales, Cavendish and Priestley. In all his philosophical inquiries, he displayed an accurate and methodical mind, relying wholly upon experiments. At the same time, his imagination was warm and lively, and inclined to romantic notions, which were first produced, in his childhood, by the perusal of Amadis of Gaul, and always exercised a visible influence on his character. He was naturally inclined to melancholy, and this temper of mind was increased by circumstances. The sight of the great Carthusian monastery at Grenoble, the wildness of the country, as well as the severe ascetic life of the monks, made a deep impression upon him. The devil, as he said, taking advantage of his melancholy disposition, filled his soul with terror, and with doubts concerning the fundamental doctrines of religion. This situation was so insufferable, that he was tempted to free himself from it by committing suicide, and was only prevented by the fear of hell. While endeavoring to settle his faith, he found those defences of the Christian religion, which had been published before his time, unsatisfactory. In order, therefore, to read the original works, which are considered the foundation of Christianity, he studied the Oriental languages, and formed connexions with Pococke, Thomas Hyde, Samuel Clarke, Thomas Barlow, &c. The result of his studies was a conviction of its truth, which was manifested not only by his theological writings, but by his benevolence and generous disinterestedness. He instituted public lectures for the defence of Christianity; and to this endowment we owe the convincing arguments of Samuel Clarke, on the existence of a God. B. did much for the support of the mission in India, and caused Irish and Gælic translations of the Bible to be made and printed at his own expense. To his religious principles were united the purest morals, a rare modesty, and an active be