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BEKKER-BELGRADE.

Leyden and Heidelberg to Berlin. With what industry and talent he collected literary treasures, in all these places, can be but imperfectly conceived from any thing he has yet published. It is sufficient to cite here the Anecdota Graca, 3 vols., of a grammatical character; editions of Apollonius Dyscolus De Pronomine (never before printed) and De Syntaxi of Theognis (augmented with 150 verses); of Coluthus, Demosthenes, and other Áttic orators; of the Bibliotheca of Photius; of the Scholia to the Iliad, &c.

BEL. (See Baal.)

BELEM (properly Bethlehem); a quarter of Lisbon, formerly a market-town, situated on the spot where, after Vasco da Gama's first return from India, in 1499, king Emanuel built a church in honor of the nativity of Christ, and founded the celebrated monastery belonging to the order of St. Jerome, whose walls enclose the magnificent burying-vault of the royal family, adorned with white marble. After the earthquake of 1755, the burialchurch, so called, was rebuilt in the Gothic style. B., at that time, became the residence of the royal family; but after the palace there had been consumed by fire, they resided in the castle of Quelus, two leagues distant, in a retired situation, until their departure for Rio Janeiro. The new royal palace in B. is not yet finished. It has a beautiful situation, with a view of the harbor and the sea. Many persons of distinction, and the greater part of the important officers of state, reside at B. Here is also the church of Nossa Senhora da Ajuda, in the neighborhood of which lies the botanical garden, with a chemical laboratory, and a cabinet of natural curiosities. The latter contains some curious specimens of native copper from Brazil, and a large piece of elastic sand-stone, interspersed with crystals of calcarious spar. In B., the royal garden (a quinta da raynha), with a menagerie, and many aviaries for rare birds, must likewise be noticed, as well as the great royal park, and, above all, the old tower, Torre de Belem, which rises out of the river Tajo, and is provided with batteries. No ship is permitted to pass by it without being visited.

BELFAST; a royal borough and seaport in Ireland, in Antrim, at the entrance of the river Lagan into Carrickfergus bay; 50 miles E. S. E. Londonderry, 76 N. Dublin. Lon. 5° 46′ W.; lat. 54° 35′ N. Population in 1821, including the suburbs, 35,084; houses, 5,754. It is commodiously situated for trade, in a populous and

well-cultivated country, is connected with Lough Neagh by a canal, and is the principal seaport in the north of Ireland. The bay is a spacious estuary, affording safe anchorage." Vessels drawing 13 feet of water can come up to the wharves at full tide. It is well built, chiefly of brick; the streets are broad, straight, well paved and lighted. It contains 13 houses of public worship. Belonging to the port are above 50 vessels, amounting to more than 8,330 tons. The principal exports are linen, butter, beef, pork and oatmeal: -total value, in 1810, £2,904,520. The duties have, of late, amounted to £400,000 per annum. The manufactures consist, chiefly, of linens and cottons; the former employing 723 looms. It sends one member to parliament.

BELFAST; a seaport and post-town in Waldo county, Maine, 12 miles N. W. Castine, 224 N. E. Boston. Lon. 69° 1′ W.; lat. 44° 25' N. Population in 1810, 1,274; in 1820, 2,026. It is delightfully situated on Belfast bay, at the mouth of a small river of the same name, and at the N. W. part of Penobscot bay. It has a good harbor and great maritime advantages, and is a flourishing town.

BELGIANS; a collection of German and Celtic tribes, who inhabited the country extending from the Atlantic ocean to the Rhine, and from the Marne and Seine to the southern mouth of the Rhine, which is united with the Meuse. From time to time, until the period of Cæsar, German nations pushed forward beyond the Rhine, partly expelling the Celts from their seats, partly uniting with them; and from this union sprung a mixed nation, which, in its language as well as in its manners, resembled the Germans more than the Celts. According to the testimony of Cæsar, they were the most valiant of the Gauls, particularly that portion which resided on the northern frontiers of Germany.

BELGIUM; the name of that part of the Netherlands which formerly belonged to Austria, but now makes a part of the kingdom of the Netherlands.-Belgium, a part of ancient Gaul, was originally the land of the Bellovaci and Atrebates, who lived in the neighborhood of the city of Amiens, and perhaps of Senlis.

BELGRADE (the ancient Alba Græcorum; in German, Griechisch Weissenburg, which name, however, is seldom used); a Turkish commercial city and fortress in Servia, at the confluence of the Save and the Danube, with 30,000 inhabitants, consisting of four parts, the citadel in the centre,

BELGRADE-BELISARIUS.

which commands the Danube, is well fortified, is the residence of the pacha of Servia, and contains the chief mosque. The whole number of mosques in B. is 14. Between the citadel and the other 3 parts of the city there is an empty space, 400 yards wide. B. is badly built; the streets are not paved. At the mouth of the Save lies the island of the Gipsies. B., on account of its important situation, plays a conspicuous part in almost every war between Austria and Turkey. After having been, at different times, in the possession of the Greeks, Hungarians, Bulgarians, Bosnians, Servians and Austrians, it was, in 1442 and 1456, besieged by the Turks, and, in 1521, conquered by Solyman II. In 1688, the Austrians reconquered it, but lost it again in 1690. Prince Eugene took it in 1717, and the peace of Passarowitz, in 1718, left it in the hands of Austria, but it was again lost in 1739. The Porte retained it by the terms of the peace of Belgrade, in 1739, on condition that the fortifications which Austria had erected should be demolished—a work which required almost nine months. General Laudon took B. in 1789, but it was restored to the Porte at the peace of Szistowe, in 1791. In 1806, it was taken by the revolutionary Servians, but, with their suppression, it came again into the hands of the Turks. Formerly, a bishop resided here, but his seat is now in Semendria.

BELGRANO, Manuel, was born at Buenos Ayres, of wealthy parents, who emigrated from Italy. After completing his education at the university of Salamanca, he was appointed secretary of the consulado at Buenos Ayres, and thus came in contact, continually with the mercantile classes, the most enlightened and important portion of the population of that city. His polished and amiable r ́anners, and his taste for letters and the fine arts, enabled him to improve the opportunity afforded him by his situation, so as to acquire extensive popularity. When the political troubles in America commenced, B. was at first disposed to favor the princess Carlota, sister of Ferdinand, and establish an independent monarchy in Buenos Ayres. But he soon adopted the plan of erecting a perfectly free government, and entered with zeal and ability into the measures which prepared and followed the deposition of the viceroy Cisneros, in May, 1810. In the new order of things, B. entered on a military career, and was speedily raised to the rank of general, in which capacity he

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commanded the expedition sent against Paraguay, which, after advancing into the heart of that province, was compelled, by the skill of Yedros and Francia, to return to Buenos Ayres, without an engagement, and leave the Paraguayans unmolested. B.'s next enterprise was more successful. September 24, 1812, he gained a complete victory over the royalist general D. Pio Tristan, at Tucuman, and thus defeated the intended expedition of the latter against Buenos Ayres. On the 13th of February following, he obtained another signal victory over Tristan at Salta. But these brilliant advantages were soon followed by equally striking reverses. B. imprudently released Tristan and his troops upon their parole, which the Spaniards, with that profligate disregard of all conventions and engagements, which has characterized their policy in the contest with the South Americans, dishonorably violated. The consequence was, that general Pezuela, with the very same troops, added to others collected in Peru, attacked and defeated B. at Vilcapugio, Oct. 1, 1813, and again at Ayoma, Nov. 14, of the same year; and San Martin was appointed to succeed him in command. In 1816, B. was reappointed to the command of the troops in Tucuman, and was making the most judicious arrangements for acting against the Spaniards in Upper Peru, when the spirit of anarchy seized upon the army, and he was deposed, and the troops dispersed. B. was liberal, upright and disinterested to a degree not exceeded by any of his compatriots, and faithful and exact in the discharge of all his duties. He displayed considerable ardor as an officer, and applied himself closely to the study of tactics; but had neither the experience nor the military capacity necessary to constitute a great general. Regardless of his occasional reverses of fortune, and of the persecution which he underwent from some of the transitory factions of the day, he continued to labor unremittingly for the welfare of his country until his death, in 1820, which was very justly deplored. (See Memoirs of General Miller, in the Service of the Republic of Peru, London, 1828.)

BELIAL was, with the Hebrews, what Pluto was with the Greeks-the ruler of the infernal regions. The word itself sig · nifies the bad, the destructive.

BELISARIUS; one of the greatest gener als of his time, to whom the emperor Justinian chiefly owed the splendor of his reign. Sprung from an obscure family in Thrace, B. first served in the body

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guard of the emperor, soon after obtained the chief command of an army of 25,000 men, stationed on the Persian frontiers, and, in the year 530, gained a complete victory over a Persian army of not less than 40,000 soldiers. The next year, however, he lost a battle against the same enemy, who had forced his way into Syriathe only battle which he lost during his whole career. He was recalled from the army, and soon became, at home, the support of his master. In the year 532, civil commotions, proceeding from two rival parties, who called themselves the green and the blue, and who caused great disorders in Constantinople, brought the life and reign of Justinian in the utmost peril, and Hypatius was already chosen emperor, when B., with a small body of faithful adherents, restored order. Justinian, with a view of conquering the dominions of Gelimer, king of the Vandals, sent B., with an army of 15,000 men, to Africa. After two victories, he secured the person and treasures of the Vandal king. Gelimer was led in triumph through the streets of Constantinople, and Justinian ordered a medal to be struck, with the inscription Belisarius gloria Romanorum, which has descended to our times. By the dissentions existing in the royal family of the Ostrogoths (see Goths) in Italy, Justinian was induced to attempt to bring Italy and Rome under his sceptre. B. vanquished Vitiges, king of the Goths, made him prisoner at Ravenna (540), and conducted him, together with many other Goths, to Constantinople. The war in Italy against the Goths continued; but B., not being sufficiently supplied with money and troops by the emperor, demanded his recall (548). He afterwards commanded in the war against the Bulgarians, whom he conquered in the year 559. Upon his return to Constantinople, he was accused of having taken part in a conspiracy. But Justinian was convinced of his innocence, and is said to have restored to him his property and dignities, of which he had been deprived. B. died in the year 565. His history has been much colored by the poets, and particularly by Marmontel, in his otherwise admirable politico-philosophical romance. According to his narrative, the emperor caused the eyes of the hero to be struck out, and B. was compelled to beg his bread in the streets of Constantinople. Other writers say, that Justinian had him thrown into a prison, which is still shown under the appellation of the tower of Belsarius. From this tower he is reported

to have let down a bag fastened to a rope, and to have addressed the passengers in these words:-Date Belisario obolum, quem virtus evexit, invidia depressit (Give an obolus to Belisarius, whom virtue exalted, and envy has oppressed). Of this, however, no contemporary writer makes any mention. Tzetzes, a slightly-esteemed writer of the 12th century, was the first who related this fable. Certain it is, that, through too great indulgence towards his wife Antonina, B. was impelled to many acts of injustice, and that he evinced a servile submissiveness to the detestable Theodora, the wife of Justin an.

BELKNAP, Jeremy; an American clergyman and author, of considerable reputation. He was born in June, 1744, graduated at Harvard college in 1762. and ordained pastor of the church in Dover, New Hampshire, in 1767. Here he spent 20 years in the diligent performance of his clerical duties, and the cultivation of literature. It was during this period that he composed his History of New Hampshire, a work by which he established himself as an author in the good opinion of his countrymen. In 1787, he took charge of a church in Boston, where he continued to officiate until his death, in 1798. Besides his History, he published two volumes of his unfinished American Biography, and a number of political, religious and literary tracts. Doctor B. wrote with ease and correctness, though not with elegance: he was more remarkable for research and extensive information, than for brilliancy or originality of talents. The History of New Hampshire and the American Biography, above men tioned, are often consulted. His sermons, and many dissertations, are but little known. As a public preacher and citizen, he enjoyed the highest estimation. He was one of the founders of the Massachusetts historical society, whose Collections are important to the public annals.

BELL. Church bells originated in Italy, being formed, by degrees, out of the cymbals, small tinkling bells and handbells of the East, used, in religious ceremonies, as a means of honoring the gods, or of summoning them to the feast. The feast of Osiris, particularly, is known to have been announced by bells, and, in Athens, the priests of Cybele made use of them at their sacrifices. Pliny says that bells were invented long before his time. They were called tintinnabula ; and Suetonius tells us that Augustus caused one to be hung before the temple

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BELL-BELLA.

of Jupiter. Among Christians, they were first employed to call together religious congregations, for which purpose runners had been employed before. Afterwards, the people were assembled by the sound of little pieces of board struck together; hence called sacred boards. To the present day, the Catholics use such boards in Passion-week and Lent, because the noise of bells seems to them unsuited to the solemnity of the season. On the first day of Easter, the bells ring again, and the return of the accustomed sound produces a very cheerful effect. Paulinus, bishop of Nola, in Campania, is said to have first introduced church bells, in the fourth century, and thence the Latin names of the bell, campana and nola, are said to have originated. In the sixth century, bells were used in the convents; they were suspended on the roof of the church in a frame. Towards the end of this century, bells were placed on some churches at the expense of certain cities. About 550, they were introduced into France. Pope Sebastian, who died in 605, first ordered that the hours of the day should be announced by striking the bell, that people might better attend to the hora canonica, that is, to the hours for singing and praying. In 610, Clothair besieged Sens, when Lupus, bishop of Orleans, ordered the bells of St. Stephen to be rung. The sound so fright ened Clothair, that he gave up the siege. In the eighth century, the custom of baptizing and naming bells began. (See Baptism.) Church bells were probably introduced into England soon after their invention. They are first mentioned by Bede, about the close of the seventh century. In the East, they came into use in the ninth century; in Switzerland, in 1020; at what period they were brought into Germany is uncertain. In the 11th century, the cathedral at Augsburg had two bells. The same spirit which induced people to build immense minsters, and to apply their wealth in ornamenting the places of worship, made them vie with each other in the size of their bells. The great bell of Moscow, cast in 1653, in the reign of the empress Anne, is said, by Mr. Clarke, to be computed to weigh 443,772 lbs. A bell in the church of St. Ivan, in the same city, weighs 127,836 lbs.; another, 356 cwt.; and the one cast in 1819 and the one cast in 1819 weighs 1600 cwt., the clapper alone weighing 18 cwt. On the cathedral of Paris a bell was placed, in 1680, which weighed 340 cwt., and measured 25 feet in circumference. In Vienna, a bell was cast, in 1711, of 354 cwt. In Olműtz is one of

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358 cwt. The famous bell at Erfurt, in Germany, which is considered to be of the finest bell-metal, having the largest proportion of silver in it, and is baptized Susanne, weighs 275 cwt., is more than 24 feet in circumference, and has a clapper of 4 feet, weighing 11 cwt. Great Tom, of Christ church, Oxford, weighs 17,000 lbs.; of Lincoln, 9894 lbs.; the bell of St. Paul's, London, 8400 lbs.; a bell at Nankin, in China, is said to weigh 50,000 lbs.; and seven at Pekin, 120,000 lbs. each. The inscriptions on old bells are curious, and, in some cases, have even historical value; and, at this time, when curiosities of all kinds are eagerly sought for, a collection of these inscriptions would not be uninteresting. The different uses of bells have given rise to many poems, some of which are inscribed on the bells themselves. One of the most common is the following:

Funera plango, fulgura frango, sabbata pango Excito lentos, dissipo ventos,paco cruentos. Perhaps the finest poem which has ever been written on bells is Schiller's poem, Die Glocke (The Bell), in which he describes the casting of the bell, and all its uses, in a highly poetical manner. This has been translated into many languages, and lately into Greek and Latin, by a professor at Liege. (For the metal of which bells are made, called bellmetal, see Copper.) A bell is divided into the body or barrel, the clapper, and the ear or cannon. The word bell is used in many arts and sciences for instruments similar in form to church bells. BELL. (See Lancaster.)

BELL-METAL. (See Copper.)

BELL-ROCK, Sometimes called Inch cape; a dangerous rock of Scotland, about 12 miles from Arbroath, nearly opposite the mouth of the river Tay; lon. 2° 22′ W.; lat. 56° 29′ N. A light-house has been erected on it, finished in 1811, 115 feet high. During high tides, the rock is entirely covered. It is said that, in former ages, the monks of Aberbrothock caused a bell to be suspended on this rock, which was rung by the waves, and warned the mariners of this highly dangerous place. The Bell-rock light-house is famous for its construction.

BELLA, Stefano de la; an engraver, born at Florence, in 1610. at Florence, in 1610. He followed, at first, Callot's manner, but soon adopted one of his own. In 1642, he went to Paris, where he was employed by cardinal Richelieu. He returned to Florence, and became the teacher, in drawing, of Cosmo, the son of the great duke, and

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died in 1664. It is said that he engraved 1400 plates.

BELLAMY, James, a Flemish poet, was born at Flushing, in the year 1757, and died in 1796. He was 25 years old, and following the trade of a baker, when, in the year 1772, the second secular festival, in commemoration of the foundation of the republic, was celebrated throughout Holland. His genius, suddenly inflamed by the love of his native land, rendered him a poet, and his first productions met with success. He studied Latin, made himself better acquainted with his mother tongue, and composed several pieces of merit sufficient to induce the society of arts at the Hague to incorporate them in their collections. He published his patriotic songs under the title Vaderlandse-Gezengen, which secure him a place among the first poets of his nation. B. sung, likewise, the praise of love. The later works of this poet betray a certain melancholy, which renders them still more interesting. A biographical account of him has been written by G. Kniper. He.may be placed by the side of Bilderdyk, Helmers, Loots, R. Feyth, &c., as one of the restorers of modern Dutch poetry.

BELLARMIN, Robert, a cardinal, and celebrated controversialist of the Roman church, was born at Monte Pulciano, in Tuscany, in 1542. At the age of 18, he entered into the college of Jesuits, where he soon distinguished himself; and his reputation caused him to be sent into the Low Countries, to oppose the progress of the Reformers. He was ordained a priest, in 1569, by Jansenius, bishop of Ghent, and placed in the theological chair of the university of Louvain. After a residence of seven years, he returned to Italy, and was sent by Sixtus V to France, as companion to the legate. He was made a cardinal, on account of his learning, by Clement VIII, and, in 1602, created archbishop of Capua. At the elections of Leo XI and Paul V, he was thought of for the pontificate, and might have been chosen, had he not been a Jesuit. Paul V recalled him to Rome, on which he resigned his archbishopric without retaining any pension on it, as he might have done. In 1621, he left his apartments in the Vatican, and returned to a house of his order, where he died the same year, at the age of 71. So impressed were the people with the idea of his sanctity, that it was necessary to place guards to keep off the crowd, which pressed round to touch his body, or procure some relics of his garments. B. had the double merit,

with the court of Rome, of supporting her temporal power and spiritual supremacy to the utmost, and of strenuously opposing the Reformers. The talent he displayed in the latter controversy called forth all the similar ability on the Protestant side; and, for a number of years, no eminent divine among the Reformers failed to make his arguments a particular subject of refutation. The great work which he composed in this warfare is entitled A Body of Controversy, written in Latin, the style of which is perspicuous and precise, without any pretension to purity or elegance. He displays a vast amount of Scriptural learning, and is deeply versed in the doctrine and practice of the church in all ages, as becomes one who determines every point by authority. To his credit, he exhibits none of the lax morality of his order, and, in respect to the doctrines of predestination and efficacious grace, is more a follower of St. Augustine than a Jesuit. His maxims on the right of pontiffs to depose princes caused his work on the temporal power of the popes to be condemned at Paris. On the other hand, it did not satisfy the court of Rome, because it asserted, not a direct, but an indirect, power in the popes in temporal matters; which reservation so offended Sixtus V, that he placed it among the list of prohibited books. These differences among the Catholics necessarily gave strength to the Protestant side, and produced a work from Mayer in exposition of them. In the rancor of controversy, some malignant calumnies were uttered against the morals of B.; but it is evident, that he inclined to superstition in faith, and scrupulosity in practice. At his death, he bequeathed one half of his soul to the Virgin, and the other to Jesus Christ. His society thought so highly of his sanctity, that proofs were collected to entitle him to canonization; but the fear of giving offence to the sovereigns, whose rights he oppugned, has always prevented a compliance with the ardent wishes of the Jesuits. The best edition of his controversial works is that of Prague, 1721, 4 vols., folio.

BELLE ALLIANCE. (See Waterloo.)

BELLE-ISLE, or BELLE-ISLE-EN-MER (a ciently Vindilis); an island in the bay of Biscay, 115 miles from the west coast of France, about nine miles long, and from two to four broad, surrounded by sharp rocks, which leave only three fortified passages to the island. The soil is diverse, consisting of rock, salt marsh, and fertile grounds. Palais is the

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