where, in 1720, he lost £20,000 by the South sea bubble. He afterwards tried to get into parliament, and spent £5,000 more in unsuccessful attempts, which completed his ruin. In 1727, the duchess-dowager of Marlborough gave him £10,000 for the purpose of getting him into parliament; but his attempts were ineffectual. In 1733, he commenced a weekly paper, called the Bee, which was very popular. On the death of doctor Tindal, the author of Christianity as old as the Creation, £2,000 was left to B., by his will. This sum was so disproportionate to the testator's circumstances, and the legacy so contrary to his known intentions, that suspicions arose respecting the authenticity of the testament; and, upon its being contested by his nephew, it was set aside. The disgrace of this affair had such an effect upon this unhappy man, that, on May 4th, 1737, taking a boat at Somerset stairs, he threw himself overboard, with stones in his pocket, and immediately sank.-Besides the above-mentioned works, he also possessed a share in the Craftsman, wrote several papers in the Guardian, with the history of Cleomenes, (8vo.,) and memoirs of the lives of the Boyles, (8vo.)

BUDGET, in the parliamentary language in England, means the minister's proposed plan of taxation for the ensuing year; and comprehends a general view of the national debt, income and expenditure, ways and means of raising supplies, &c., with the actual product of the preceding budget. It is brought forward by the chancellor of the exchequer. The term has also been introduced into France, where the minister of finances presents the budget to the king and chambers.

BUDWEISS; a circle and city of Bohe mia. The circle is separated from Austria by high mountains, in which the Muldau has its source: it contains extensive forests and sheep-walks, and abounds in game and fish. The city of B. is a mining town on the Muldau, with manufactures of saltpetre and cloth. Population of the circle, 170,000; of the city, 4,600. The latter lies in lon. 14° 20′ E.; lat. 49° 2′ N.

Buenaventura; a settlement, and Spanish mission, on the coast of New California. Lon. 118° 58′ W.; lat. 34° 16 N. It was founded in 1782, and contains 950 inhabitants. It has a tolerably good roadstead, and the soil and climate are very favorable to the production of a great variety of fruits.

BUENAVENTURA; a seaport in Colom

bia, on the bay of Choco, at the mouth of a river of the same name; 90 miles W. N. W. Cali, 200 W. by S. Santa Fé de Bogota. It is supported by the vessels that touch at it; the entrance is difficult, and the climate unhealthy. It is the port of Santa Fé de Bogota, Popayan and Cali. Lat. 3° 56′ N.; lon. 77° 42 E. There are many small settlements and villages of this name in Spanish America.

BUEN AYRE, OF BONAIR; a small island near the coast of South America, belonging to the Dutch, 50 miles in circumference, inhabited chiefly by Indians, with a small mixture of Europeans; mountainous; producing a few cattle, goats, large quantities of poultry, and a considerable quantity of salt. It has springs of fresh water. On the S. W. side is a good harbor and road. 52 miles E. Curaçoa. Lon. 67° 36′ W.; lat. 12° 26′ N.

It

BUENOS AYRES; an extensive country of South America, formerly belonging to Spain, and styled the viceroyalty of La Plata, or of Rio de la Plata; but since the declaration of independence, in 1816, it has assumed the name of the United Provinces of South America. It is bounded N. by Bolivia, E. by Brazil, S. E. by the Atlantic ocean, S. by Patagonia, and W. by Chili and the Pacific ocean. comprehends most of the valley or basin of the great river La Plata, and is watered by the river La Plata, and its tributa ries, the Parana, Paraguay, Uraguay, Pilcomayo and Rio Grande, and also by the Colorado and Negro.-The great chain of the Andes extends along the western side, and the western and northern parts of the country are mountainous. Most of the other portions, which comprise the greater part of the whole country, consist of one vast and uniform plain; and extensive tracts which border on the river are liable to inundation. In the southern division are found immense pampas, or plains, which extend into Patagonia, and are upwards of 1200 miles in length, and 500 in breadth. They are covered with tall, waving grass, which affords pasture to vast numbers of cattle and wild horses, and have few interruptions from forests or eminences.-The climate is different in different parts, but generally healthy. On the plains, the atmosphere is moist, and, in summer, the heat is excessive, with frequent rains, accompanied by tremendous thunder and lightning.-A large part of the country has a very fertile soil, adapted to the growth of wheat, maize, barley, tobacco, sugar, wine and fruits; but agriculture is much neglected. A

great portion of the wealth of this country consists in the immense herds of cattle and horses which graze upon its plains. The principal exports are hides, tallow, beef, gold and silver. It has valuable mines of gold, silver, copper, lead and tin.-Some of the principal towns are Buenos Ayres, Monte Video, Cordova and Assumption. (Respecting the relations of Buenos Ayres and Brazil, see Brazil.)

BUENOS AYRES, or NUESTRA SEÑORA DE BUENOS AYRES; a city of South America, and capital of the country to which it gives name, on the S. W. side of the La Plata, 66 leagues from its mouth; first built in the year 1535. Lon. 58° 31′ W.; lat. 34° 35′ S. The population is uncertain, and, within a few years, has been variously stated at 50,000, 70,000, and 100,000. About one fourth of the inhabitants are whites; the rest are Indians, Negroes and mixed breeds. The situation is agreeable and healthy, and the city derives its name from the salubrity of its climate. The temperature is nearly the same throughout the year. The city is built with great regularity, and the principal streets are straight and regular, and some of them are paved. They are broad, with side-walks, but, from the great scarcity of stone, are generally unpaved in the middle. The houses are mostly built of brick or chalk, with flat roofs, many of them of two stories, though the greater part of only one. They are generally plastered on the outside, but now appear somewhat shabby. The public buildings are a palace, a royal chapel, a cathedral, a college, 2 hospitals, 4 monasteries, 2 nunneries, 10 or 15 churches, a public library of nearly 20,000 volumes, an academy, and 8 public schools. Some of these public buildings are large and splendid.-There is no harbor at Buenos Ayres, nor so much as a mole to facilitate the landing of boats. Ships can only come within three leagues of the town; there they unload their goods into boats, which enter a little river named Rio Chuelo, from whence the merchandise is brought in carts to the town, which is about a quarter of a league from the landing places. The ships which want careening, or take lading at Buenos Ayres, go to the bay of Baragon, a kind of port about 12 miles S. E. of the town. The envirous of this city are well cultivated, furnishing all the necessaries of life in abundance, except wine, which is brought from Spain, or from Mendoza. -The inhabitants have country-houses

there, called quintas. Wood is very dear at Buenos Ayres and at Monte Video. In the neighborhood of these places are only some little shrubs, hardly fit for fuel. All timber for building houses, and constructing and refitting the vessels that navigate in the river, comes from Paraguay in rafts.-After the province of Buenos Ayres withdrew from the gov ernment of Spain, the city of B. was the temporary seat of the central government, and the congress of the United States of South America. In 1826, it was made, by the congress of the United Provinces of La Plata, the permanent seat of government, and the capital of the confederacy. It is also the seat of a bishop. The city has an extensive trade in oxhides and tallow, which are disposed of, principally, to the British and people of the U. States. The Germans and Dutch likewise trade with B. Much of the commerce of Brazil, Chili, Peru and Paraguay is also carried on through this city. From 300 to 400 foreign ships annually enter this port.-The climate of B. is mild. There are very few days in winter in which water is frozen.—În 1806, B. was conquered by an English squadron, under the command of admiral Popham and general Beresford. Soon after, the inhabitants, having recovered from their terror, attacked the English by surprise, and made a great slaughter among them. In the following year, Whitelock and Crawford came over with reenforcements. They were quietly permitted to enter the city, and were then attacked with such fury, that a third part of their number was destroyed, and the remainder were glad to conclude a truce.

BUEN RETIRO; a royal summer-resi dence, on an elevated ground, near Madrid, built, with much splendor, by the duke of Olivarez, at the beginning of the 17th century. It has a theatre, park, and some valuable pictures. In 1808, when the French attacked Madrid, Dec. 5, it was the centre of the conflict, and was plundered. The French afterwards fortified it, and used it as a citadel.

BUFFALO; a post-town of New York, the capital of Erie county, situated at the eastern end of lake Erie, at the efflux of Niagara river, and at the west end of the Erie canal; 296 miles W. of Albany, 240 E. of Sandusky. Population in I-10, 1508; in 1820, 2095; in 1825, 5140. The village of B. is very advantageously and finely situated on a handsome plain, near the entrance of Buffalo creek or river into lake Erie, on the channel of

communication between the Atlantic ocean and the lakes. It has been, for several years past, a very flourishing place, and has an extensive trade. In 1813, this village, which then contained about 100 houses, was burnt by the British, in retaliation for the burning of Newark, in Upper Canada, by the Americans. -Black Rock is a considerable post-village, within the township of B., two miles from the village of B. It is situated at the ferry across the Niagara river, which is here about three quarters of a mile wide.

BUFFALO; in America, a name misapplied to the bison. (q. v.) It properly belongs to a species of ox (bos bubalus), found in various parts of India. This species, in the wild state, lives in herds of considerable numbers, frequenting moist and marshy situations. It is naturally fierce and stubborn, and is with difficulty subjugated. The bellowing of the buffalo is hoarser than that of the common bull. The female begins to breed at 4 years of age, and ceases at 12. The term of life in this species is from 18 to 25 years. One variety of this species has horns of vast size and length. This is the arni or arnee. The horns are turned laterally, and flattened in front. They are wrinkled on the concave surface, 4 or 5 feet long, and 8 or 10 from tip to tip. The buffalo is 7 or 8 feet long, by 4 in height, and is generally of a black color. The skin is covered by a harsh and thinly-scattered hair.

BUFFET; anciently, a little apartment, separated from the rest of the room, for the disposing of china, glass, &c. It is now a piece of furniture in the diningroom, called also a side-board, for the reception of the plate, glass, &c. In France, the principal houses have a detached room, called buffet, decorated with pitchers, vases, fountains, &c.

BUFFON (George Louis Leclerc), count of, one of the most celebrated naturalists and authors of the 18th century, born at Montbard, in Burgundy, 1707, received from his father, Benjamin Leclerc, counsellor to the parliament of his province, a careful education. Chance connected him, at Dijon, with the young duke of Kingston, whose tutor, a man of learning, inspired him with a taste for the sciences. They travelled together through France and Italy, and B. afterwards visited England. In order to perfect himself in the language without neglecting the sciences, he translated Newton's Fluxions and Hales's Vegetable Statics, After some

time, he published some works of his own, in which he treated of geometry, natural philosophy, and rural economy. He laid his researches on these subjects before the academy of sciences, of which he became a member in 1733. The most important were on the construction of mirrors for setting bodies on fire at a great distance, as Archimedes is said to have done, and experiments on the strength of different kinds of wood, and the means of increasing it, particularly by removing the bark of the trees some time before felling them. B., in his earlier years, was animated only by an undefined love of learning and fame, but his appointment as intendant of the royal garden, in 1736, gave his mind a decided turn towards that science in which he has immortalized himself. Considering natu ral history in its whole extent, he found no works in this department but spiritless compilations and dry lists of names. There were excellent observations, indeed, on single objects, but no comprehensive work. Of such an one he now formed the plan, aiming to unite the eloquence of Pliny and the profound views of Aristotle with the exactness and the details of modern observations. To aid him in this work, by examining the nu merous and often minute objects em, braced in his plan, for which he had not the patience nor the physical organs requisite, he associated himself with Daubenton, who possessed the qualities in which he was deficient; and, after an assiduous labor of 10 years, the two friends published the three first volumes of the Natural History, and, between 1749 and 1767, 12 others, which comprehend the theory of the earth, the nature of animals, and the history of man and the viviparous quadrupeds. The most brilliant parts of them, the general theories, the descriptions of the characters of animals, and of the great natural phenomena, are by B. Daubenton limited himself to the description of the forms and the anatomy of the animals. The nine following volumes, which appeared from 1770 to 1783, contain the history of birds, from which Daubenton withdrew his assistance. The whole shape of the work was thus altered. Descriptions, less detailed, and almost entirely without anatomy, were inserted among the historical articles, which, at first, were composed by Guenau de Montbeillard, and afterwards by the abbé Bexon. B. published alone the five volumes on minerals, from 1783 to 1788. Of the seven supplement,

ary volumes, of which the last did not appear until after his death, in 1789, the 5th formed an independent whole, the most celebrated of all his works. It contains his Epochs of Nature, in which the author, in a style truly sublime, and with the triumphant power of genius, gives a second theory of the earth, very different from that which he had traced in the first volumes, though he assumes, at the commencement, the air of merely defending and developing the former. This great labor, with which B. was occupied during 50 years, is, however, but a part of the vast plan which he had sketched, and which has been continued by Lacépède, in his history of the different species of cetaceous animals, reptiles and fishes, but has remained unexecuted as far as regards the invertebral animals and the plants. There is but one opinion of B. as an author. For the elevation of his views, for powerful and profound ideas, for the majesty of his images, for noble and dignified expression, for the lofty harmony of his style in treating of important subjects, he is, perhaps, unrivalled. His pictures of the sublime scenes of nature are strikingly true, and are stamped with originality. The fame of his work was soon universal. It excited a general taste for natural history, and gained for this science the favor and protection of nobles and princes. Louis XV raised the author to the dignity of a count, and d'Argivilliers, in the reign of Louis XVI, caused his statue to be erected, during his life, at the entry of the royal cabinet of natural curiosities, with the inscription Majestati naturæ par ingenium. The opinions entertained of B. as a natural philosopher, and an observer, have been more divided. Voltaire, d'Alembert, Condorcet, have severely criticised his hypotheses, and his vague manner of philosophizing from general views. But although the views of B. on the theory of the earth can no longer be defended in detail, he will always have the merit of having made it generally felt, that the present state of the earth is the result of a series of changes, which it is possible to trace, and of having pointed out the phenomena which indicate the course of these changes. His theory of generation has been refuted by Haller and Spallanzani, and his hypothesis of a certain inexplicable mechanism to account for animal instinct, is not supported by facts; but his eloquent description of the physical and moral developement of man, as well as his ideas on the influence which the delicacy

and developement of each organ exert on the character of different species of animals, are still of the highest interest. His views of the degeneracy of animals, and of the limits prescribed to each species by climates, mountains and seas, are real discoveries, which receive daily confirmation, and furnish to travellers a basis for their observations, which was entirely wanting before. The most perfect part of his work is the History of Quadru peds; the weakest, the History of Minerals, in which his imperect acquaintance with chemistry, and his inclination to bypothesis, have led him into many errors. His last days were disturbed by the painful disease of the stone, which did not, however, prevent the prosecution of his great plan. He died at Paris, April 16, 1788, at the age of 81 years, leaving an only son, who perished, in the revolution, by the guillotine. B. was of a noble figure, and of great dignity of manners. His conversation was remarkable for a simplicity but little in accordance with the style of his writings. The best edition of his Natural History is that published from 1749 to 1788, in 36 vol

umes.

BUFFONE (Italian); buffoon; a comic singer in the opera buffa, or the Italian intermezzo. The Italians, however, distinguish the buffo cantante, which requires good singing, from the buffo comico, in which there is more acting. Buffoonery is the name given to the jokes which the buffoon introduces. The word is, no doubt, borrowed from the Low Latin, in which the name buffo (checked), was given to those who appeared on the theatre, with their cheeks puffed up, to receive blows on them, and to excite the laughter of the spectators. Hence buffa, cheeks; buffare, to puff up the cheeks. Afterwards, the name came to signify a mimic, a jester in general.

BUGENHAGEN, John, also Pomeramus, doctor Pommer, was of great service to Luther in the reformation. He was born in 1485, at Stettin, and, in 1505, was made rector of the school in Treptow. He fled from his Catholic superiors to Wittenberg, in 1521, where he was made, in 1522, professor of theology. Luther derived assistance from his profound exegetical learning, in preparing his transiation of the Bible. In 1525, he gave occasion for the controversies about the sacrament, by a work against Zwinglius, on the communion. He acquired more reputation by his excellent Interpretatio in Librum Psalmorum (Nuremberg, 1523)

He effected the union of the Protestant free cities with the Saxons, and introduced into Brunswick, Hamburg, Lübeck, Pomerania and Denmark, and many other places, the Lutheran service and church discipline. For the Lower Saxons, he translated the Bible into Low German (Lübeck, 1533). He was a faithful friend to Luther, and delivered his eulogy. Together with Melancthon, he composed the Interim of Leipsic. He died in 1558. He wrote also a History of Pomerania.

BUGGE, Thomas, born in 1740, at Copenhagen, professor of mathematics and astronomy at the university in that city, and in the royal marine, has rendered much service to astronomy and geography by his own observations, and by the education of young men, from many of whom we have valuable observations in Norway, Iceland, Greenland, and several parts of the East and West Indies. He caused more correct surveys to be made in Denmark, for the equalization of the landtaxes, and had the principal part in the preparation of the excellent map of Denmark. His works are, Elementary Principles of spherical and theoretical Astronomy (1796), Elementary Principles of pure Mathematics (Altona, 1797), Description of the Method of Measurement in the Construction of the Danish Maps and Charts. He died in 1815.

BUGLE-HORN. (See Horn.)
BUHRSTONE. (See Quartz.)

BUILTH; a small town of Wales, on the Wye, 171 miles W. N. W. of London. It was probably the Roman station Bullaum, and Roman relics are yet occasionally discovered there. The Britons built a castle there, when driven from their country by the Saxons, which was occupied by the English after the conquest. Llewellyn, the last Welsh prince, was slain in the neighborhood, in an engagement between the Welsh and English. Lon. 3° 16′ W.; lat. 52° 8' N.

BUINAAH POINT; a cape on the west coast of Ireland, in the county of Mayo, on the south side of the entrance into Newport bay. Lon. 9° 45′ W.; lat. 53° 46' N.

BUKHARIA. (See Bucharia.) BUKOWINA. (See Galicia.) BULAC, or BOULAC, in Egypt; the port of Grand Cairo, on the Nile, where vessels which bring goods to that city abide; one mile W. of Cairo. It is a large, irregular town, and contains a customhouse, magazines, and a large bazar. In 1799, it was almost destroyed by the French. Niebuhr seems to fix on this

as the site of the ancient Litopolis. The baths are fine.

BULAMA; an island on the west coast of Africa, one of the Bissgoes. It is 24 miles long and 12 broad, and is situated about two miles from the mouth of the Rio Grande. It is very fertile, but not easy of access. The Bulama association attempted to colonize it, in 1792, but it was soon abandoned. Lon. 14° 38′ W.; lat. 11° N.

BULGARIA, European or Little, a Turkish province, which owes its name to the Asiatic race of Bulgarians (q. v.), who overran it, was the Masia Inferior of the Romans. Its capital is Sophia, and it is divided, by the Turks, who conquered it in 1392, into four sangiacats, forming a part of the pachalic of Romelia. It is nearly in the form of a triangle, enclosed by the Danube on the north, the Black sea on the east, the Balkan (q. v.) or mount Hamus on the south and west. It is 36,870 square miles in extent, with a population of 1,800,000 inhabitants, engaged in agricultural labors, peaceful and industrious, and mostly members of the Greek church. The whole province, except in the neighborhood of the Danube and the Black sea, is rugged and mountainous. From the eastern extremity of the Balkan, a branch runs north-easterly, nearly parallel with the Euxine, and the streams flow northerly and westerly to the Danube, or south-easterly to the sea. The soil is very productive; all sorts of grain cattle, wool, iron and wine are raised in abundance, and the province is considered by the Turks the granary of Constantinople. About Philippopoli are large rice farms. A very fine wool is brought from the pastures near Nicopoli, and silk, honey, wax and tobacco are important articles of produce. Dobrudsha, the sandy plain on the Black sea, is famous for its horses, which are small, but strong and well-shaped. Some of the principal towns, besides those already mentioned, are Silistria, taken by the Russians, June 28, 1829, 216 miles N. of Constantinople, Brailow (q. v.), Varna (q. v.), Chumla or Schumla (q. v.), which have been the objects of violent contest between the Russians and Turks in the war now existing between them.

Bulgarians, or Voulgarians; an ancient Turkish or Tartar nation, which, in the fourth century, was settled on the Volga. The ruins of their former capital may still be seen in the neighborhood of Kazan. Their kingdom, which occupied a part of the Asiatic Sarmatia of the Greeks, is