returning from the Blue Licks, with his brother, the latter was slain, and B. pursued by a party of Indians for three miles, by the aid of a dog; but, having killed the animal, he escaped. In 1782, the depredations of the savages increasing to an intolerable extent, B., with other militia officers, collected 176 men, and went in ursuit of a large body, who had marched beyond the Blue Licks to a bend of the main fork of the Licking river, 40 niles from Lexington. They overtook them August 19, but, being much inferior in numbers, were obliged to retreat. General Clark, then at the falls of the Ohio, immediately assembled a consider able number of men, and commenced the pursuit of the savages, accompanied by B. From that time until 1798, B. resided alternately in Kentucky and in Virginia. In that year, he removed to Upper Louisiana, where he received a grant from the Spanish authorities of 2000 acres of land. His children, friends and followers were also presented with 800 acres each. He settled with them on the Missouri river, at Charette, some distance beyond the inhabited parts of the country, where he followed his usual course of life-hunting, and trapping for bears-until Sept., 1822, when he died, at the residence of his son, major A. Boone, in Montgomery county, in the 85th year of his age. He had been gradually declining for some years previous to his decease. It is related, that, some time before that event, he had two coffins made out of a favorite cherry-tree, the first of which, not fitting, he gave to a son-in-law; in the second he was buried, having bestowed on it a fine polish by a course of rubbing for several years. His sons and daughters still reside in Mis

souri.

BOORS. The peasants of Russia are divided into two classes-free boors and vassal boors. The former cannot be alienated or sold. The latter are mere slaves, not being capable of possessing property, but, with their families, being at the disposal of their lords. They are of three sorts-the crown boors, the mine boors and the private boors. The crown boors are, some of them, considered as absolute property; others are attached to the mines or soil, while many are only obliged to perforn a certain quantity of labor, or to pay a certain proportion of the produce of it. Their condition is superior to that of the other two classes, as they usually pay au annual abrock, or rent, of about five rubles cach, and enjoy the rest of their earnings undisturbed They are allowed also to

purchase from noblemen lands or villages, with the vassals belonging to them. The mine boors are unalienably attached to particular mines, and may be transferred with them to different masters. The third sort, or private boors, are those belonging to the nobles. Their condition depends on the character of their masters: it is sometimes very comfortable, but often most wretched. In the richest provinces, according to the testimony of doctor Clarke, you may find them dying of hunger, or pining from bad food. Pastures covered with cattle, yield no milk for them. The harvest supplies no bread for their children. The ford claims all the produce. Some attempts were made by Alexander (q. v.) to alleviate their condi tion, but private interests interfered with the benevolent intentions of the govern ment.

BOOTAN; an extensive region of North ern Hindostan, lying between Bengal and Thibet. It is about 250 miles from east to west, and 90 from north to south; but its eastern boundaries are imperfectly known. It forms a portion of the declivity of that stupendous Alpine chain, of which Thibet occupies the table land. Notwithstanding it is mountainous, and, in many parts, extremely cold, the country is productive, and highly cultivated, the slope of the mountains being cut into terraces for this purpose. As it is situated without the tropics, it is free from periodical rains; and the climate is, in general, moderate, calculated to bring forth both European and Asiatic fruits and vegetables. Thus we find the trees and shrubs of Northern Europe, in sight of the large forests, and a-rank vegetation of plants strictly tropical. The Deb Rajah, who resides at Tassisudon, is the prince of the country, but is tributary to the grand lama of Thibet. The inhabitants are robust, active and ferocious. They have the Tartar features. They are of the Boodh religion, and leave most of the labor to the women. Their houses are, in general, of only one story, but the palace of the rajah is a lofty pile. From the precipitous nature of the country, they are obliged to use numerous bridges, many of which are constructed with ropes and iron chains. B. produces a hardy breed of horses, about 13 hands high, called tangans. A caravan is sent annually by the prince Deb Rajah, who is the only merchant in the dominions, to Rungpore, in Bengal. The goods which are carried by the tangans are coarse woollen cloths, cow-tails from Thibet, bees-wax.

ivory, musk, gold dust, silver ingots, with silks, tea, paper and knives from China, with which B. has a close intercourse. The current coin is the Narainy rupee of Couch Behar, worth about 20 cents. The customs of the inhabitants resemble those of the Birmans or inhabitants of Ava, more than they do those of their nearer neighbors of Thibet or Assam.

BOOTES; a northern constellation, called, also, by the Greeks, Arctophylax, and, by the English, Charles's Wain. Arcturus was placed, by the ancients, on his breast; by the moderns, on the skirt of his coat. Fable relates that Philomelus, son of Ceres and Jasion, having been robbed by his brother Plutus, invented the plough, yoked two bulls to it, and thus supported himself by cultivating the ground. Ceres, to reward his ingenuity, transferred him, with his cattle, under the name of Boötes, to the heavens.

BOOTH, Barton, an actor of great celebrity in the reigns of queen Anne and George I, was born in 1681, and placed, under doctor Busby, at Westminster school. An early attachment for the drama was fostered by the applause he met with while performing a part in one of Terence's plays, at the annual exhibition in that seminary. He eloped from school at the age of 17, and joined Ashbury's company of strolling players, with whom he went to Dublin. After performing three years in the Irish capital with great applause, he returned, in 1701, to London, and, engaging with Betterton, met with similar success. On the death of that manager, he joined the Drury lane company, and, on the production of Cato, in 1712, raised his reputation as a tragedian to the highest pitch, by his performance of the principal character. It was on this occasion that lord Bolingbroke presented him from the stage-box with 50 guineas an example which was immediately followed by that nobleman's political opponents. Declamation, rather than passion, appears to have been his forte, though Cibber speaks of his Othello as his finest character. He became a patentee and manager of the theatre in 1713, in conjunction with Wilks, Cibber and Doggett, and died May, 1733. He was buried in Westminster abbey, where there is a monument to his memory. He was the author of Dido and Eneas, a mask, various songs, &c., and the translator of several odes of Horace.

BOPP, Francis, born in 1791, at Mentz, went to Paris, in the autumn of 1812, in order to become acquainted with the Ori

ental, and, in particular, with the Indian language and literature. While studying these, he did not neglect Arabian and Persian, and found in Elmina von Chezy and Sylvestre de Sacy, as well as in Augustus William von Schlegel, friends who willingly assisted him in his investigations. With a small pension from the king of Bavaria, he lived five years in Paris, afterwards in London, then in Göttingen, devoted to his favorite studies with the greatest perseverance. He was now made professor of the Oriental languages in Berlin. He wrote on the system of conjugation in the Sanscrit language. compared with that of the Greek, Latin, Persian and German tongues, and accompanied his remarks with translations of extracts from Indian poems (Frankfort on the Maine, 1816). He also published works with the following titles: Srimahábharate Nalopakhajanam. Nalas, carmen Sanscritum, e Mahabharato, edidit, Latine vertit et adnot. illust., Fr. Bopp, London, Paris and Berlin; Complete Systein of the Sanscrit Language; Indralokagamânan, Voyage of Ardschura to the Sky of Indra; together with other Episodes of Masabsarah, published for the first Time in the original Language, and translated'in Metre, with a Commentary.

BORA, Catharine von, wife of Luther, was born in 1499. Her birth-place is not known, and of her parents we only know that her mother, Anna, was descended from one of the most ancient families of Germany, that of Hugewitz (Haugewitz). The daughter took the veil, very early, in the nunnery of Nimptschen, near Grimma. Notwithstanding her devout disposition, she soon felt very unhappy in her situation, and, as her relations would not listen to her, applied, with eight other nuns, to Luther, whose fame had reached them. Luther gained over a citizen of Torgau, by the name of Leonard Koppe, who, in union with some other citizens, undertook to deliver the nine nuns from their convent. This was done the night after Good Friday, April 4, 1523. brought them to Torgau, and from thence to Wittenberg, where Luther provided them a decent abode. At the same time, to anticipate the charges of his enemies, he published a letter to Koppe, in which he frankly confessed that he was the author of this enterprise, and had persuaded Koppe to its execution; that he had done so in the confident hope that Jesus Christ, who had restored his gospel, and destroyed the kingdom of Antichrist, would be their protector, though it might cost their

He

article has fallen in France from five shillings and ten pence the pound, to two shillings and two pence. The process which they adopt is to dissolve 1200 pounds of carbonate of soda in 1000 pounds of water, to which is added, by 20 pounds at a time, 600 pounds of Tuscan boracic acid. This is done in a leaden boiler, of double the capacity requisite to contain the materials, in order to provide for the effervescence which takes place. The heat is kept up for 30 hours, when the clean liquid is drawn off into leaden coolers, a foot in depth, where the first crop of crystals deposits itself in three days. 100 pounds of the best Tuscan boracic acid produce about 150 of borax.-Borax appears in crystalline masses of a moderate size, or in distinct hexagonal prisms, terminated by three or six-sided pyramids; is of a white color, and transparent. It requires 20 parts of cold and 6 of boiling water for its solution. xposed to heat, it swells up, boils, loses its water of crystallization, and becomes converted into a porous, white, opaque mass, commonly called calcined borax. A stronger heat brings it to the form of a vitreous transparent substance, in which state it is known under the name of glass of borax. Borax forms one of the best fluxes known. It is used in the analysis of minerals by the blow-pipe, in melting the precious metals, in forming artificial gems, and in soldering. Another native combination of boracic acid is that with magnesia, known, in mineralogy, under the name of boracite. It is found in small crystals, imbedded in gypsum, near Lunenburg, in Lower Saxony, and at Segeborg, in Holstein. Their form is that of a cube, with the edges and four of the solid angles truncated. They are remarkable for their electric properties, becoming, when heated, negatively electrified at their perfect angles, and positively so at their truncated angles.

BORAK AL. (See Alborak.)

BORDA, Jean Charles; born at Dax, in the department of Landes, in 1733; an engineer, and afterwards a captain in the French marine, famous for his mathematical talents. In 1756, he was chosen a member of the academy of sciences, and occupied himself in making experiments on the resistance of fluids, the velocity of motion, and other topics relating to dynamical science. In 1767, he published a dissertation on hydraulic wheels, and afterwards one on the construction of hydraulic machinery. In 1771, with Verdune and Pingré, he made a voyage to

America, to determine the longitude and latitude of several coasts, isles and shoals, and to try the utility of several astronomical instruments. In 1774, he visited the Azores, the cape Verde islands, and the coast of Africa, for the same purpose. In the American war, he was very useful to the count d'Estaing, by his knowledge of navigation. In later times, he visited a second time the Azores, the cape Verde islands, and the coast of Africa; but the observations which he made in this voy. age have not been published. B. was the founder of the schools of naval architecture in France. He invented an instrument, of a very small diameter, which measures angles with the greatest accuracy, and which has been used in measuring the meridian; the reflecting circle, which has made his name immortal; 1 besides an instrument for measuring the inclination of the compass needle, and many others. On the establishment of the national institute, he became one of its members, and was occupied, with other men of science, in framing the new system of weights and measures adopted in France under the republican government. Among the latest of his labors was a series of experiments to discover the length of a penduluin which should vibrate seconds, in the latitude of Paris. Among his writings are Recherches sur la Résistance des Fluides; Nouvelle Méthode pour observer la Longueur du Pendule; Nouveau Système de Poids et Mesures, adopté par les États Généraux, &c. The principal are his Voyage, published in 2 vols, in 1778, and his Tables Trigonometriques Décimales, which have been edited by Delambre. B. died at Paris, in 1799.

BORDEAUX. (See Bourdeaux.)

BORDELAIS WINES. The finer red wines of the Bordelais (country_round Bourdeaux) are the best which France produces. They contain but little alcohol, keep well, and even improve by removal. As the original fermentation is complete, they are, if judiciously managed, less subject to disorder and acidity than the Burgundy wines. None of the very best quality, however, is exported pure: a bottle of the best Châteaux-Margaux, or Haut-Brion, is a rarity hardly to be procured in Bourdeaux itself, at the rate of six or seven francs a bottle. For export, the secondary growths of Médoc are inin gled with the rough Palus. The red wines of the Bordelais are known in Eng land and North America under the name of claret. They have less aroma and spirit, but more astringency, than the Bur

gundy wines. The Bordelais are the safest wines for daily use, as they are among the most perfect of the light wines, and do not easily excite intoxication. They have been accused of producing the gout, but without reason. Persons who drench themselves with Madeira, Port, &c., and indulge in an occasional debauch of claret, may, indeed, be visited in that way; because a transition from the strong brandied wines to the lighter is always followed by a derangement of the digestive organs. The principal vineyards are those of Médoc, Graves, Palus and Vignes Blanches; after these, those of Entredeux-Mers, St. Emilion and the Bourgeais are the most important. The first growth of Médoc are the famous wines of Chateaux-Margaux, Lafitte and Latour. The Lafitte is characterized by its silky softness on the palate, and a perfume partaking of violet and raspberry. The Latour is fuller, has more aroma, but less softness. The Chateaux-Margaux is lighter than the Latour, and delicate, like the Lafitte, but has not so high a flavor. Of the second growth, we may mention the Rauran and the Leoville. The average produce of the first growth is 100 tonneau (of 217 gallons each). The soil of Médoc is a sandy and calcarious loam. The gravelly lands (les Graves), to the south and west of Bourdeaux, produce the Graves. The first growth of the red Graves is the HautBrion, which rivals the first growth of Médoc; it has more color and body, but is inferior in aroma and taste. The principal white Graves are St. Bris and Carbonieux. The best Médoc ought to be kept three or four years before removal; the Graves five or six. The wines of Palus, which is a bed of rich alluvial deposits, are inferior to the preceding; they are stronger and more deeply colored than those of Médoc. Being hard and rough, they are improved by a voyage, and are principally sent to the East Indies and America as vins de cargaison, or are mixed with Médoc, which is intended for exportation. By the voyage, they become more light and delicate, but are not to be compared with the growths of Médoc and the Graves. The best are Queyries and Mt. Ferrand. The former are deeply colored, and have much body. Age gives them an agreeable aroma, resembling that of a raspberry. Among the white Bordelais wines, besides those already mentioned, the finest growths are Sauternes, Preignac, Barsac and Bommes. Martillac and St. Medard are of a good quality, and have lightness and body. Dariste, for

merly Dulamon, is equal to St. Bris and Carbonieux. Among other red wines are the Bourgeais, which are of a fine color, and acquire by age lightness and an agreeable almond aroma: of all the Bordelais wines, they most resemble the Burgundy wines. The first growths are Debosquet, Chateau-Rousset, Tajac and Falfax. The Bourgeais wines were formerly preferred to Médoc. The wines of St. Emilion have been much esteemed. The Fronsac and Canon are the best. Those of Entre-deux-Mers become agreeable with age. The vins de Côtes are good vins ordinaires: they are generally fermes and hard, and improve by age. The best are those of Bassens and Cenon. Those of St. Gervais, Cadillac and St. Romain are soft and agreeable. (For further information, see Le Guide ou Conducteur de l'Étranger a Bordeaux; 2d ed., Bourdeaux, 1827, which contains a minute account of the wines raised in the neighborhood of Bourdeaux. See, also, A. Henderson's History of the Ancient and Modern Wines, 4to., London, 1824.) The light wines of Bourdeaux might be very advantageously substituted, in the U. States, for the strong liquors too generally drank in this country.

BORDENTOWN, in New Jersey; on the east side of the Delaware, 26 miles N. E. of Philadelphia. It is a small, pleasant town, and now the residence of Joseph Bonaparte.

BORDONE, Paris, a celebrated_painter of the Venetian school, born at Treviso, in 1500, died in 1570. Under Titian, he made rapid progress in painting. The execution of many works for his native city and for Venice spread his fame as far as France, whither he was invited by the king. The galleries of Dresden and Vienna possess several of his pieces His most famous picture is the Old Gondolier presenting a Ring to the Doge; it is painted in oil, and now to be seen at Venice.

BOREAL; northern.

BOREAS; the north wind, worshipped by the Greeks as a deity, residing in Thrace, and represented with wings, which, as well as his hair and beard, were full of flakes of snow; instead of feet, he had the tails of serpents, and, with the train of his garment, he stirred up clouds of dust. Boreas was the son of Astreus and of Aurora. When Apollo and his favorite Hyacinthus were once playing at quoits, he blew the quoit of the former, of whom he was jealous, upon the head of the youth, who was killed by