Encyclopædia americana. A popular dictionary of arts, sciences, literature, history, politics and biography, a new ed.; including a copious collection of original articles in American biography; on the basis of the 7th ed. of the German Conversations-lexicon. Ed. by Francis Lieber, assisted by E. Wigglesworth ...

BILE-BILL OF EXCHANGE. 103
tion of natron; some mineral alkaline winds which come from these mountains
salts; some oxyde of iron; a small quan- allay the heat of the climate. The chief
tity of a yellowish substance, which is products of the oases are barley of an exonly partly dissolved in the natron; and cellent kind, used by the caravans, and
a consid(erable portion of albumen. The- dates, which are no where else so excelnard and Berzelius have done much to lent. Much dew falls in the oases, rain
determine the ingredients of the bile. Its but seldom. All the productions of the
principal use seems to be, to separate the tropics, which can ripen without rain,
excrement from the chyle, after both have grow here in abundance. The Berbers
been formed, and to produce the evacua- who live here, as likewise the Negroes and
tion of the excrement fionm the body. It Arabs, carry on trade by means of carais probable that these substances would vans. A ]arge proportion ofthe young men
remain mixed together, and they would, are destroyed by the change of climate to
perhaps, even be partly absorbed together, which they are thus exposed, as also by
were it not e-r th._ bile, which seems to bad nourishment and epidemic fevers.
comlbine with the excrement, and, by this Certain parts of this country, called Dara,
combination, to facilitate its separation Tasilet and Segelmesse, belong to Mofiomn the chyle, and thus to prevent its rocco; to Algiers belongs Wadreag, and
absorption. Fourcroy supposes that the to Tunis Tozer. Gademes, Welled-Sidi
bile, as soon as it is mixed with the con- and Alosselemis are independent. Little
tents of the intestinal canal, suffers a de- is known of the customs, laws, &c., of
composition; that its alkali and saline the inhabitants of B.
ingredients combine with the chyle, and BILIN', mineral spring of; a celebrated
render it more liquid, while its albumen spring near the town of Bilin, in Bohemia
and resin combine with the excrementi- The water is clear, has a sourish taste,
tious matters, and gradually render them and mantles, particularly if mixed with
less fluid. From the late experiments of wine and sugar. The temperature of the
Berzelius on feces, it cannot be doubted spring is 59~ Fahrenheit. The water is
that the constituents of the bile are to be used with advantage in many complaints.
found in the excrementitious matter; so BILIOUS FEvER. (See Fever.)
that the ingenious theory of Fourcroy is BILL OF EXCHANGE is a written reso far probable. The bile also stimulates quest or order to one person to pay a certhe intestinal canal, and causes it to evac- tain sumn of money to another, or to his
uate its contents sooner than it otherwise order, at all events; that is, without any
would do; for when there is a deficiency qualification or condition. The person
of bile, the body is constantly costive.- who makes the bill is called the drawer;
Biliary calculi, or gall-stones, are some- the person to whom it is addressed, the
times found in the gall-bladders of men drawee, and the person to whom, or whose
and animals. They are more rarely met order, on the face of the bill, it is payable,
with in the substance and body of the the payee. If the drawee accepts the bill,
liver. Those that are found in the human he thereby becomes the receptor. A prornsubject consist, principally, of that peculiar issory note differs fiom a bill of exchange
substance, called, by Fourcroy, adipocire. in being merely a promise to pay money
They are of a white, grayish-brown, or by the maker, instead of being a request
black color. The calculi found in the to another person to pay it, to the payee.
gall-bladders of quadrupeds have been The expression promissory note is not
thought to consist almost entirely of in- strictly confined to negotiable notes, or
spissated bile;- but, though much less those payable "to bearer," or to the payee
complicated than the corresponding con- named in it, "or his order," but is more
cretions in the human subject, they must frequently used to denote such instrucontain something more than the inspis- ments; and we shall consider promissory
sated fluid, since they are insoluble, both notes in this sense in the present article,
in alcohol and water. since the same rules and principles are,
BILEDULGERID (Bheladal Dsherid, coun- in a great degree, applicable to such notes
try of dates); a country in Northern Af- and to bills of exchange. The malker of
fica, south of mount Atlas, bounded on the note answers to the acceptor of the
the north by Tunis, on the west by Al- bill, since he is the party promising to
giers and the Sahara, on the east by Tri- pay it; whereas the maker or drawer of
poli; supposed to be about 180 miles a bill of exchange does not directly promsquare. In the desert are oases (q. v.), ise, on the face of the instrument, to pay
which are cultivated and watered like it, but merely requests the drawee to do
gardens At the foot of mount Atlas, the so: this is, however, construed to be a