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 ...

BAYONET-'BEAR. 17
weapon. It was probably invented, about t-ansferred their rights to the Spanislh
1640, in Bayonne, and was used in the territories, in Europe and India, to the
Netherlands, in 1647, but was not univer- French emperor. Napoleon convened.a
sally introduced until after the pike was Spanish general junta at B., June 15th, to
wholly laid aside, in the beginning of the draw up a constitution. This constitution
18th century. Since the general war in Eu- was published July 6, and Joseph departrope, some officers have adopted the idea ed, on the 9th, from B. for Iadrid. The
of former military writers (for instance, convention of B., between the Poles and
Guibert), of increasing thle efficiency of France, was signed on the 10th May,
the bayonet by a more regular exercise of 1808. (See Scholl's Traites de Paix, vol.
the infantry in its use. A Saxon captain, 9, page 28.) The transactions at B. are
von Selmnitz, has the merit of having some of the most important in Napoleon's
first developed this idea in a systematic life, and disclose the wretched character
treatise. (See The Art of Fighting with the of the royal family of Spain.
Bayonet, by E. von Selnnitz, Dresden, BAZAR, BAZAAR, or BASAR; a market1825, with copperplates.) As cavalry are place in the East. The word is Arabic,
often counted by horses, infantry are and originally denotes sale or exchange.
sometimes counted by bayonets. Some are open, some covered with lofty
BAYONNE; a well-built, rich, commer- ceilings, or domes. At the bazars, or in
cial city, the largest in the French de- the neighborhood of them, are the coffeepartment of the Lower Pyrenees, formerly houses, so much firequented in Turkey,
capital of the district Labour, in Gascony Persia, &c.; and, as the Orientals live al(lon. 1~ 241 W.; lat. 430 29' N.), at the most entirely out of doors, the bazars of
confluence of the Nive and the Adour, populous cities, besides their mercantile
about two miles from the bay of Biscay. importance, are of consequence as places
It has 13,600 inhabitants, 6000 of whom of social intercourse. The bazar of Ispalive in the suburbs. The Nive and the ban is one of the finest places in Persia.
Adour (the former of which is navigable That of Tauris is the largest known. At
about'30, and the latter 70 miles) form a Constantinople are two bazars-the old
harbor capable of admitting men of war and new one. In the Oriental tales, —
from 40 to 50 guns, but it has a difficult for instance, in the Arabian Nights,-the
access. These two rivers serve to convey bazars occupy a very conspicuous place.
timber, tar and iron from the Pyrenees to Since the system of credit is almost enaB. A citadel, built by Vauban, on the tirely unknown in Eastern trade, and all
summit of an eminence in the suburb, commercial transactions take place in
commands the harbor and the city. The merchandise and money, the places
bishop of B. is under the archbishop of where this merchandise is brought and
Toulouse, and exercises spiritual jurisdic- changed from one owner to another are,
tion over three departments. The cathe- of course, very much frequented. —The
dra] is a beautiful ancient building. B. word bazar has been used, in recent times,
has considerable commerce with Spain; also, in Europe. Thus there is the wellFrench and foreign goods being ex- known bazar in Soho square, in London.
changed for iron, fruit, gold and silver. BEACON. (See Signals, and Lighthouse.)
B. is much engaged in the cod and whale BEAGLE; a species of the genus dog,
fishery, in which, before the revolution, kept entirely for hunting hares. They
30-40 vessels of 250 tons burthen were are small, and much inferior to the hare
employed. Masts and other timber for in swiftness, but have a very delicate
ship-building, from the Pyrenees, are ex- scent, and seldom fail of running her
ported to Brest and other ports of France. down.
The hams of B. are famous. Its wine BEAR (ursus, L.); a genus of carniv
and chocolate are shipped to the north of orous, or, more accurately, frugi-carnivEurope. Among the lower class, the an- orous, mammiferous quadrupeds, be.ngcient Biscayan or Basque language is ing to the family plantigrada, which tree,:}
spoken. Catharine of Medicis had an on the entire soles of the [hlind] feetc
important interview with the duke of Al- The genus is characterized by a heavy
ba in B., June 1565. The meeting of Na- body, covered with a thick, woolly coat,
poleon with the king of Spain, Charles a large head, terminating in a prolonged
IV, and the prince of the Asturias, also snout, with very extensible lips. The
took place here in May, 1808, in conse- ears are of moderate size, and rather
quence of which the two last signed (5th pointed, and the tongue smooth. The
and 10th May) an agreement, by which limbs are large and heavy, and all the
they, and all the children of the king, feet are five-toed, and furnished with
2*