Big Trees
the sequoia gigantea, See SEQUOIA.
BIHÉ (bē-hā), a fruitful district of South Africa, E. of Benguela, and under Portuguese influence. Bihé is an important caravan center, as the only route across the continent passes through it.
Area, 2,500 square miles. Pop. 95,000.
BIJAPUR (bē-jä-pör'), a decayed city in the Bombay presidency, 160 miles S. E. of Poona. It was for centuries the flourishing capital of a powerful kingdom, but fell therewith under various dynasties in succession, Hindu and Mussulman, till in 1686 it was captured by Aurungzebe. It passed, during the early part of the 18th century, into the hands of the Mahrattas, and became British in 1848. Now that a gradual decay has done its worst, Bijapur presents a contrast perhaps unequaled in the world. Lofty walls of hewn stone, still entire, inclose the silent and desolate fragments of a once vast and popu- lous city.