Barren Island
a volcano in the Andaman Sea, about 12° 15′ N. lat.; 93° 54 E. long. Its diameter is about 2 miles. There is an ancient crater over a mile in diameter, from the center of which a newer cone rises to a height of 1,015 feet. The volcano was active in 1789 and 1803, but is now semi-dormant. BARRÈS, MAURICE, a French novelist, born at Charmes-sur-Moselle in 1862. His first work was not especially notable, but he later developed remarkable powers of expression. These were devoted chiefly to attempts to induce the young men of the nation to remain in the provinces and build up national traditions. He was in 1906 elected to the Academy. He was for many years a member of the Chamber of Deputies. His best known works are "Les déracinés" (1897); "L'Appel au soldat" (1900); "Leurs figures" (1902); "Le voyage de Sparte" (1906); "En Italie" (1912).
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Barrett (JOHN an American diplomatist)
JOHN, an American diplomatist, born in Grafton, Vt., Nov. 28, 1866; was graduated at Dartmouth College in 1889, and the same year went to the Pacific coast and was engaged in journalism till 1894. During 1894-1898 he was United States Minister Resident and Consul-General at Bangkok, Siam, and, after the expiration of his term of office, represented several American newspapers in Manila, Philippine Islands. After the American victory in Manila Bay he made a special study of conditions in the Philippine Islands. In 1903- 1904 he was minister to Argentina, and in 1904-1905 held the same post in Panama. He was chiefly instrumental in establishing the Pan-American Union in 1907, and was its director-general until 1920, when he resigned to enter commercial life. His services in behalf of a better understanding between the countries of North, Central and South America were of the greatest value. Admiral Among his writings are: " George Dewey" (1909); ; and "Pan-American Commerce; Past, Present and Future" (1919).
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Barrett (WILSON an English dramatist)
WILSON, an English dramatist, born in Essex, Feb. 18, 1846; son of a farmer; entered the dramatic profession in 1863. In 1874 he became manager of the Amphitheater in Leeds, and later lessee of the Grand Theater in Leeds; in 1879 manager of the Court Theater, London; and in 1881, of Princess' Theater, London. He visited the United States in 1886, and, returning to England in 1887, became manager of the Globe Theater; revisited the United States in 1888, and again in 1889; in 1896 became manager of the Lyric Theater, London; and in 1899, of the Lyceum. His publications include "The Sign of the Cross," "Pharaoh," "Now-a-Days," "Daughters of Babylon," etc. He died July 22, 1904.
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Barrett, Lawrence
Lawrence (1838-1891), a noted American actor. He was a native of Paterson, New Jersey . In his professional career, Barrett was associated with Charlotte Cushman, Edwin Booth, and other eminent actors. He was an admirer of Edwin Forrest. He acted in Philadelphia, Washington, New York , New Orleans , and the leading cities of the West. He was manager of an opera house in San Francisco . Among the characters personated with great ability were Othello, Richelieu, Hamlet, Shylock, Cassius, and King Lear . Through a number of tours he became known to a wide circle of playgoers. See Booth ; Jefferson
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Barrie, James Matthew
James Matthew (1860-), a Scottish novelist, critic, and humorist. He was born at Kirriemuir, Forfarshire. He was graduated from Edinburgh University in 1882, and engaged in journalism almost immediately. A Window in Thrums, published in 1889, was his first widely read book, although Better Dead, When a Man's Single, and Auld Licht Idylls had all preceded it. Other writings are My Lady Nicotine, a Study in Smoke, The Little Minister, usually regarded as his best work, Sentimental Tommy, Margaret Ogilvie, The Little White Bird, and others. Most of his serious critical work has appeared in London newspapers and periodicals. The Little Minister has been successfully dramatized. Mr. Barrie was offered knighthood by King Edward, but declined the honor. For pathos fresh and unstrained; sympathy wide and human; pity tender and true, are the qualities which have made Barrie's Window in Thrums and The Little Minister shake the hearts of the human family. . . . Never a drop of gall mingles in the genial cup of his mirth; his humor penetrates to the heart of things, but never to wound.--Elliot Henderson. 2026 Editor's Note: The entry catches Barrie just before his masterpiece: in 1904 he created Peter Pan , the boy who wouldn't grow up, giving the world Neverland, Tinker Bell, Captain Hook and Wendy. In an act of lasting generosity he signed over all the Peter Pan royalties to London's Great Ormond Street children's hospital, which still benefits from them today. (Ed: BR 2026-07-02)
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Barrientos
MARIA, a Spanish soprano singer, born in Barcelona, Spain. She studied music in Madrid and first appeared in public at the age of 17 in Milan. Gaining instant success, she made tours in the leading European and South American countries. In 1915 she sang with the Metropolitan Opera Company in New York, of which organization she was a member for several years.
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Barrier Reef
a coral reef which extends for 1,260 miles off the N. E. coast of Australia, at a distance from land ranging from 10 to 100 miles.
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Barron James
an American naval officer, born in Virginia in 1769; became Lieutenant in the navy in 1798, and was soon promoted to Captain. He commanded the "Chesapeake" in 1807, and was attacked by the British ship "Leopard" as a result of his refusal to allow the "Chesapeake" to be searched for deserters. The "Chesapeake," which was quite unprepared, discharged one gun previous to striking her colors. She was captured and three alleged deserters were found. Barron was court-martialed and suspended for five years. Upon his restoration, as the outcome of a long correspondence with his personal enemy, Commodore Decatur, a duel was fought and Decatur was killed. Barron became senior officer in the navy in 1839, and died in Norfolk, Va., April 21, 1851.
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Barrow
a heap of earth or stone raised over a place of burial. The earth tumulus of Greece, the stone cairn of Scotland, the Indian mound of America, and, indeed, the pyramids of Egypt, all belong to the same class of sepulchral monuments. Barrows are particularly numerous in England, and are classified according to their shape into round, long, conical, etc., barrows. When opened, the English barrows reveal the remains of the dead, frequently in rude stone chests, accompanied by arms and implements of the chase. The spearheads, arrow points, and other implements belong to three distinct ages. The earliest are of flint and bone, the next of bronze, and the more recent of iron. The term barrow is to be associated with burg, berg, or burgh, a height or hill. It has no connection with bury, and none with barrow in wheelbarrow. The latter is related to bier, a frame on which to carry. See Burial 2026 Editor's Note: These ancient burial mounds keep giving up treasures: the greatest, Sutton Hoo , yielded a whole Anglo-Saxon ship and its golden hoard in 1939. Prehistoric Britain's barrows — from the vast man-made mound of Silbury Hill to the passage tomb of Newgrange — remain objects of wonder and study, and Tolkien borrowed their eerie reputation for the 'barrow-wights' of Middle-earth. (Ed: BR 2026-07-12)
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