Single-source entries: B (26)

Baths of Titus

a structure on the Esquiline hill in Rome ; built by the Emperor Titus. Considerable ruins are found N. E. of the Coliseum.

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Bathsheba

the wife of Uriah. David first committed adultery with her, then caused her husband to be slain, and afterward took her to wife. These sins displeased Jehovah, who sent the prophet Nathan to David, with the parable of the ewe lamb. David bitterly repented, but yet was punished. Bathsheba was the mother of Solomon, whose succession to the throne she took pains to secure. She is afterward mentioned in the history of Adonijah, in the title of Psalm li, and among the ancestors of and sugar growing regions. It was here, Christ (Matt. i: 6).

Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia

Bathurst Island

on the north Australian coast, belonging to South Australia, separated from Melville Island by a narrow strait; triangular in shape, with a wooded area of about 1,000 square miles. Also an island in the Arctic Ocean , discovered by Parry, W. of Cornwallis and E. of Melville Island, W. 76° N., 100° W.

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Baton Rouge

city, capital of the State of Louisiana and of East Baton Rouge parish; on the Mississippi river, and several railroads; 89 miles N. W. of New Orleans. It is built on a bluff on the E. bank of the river, and commands a fine view of the surrounding territory. Architecturally, it possesses much interest, because of the mixture of French and Spanish styles. The Capitol is a structure in the Elizabethan style, showing also Gothic windows and battlemented towers . Baton Rouge contains the State University, occupying the old United States Arsenal , the State Agricultural and Mechanical College, the State Asylum for the Deaf, Dumb and Blind, the State Penitentiary, an insane asylum, two orphans' homes, a collegiate institute, and other institutions. The city has National and State banks; several daily and weekly newspapers; and a large trade with the surrounding cotton on Jan. 26, 1861, that the State Convention adopted the ordinance of secession; the United States forces; on August 5, on May 7, 1862 , the city was taken by following, a determined Confederate attack was repulsed; and the city was held war. by the Union troops till the close of the the State from 1847 to 1864, when the Baton Rouge was the capital of seat of government was removed to New Orleans, but on March 1, 1882, it was again located in this city, where it has since remained. Pop. (1910) 14,897; (1920) 21,782. port on the E. coast of the Black Sea,

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Battalion

an assemblage of comunit of infantry-that is, the first body and commanded by a field officer (major that is, as a rule, used independently, or lieutenant-colonel). conspicuous in British and Bulgarian

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Battersea

a metropolitan borough of Greater London, in situation on the S. bank of the Thames, Surrey, in a low nearly opposite Chelsea, with a fine public park extending over 185 acres. The district is associated with the names of Pope and Bolingbroke, and with the Wellington-Winchelsea duel. Pop. (1918) 149,951.

Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia

Battery

in law, the unlawful beating of another, or even the touching him with hostile intent. It is legitimate for a parent or a master to give moderate correction to his child, his scholar, or his apprentice. In military usage, a certain number of artillerymen united under the command of a field officer, and the lowest tactical unit in the artillery. In a battery there are gunners who work the guns, and drivers who drive the horses by which these guns are transported from place to place.

in physics. See ELEC- TRICITY.

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Battery, The

The, a park of twenty-one acres at the southernmost point of the island of Manhattan. It was formerly the site of a Dutch fort. Early prints show that it was surrounded by a large number of aristocratic Dutch residences, some of which may still be seen. Castle Garden, a little island a few feet off shore, at one time occupied by a fortification, and up to 1890 used as reception quarters for steerage immigrants, has been united with the Battery by a filling of earth, and now forms a part of a public park. The new quarters are now devoted to the purposes of a public aquarium and museum. The Battery is a sightly, attractive spot of interest even apart from its historical associations. See New York City; Central Park

Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia

Battik

an ornamental production of the natives of the Dutch East Indies, who decorate their clothing with it; also made in The Hague for local use and export. A piece of linen is taken and all kinds of designs are outlined upon it with a pencil. When the design is completed, the ornamented parts of the fabric are covered with a liquid which possesses the quality of stiffening after being applied. The parts not ornamented are dyed the color desired. After the entire fabric has been ornamented in this manner, it is boiled in hot water so as to take the hard stuff out of the battik. 'The dyed parts will then hold the dye and the battik is ready. The Hague people were the first to introduce battik into Europe. It is made on linen, silk, velvet, and leather, and is exported to all the principal cities of Europe. In recent years the production of battik has been taken up in the United States to a much greater extent than ever. combat between two

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Batting

raw cotton, or wool, carded into thick sheets or laps, used for bed-comforts, mattresses, and various domestic purposes. Cotton is put up usually in one pound rolls. Wool is often carded in sheets sufficiently large for a bed comfort, a layer of thin cheesecloth being tacked lightly to either side to hold the wool in place and prevent matting. Finely carded cotton batting is sterilized and put up in convenient packages for surgical uses. See Carding

Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia

Battle Above the Clouds

a battle of the Civil War. The reference is to the storming of Lookout Mountain March 24, 1863. It was part of the general battle of Chattanooga. The Federals, under "Fighting Joe" Hooker, advanced up the northern slope of the mountain. All day the mists hid the valley below; and in the afternoon the clouds settled down so thick that the rattle of artillery ceased an hour for very darkness. Hence the name of "Battle Above the Clouds."

Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia