Bezoar
(red). A precious stone supposed to be possessed of magical properties, and found in the bodies of certain animals. At one time these stones would fetch ten times their weight in gold, being used as a remedy against poison and contagion; and for this purpose they were both taken internally, and worn round the neck. It is said that there are nine varieties of bezoar, differing greatly in composition; but they may be generally divided into those which consist mainly of mineral and those which consist of organic matter. A strange origin was assigned to this stone by some of the early naturalists. It is said that the oriental stags when oppressed with years fed upon serpents, which renewed their youth. In order to counteract the poison which was absorbed into their system, they plunged into a running stream keeping their heads only above water. This caused a viscous fluid to be distilled from their eyes, which was indurated by the heat of the sun, and formed the bezoar.
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Bhagalpur
a city in Bengal, capital of a district and division of the same name, on the right bank of the Ganges, here 7 miles wide. There are several indigo works in the neighborhood. Pop. about 75,000. The division of Bhagalpur has an area of 20,511 square miles, and a population of about 8,200,000. The district has an area of 4,226 square miles; pop. about 2,150,000. BHAGAVATGITA (be-häg-è-vet-ge'te), or BHAGAVADGITA, in Sanskrit literature, a song relating a discourse between Krishna and his pupil Arjun in the midst of a battle. Its teaching is pantheistic. It consists of 18 lectures. It has been translated into many languages.
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Bhamo
a town of Burma on the upper Irrawaddy, about 40 miles from the Chinese frontier. It is the startingpoint of caravans to Yunnan, and is in position to become one of the great em poriums of the East in event of a regular overland trade being established between India and west China.
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Bhartpur
or BHURTPORE, the capital of a protected state in Rajputana, India, is a large town, measuring The 35 miles W. of about 8 miles in circuit, 35 Agra by rail. It is worthy of notice chiefly on account of its two sieges in 1805 and 1827. Pop. about 35,000. The state of Bhartpur has an area of 1,982 square miles; pop. about 580,000, mostly Játs.
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Bhawalpur
a state of the Punjab, British India, S. of the Indus and Sutlej rivers. It is chiefly a desert of shifting sand. Only the river banks are cultivable. The inhabitants are Játs, Baluchis and Afghans, the greater part Mohammedans. Area, 15,000 square miles. Pop. about 785,000. Bhawalpur, the capital, is on a branch of the Sutlej. It is noted for the manufacture of a kind of turban and scarf very popular among the Hindus; also produces considerable woolen, silk, and cotton cloth, indigo, alum, and saltpeter.
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Bheels
or BHILS, a Dravidic race inhabiting the Vindhya, Satpura, and Satmala Hills, a relic of the Indian aborigines driven from the plains by the Aryan Rajputs. Various attempts to subdue them were made by the Gaekwar and by the British in 1818 without success. A body of them was, however, subsequently reclaimed, and Bheel a corps formed, which stormed the retreats of the rest of the race and reduced them to comparative order. The hill Bheels wear little clothing, and live precariously on grain, wild roots and fruits, vermin, etc., but the lowland Bheels are in many respects Hinduized. Their total numbers are about 1,250,000.
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Bhopal
a native state of central India, under British protection, on the Nerbudda, in Malwah. Area, 12,842 square miles. The country is full of jungles, and is traversed by a part of the Vindhya Mountains. The soil is fertile, yielding wheat, maize, millet and Chief exports: sugar, tobacco, peas. ginger, and cotton. Pop. about 1,375,- 000. The capital of above state, also called Bhopal, is on the boundary_between Malwah and Gundwana. Pop. about 60,000.
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Bhutan
an independent state in the eastern Himalayas, with an area of about 34,000 square miles, lying between Tibet on the N. and Assam and the Jalpaiguri district on the S. Pop. about 250,000. The Bhutanese are a backward race, governed by a Dharm Rajah, regarded as an incarnation of deity, and by a Deb Rajah, with a council of eight. They are nominally Buddhists. After various aggressive incursions and the capture and ill treatment of Ashley Eden, the British envoy, in 1863, they were compelled to cede to the British considerable portions of territory, in return for a yearly allowance of £2,500. By an amended treaty of 1906 Great Britain agreed not to interfere in the In 1907, Sir Ugyen government. Wangchuk was the first elected Maharajah of Bhutan. This allowance was increased in 1910 to £6,667.
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Biafra
BIGHT OF, a large bay on the W. coast of Africa, at the head of the Gulf of Guinea, between Capes Formosa and Lopez. The principal rivers flowing into it are the Niger, the New and Old Calabar rivers, the Rio del Rey, the Kamerun, and the Gaboon; its islands are Fernando Po (Spanish), and St. Thomas' and Prince's Islands (Portuguese). Opposite Fernando Po are the Kameruns.
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Biarritz
a watering-place and noted winter resort in France; on the Bay of Biscay in the department of the Basses-Pyrénées; 4 miles S. W. of Bayonne. Pop. about 20,000.
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Bias
one of the seven sages of Greece; a native of Priene, in Ionia; celebrated for his practical knowledge and strict regard to justice. He flourished about 500 b. c.
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Biberach
a town of Württemberg, delightfully situated on the Riss, 23 miles S. S. W. of Ulm. It contains a monument to Wieland, who was born in the neighborhood. There are manufactures of machinery, artificial flowers, leather, bells, children's toys, etc. Pop. about 9,000. Here, in 1796, Moreau won a great victory over the Austrian General Latour, and in 1800, Saint Cyr defeated the Austrian General Kray. Biberach fell into the possession on of Baden in 1802, but four years afterward was ceded to Württemberg.
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