Black Draught
sulphate of magnesia and infusion of senna, with aromatics to make it palatable. BLACK EARTH (tchernozem of Russian geologists), the name to a deposit which covers vast areas in south Russia, extending over the steppes and low-lying plateaus that border on the the depressed area to the Black Sea, and N. of the Caspian, with a breadth from N. to S. of from 200 or 300 to nearly 700 miles. It closely resembles the loess of central Europe in texture and struc- , for it is fine-grained, and is usually ture devoid of stratification. It varies in color, however, from dark brown to black, and in thickness from a foot or two up to 6 or 7 yards, occasionally reaching, it is said, even to 60 feet. It is composed chiefly of siliceous sand (about 70 per cent.), alumina and other ingredients (23 per cent.), and organic matter (about 7 per cent.). It bears the same relation to the glacial accumulations of Russia that the loess of the Rhine, the Danube, etc., does to those of central Europe, and is probably the fine-grained silt derived from the torrents and flooded rivers of the glacial period.
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Black Earth
(See Philosopher's Stone.)
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Black Hawk
a famous chief of the Sac and Fox Indians, born in 1767. He joined the British in 1812, and opposing the removal_W. of his tribe, fought against the United States in 1831-1832. white. Patterson and Snelling.
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Black Hen, Fast of The
In Hungary and the adjacent countries it is believed that whoever has been robbed and wishes to discover the thief must take a black hen and along with it fast strictly for nine Fridays. The thief will then either return the plunder or die. This is called "taking up a black fast" against anyone. A great deal of lore concerning black hens may be found in the works of Gubernatis and Friedrich.
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Black Hills
a rough region in southwestern South Dakota and Wyoming. In pioneer days it was a stronghold of the Sioux Indians. The region was opened to settlement in 1876. The Black Hills are noted for mining. Gold, silver, copper, lead, iron, and other ores are produced. The Homestake Mine is the most productive gold mine in North America . There are caves of unknown extent. Grazing is an important industry. See South Dakota
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Black Letter
the Gothic or German type. So called because of its black appearance.
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Black Letter Day
an unlucky day; one to be recalled with regret. The Romans marked their unlucky days with a piece of black charcoal, and their lucky ones with white chalk.
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Black Maria
a popular name in the United States applied to the covered wagon, generally painted black, used for the conveyance of prisoners; properly, a prison van. BLACK MONDAY. (1) A name for Easter Monday, in remembrance of the dreadful experiences of the army of Edward III., before Paris, on Easter Monday, April 14, 1360. Many soldiers and horses perished from the extreme cold. (2) The 27th of Feb., 1865, a memorable day in Melbourne, Australia, when the country round was swept by a destructive sirocco.
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Black Mass
It is known from the confessions of witches sorcerers that the devil also has mass said at his Sabbath. Pierre Aupetit, an apostate priest of the village of Fossas, in Limousine, was burned for having celebrated the mysteries of the Devil 's mass. Instead of speaking the holy words of consecration the frequenters of the Sabbath said: "Beelzebub, Beelzebub, Beelzebub." The devil in the shape of a butterfly, flew round those who were celebrating the mass, and who ate a black host, which they were obliged to chew before swallowing.
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Black Mountains
the group which contains the highest summits of the Appalachian system, Mt. Mitchell being 6,710 feet, Guyot's Peak, 6,661. much frequented
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Black Prince, Edward
Edward (1330-1376), Prince of Wales , the son and heir of Edward III of England. He was a noted knight. His name was derived from the color of his armor. At the age of sixteen, he was in the thick of the battle of Crecy. Ten years later he defeated the French at the battle of Poitiers. He was one of England's greatest fighting men. He slew the king of Bohemia in battle and took prisoner the king of France and the king of Scotland. He died before his father, but his son became King Richard II . The motto of the Prince of Wales, Ich dien (I serve), was won at Crecy. It has been retained by his successors ever since.
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Black Pullet, The
A French magical publication supposedly printed in 1740, purporting to be a narrative of an officer who was employed in Egypt. While in Egypt the narrator fell in with a magician to whom he rendered considerable service, and who when he expired left him the secret of manufacturing a black pullet which had much skill in goldfinding. In it we find much plagiarism from the Comte de Gabalis (See Elementary Spirits ,) and the whole work if interesting, is distinctly derivative. It contains many illustrations of talismans and magical rings. The receipt for bringing the black pullet into existences describes that a black hen should be set to hatch one of its own eggs, and that during the process a hood should be drawn over its eyes so that it cannot see. It is also to be placed in a box lined with black material. The chick thus hatched will have a particular instinct for detecting the places wherein gold is hidden.
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Black Sea
a large inland sea situated between Asia Minor and Russia. By the ancients it was called the Euxine. It is entered from the Mediterranean by way of the Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmora, and the Bosporus. Its drainage basin is large. It receives the waters of about one-fourth of Europe and not less than 100,000 square miles in Asia. Considerable portions of the Russian shore are low and sandy, especially about the mouths of the European rivers, but the Asiatic coast, as well as the Crimea, is high and rocky. The greatest length is 750 miles. The sea is subject to violent storms. The northern shore is icebound in January and February. The Black Sea is 7,000 feet deep, and is unfavorable for fish, though sturgeon and other fish are taken near the mouths of the rivers. The Mediterranean tunny comes in to spawn. Dolphins and porpoises are numerous in the harbors. The waters of the Black Sea are open to the merchant ships of all nations, but warships are not allowed to pass the Bosporus. This rule was made by the great powers in order that the warships of Russia may not pass out and attack Constantinople. Odessa, famous for wheat, is the leading seaport. Caviare, fish glue, and oil are exported. Batoum is noted for exports of Baku petroleum. The American Standard Oil Company is interested. See Turkey ; Constantinople ; Crimea
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