Biddle (JOHN father of the modern)
JOHN, father of the modern Unitarians, born in Wotton-under- Edge, in Gloucestershire, in 1615; was educated at Oxford, and became master of a free school at Gloucester. He was repeatedly imprisoned for his anti-Trinitarian vie views. A general act of oblivion, in 1652, restored him to liberty, when he immediately disseminated his opinions both by preaching and by the publication of his "Twofold Scripture Catechism." He was again imprisoned, and the law of 1648, decreeing death for those denying the Trinity, was put in operation against him. Cromwell banished him to St. Mary's Castle, Scilly, and assigned him 100 crowns annually. Here he remained three years, until the Protector liberated him in 1658. He then continued to preach his opinions till the death of Cromwell, and also after the Restoration, when he was committed to jail in 1662, and died a few months after. He wrote "Twelve Arguments Against the Deity of the Holy Spirit," etc.
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Biddle (NICHOLAS an American financier)
NICHOLAS, an American financier, born in Philadelphia, Pa., Jan. 8, 1786; became secretary to John Armstrong, United States Minister to France, in 1804, and subsequently went to England as secretary to James Monroe, then United States Minister. He returned home in 1807, was elected to the Pennsylvania Legislature in 1810, and was appointed a director of the United States Bank in 1819. He became president of the bank in 1823 and managed it ably down to the expiration of its charter. The financial trouble precipitated upon the country by Jackson's withdrawal of the Government deposits in 1833 gave an unfortunate ending to Biddle's career as a banker. His integrity has since been vindicated. He published a "Commercial Digest," and "History of the Expedition under Lewis and Clark to the Pacific Ocean." He died in Philadelphia, Feb. 27, 1844.
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Bidental Reptiles
in palæonname given by Andrew tology, the Geddes Bain, surveyor of military roads in South Africa, to certain notable reptiles found there about 500 miles E. of Cape Town. The name was given bepossessing two long, cause of their curved and sharp-pointed tusks.
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Bidpai
or PILPAI, the reputed author of a very ancient and popuiar collection of Eastern fables. The original source of these stories is the old Indian collection of fables called "Panchatantra," which acquired its present form under Buddhist influences not earlier than the 2d century B. C. It was afterward spread over all India and handed down from age to age in various more or less different versions. An abridgment of this collection is known as the "Hitopadesa." The first English translation was published in 1570.
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Bieda
the modern name of the ancient Blera, a town in Italy. It is noted for its extensive Etruscan necropolis of rock-hewn tombs, which are built in several terraces. These tombs are interesting from their imitation of dwellings.
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Biela
WILHELM, BARON VON, an Austrian army officer, born in Roslau, Prussia, March 19, 1782; known from his discovery of the comet bearing his name. He died in Venice, Feb. 18, 1856.
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Biela's Comet
a comet which took its name from Major Biela of the Austrian army, who traced it out in 1826 and furnished such data regarding its movements as to convince the other astronomers of his day that he had a proprietary right to it. The same comet had been noticed on March 8, 1772, and again in 1805. It was reckoned that the comet had passed its perihelion six times between the two periods without being detected by the astronomers. On another visit it passed out of sight on Jan. 3, 1833. Its next appearance was in July, 1839. It was found again late in November, 1845, when it was discovered to have divided into two parts. Late in August, 1852, the larger part came into view and three weeks later the smaller, now much fainter than its former companion, was seen about a million miles in the lead. From this time it has not been seen. Astronomers looked for the reappearance of this stream of meteors Nov. 13-14, 1899, but were disappointed, only a few stray meteors putting in an appearance.
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Bielozero
a lake 25 miles long by 20 miles broad, in the province of Novgorod, Russia; named from its milky appearance, caused by the wash of the chalk formation of its bed. It has an outlet into the Volga by the river Sheksua. BIELSHÖHLE (bēlsʼhe-la), a stalactite cavern in the Harz Mountains, on the right bank of the Bode. It was discovered about 1672, but first made accessible in 1788. Its entrance is 108 feet above the bed of the stream; and its total length is 230 yards.
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Bienne
or BIEL, a town of Switzerland, canton of Bern, 16 miles N. W. of Bern, beautifully situated at the N. end of the lake of the same name, and at the foot of the Jura. Pop. about 25,000. The lake is about 10 miles long by 3 broad. It receives the waters of Lake Neufchâtel by the Thiel and discharges itself into the Aar.
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Bierstadt
ALBERT, an American painter, born near Düsseldorf, Germany, Jan. 7, 1830; removed with his parents to Salem, Mass., in 1831; began to paint in oils in 1851; and in 1853 returned to Düsseldorf to study his art, spending a winter in Rome, traveling in Italy and Switzerland, and returning to the United States in 1857. In 1859 he accompanied General Lander's expedition to the Rocky Mountains, and studied mountain scenery. He was elected a member of the National Academy in 1860. In 1861 he finished his painting, "Laramie Peak," and in 1863 "View of the Rocky Mountains-Lander's Peak." These at once gave him a high reputation. He received medals in Austria, Bavaria, Belgium, and Germany, ermany, and French, Russian and Turkish orders. rders. Among his best known paintings are "North Fork of the Platte" (1864); "Looking Down the Yosemite" (1865); "Storm on Mt. Rosalie" (1866); "Settlement of California," and "Discovery of the Hudson River," both in the Capitol at Washington; "In the Rocky Mountains" (1871); "Great Trees of California" (1874); "Estes Park, Colorado" (1878); "Storm on the Matterhorn" (1884); "Valley of Zermatt, Switzerland" (1885); "California Oaks" (1886). He died Feb. 18, 1902.
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