Part 4

A treaty signed in 1773 between Warren Hastings and the Vizier of Oude, by which it was stipulated that an English force should be lent to Oude for service against the Rohillas, the Vizier paying forty lacs down and two lacs per month for their services. Further, Hastings agreed to cede Oorah and Allahabad to Oude, in return for an annual tribute of fifty lacs of rupees.

Benedictines.

The first regular monastic order, founded by St. Benedict in 527.

Benefit of Clergy.

The right claimed by the Church to withdraw its members from the jurisdiction of the secular courts, to be dealt with by the ecclesiastical courts. In the dark ages “clerk” was held to cover all who could read, but with the spread of education after the Renaissance, the abuse of this definition became intolerable, and in 1532, an act was passed limiting the right of pleading benefit of clergy, in cases of felony, to those of the rank of sub-deacon and above.

Benevolences.

An arbitrary method of taxation without the consent of Parliament, introduced by Edward IV of England. Benevolences were declared illegal by the Parliament of Richard III.

Bengal Land Law.

An Indian Act passed in 1859, by which the proprietary rights of the cultivators under the Zemindari system in Bengal were recognized with certain restrictions.

Bengal Mutiny.

An agitation in the East India Company’s regiments in 1795-6 for the assimilation of the conditions of pay and pensions to those established by Lord Cornwallis in the Civil Service. The Company handled the matter with very little discretion, promoting one of the leading malcontents to an important post, but Lord Wellesley on his arrival took stern measures, and the embryo mutiny quickly subsided.

Bergara, Convention of.

The surrender of the Carlists under General Maroto in 1839, which ended the great Carlist war.

Berlin Congress.

A congress held at Berlin in 1878, after the conclusion of the Russo-Turkish war. The outcome of the Congress was a Treaty, which modified the terms of the Treaty of San Stefano. By its provisions Roumania, Servia and Montenegro were made independent States, the latter also obtaining a port on the Adriatic. The northern portion of Bulgaria was made a self-governing State, under the suzerainty of the Porte, and the southern portion, known as Eastern Roumelia, remained Turkish territory, but under a Christian governor. Austria was to administer Bosnia and Herzegovina, Roumania returned a portion of Bessarabia to Russia, while in Asia Turkey ceded Ardalian, Kars, and Batoum to Russia. It is of this treaty that Lord Beaconsfield used the famous phrase “We have brought back Peace with Honour.”

Berlin Decree.

A decree issued by Napoleon in 1806, proclaiming the Continental Blockade.

Berserker.

The bravest champions of the Vikings were so called, perhaps because they fought in their shirts, without coats of mail. They seem in battle to have worked themselves into a kind of frenzy, known as the Berserk rage, somewhat resembling that of the Mohammedan “Ghazi.”

Berwick, Treaty of.

A treaty between Charles I and the Scotch in 1639, following Charles’ abortive attempt to invade Scotland, by which it was agreed that a free Scottish Parliament should be held, in return for which concession the royal castles were to be returned, and the army of the Covenanters disbanded.

Bessborough Commission.

A commission, under the chairmanship of the Earl of Bessborough, appointed to report on the Irish Land Laws. Following on its report, Mr. Gladstone introduced the Irish Land Bill of 1891.

Betterment.

The increase in the value of property in a certain limited area, owing to municipal improvements, such as roads and bridges. Certain municipal reformers advocate the levying of a special rate from persons thus benefiting, instead of throwing the whole cost of the improvements upon the ratepayers as a body.

Betting Act.

_See_ Cockburn’s Act.

Bezaaygeld.

A tax levied in Holland about the middle of the eighteenth century on seed put into the ground.

Bianchi.

A sect of fanatics who appeared in Italy in 1399. They dressed always in long white garments, and lived entirely on bread and water. They are said to have brought about a remarkable improvement in the morals of the time, but they were nevertheless opposed by the Pope.

Bianchi and Neri.

The two factions of the Guelf party in Florence, circ. 1300. Modern Italian society is divided into sections, also bearing these two names, of which the former are supporters of the House of Savoy, while the latter uphold the temporal claims of the Vatican.

Biatagh.

A tenant in Ireland, in the Celtic times, who held his land on the tenure of providing hospitality for travellers.

Bien Aimé, Le.

The sobriquet of Louis XV of France (1715-1774).

Bien Public, Guerre du.

An insurrection against Louis XI of certain malcontent nobles, aided by the Dukes of Burgundy, Brittany, and Bourbon. It was ended by the Treaty of Conflans, in 1465.

Big Beggarman.

Daniel O’Connell was so called by the Irish landlords.

Bill of Right.

The Act passed by the Convention Parliament in 1689, embodying as a statute the Declaration of Rights accepted by William III.

Bills of Exchange Act.

An Act passed in 1882, codifying the various acts and decisions relating to Bills of Exchange. It is practically the only codification in the law of Great Britain.

Bimetallists.

The advocates of a monetary system which would place gold and silver on the same basis for coinage purposes, by making silver legal tender to any amount, and establishing a fixed ratio of value between the two metals.

Birkenhead, Wreck of the.

The Birkenhead, a troopship, was wrecked near the Cape of Good Hope in 1852. There were not sufficient boats to save all on board, and while the women and children were all saved, the troops stood to attention on the main deck, and went down with the ship.

Birmingham Riots.

An outbreak in Birmingham in 1791, directed against Dr. Priestley, who had organized a dinner of sympathizers with the French Revolution, to celebrate the anniversary of the fall of the Bastille. Dr. Priestley’s house and library were wrecked.

Biron’s Plot.

An attempt by the Baron de Biron, one of the King’s most trusted generals, to unite the Catholic and Huguenot malcontents against Henri IV, in conjunction with a league of Spain and Savoy against the French king. The plot was betrayed by a subordinate, named La Fin, and Biron was condemned and executed in 1602.

Bishop Usher’s Model.

A compromise between the Episcopalians and Presbyterians, proposed by Bishop Usher after the Restoration. He suggested that while the bishops were restored, a number of suffragan bishops should be appointed, each of whom was to be president of a council of Presbyters. Charles II declared himself in favour of this form of union, but when a bill was prepared to carry it into effect, the whole power of the Court was utilized to secure its rejection.

Bishops in Partibus Infidelium.

In the Roman Catholic Church, Bishops holding imaginary sees, in countries where there is no Catholic community, were formerly so called. Since 1882 they have been styled Titular Bishops.

Bismarck of Asia.

Li Hung Chang, the Chinese statesman, was so called.

Black Act.

An Act passed in 1722 to put a stop to the depredations of certain persons who frequented Epping Forest in disguise and killed the deer. The Act was repealed in 1827.

Black Agnes.

Agnes, wife of the Earl of March, who was distinguished for her gallant defence of Dunbar against the English in 1339.

Black Assize.

The assize held at Oxford in July, 1577, when an outbreak of typhus fever carried off three hundred persons, including many of the officials and jurors attending the court.

Black Bands.

A body of German soldiers enlisted by Louis XII of France, and employed in the Italian wars of the sixteenth century.

Black Bartholomew.

St. Bartholomew’s Day, 1662, is so called. On this day all beneficed clergy had to declare their assent to the Book of Common Prayer, in accordance with the provisions of the Act of Uniformity, and those who refused were deprived of their livings. Over two thousand Presbyterians were ejected from their parishes on this day.

Black Book.

The name given to the report of the committee appointed by Henry VIII in 1535 to investigate the condition of the monasteries.

Black Box.

A box said to have contained the marriage certificate of Charles II and Lucy Waters, the mother of the Duke of Monmouth, and to have been stolen from her. Had the documents it purported to contain been forthcoming, they would, of course, have established the Duke’s right to the throne in the place of James II.

Black Brunswickers.

A regiment of horse raised by the Duke of Brunswick in 1809, to avenge the death of his father who was killed at Auerstadt. They wore black uniforms, and their badge was the skull and crossbones.

Black Circuit.

A circuit held in Cape Colony in 1812 to investigate the charges brought by the London Missionary Society against the Dutch settlers of ill-treating their native slaves. The results showed that the charges were grossly exaggerated, but a great deal of illfeeling was engendered amongst the Dutch by the thoroughness with which the English Government went into the matter.

Black Clergy.

The members of the regular monastic orders in Russia. They alone take any part in the ecclesiastical administration.

Black Death.

A pestilence which passed over Europe, and finally reached England in 1349. Its ravages were terrible, amounting, according to some chroniclers, to a third of the population. It probably had its origin in the East, and is thought by some to have been the disease now known as the Bubonic Plague.

Black Eagle, Order of the.

The most coveted of the Prussian orders of knighthood. It was founded by Frederick I in 1701, to commemorate his assumption of the royal title. It is limited to thirty members, who must be of noble descent for four generations.

Black Flags.

Rebel Chinese in the service of the King of Annam, who were the most dangerous opponents of the French during the Tong-King war.

Black Friday.

May 11, 1866, on which day the failure of Overend and Gurney was announced. There was a terrible panic in financial circles, and, among other extraordinary measures, it was found necessary to suspend the Bank Charter.

Black Hole of Calcutta.

The dungeon in which some 200 English prisoners were confined when Calcutta was taken by Surabjah Dowlah, the Subahdar of Bengal, in 1756. Only twenty-three survived the night.

Black Monday.

The name given to an Irish rising in County Dublin in 1209, which nearly exterminated the newly-established English Colony.

Black Popes.

The chiefs of the Society of Jesus, during the Papacy of Pius IX, were known by this name, their power in Rome being almost as great as that of the Pope himself.

Black Prince.

The sobriquet of Edward, Prince of Wales, son of Edward III, from the black armour which he habitually wore.

Black Rent.

An annual stipend paid by the English settlers within the Pale to the Irish chieftains on their borders, in consideration of their restraining their followers from raiding the English settlements. Black Rent was first paid about 1410.

Black Sea Treaty.

A treaty signed in London in 1871 by the signatories of the Treaty of Paris of 1856. In 1870, Russia, taking advantage of the Franco-German war, issued a note, declaring herself no longer bound by the clause of that treaty neutralising the Black Sea. A conference was called in London to consider the situation, and by the resulting treaty the clause in question was abrogated. The conference also took the opportunity to prolong the existence of the Danubian Commission for a further period of twelve years.

Black Thursday.

Thursday, February 6, 1851, is so called in Victoria. A very dry summer was followed by the simultaneous outbreak on that day of numerous bush fires, which did enormous damage, and even threatened Melbourne, coming within a few miles of the town.

Black Watch.

A body of Highlanders, enrolled in 1725 for the purpose of maintaining order in the Highlands. They were made a regular line regiment in 1739, and numbered the 43rd. They later became the 42nd, and are now the Royal Highlanders (Black Watch).

Black Wednesday.

_See_ Victorian Deadlocks.

Blackbirders.

The name given to the vessels engaged in the Kanaka labour traffic in the Southern Seas.

Blackburn Riots.

A series of disturbances by the Lancashire weavers, in 1826, as a protest against the introduction of machinery. A large amount of damage was done before the rioters were dispersed by the troops.

Blanche Nef.

The White Ship, in which Prince William, son of Henry I, was returning to England, after the close of Henry’s second French war. The vessel struck coming out of Barfleur harbour, and only one of the crew escaped.

Blancs d’Espagne.

The name given to the ultra-royalist party in France who support the claim of the Spanish Bourbons, represented by General de Bourbon, to the throne of France.

Bland Act.

An Act of Congress passed in 1878, at the instance of Mr. Bland, providing for the coinage of silver dollars of 412½ grains Troy, which should be legal tender in payment of all debts and dues. The State was bound to purchase not more than four or less than two million dollars worth of silver per annum, to be so coined, and the profit in the operation was to belong to the State.

Blanketeers.

The name given to a party of Lancashire operatives, who, in the famine year of 1817, started to march to London, to demand assistance from Parliament. Each man carried provisions and a blanket, hence the name.

Blanquillos.

The supporters of Oribe in Uruguay, in 1835. Their opponents, who followed Rivera, were called Colorados.

Bloc, Le.

The name given to the general body of Republicans, of various shades of opinion, in the French Chamber, who supported the Ministry of M. Combes in 1902-3.

Bloemfontein Conference.

A conference of delegates from Cape Colony, Natal, and the Orange Free State, which met in 1895 to discuss the question of a Customs Union. Natal could not come to terms, and withdrew, but an arrangement was arrived at by the other two parties, and a convention tariff, with five per cent. ad valorem duties, was accepted by both Governments.

Bloemfontein Convention.

A convention signed in 1854, by which the British Government abolished the Orange River Sovereignty, and recognized the independence of the Orange Free State. Among the provisions of the treaty were clauses binding the British Government to make no treaties with native chiefs likely to be detrimental to the interests of the Republic, forbidding slavery, and providing for extradition.

Blood and Iron, The Man of.

A nickname of Prince Bismarck, taken from a phrase in a speech delivered by him in 1862.

Blood Bath of Stockholm.

The execution, by Christian II, the last king of United Scandinavia, of many of the leaders of the Swedish National party, in 1520, after the capture of Stockholm. In the same year Gustavus Vasa raised the standard of revolt, and the war which followed led to the final expulsion of the Danes, and the crowning of Gustavus as King of Sweden.

Blood Council.

A tribunal established in 1567 by Alva in the Netherlands, to deal with the crime of treason. It had no charter, or official authority of any kind, but it practically usurped the functions of the Council of State, and exercised jurisdiction over all municipal bodies and provincial parliaments. It was abolished in 1576. It was also known as the Council of Troubles.

Blood, Man of.

Charles I was so called by the Puritan party, because he waged war on the Parliament.

Blood Tax.

The sixteenth section of the Crimes Act of 1882, by which it was proposed to levy compensation for murder or maiming on the ratepayers of the district where the crime was committed, was so called by the Irish members.

Blood-red Wedding.

_See_ Noces Vermeilles.

Blood-wite.

Another name for _Were-gild_.

Bloods, The Five.

The five chief septs or clans in Ireland in the middle ages. They were the O’Neills of Ulster, the O’Briens of Thomond, the O’Connors of Connaught, the O’Lachlans of Meath, and the M’Murroughs of Leinster.

Bloody Assize of Eperies.

A tribunal established by Leopold I of Austria after the defeat of the Turks at Vienna and their expulsion from Hungary. It was intended to remove those who had been concerned in Tököli’s rising, and many nobles and magnates were brought before this tribunal on the charge of being in correspondence with Tököli. Most of those accused were condemned, and so numerous were the victims that thirty executioners were employed.

Bloody Assizes.

The Assizes held by Jeffreys on the Western Circuit, shortly after the suppression of Monmouth’s rebellion in 1686. Hundreds of Monmouth’s adherents were sent to the scaffold, or transported as slaves to the West Indies.

Bloody Statute.

The Act of the Six Articles, passed in the reign of Henry VIII, was so called.

Blue-Grass State.

A name sometimes given to the State of Kentucky, U.S.A., which contains the famous blue grass region, celebrated for the raising of horses.

Blue Laws of Connecticut.

A series of enactments said to have existed in Connecticut, circ. 1640, by which the death penalty was inflicted for idolatry, blasphemy, witchcraft, theft, perjury, adultery and disobedience to parents. It is, however, generally believed that they are apocryphal.

Bluff King Hal.

The nickname of Henry VIII.

Board of Control.

The board established by Pitt’s India Act in 1784 to supervise the Government of India by the East India Company.

Bobbing John.

The sobriquet of the Earl of Mar, the Jacobite leader in the rebellion of 1815. He was a notorious trimmer.

Bocca di Leone.

The name given to the opening in the wall of the antechamber in the Doge’s Palace at Venice, into which anonymous accusations were dropped.

Bocland.

In Saxon times, land held by grant or by charter from the public lands.

Body of Liberties.

The first constitution of Massachusetts, prepared by Nathaniel Ward. It provided that all public officials should be chosen annually by the freemen of the plantation. Each town also elected deputies to a general assembly, to serve for one year. Each town had the right to make its own by bye-laws. It further provided for the annual election of judges, and for equal justice to all, including foreigners, while severe penalties were enacted for witchcraft and blasphemy.

Bomba.

The sobriquet of Ferdinand II, King of the Two Sicilies (1759-1825).

Bombay, Cession of.

Bombay was ceded to Charles II by Portugal in 1662, as part of the dowry of the Infanta of Portugal. In 1668 it was surrendered by the Crown to the East India Company.

Bonaght.

_See_ Coyne and Livery.

Bond.

_See_ Afrikander.

Bond-Blaine Convention.

An agreement between Newfoundland and the United States, signed in 1890, providing for the continuance of the _modus vivendi_ affording reciprocal fishing rights to the two countries.

Bondevenner.

The Peasants’ Friends, a political party formed in Denmark in 1845, in the interests of the rural population.

Bondi.

In Norse times, the freeholders or owners of Odal land.

Book of Rates.

A table of unauthorized import duties issued by Cecil, Earl of Salisbury, in 1608, after the decision in the Crown’s favour in Bates’ case. In 1610 the Commons declared these impositions illegal.

Book of Sports.

A declaration of James I in 1618, as to the sports which might lawfully be indulged in on Sundays after Divine Service. Dancing, archery, maypoles, leaping were permitted; bear-baiting was forbidden. None, however, might take part unless they had been to church.

Booth’s Conspiracy.

A conspiracy headed by John Wilkes Booth, at the end of the American Civil War, having for its object the assassination of the President, Vice-President, and some others. President Lincoln was shot by Booth on April 14, 1865, and on the same date Seward, the Secretary of State, was wounded by Payne, another of the conspirators. The conspirators were brought to trial, and four of them hanged, the others being sentenced to various terms of imprisonment.

Border Laws.

A code of laws framed in 1249 by a commission composed of twelve English and twelve Scottish knights. They dealt with the surrender of fugitives crossing the border, and provided for the trial of border raiders by special courts, held under the joint authority of the two nations.

Border States.

Before the American Civil War, this name was applied to the States bordering on the free states, namely, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, and Missouri.

Borough English, Custom of.

An old system of land tenure, still existing in certain ancient boroughs, whereby real estate passes to the youngest son.

Boston Massacre.

A small affray in Boston in 1770, in which the troops fired on the rioters, and a few persons were killed. Captain Preston, who commanded the troops, was tried and acquitted.

Boston Port Act.

An Act passed in 1774, closing the Custom House and Port of Boston. It was passed as a measure of retaliation for the action of the inhabitants in preventing the importation of tea by the East India Company free of the English duty.

Boston Tea Riots.

In December, 1773, on the arrival of the tea-ships of the East India Company, bringing duty-free tea, the ships were boarded by a party of men disguised as Red Indians, who threw the tea into the harbour. The result of this action was the passing of the Boston Port Act.

Botany Bay.

A small inlet in the coast of New South Wales, where the first convict establishment was formed in 1787. The penal settlement was removed to Port Jackson in the following year, but the name was constantly used, generically, for the convict settlements in Australia.

Boulangists.

The supporters of General Boulanger, who obtained a brief popularity in France in 1886, largely owing to the army reforms he introduced while Minister of War. He gradually, however, attracted to his standard the reactionary parties, who hoped that he would destroy Parliamentary Government. He quickly obtained a large following in the country, rather by denunciation of Parliamentary abuses than by the advocacy of any definite policy, and in 1888 he was elected for three Departments. At this period he might have overturned the Government, but shrank from the decisive step, and from that time his influence began to wane. He left France to escape prosecution, and his following quickly dwindled away, until in 1890, it was found desirable to dissolve the Boulangist committee. Boulanger committed suicide in Brussels in 1891.

Bounty, Mutiny of the.

A mutiny on board H.M.S. Bounty, Captain Bligh, headed by a master’s mate named Christian, in 1790. The mutineers made first for Tahiti, but eventually settled on Pitcairn Island, where they founded a community whose descendants still inhabit the island. Pitcairn Island was taken under British protection in 1839.

Boustrapa.

A nickname of Napoleon III, compounded of the first syllables of Boulogne, Strasbourg, and Paris, the scenes of his two unsuccessful and one successful _coups d’état_, in 1840, 1836, and 1851 respectively.

Bow Street Runners.

Eight famous police officers, attached to Bow Street Police Court, who were appointed about 1805. The most famous of them was Townsend. They were also known as the “Robin Redbreasts” from their red waistcoats.

Boxers.

A Chinese Secret Society, whose principal object is the expulsion from China of Europeans, and especially of missionaries. They have met with considerable sympathy in Court circles, and their outrages in 1900 led to a joint European expedition. Their rising was suppressed for a time, but the agitation is seething, and may break out again at any time.

Boy Popes.