ii. 151, 152

Being, obscurities of our, solved by the doctrines of free will and predestination, i. 12

Benares, cases of suicide by drowning at, i. 26 _note_

Bentham, Jeremy, his demolition of the usury laws, i. 214 _note_. His method of investigating speculative jurisprudence, i. 426

Bentley, Richard, his corrupt English style, ii. 307

Berkeley, Bishop, his erroneous notions of trade, i. 212 _note_

Berthault, his method of writing history, ii. 270

Berwick, Duke of, appointed Generalissimo of the Spanish army, ii. 515. Gains the battle of Almansa, 516

Berwick destroyed by the English, iii. 13

Berwick, treaty of, iii. 81

Berzelius, his attempts to reduce mineralogical phenomena, ii. 399

Bichat, impetus given to the study of zoology by, ii. 376. Sketch of his method of investigation of the human frame, 379. His views respecting the tissues, 379. Publication of his great work, 380. Connexion between his views and subsequent discoveries, 380-388. Immense importance of his method of investigation, 388. Examination of his work on life, 390

Birmingham, establishment of the first circulating library in, i. 431 _note_. Not a bookseller in the town in the reign of Anne, 422 _note_. First printing office in, 432 _note_

Bishops, precarious tenure with which they hold their seats in the House of Lords, i. 418

Black, David, his violent sermon against James VI., iii. 107. Thrown into prison, 108, 109

Black, Joseph, examination of his theory of latent heat, iii. 367. And of his method of physical philosophy, 368

Blackburne on 'The Confessional' ferment caused by, i. 428

Blackstone, Sir W., his 'Commentaries' translated into French, ii. 219

Blanca, Florida, prime minister of Spain, his reforms, ii. 548. Concludes a treaty with Turkey, 549

Blood, discovery of the circulation of the, by Harvey, neglected by his contemporaries, ii. 80. But recognized by Descartes, 81. Hunter's discovery as to the red globules of the, iii. 436. Corroboration of his views after his death, 438

Bodin, John, his character as a historian, i. 326

Boileau, pensioned to write a History of France for Louis XIV., ii. 277

Bombs, invention of, i. 206 _note_

Boncerf, his treatise on 'Feudal Law' burned, ii. 237

Book Clubs and Book Societies, establishment of, i. 433

Books, only use of, i. 267

Boots, the torture of the, iii. 148

Bossuet, Bishop of Meaux, character of his 'Universal History,' ii. 282. Connexion between his opinions and the despotism of Louis XIV., 289. Character of his writings, 290. His singular arrogance, 290. His works compared with those of Voltaire, 291

Botany, importance of the study of, ii. 197, 198. First steps in the study of, 198. Discoveries of the seventeenth century, 199. Nothing done in France in botanical discovery during the reign of Louis XIV., 200. Labours of the French in, 395. Göthe's discoveries, 396. Number of known species, 396 _note_

Botany. The natural method superseding the artificial one of Linnæus, ii. 397. Jussieu's generalizations, 397, 398. Phyllotaxis, 399 _note_

Boucquet, suppression of the 'Letters' of, ii. 208

Boyle, Robert, his doubts as to the theological and scientific theories of diseases, i. 128 _note_. Influence of the spirit of opposition to unsupported authority on, 367. His great discoveries, 368. His view of the importance of individual experiments, and disregard of ancient authority, 369. His doubts and caution as shown in his works, 370

Brahmanism, remote period of its establishment in India, i. 301. Introduction of a form of, into China, 302

Brain, amount of phosphorus in the, i. 57 _note_. Excretion of the phosphorus under certain circumstances, 57 _note_. Doctrines of the improvement of the human brain by transmission, 176 _note_

Brazil, causes of the gorgeousness of the fauna and flora of, i. 103, 104. Description of the rainy season of, 103 _note_. Inveterate barbarism of the natives of, 105 _note_. Smallness of the population of, 107

Brissot, his knowledge of the English language and literature, ii. 225. His admiration for the English Constitution, 229

Bristol, Earl of, his notions of political economy, i. 212 _note_

Brougham, Lord, his life of Robert Simson, i. 248 _note_

Browne, Sir Thomas, influence of the spirit of opposition to unsupported authority on, i. 365. His 'Vulgar and Common Errors' and 'Religio Medici,' 365. His love of botany, 200

Brunfels, his investigations in the vegetable kingdom, ii. 198 _note_

Buchanan, George, character of his works, iii. 183

Buffier, the only Jesuit whose name has a place in abstract philosophy,