Bucca- 



B'ryonia ant published against him, on the subject of philoso- 

 phical necessity. Mr Bryant also engaged in the 

 Rowleian controversy, and wrote in favour of the 

 genuineness of the poems. As these poems have ge- 

 nerally been exploded as spurious, their supporters 

 have of course obtained but little credit on the score 

 of discernment, and yet Dr Symmons (see Cumber- 

 land's Review') still ventures to contend for their 

 authenticity, and to produce plausible arguments in 

 support of his opinion. 



Mr Bryant's talents and labours were always em- 

 ployed to promote the best interests -of man, by sup- 

 porting the great principles of religion. With this 

 view, at the desire of Lady Pembroke, he wrote a 

 treatise on the authenticity of the scriptures, and the 

 truth of the (Christian religion. He also published 

 in 1794-, Observations on the plagues inflicted upon 

 the Egyptians ; in which is shown the peculiarity of 

 those judgments, and their correspondence with the 

 rites and idolatry of that people, with a prefatory 

 discourse concerning the Grecian colonies from Egypt. 

 This is a curious and valuable work. He wrote a 

 volume of dissertations on the prophecy of Balaam ; 

 the standing still of the sun in the time of Joshua ; 

 the story of Samson and of Jonah ; and it is said 

 tha'; other writings to a considerable extent still re- 

 main in the hands of his executors. 



Mr Bryant was in his person of low stature, and 

 delicately formed ; he was remarkably temperate in 

 his habits ; and though he, for the most part, lived as 

 a literary recluse, yet he was animated and sprightly 

 in his conversation, with those friends whom he ad- 

 mitted to his intimacy. He was liberal of his money, 

 affable in his manners, and piety and religion shed a 

 lustre over all his actions, (g) 



BRYONIA, a genus of plants of the class Mo- 

 ncecia, and order Monadelphia. See BOTANY, p. 

 331. 



BRYUM* a genus of plants of the class Crypto- 

 gamia, and order Musci. See CRYPTOGAMIA. 



BUBO. See SURGERY. 



BUBON, a genus of plants of the class Pentan- 

 dria, and order Digynia. See BOTANY, p. 165. 



BUB ROM A, a genus of plants of the class Po- 

 lyadelphia, and order Dodecandria. See BOTANY, 

 p. 287. 



BUCCANEERS, an appellation originally given 

 to the French settlers in the islands of St Domingo 

 and Torcuga, who subsisted by hunting ; but after- 

 wards more generally applied to those daring adven- 

 turers, who, towards the close of the seventeenth 

 century, infested the West Indian and American 

 coasts. 



The splendid advantages which the Spaniards had 

 derived from their trans atlantic possessions, had 

 long inflamed the cupidity, and awakened the enter- 

 prize, of the other maritime powers of Europe. 

 The English, the French, and the Dutch, had 

 gent out various expeditions, with the view of shar- 

 ing in the same golden harvest, and had succeeded, 

 if not in exploring new regions abounding in the 

 precious metals, like Mexico and Peru, at least in 

 forming establishments in some of the finest portions 

 of the western hemisphere ; where the fertile soil, 

 profusely rewarding, without superseding the labour 



6 



Origin of 

 the iJucca- 



4 B U C 



of culture, was likely to prove, in the end, more 

 valuable than exhaustless mines. The Spaniards, 

 naturally jealous of these intruders,, were determin- 

 ed, as far as their arms or influence could extend, to 

 oppose all other nations in their attempts to plant 

 colonies in the New World, which they seemed wil- 

 ling to claim, on the right of discovery, as exclu- 

 sively their own. But their power was too feeble to 

 crush the spirit of enterprise which their example 

 had roused. Successive hordes of adventurers, mi- 

 grating from the various nations of Europe, were 

 perpetually encroaching upon their dominions, both 

 on the continent and in the islands of America ; and 

 while they were thus kept in constant warfare in de- 

 fence of their territories, the seas were covered with 

 pirates, eager to seize the galleons which wafted to 

 the parent country the treasures of New Spain. 



A colony of French, which had been established 

 in St Christopher's island, was advancing rapidly in 

 prosperity, when its progress was interrupted by 

 repeated descents of the Spaniards upon the shores. 

 The assailants succeeded so far as to compel the 



greater part of the colonists to abandon the island, 

 urning with revenge, they immediately joined the 

 Dutch cruizers, who then annoyed the Spanish trade, 

 and their resentment was soort gratified by the cap- 

 ture of several prizes of great value. Their success 

 being reported in France, encouraged several mer- 

 chants of Dieppe to fit out privateers to join their 

 countrymen in that lucrative game. Prosperous in 

 all their enterprises, they now found the island of 

 St Christopher too distant as a depot for their spoils, 

 and resolved to go in quest of some more convenient 

 asylum, to which they might retire in security, as 

 exigencies required. With this view they at first re- 

 sorted to Hispaniola, whose numerous herds of wild 

 cattle and other animals, afforded an unfailing sup- 

 p.ly of provisions for their ships, while its situation 

 seemed to render it a convenient and a safe retreat. 

 The Spaniards, aware of the advantages which it 

 offered to the pirates, had already taken possession 

 of the island, and had stationed there an officer 

 named Alferez, with a company of twenty-five men. 

 These, however, the adventurers easily expelled, and 

 having rendered themselves masters of the island, 

 began next to deliberate in what manner they might 

 occupy it with most security and aavantage. The 

 neighbouring island of Tort,uga, though consider- 

 ably smaller, was in many respects even more invit- 

 ing than Hispaniola ; and it was resolved, by mutual 

 consent, that while some remained on the larger island 

 tobeemployedinhuntingjforthe use of their comrades, 

 the animals with which it abounded, -others should 

 devote themselves to the culture of the soil in both 

 islands; while the rest should continue to scour the 

 seas, and should be supplied by those who remained 

 at home with victuals, and every necessary provision : 

 and all, in case of any imminent danger, were to unite 

 in the common defence. The new settlers were not 

 left long unmolested by their inveterate and jealous 

 enemies ; Tortuga fell several times alternately into 

 the hands of the Spaniards and the French, till at 

 length the former were finally expelled. Though a 

 considerable portion of Hispaniola was inhabited by 

 Spaniards, the advtr^rers not only retained posse*, 



