BUG 



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Buchara. year 1582. With this admirable production, every 

 * v^"' scholar is acquainted. Of iti classical merits, no 

 doubt can be entertained. Some, who must be con- 

 sidered as among the most competent judges, have 

 not scrupled to prefer it to the elegant productions 

 of Livy. As a history, it has some faults, but these 

 are far more than counterbalanced by its excellencies ; 

 and although the author's political leanings, and his 

 occasional attachment to fable, have subjected his 

 authority to a degree of doubt and suspicion ; yet 

 the more his material facts have been investigated, 

 the more reason has appeared for confiding in his 

 correctness and veracity. 



A short time before his death, Buchanan was vi- 

 sited by some learned friends, and they found him 

 employed in teaching the hornbook to a young man 

 in his service ! They held some conversation with 

 him, chiefly respecting his History, which was then 

 in the press, and which they thought contained some 

 dangerous passages. In the course of conversation, 

 he exhibited that firm regard to truth, and that un- 

 daunted boldness in stating it, by which he had been 

 long distinguished. He expired on the 28th of Sep- 

 tember 1 582, in the 77th year of his age, and was 

 interred in the burying ground of the Grey-friars. 

 For more particular information concerning this ce- 

 lebrated character, the reader may consult Bucha- 

 nan's Life, written by Himself, and the various 

 publications referred to at the end of Dr Irving's 

 Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Buchanan, 

 a very able and interesting work, and much less 

 known than it deserves. (T) 



BUCHARA, BOKHARA, or BOGAR, a city of 

 Asia, in Great Bucharia, from which that country 

 derives its name, is situated on the river Sogd, about 

 100 miles west from Samarcand. It stands on a ri- 

 sing ground, and is surrounded with a slender wall of 

 earth. It is large and populous, and divided into 

 three quarters : The Khan, with his Tartar court, 

 inhabits the one ; the officers of the court, and other 

 servants of the prince, another ; and the third, which 

 is by far the most extensive, ia occupied by the citi- 

 zens, merchants, and other inhabitants. This last is 

 also subdivided in such a manner, that every trade 

 has its particular department. The houses are low, 

 and composed chiefly of mud ; but the mosques, 

 baths, and other public buildings are of brick, and 

 well built. This city was anciently distinguished for 

 its arts and sciences ; and it is even maintained by 

 some, that it received its name from this circumstance : 

 Buchar signifying, in the Mogul language, learned; 

 and Bucharia, the country of the learned. Its uni- 

 versity was frequented by students from every part 

 of the Mahometan dominions, where they were in- 

 structed in every branch of literature ; but particu- 

 larly in the theology of the Moslems. From the si- 

 tuation of Buchara, it soon rose to be the chief em- 

 porium of commerce in this country. It was the 

 resort of merchants from India, Persia, Turkey, Rus- 

 sia, and Poland ; and its warehouses were filled with 

 Oriental and European merchandise. But since the 

 subjection of Bucharia by the Usbeck Tartars, it 

 has greatly fallen from its ancient opulence. Its com- 

 merce has languished under the oppression of its ru- 

 lers ; and it is now visited by few foreign merchants, 



on account of the extraordinary extortions to which Buehre*t 

 they are exposed from the Khan and his officers. It* 

 manufactures are soap, cotton-yarn, and calico, which, 

 with the produce of the surrounding country, a 

 cotton, lamb-furs, down, rice, and cattle, they ex- 

 port to Persia, and receive in return, velvet, silk, 

 sashes, cloth, indigo, coral, and cochineal. But its 

 fine linens, for which it was so famous in the tenth 

 century, are now unknown. During the invasion of 

 this country by Zengis Khan, Buchara, which was 

 then strongly fortified, endured a protracted siege of 

 nearly twelve months, which so exasperated the Mo- 

 gul, that, after its surrender, he set fire to the city, 

 which, being chiefly constructed of wood, was redu- 

 ced to ashes, and nothing of it was left, but the sul- 

 tan's palace and a few houses, that were built of 

 stone. After continuing some time in this desolate 

 state, Zengis ordered it to be rebuilt a little before 

 his death. It is now the residence of the Khan of 

 Buchara, who is a despotic prince, but whose power, 

 however, reaches but a little way without the city. 

 N. Lat. 39 20' ; E. Long. 61 58'. See Recueil 

 de Voyage au Nor d. torn. x. p. 158 ; and Hanway's 

 Travels, Vol. I. p. 242. 



BUCHAREST, BUCHOREST, or BUCCAREST, a 

 town of European Turkey, in the province of Wal- 

 lachia, is situated on the river Damboriza, and is the 

 residence of the Hospodar, or prince of Wallachia, 

 and the see of a Greek archbishop. It shows at a 

 distance numerous cupolas, and a vast extent of 

 buildings ; but it consists merely of a collection of 

 villages, without plan or regularity. The houses 

 are very mean in general. The best of them are built 

 of stone, and covered with wooden tiles ; and when 

 Mr Chissul visited Wallachia in 1702, the greater 

 number were under ground like cellars, and covered 

 at the top with straw, or bark of trees. The gar- 

 dens are very wide, and enclosed with entire trunks 

 of oak, set closely together. The streets are paved 

 transversely with planks of wood, about ten yards 

 long, and as many inches thick, and appear like one 

 continued bridge throughout the whole extent of the 

 city. The planks are often badly fastened, and much 

 decayed, which renders walking very disagreeable 

 and tedious. This town is said to contain 400 con- 

 vents and churches ; the principal of which are, the 

 patriarchal church adjoining the palace of the arch- 

 bishop. It has four cupolas, and stands on an emi- 

 nence, commanding a pleasant view of the city. The 

 church of St George, the patron saint of Wallachia, 

 is built in the best modern Greek style. Its portico 

 is supported by short spiral columns, with an imita- 

 tion of Corinthian capitals ; and the interior walls 

 are spread over with fresco paintings of saints, par- 

 ticularly of the equestrians, St George and St De- 

 metrius, as large as life. The palace of the Hospo- 

 dar has a very mean appearance. It is low, and 

 built of wood, with slated towers over the gate- 

 ways ; and stands in a court, which also contains a 

 church, and a range of barracks. The meanness of 

 this establishment is easily accounted for, by the fre- 

 quent changes of its inhabitants, who are little anxi- 

 ous about present conveniences and splendour du- 

 ring their short and precarious government, provided 

 they can amass enough of wealth from their tempo- 

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