B E A 



9T, 



B K A 



Port Franklin, which it placed on the south-western ex- 

 tremity of the lake, in 65 12' N. Int., and 12:i 12' W. lonsr. 

 The measurement from this point across the lake in the 

 direction just mentioned to the north-eastern part of Dease's 

 Bay, is about ISO geographical miles. The diameter taken 

 in the direction south-cast by cast, from the western shore 

 of Smith's Bay to the eastern shore of M'Tavish Ray, is 

 rather mure than 120 geographical miles. The depth of 

 I'm- threat collection of fresh water has not been ascertained, 

 but it is known to be very great; no bottom was found with 

 270 feet of line near to the shore in M'Tuusli Bay. The 

 water, which appears of a light-blue colour, is so transpa- 

 rent, that a piece of white rag let down into it was visible at 

 the depth of ninety feet. 



The exact height of the surface of Bear Lake aliovc the 

 arctic sea has not been ascertained with exactness, lint a 

 careful computation made by Dr. Richardson leads him to 

 believe that it is not quite 200 feet above the ocean ; and in 

 this cose the bottom of the lake must lie below the surface 

 of the sea, as is known to be the case with other of the preat 

 lakes in this quarter of America, and with lakes in other 

 parts of the globe also. The bottom of the three great 

 American lakes, Huron, Michigan, and Superior, is said to 

 be 300 feet below the level of the Atlantic; and the lowest 

 part of Loch Ness in Scotland is more than "00 feet below 

 the level of the Murray Firth. 



At the bottom of Dease's Bay, which forms the north- 

 eastern arm of the lake, it receives the water of Dease River, 

 which is the principal feeding stream. At the bottom of 

 Keitli Bay is the Bear Lake River, tlie outlet stream, 

 which flows in a south-west direction for seventy miles 

 to its junction with the Mackenzie River, in C4 J 59' N. 

 lat., which point is about 500 miles from the mouth of 

 that river iu the arctic ocean. The breadth of Bear Lake 

 River, throughout its whole course, is never less than -150 

 feet, except at one remarkable place, called the Rapid, about 

 midway between the lake aivl Mackenzie River. The 

 depth of the stream varies from one to three fathoms, anil 

 llo.is six miles per hour. It is joined in its course by 

 several considerable branches of muddy water. The rapid 

 just mentioned is caused by the river 'struggling through 

 a chasm bounded by two perpendicular walls of limestone 

 over an uneven bed of the same material.' The walls of 

 the rapid are about three miles long and 120 feet high. 

 The Bear Lake River Hows into the Mackenzie at a right 

 anulc, and its entrance is distinguished by a very remark- 

 able mountain, whose summit displays a variety of insulated 

 peaks, crowded in an irregular manner. From the base of 

 this mountain two streams of sulphureous water How into 

 the Mackenzie, and from the lower cliffs which front that 

 river a dark bituminous liquor issues and discolours the rock. 



Great Bear Lake contains an abundance of fish. Captain 

 Franklin relates, that towards the end of summer and in 

 autumn the produce of from fifteen to twenty nets kept in 

 use at Fort Franklin was from three to eight hundred fish 

 daily, of the kind called the herring-salmon of Bear Lake,' 

 and occasionally some trout, tittamcg, and carp. 



(Narrative of a Second Exjx'dit ion to the Shores ofth? 

 Polar Sea, 1825-1827, by Captain Franklin; ttppgraphi- 

 cal and Geographical Knlices (if the North-west Territory, 

 read before the Geological Society of London, by Dr. Rich- 

 ardson.) 



BKAR'S-FOOT. [See HKLI.KBORUS.] 



BEAR'S AVHORTLE-BERRY.the generic and specific 

 characters of which have been given under the article 

 AHCTOSTAPHYLOS Uvx URSI, was used in medicine by the 

 anticnts, fell into neglect, and was restored about the middle 

 of the last century. It possesses manifest astringent and, 

 .in'liT certain circumstances, diuretic properties. The leaves 

 arc the part of the plant which is used. These are destitute 

 of nmcll, but have an astringent, bitter taste. Analysed by 

 Mcixsncr, 100 parts contained 



Gall' ..... 



Tannin, combined with gallic acid . 



' ..... 



lorophyllc ..... 



K\tr;ictive, with malato and other salts 



Ditto, with citrate of lime. . . . 



< . , and extractive .... 



Liu'iiin ...... 



\Vater ...... 



I '20 

 3G'<10 



.'!:) I 

 0'86 



:; 



COO 



101-41 



The leaves aie frequently intermixed with those of lh 

 J'ai;-iniiiiii ritix Itltr-n. or cow-berry, from which they may 

 be distinguished by not being spotted nor having the margin 

 rerolutc. The watery infusion of the cow-berry It 

 In-ati'.l with muriate of iron merely becomes green. Tlio 

 wat";'\ i;i:'n-i K of the bear-berry so treated throws d.>wn a 

 hhicut.-h-grcy precipitate ; also with lli. . ihe / '.i.-- 



ei nium iiltirinnxiiHi, or bog whorllo-borry. To di*lin 

 them from these last is more impirtant than from tin 

 going, as the leaves of the bog whortlc-Uerry are p nM.nous. 

 They do not possess the leathery texture, or the reticulated 

 character of the leaves of the Uca ursi. The leaves of the 

 Bu.rus xeaijternrfnt, or common box, are ol'ien fraudulently 

 intermixed with it. They may be distinguished le, 

 veins of the leaves running from the mid-rib to the margin, 

 not being reticulated like the Uva ursi, h-nim: an un- 

 pleasant smell, and yielding on analysis the principle called 

 li n. rin. 



The power of the leaves is greatest over the mucous 

 membranes and the kidneys. The leaves rubbed with cold 

 water yield up all their tannin and gallic acid, and thus 

 afford an infusion of great efficacy iu haemorrhages from 

 the prostate gland. In cases of tendency to culculous dis- 

 eases, especially of the phosphatic diathesis. H i> uf '_'reat 

 use when persevered in : also in catarrh of the bladder. It 

 has been thought useful in consumption, and indeed its 

 tonic power may render it occasionally serviceable. It is 

 administered in powder, in the form of an infusion or de- 

 coction ; but the best form in which it can be longest used is 

 that of extract, as recommended by Dr. Prout. 



(See Prout On Diseases of the Urinary Organ*, second 

 edit., p. 185.) 



BEARD, the hair wlkch grows upon the chin and con- 

 tiguous parts of the fac.d in men, and sometimes, though 

 rare'.y. in women. AVithjmen its growth is the distinctive 

 sign of manhood. 



The fashion of the beard has varied greatiy in different 

 times and different countries ; and some of the learned in 

 curious trilles have spareu no pains to record the changes. 

 Hotoman \uote a treatise expressly on the beard, entitled 

 Poxunias (HOrUMAS), first printed at Leyden in 1JM>, 

 and which, on account of its rarity, was reprinted at length 

 by Pitiscus in his Lfrirnn. 



The earliest notice of attention to its growth is probably 

 in Leviticus, where the lawgiver of the Jews (chap. xix. 

 27) says, ' thou shall not mar the corners of thy beard.' 



Generally speaking, the growth of the beard was culti- 

 vated among the nations of the East, although it must lie 

 observed that most of the Egyptian figures in the antient 

 paintings are without beards. In Rosellini's work we havu 

 a series of portraits of Egyptian kings, nearly ail without 

 beards. (See Plate No. x. &c.) The antient Indian philo- 

 sophers called Gymnosophists were solicitous to ha\e long 

 beards, which were considered symbolical of wisdom. The 

 Assyrians and Persians also prided themtelves on the 

 leimih of their beards; and St. Chrysoslom informs us 

 (O/ii-ru, edit. Monf.iuc. torn. xi. p. 378) that the kings of 

 Persia had their beards interwoven or matted with gold 

 thread. The figures on the Babylonian cylinders are usu- 

 ally represented with beards; and those on the relief's from 

 Per.-cpoli- in the British Museum. 



Aaron Hill, in his Account of the Ottoman Emjiire, 

 folio, London, 1 70'J, p. 45, draws this distinction between 

 the Persians and the Turks: 'the Persians HCMT shave 

 the hair upon the upper lip, but cut and trim the beard 

 upon their chin, according to the various forms their several 

 lead them to make choice of: whereas the Turks 

 preserve with care a very long and spreading beard, esteem- 

 ing the deficiency of that respected ornament a shameful 

 mark of servile slavery.' The slaves in the seraglio are 

 shaved as a mark of servitude. 



The Chinese are said to affect long beards, but nature 

 having denied their natural growth, they are sometimes 

 supplied to the chin artificially. (See NoltveatUC Mi'ni'iiri'x 

 xitr I'Ktat tie la Chine, par le R. P. Louis le Comte, torn. i. 

 p. 209.) 



Athentcus (xiii. p. 5C5, edit. Casaub. Lugd. 1657) ob- 

 tV'im Chrysippus's treatise lie honeslo et volujitntf, 

 that the Creeks wore their beards till the time of Alexander. 

 The first person who rut his beard at Athens, he adds, was 

 ever after called r.'.,iT,,r, tin- A/M/TV;. Plutarch, in his Life 

 of Thritftu, menti ms incidentally that Alexander cut olf 

 the beard* of the Macedonian soldiers, that they might not 



