BAKER BALALAIKA. 



383 



in making it. Of his Latin style, Sir G. Baker lias 

 left a specimen highly creditable to his taste and 

 talents, in the preface to a late edition of the Phar- 

 macopoeia of the medical college. 



BAKER, Henry ; a poet and naturalist of the I8th 

 century. He was a native of London, and devoted 

 himself to the instruction of persons born deaf and 

 dumb, by which he acquired a handsome fortune. 

 In 1725 and 1726, he published "Original Poems, 

 serious and humorous," in two parts. He was also 

 the author of " The Universe," a poem, and an " In- 

 vocation to Health." He afterwards employed him- 

 self much in experimental philosophy, and making 

 microscopical observations. In 1740 he was chosen 

 a fellow of the Royal and Antiquarian societies, and 

 in 1744 he obtained the Copleian gold medal, for his 

 microscopical discoveries on crystallization. He 

 contributed many papers to the Philosophical Trans- 

 actions ; and he was an active member of the Society 

 for the Encouragement of Arts, to which he for some 

 time acted gratuitously as secretary. He died in 

 1774. By his will he left 100 to the Royal Society, 

 for an annual lecture on chemistry or natural philo- 

 sophy. Besides the works already noticed, he pub- 

 lished " The Microscope made easy," and " Employ- 

 ment for the Microscope ;" both illustrated by plates, 

 and containing much curious information. Mr Baker 

 married a daughter of Daniel Defoe, by whom he 

 had two sons. The elder, David Erskine Baker, 

 who died in 1767, was the author of " The Compa- 

 nion to the Playhouse," 2 vols. 12mo ; since enlarged 

 by Isaac Reed and Stephen Jones. Henry Baker, 

 the younger son, who was an attorney, had some 

 talent for poetry, and in 1756 published " Essays, 

 Pastoral and Elegiac," 2 vols. 8vo. 



BAKER, Sir Richard ; an English historian of the 

 17th century. He was born of a good family in 

 Kent in 1568, and became a gentleman commoner at 

 Oxford, whence he removed to one of the inns of 

 court, and afterwards travelled on the continent. 

 Returning home, he was knighted in 1603 by James 

 I., and in 1620 he filled the office of high sheriff of 

 Oxfordshire, having estates in that county. An un- 

 fortunate marriage with the daughter of Sir George 

 Mainwaring, of Ightfield, in Shropshire, occasioned 

 his ruin ; for, giving security for the debts contracted 

 by that family, he became insolvent, and was obliged 

 to take refuge in the Fleet prison, where, after con- 

 tinuing some years, he died in 1645. He lightened 

 his tedious confinement by turning author. Some 

 religious pieces which he published have been long 

 since consigned to oblivion ; but his " Chronicle of 

 the Kings of England," first published in 1641, and 

 afterwards continued by Edward Phillips, the nephew 

 of Milton, and others, went through a great number 

 of editions. Addison, in " The Spectator," represents 

 it as the favourite manual of Sir Roger de Coverley ; 

 as it seems to have been, in fact, ot country gentle- 

 men in general at the beginning of the last century. 



BAKER, Thomas ; an English mathematician of the 

 17th century. He was a native of Somersetshire, 

 and was educated at Oxford. In 1C45, being a 

 scholar of \Vadham college, he served in the garri- 

 son of Oxford for king Charles I. Leaving the uni- 

 versity, he obtained the vicarage of Bishop's Nymmet 

 in Devonshire, and spent the remainder of his time 

 in mathematical researches. In 1684 he published 

 a work entitled " The Geometrical Key, or the Gate 

 of Equations unlocked ; or a new Discovery of the 

 construction of all Equations, howsoever affected, not 

 exceeding the fourth degree, viz. of Linears, Quad- 

 ratics, Cubics, Biquadratics, and the finding of all 

 their roots, as well false as true, without the use of 

 Mesolabe, Trisection of Angles, Reduction, Depres- 

 sion, or any other previous Preparations of Equations, 



by a Circle, and any (and that one only) Parabole," 

 4to. This verbose title will give the reader an idea 

 of the merit of Mr Baker's discoveries, which recom- 

 mended bun to die notice of the Royal Society, by 

 whom he was presented with an honorary medal. 

 He died in 1690. 



BAKER, Thomas; a learned antiquary, born at 

 Lancaster, in Durham, in 1656. He became a stu- 

 dent of St John's college, Cambridge, of which he 

 was afterwards fellow. Entering into orders, he ob- 

 tained a living, which he resigned in consequence of 

 having embraced the principles of the Nonjurors. 

 On the accession of George I., his refusal to take the 

 oaths required by government, obliged him to give 

 up his fellowship ; but being much esteemed in the 

 university, he was allowed to retain his chambers ; 

 and Prior the poet most generously made up his loss 

 of income by giving him the emoluments of his own 

 fellowship, his motives for keeping possession of 

 which were not generally known. Baker died in 

 1740, leaving behind him vast manuscript collections 

 relating to the history and antiquities of Cambridge 

 university, and other subjects ; part of which are in 

 the Harleian library in the British museum, and part 

 in the public library at Cambridge. In 1699 Mr 

 Baker published anonymously a volume, entitled 

 " Reflections upon Learning," which became exceed- 

 ingly popular, and passed through many editions. 

 The object of this piece was to show the uncertainty 

 and insufficiency of all human learning, and evince 

 the necessity of revelation. Neither in its plan or 

 execution is the work entitled to the unqualified 

 praise which has sometimes been bestowed on it. 

 The author printed nothing else but a preface to a 

 sermon of bishop Fisher. 



BAKEWELL, Robert ; an English gentleman in the 

 last century, who acquired some celebrity by his 

 schemes for improving the breeds of sheep and oxen. 

 He possessed an estate at Dishley Grange, in Leices- 

 tershire, where his grazing and feeding schemes 

 were put in execution ; and he is said to have tra- 

 velled over various parts of England, Ireland, and 

 Holland, in search of information. In some respects 

 he was very successful ; for he found out a method 

 of fattening animals to a prodigious degree for the 

 table ; and he sold his stock at a most enormous 

 price. It may be questioned, however, whether his 

 projects were productive of any real advantage to 

 himself or to the public : for it has been stated that 

 he failed in business more than once ; and, with re- 

 gard to the ultimate effect of his improvements, it 

 has been sarcastically, but justly remarked, that they 

 had enabled him to make meat too fat for any body 

 to eat, and too dear for any body to purchase. He 

 was, however, like many other speculators, an intel- 

 ligent and ingenious man ; and he is said to have 

 been distinguished for his humanity to the animals 

 under his care. He died at Dishley, October 1st, 

 1795. 



BAKHUYSEN. See Backhuysen. 



BAKING ; the art of preparing bread, or of reducing 

 meal or flour of grain, or other substances, into bread. 

 See Bread. 



BAKKER, Peter Huysinga, a Dutch poet, born in 

 1715, died in 1801, was a member of the academy 

 of sciences at Leyden. His poem on the inundation 

 of 1740 is much esteemed. All his works make 

 three volumes, of which one volume contains satires 

 and contemptuous songs against the Britons. He 

 was a friend and relation of the Dutch historian 

 Wagenaer,of whose life he published some notices. He 

 translated Hight's Latin poem on Spring into Dutch. 



BALALAIKA ; a musical instrument, of very ancient 

 Sclavonian origin, common among the Russians, 

 Tartars, and, according to Nicbuhr, also frequent in 



