BAHBIER BARCELONA. 



419 



second edition in 1799. In 1805, he published an 

 essay and a map illustrative of the retreat of the 

 10,000 Greeks. He published, with de Sainte-Croix, 

 in 1797, Alemoires historiqucs et geographiques sur 

 les Pays situes entre la Mer Noire et la Mer Caspi- 

 enne, in 4to. Among many other works, he pre- 

 pared an atlas in fifty-four sheets, 4to, for the illus- 

 tration of ancient history, published in 1816. 



BARBIER, Antoine Alexandre, bibliographer, was 

 born at Coulommiers, in 1765, and, at the beginning 

 of the revolution, was a vicar. In the year 1794, he 

 went to Paris, where he was chosen a member of the 

 committee appointed to collect works of literature 

 and art existing in the monasteries, which were then 

 suppressed. This was the cause of his being ap- 

 pointed, in 1798, keeper of the library of the conseil 

 d'etat, collected by himself, and, when it was trans- 

 ported to Fontainbleau, in 1807, Napoleon ap- 

 pointed him his librarian. At the return of the 

 king, he had the care of his private library. He 

 died in 1825. His excellent Catalogue de la Biblio- 

 theqne (lit Conseil d'Etat (Paris, 1801-3, two vols. 

 folio) is now very rare. His Dictionnaire des Ouvra- 

 ges anonymes et pseudonymes (Paris, 1806-9, four 

 vols., third edit. 1824), is, on account of its plan, its 

 accuracy, and its fulness (at least in respect to French 

 literature), one of the best works which we have at 

 present in this branch of bibliography. He did not 

 succeed so well with his Examen critique et Comple- 

 ment des Dictionnaires historiques (one vol., Paris, 

 1820), since the narrow circle of his studies and re- 

 searches was not sufficient for such an extensive plan. 

 BARBIERI (Gianfrancesco Barbieri da Cento). See 

 Guercino. 



BARBOU ; a celebrated family of printers, known 

 since the iGth century. The works of their press 

 are distinguished for correctness and neatness. In 

 the beginning of the 18th century, this family settled 

 in Paris. Here Joseph Gerard Barbou continued 

 the collection of Latin classics in 12mo, which Cou- 

 stelier had begun. Coustelier had published Catul- 

 lus, Tibullus, Propertius, Lucretius, Sallust, Virgil, 

 Nepos, Lucan, Phajdrus, Horace, Velleius, Eutropius, 

 J uvenal and Persius, Martial and Terence. Barbou, 

 trom whom the whole collection generally takes its 

 name, published Caesar, Curtius, Plautus, Tacitus, 

 Seneca, Ovid, Cicero, Justin, both the Piinies and 

 Livy, and also some of the later Latin authors in the 

 same form. The present owner of the whole publi- 

 cation, Auguste Delalain, has added to the collection 

 four volumes, and sells the whole set of seventy- 

 seven volumes, in pasteboard, at 350 francs ; bound, 

 at 500 francs. 



BARBOUR, John ; an ancient Scottish poet, of whose 

 personal history but few particulars are recorded. 

 He appears to have been born about 1316, and edu- 

 cated for the church, being styled, in the year 1357, 

 archdeacon of Aberdeen. In that year, he was ap- 

 pointed, by the bishop of his diocese, a commissioner 

 to treat for the ransom of the captive king David II. 

 About 1375, he was engaged in composing his cele- 

 brated poem of The Bruce, or the History of Robert 

 I., King of Scotland, which was first published in 

 Kilo', and of which the most valuable of many edi- 

 tions is that of 1790, three vols. 12mo, edited by 

 Pinkerton, from a MS. in the advocates' library, 

 dated 1489. It is a work of great merit ; and it is 

 remarkable that Barbour, who was contemporary with 

 Cower and Chaucer, is more intelligible to modem 

 readers than either of them. lie died, at an ad- 

 vanced age, in 1396. 



BARBCDA, or BARBOUTHOS ; one of the Caribbee 

 islands, about twenty-one miles long, and twelve 

 vide ; Ion. 61 50' W.; lat. 17 44' N. ; population, 

 JiiOO. The land lies low, but it is fertile, and the 



inhabitants are chiefly employed in breeding cattle, 

 sheep, kids, fowls, &c., which they dispose of in the 

 neighbouring islands ; they likewise cultivate citrons, 

 pomegranates, oranges, raisins, Indian figs, maize, 

 cocoa-nuts, pine-apples, pepper, indigo, &c. The 

 island has no harbour, but a well sheltered road on 

 the west side. This island is the property of the 

 Codrington family, who have done what few slave- 

 holders can boast of they have caused their slaves 

 to be instructed in Christianity. 



BAKCA ; a desert, containing only a few fertile 

 spots, on the northern coast of Africa, between Tri- 

 poli and Egypt (88,000 square miles, with 300,000 

 inhabitants). Its soil is limestone, covered with 

 quicksand. The mountain Harutsch, towards the 

 west and the south, is probably of volcanic origin. 

 This country is a Turkish province, under a sandgiak, 

 in the town of Barca. Here is also Tolometa (Ptole- 

 mais), with Greek ruins. The remains of Cyrene 

 (q. v.) are now called Cunen f The mountains of 

 Derne, with the town of the same name, are under a 

 bey, appointed by the bey of Tripoli. The bey of 

 Bingazia (ancient Berenice), with the ports on the 

 gulf of Sydra, and the small commercial republic 

 Augila, in the interior, are also under the bey of 

 Tripoli. In the desert, four days' journey westward 

 from the Nile, are some inhabited oases. Such is 

 the watered part of the republic Siwah, which ac- 

 knowledges the protection of the Porte, and pays 

 tribute to the pacha of Egypt. The capital, Siwah 

 (the ancient Ammonium, see Ammon), has 6000 in- 

 habitants, and a trade in dates. Frediani speaks ot 

 having found, in March, 1820, in the oasis of Jupiter 

 Ammon, the ruins of the ancient temple. The Ger- 

 man architect Gau, and the French consul Drovetti, 

 in Egypt, have contradicted his account. The inha- 

 bitants are mostly of Arabian descent, Mohamme- 

 dans, and partly robbers. 



BARCAROLLA ; a kind of song of the gondoliers at 

 Venice, often composed by themselves, but of a very 

 agreeable character. The most of these gondoliers 

 know by heart a great deal of Tasso's Jerusalem 

 Delivered, some of them even the whole, somewhat 

 corrupted, it is true. They sing stanzas of it, during 

 the summer nights, from one gondola to another. 

 Tasso is probably the only epic poet, besides Homer, 

 whose writings have been so generally preserved in 

 the memories of his countrymen. The custom above 

 described, however, is going out of use. 



BARCELONA ; one of the largest cities of Spain, the 

 capital of the province of Catalonia, is handsomely 

 built, in the shape of a half-moon, on the coast of 

 the Mediterranean, in Ion. 2 1O" E., and 41 21' 44" 

 N. lat. It was, even in the middle ages, one of tiie 

 principal commercial places on this sea ; is well for- 

 tified, and lias, on the east side, a strong citadel, 

 built in 1715, having a secret connexion with the 

 fort San Carlos, near the sea. On the west side of 

 the city lies the hill of Montjouy, with a fort, which 

 protects the harbour. B. is divided into the upper 

 and lower town, and contains, including the adjoining 

 Barcelonetta, 140,000 inhabitants. It has 150 cotton 

 and many silk manufactories. Linen and laces, articles 

 of iron and copper, particularly excellent guns, pis- 

 tols, and swords, for the Spanish army, formerly M nl , 

 also, to Naples and the American colonies, are ma- 

 nufactured in great quantities. The harbour is 

 spacious, but of difficult access, and has not sufficient 

 depth for men-of-war. It is protected by a large 

 mole, at the end of which are a lighthouse and a 

 bulwark. The exports consist, besides the above- 

 mentioned articles, of wine and brandy; the imports, 

 of French and Italian manufactures, grain, rice, 

 timber from the Baltic, yellow wax from Barbiiry, 

 Swedish iron, steel from Stiria, hemp from Riga and 



