II A Y 



138 



BEA 



foiling- ram W33, that it T*k mounted on 

 wheels instead of being suspended. Some 

 of these machines, from accounts, must 

 have weighed little short of 100,000 Ibs. 

 They were wrought by human force. 



BAT'TERY, Fr. batterie. In law, see As- 

 riTLT. In experimental physics', a combi- 

 nation of Leyden jars forms an electrical 

 bzttery ; and a combination of metallic 

 plates (one set of which consists of oxidiz- 

 .ible metal; constitutes a galvanic battery. 

 See LEYDEN JAR, and GALVANIC TROUGH 

 and PILE. In fortification, a parapet 

 thrown up to cover the gunners from the 

 enemy's shot, and in which embrasures 

 ?.re made, through which the cannon are 

 projected to be fired. Cross batteries are 

 two batteries which play athwart each 

 other. A battery d'enfilade is one which 

 scours the whole line. A battery en echarpe 

 is one which plays obliquely. A battery 

 de revert is one which plays upon the 

 enemy's back. 



BAT'TLE-AX, 1 a weapon much used by 



BAT'TLE-AXE, } the people who fought 

 on foot, during the middle ages. It was 

 especially a cutting instrument, but had 

 usually a point for thrusting. It was 

 much used in England, Ireland, and 

 Scotland, and, indeed, the Lochaber-axe 

 remained a formidable weapon of destruc- 

 tion in the hands of the Highlanders till 

 very recently. 



BAT / TLE-piEcE,a painting which repre- 

 sents a battle, exhibiting large masses of 

 men in action. 



BAT'TON, in commerce and carpentry. See 

 BATTEN. 



BAT'TOX, BATON, BATOON. 1. The staff 



of a marshal. 2. A truncheon used in 



coats of arms to denote illegitimacy. 



BAT'TCE, Fr. In sporting, a practice of 

 huntsmen, consisting of surrounding a 

 portion of the forest, and, by beating the 

 bushes and shouting, endeavouring to 

 bring out wolves or other animals for the 

 chaae. 



BATTTJ'TA, It. abeatius. In music, beat- 

 ing time with the hand or foot. 



Biu'HiNiA, mountain-ebony. An ex- 

 tejtii-ive genus of arborescent plants. I>e- 

 t,~r*dria Monogynia. All the species in- 

 habit warm climates. Named in honour 

 Oi Giispard Bauhin. 



SjkXii/x, from the Dutch. A piece of 

 timber trom four to ten inches square. 

 Baulk-roofing is roofing constructed of 

 taulk timber. 



BAWREL. a species of hawk. 



BAXTE'RJ~N-<, the followers of Bichard 

 Baxter, on the subject of grace and free- 

 will, whose opinions were midway be- 

 tween Calvinism and Arminianism. 



BAI, the wood of the bay-tree. See 

 LAURVS. The term is likewise used to 

 designate the colour of horses when red- 

 difth and inclined to cheutnut, like the 



levres of the bay-tree. The shades of thii 

 colour are light-bay, dark-bay, dapple-bay, 

 gilded-bay, chestnut-bay. Commonly ail 

 bay horses are called brown. 



BAY, from Teut. baeye, synonymous witi 

 bulge. 1. An arm of the sea smaller than 

 a gulf and larger than a creek. The tern 

 is used very indefinitely, as will be ob- 

 served in its application in Hudson's Bc.y 

 and the Say of Biscay. 2. Among build- 

 ers, any kind of opening in a building, as 

 a door, window, or chimney. A bay cf 

 joists consists of the joists between two 

 binding joists, or between two girdeis 

 where there are no binding joists. Bay 

 of roofing, the small rafters and purlins be- 

 tween principal rafters. Bay, as applie-1 

 to windows, is the same with bow. The 

 bay of a barn is a part often about 15 feet, 

 at the end vhere corn, &c., is laid: w'txea 

 a barn consists of a floor and two heads, it 



is called a barn of two bays. 3. In shif 



(of war), that part on each side between 

 decks which lies between the bitts. 



BAY-CHER'RT, ) the prunws lauro-cerasus 



BAY-LAUREL, ) of botanists ; called also 

 poison-laurel, and Alexandrian-laurel. 

 The leaves yield prussic acid. 



BA'YONET, the iron blade for affixing on 

 the muzzle of the musket, to transform it 

 into a thrusting instrument: takes its 

 name from Bayonne, where bayonet i 

 were first made." 



BAY-SALT, salt obtained by evaporaticr, 

 sea water in shallow ponds by the heat OA 

 the sun whence its name. It is of . 

 dark-grey colour, and contains iodine. 



BAY'- TREE, a name common to the whol^ 

 genus Laurus (q. v.), consisting of 17 spe- 

 cies. 



BAZA'AR, BAZAR, a market-place. Tfes 

 word is borrowed from the Oriental.-, 

 among whom bazars have been comm:^ 

 from time immemorial : it signifies sale. 



BAZ'AT, a long, fine spun cotton froia 

 Jerusalem, hence called Jerusalem cotton. 



BDELLA (SeAX). The horse leech. 



BDEL'LICM (SSsXAjoii). A gum-resin 

 produced by an unknown plant, whica 

 grows in Persia and Arabia. It is im- 

 ported in semi-pellucid, yellowish-brown 

 pieces, which smell feebly like myrrh. It 

 contains 59 resin, 9'2 gum, 30'6 cerasin, 

 and 1-2 etherous oil. 



BDELLOS'TOMES, ) Gr. from /S5aXXa>, I 



BDELLOS'TOMA, } suck, and ff-rofMX,, a 

 mouth, i. e. a mouth formed for suction. 

 A genus of cyclostomous fishes. 



BEA'CONAOE, dues levied for maintenance 

 of beacons. 



BEAD, from Sax. DCab, a praying- 

 Beads are the small globules or balia 

 used as necklaces, and made of different 

 materials, as peari, amber, steel, &c. The 

 Catholics use strings of beads in rehearsing 

 their prayera; tencc. tiie phraoea, ta tU 



