BAH 



ver, vermilion, ivoiy, filk, mun<, and other precious wares, 

 equal to 437 lb. 90Z. avoirdupois weig!it. 



_ Bahar, ill Geography, one of the eleven foubahs, or pro- 

 rinces, into which Acbar divided Hindoftan proper ; bound- 

 ed on the eall by Bengal, on the north by Napaul and Boo- 

 tan, on the fouth by Orifla, and on the weft by Oude, 

 Benares, and Allehabad. It has been eftimated at 250 miles 

 from north to fouth, and at 200 miles from weft to eaft. 

 It produces wheat, rice, peas, &c. ; but the principal ar- 

 tide of export is faltpetre ; moft of that which is imported 

 by the Eaft India company being manufactured within this 

 province. Tlie capital is Patna. Mr. Frafer, in his " Life 

 of Nadir Shah," ftates the revenues of this province, under 

 Aureng-Zebe, at ioi| lacks of rupees. The greateft part 

 of Bahar is poffefTed by the Britifh nation ; but there are 

 feveral purgunnahs, or hundreds, on the fouth-weft of Lit- 

 tle Nagpour, that were formerly clafTed as belonging to 

 Bahar, which are now in the pnfTeflion of the Mahrattas. 



Bahar, a town of Hindoftan, in the province of the 

 fame name ; remarkable for its number of funeral monu- 

 ments ; 30 miles fouth-eaft of Patna, and 220 north-weft 

 of Calcutta. N. lat. 25'^ 14'. E. long. 85^ 45'. 



Bahar, or Ba'zen, a town of Peifia, in the province of 

 Kerman ; 40 miles fouth-eaft of Sirgian. 



BAHARITES, derived from the Arabian bahar, or 

 fea, and denoting maritime, in H'l/lory, the denomination of 

 a clafs of perfons in Egypt, who having aifaffinated Touran 

 Chah, the laft of the family of the Aioubites, reigned over 

 Egypt and Syria for 136 years, and had 27 kings. The 

 Baharites were of Turkifh origin. Nejm Eddin purchafed 

 them of the Syrian merchants. They were dethroned in 

 their turn by the Mamalukes or Circaflian flaves, in the 

 year 784 of the Hegira, A. D. 1382 ; who formed a new 

 dynafty which kept poffeffion of Egypt until the conqueft 

 of SeHm, emperor of the Ottomans, in the year 923 of 

 the Hegira, A. D. 1517. 



BAHARNAGASH, a country of Abyfllnia, adjoin- 

 ing to the province of Tigre, and fituate between the river 

 Aftufafpes and the Arabian gulf. Its capital is Dobarwa, 

 in N. lat. 15° 22'. E. long. 39°. 



BAHAS, in Geography, a town of Arabia, fixteen miles 

 N.N.W. of Loheia. 



BAHBELGONG, a town of Hindoftan, in the country 

 of Baglana ; 65 miles weft of Aurungabad. N. lat. 20° 

 45'. E. long. 74^ 51' 30". 



BAHI, a province of the ifland of Lugon or Manilla, 

 one of the Philippine idands. It produces e;:cellent betel, 

 which the Spaniards are continually chewing ; and it is the 

 place where moft of the (hips are built. The province is 

 about 30 leagues in circuit, and contains about 6000 tribu- 

 tary natives. 



BAHIA, De Todos Los Sanctos, a province of 

 Brafil, in South America, and the richeft in the whole 

 country ; but the air and climate do not correfpond with 

 other natural advantages. The province is fo fertile in fu- 

 gar and other articles of commerce, that the Portugucfe re- 

 fort in great numbers to it, as the feat of affluence, and 

 alfo of plcafure and grandeur. The capital called St. Salva- 

 dor, or Civiclail de Bachia, is populous and magniiicent, and 

 by far the moft gay and opulent city in I'lrafil. It ftands in 

 a bay in S lat. 12° 11'; it is naturally ftrong, and is alfo 

 well fortified and defended by a numerous garrilon. See 

 All Saints, and St. Salvador. 



BAHIR, in Literary Hijlory, denotes famous and illuf- 

 irious, and is particularly ufed for a book of the Jews, treat- 

 ing of the profound rayfteiies of the cabbala; being the 

 moft ancient of the Rabbinical works. 



BAH 



B.AHIRA, or Rif, in Geography, the northern diftriA 

 of Egypt, extending from the divifion of the Nile to the 

 eaft and weft branches, on both fides to the Mediterranean. 

 The principal towns are Alexandria, Rofetta, Damictta, 

 Menuf, Manfoura, Tineh, Catieh, and Fouch. 



Bah IRA, among the Ancient /Irabs, a name given to one 

 of the four kinds of camels or (heep, which, for fome rea. 

 fons of their religion, were turned out at liberty with an ear- 

 mark, no longer to be ufed for fervicc like other cattle. 



The bahira, with ihe/abai, luaftla, and hami, were abo- 

 liftied by Mahomet as no ordinance of God. 



Authors are not agreed as to the characters of the ba- 

 hira. 



BAHRAITCH, in Geography, a to^^•n of Hindoftan, in 

 the province of Oude, 55 miles N.N.E. of Lucknow. N. 

 lat. 27' 30'. E. long. Sr-' 57'. 



BAHRDT, Charles Frederic, in Biography, a the- 

 ological and fatirical writer, was b)rn at Bifchofswerds, 

 Aug. 25th, 1741. Having commenced his education, with- 

 out much improvement, under private tuition at Leipfic, 

 where his father lived, he was removed to a public fchool, 

 and afterwards to the grammar fchool at Pforte. From 

 hence he returned to Leipfic, where after receiving fome 

 private inftruftion in the Greek and Latin from Ernefti, he 

 was entered in the univcrfity, and quitting it after two 

 years, he commenced preacher in the vicinity of Leipfic. 

 In 1 761, he was admitted to the degree of mafter of arts, 

 and lome years after he was appointed extraordinar) pro- 

 feifor of facred philofophy. In 1 763, he publilhcd a work, 

 intitled, " The true Chriftian in Solitude ;" and alfo 

 his " Commentaiy on Malachi," in which he endeavoured 

 to difplay his talents in biblical criticifm, and his knowledge 

 of oriental literature. An intrigue, which rendered him a 

 father, defeated all his expectations at Leipfic, and obliged 

 him to retire to Halle ; and he was appointed profeffor of 

 biblical antiquities at Erfurt. Having no falary, but fup- 

 plied with money by liis father, he found his fituation agree- 

 able ; however he introduced fome remarks of a theological 

 kind, which were not thought orthodox ; and complaints 

 were preferred againft him by Schmidt and Vogel, two 

 clergymen of that city. In order the more fuccelsfully to 

 repel the accufation of his antagonifts, he purchafed the de- 

 gree of doftor in theology from the uiiiverfity of Erlangcn, 

 which gave him a right to read public leAures in divinity ; 

 and in 1769, he publifhed in his defence the firll part of 

 his " Eflay towards a Syftem of the Dotlrines contained 

 in the Bible." About this period he alfo publiflied " The 

 earneft Wifhes of a dumb Patriot," in which he attacked 

 the weakeft proofs of the fundamental truths of the theolo- 

 gical fyftem, and endeavoured to raifc fufpicions againft 

 profeffor Schmidt of being a Jefuitical feclarian. His con- 

 duft in this rcfpedt ivas reprobated by the faculty of divines 

 at ^^'ittenbcrg, and thofe of Gottingcn recommended re- 

 conciliation. In 1770, Bahrdt publiditd at Eifenach his 

 " Syftem of Moral Thcolocty," which was favourably re- 

 ceived, and he embarked, from a dciire of -fame and love 

 of money, in fome other projecls and undertakings. The 

 approbation generally bcftowed on his critical performances 

 induced him to undertake an edition of the Old Teftament 

 fimilar to that announced by Dr. Kennicott ; but neither 

 his knowledge nor fituation promifed luccefs, and his inten- 

 tions were never fulfilled. He aftenvards thought of im- 

 proving his finances by marriage, and efpoufed a young 

 widow of Mulhaufen with a fortune of 6000 dollars. In 

 [771, he entered on the office of fourth profeffor of philo- 

 fophy at Gicli'en in Hcffe ; and here, in the fpace of four 

 years, heuubliftied two " Collections of Sermons," a " Book 

 iNz of 



