BAM 



towns of Enj^land ; and it reflefta great honour on the po- 

 lice of the African kingdoms, or on the benevolent manners 

 of the natives, that it is coiifKl-.red as one part of the 

 dooty's province to beftow fi'od on the indioent tra- 

 veller. " To liiflcr the king's iVianjjer to depart huncrry," 

 as they exprefs themftlves, is an offence of a very heinous 

 naitnc. See Africa, arid Si go. 



BAMBELE {ghue Lar.lik), in Ichthyology, the name 

 of cyp/inus phoxir.us, Gmcl. in Gcfiicr's Tliierb. 



BAMBERG, in Geop-aphy, a principr.Hty and biftiopric 

 of Germany, m the circle of Frai'conia, u bonnded o-.! the 

 north by the principality of Cohiirj; and tlie Vogtland, on 

 the eail by Branaenb.irg'-Barj'euth and the cllates of Nurem- 

 berg, on the fonth by the eihites of Nuremberg and the 

 principality ot Schwartze.nberg, and on the well by the 

 biP.iopric of Wiirtzburg. It is about llxty nii'es long, and 

 forty broad; the foil is !;ood, and produces all forts ot ;rrain, 

 fruit, and wine ; and in the vicinity of the capital are fnch 

 numbers of laurel, fig, lemon, ai:d orange trees, that this 

 fpot is generally called the garden of Italy. The inhabitants 

 alfo rear a confiderable nnmbcr of cattle. The principal 

 rivers are the Mayn, the Rotach, the Itz, and tlie Regnitz. 

 It coiitains eighteen cities ar.d fifteen market-towns. At 

 the diet of the empire, the bifhop, vvhoft revenue is about 

 yco^oco florins, takes the fourth place in the council of 

 fpiritual princes. The inhabitants are Roman Catholics. 

 The military confifts of one company of loo men, and 50 

 hufTars. 



Bamberg, thecapitalcf the above bifnopric, is faid tohave 

 derived its n?.me Irnm Baba, fifler to the empirr.r Henrv I. 

 and is pleaiantly lituated on the river Regniiz, in the midil 

 of a fruitful countn,-. It was f.jrmerly an imperial city, but 

 is now fuhjcCt to its bifiiop. The town is large and populous ; 

 and being lituated in the centre of G--rmany, contiguous to 

 feven or eight different ftates, it is a very great thoroughfare. 

 The rtreets are wide, and the buildings neat and regular. 

 It has no fortifications, but lies open, and has the appearance 

 of a large village. The cathedral is one of the moil mag- 

 nificent in the empire. The chapter is compofcd ol twenty 

 capitular canons, and fifteen domiciled. The biihopric was 

 founded bv the emperor Henry II. in liofi. Among 

 other curiofities depofited in the treafury of this church, 

 are the imperial crown of Henry II., coiifiiling of fix 

 plates of gold adorned with precious Hones, and another of 

 his emprefs, compofcd of two circles of gold richly fet with 

 pearls and jewels; and alfo a folio MS. of the four gofptls 

 in Latin, upon fine vellum, in a neat Roman charafter, with 

 Gothic letters interfperfed, and very beautiful miniatures; 

 tl-.e binding is adorned with pearls and precious (lones. 

 There is another Latin MS. in folio, of the four gofpcls, 

 with a commentary by St. Jerome, and fine miniatures; and 

 a third in Gothic letters, with a binding of very great value; 

 all of which were prefented to this church by Henry II. 

 In this city there are feveral convents of men and women, 

 two palaces, and an univeriity, founded in 15S5. The 

 bifliop is abfolute fovereign of lliis town and dillrift, and 

 has feveral caftlcs and royalties in Carinthia and other parts 

 of Germany. He holds immediately under the fee of Rome ; 

 and he is joint direaor of the circle of Franconia with the 

 marquis of Culembach. The benefices in this blthopric and 

 that of Wurtzburg are reckoned the bell in Germany. 

 Within nine miles of Bamberg, at a place called Pom- 

 mersfelden, there is a beautiful palace belonging to 

 the houfe of Schonborn, which may be confidered as 

 one of the beft in Germany. N. lat. 49" 51'. E. long. 



10° so'. . u ■ 1 r 



Bahserg, New, a town of Germany, in the circle ot 

 8 



BAM 



the Lower Rhine, twenty miles fouth-weft of Mentz, and 

 eight fotith of Blngen. 



B.A.MBINI, in Biography, a fpirited Italian compofer, 

 who arrivtd at Paris during infancy, with the company of 

 hurl- tta fingers who firll performed in that capital the Ser-va 

 Pailrona of Pcrgolifi, which gave birth to RoulTcau's admir- 

 able " Lettre fur la M-ifique Frangoifc," and raifed a party 

 for Italian inufic, which has incrcafcd ever fince. Bambini 

 was the child, whofe judicious accompaniment of the bur- 

 letta fingers on the ii^rpfichord, Ro^ffcau in his letter has 

 fo well detcribtd, and recommended to clumfy thorough- 

 bafe players, who let nothing eife be heard but the clattering 

 ot their chords. This letter, for which RoufTcau was burnt 

 in efngy at the opera-houfe door at Paris, has never yet been 

 forgiven, even by thofe who prttend to admire no vocal 

 mufic but Itahan, or German on that model. See Accom- 

 paniment. 



B A MB LA, ill Ormtholngy, a fpecies of Turdus that, 

 inhabits Cayenne, and is ab' ut the fize of the common or 

 domellic fparrow. It is fpotted ; above rufous brown ; be- 

 neath cinereous ; wings black, with a tranfverfe white band. 

 Tins is the llackwinzcd thrufh of Latham, and Imnlla of 

 BufTon. •^ -^ 



BAMBO, in Commerce, an Eaft India meafure, contain- 

 ing five Enjhfli pints. 



BAMBOCCIO, in Biography, an eminent painter of 

 ccnverlations, landfcapes, cattle, &c. was born at Laeren, 

 near Narden, in 1613 ; and for his real name of Peter Van 

 Laer, tliey firbllituted in Italy that of Bamboccio, from his 

 uncomir.on figure, the lower part of his body being one- 

 third part larijer than the upper, and his neck fo (hort that 

 it was buried between his (boulders. His genius, however, 

 was very great ; and h.is tafte extended to ever)- part of 

 painting. He rcfidcd at Rome for 16 years, and availed 

 himfelf cf the opportunities for improvement which that city 

 afforded him. His llyle of painting is fweet and true, and 

 his touch delicate, with great tranfparency of colouring. 

 His figures are well proportioned and correftly defigned ; 

 and though his fnbjcds are deduced from the lower kind of 

 nature, fuch as plunderings. playing at bowls, inns, farriers' 

 (hops, xattle, or converfations, his defigns and execution 

 were fo excellent, that his manner was adopted by many of 

 the Italian painters of his time ; and he has been juftly 

 ranked in the firll cLifs of eminent mailers. His hand was 

 as quick as his imagination, fo that he fcldom made (ketches 

 or deligns ; but having marked the lubjeft with a crayon on 

 the canvas, he immediately finiflied it. He poirefled an 

 allonilhing memory, and the idea of any objects which he 

 faw was lo ilrongly impreifed on his mmd, that he could re- 

 preftnt them witli as much truth as if they w^re placed be- 

 fore his eyes. The clofe of his life was embittered by an 

 allhmatic complaint ; and it is faid, that in order to termi- 

 nate his mifery, he threw himfelf into a canal, and was 

 drowned, A. D. 1673. Pilkington. 



BAMBOO, in Botany. See Arundo, and Nastus. 



Bamboo /Alto, a Cliinefe invention, by which a ptrfon, 

 who cannot fwim, may eafily keep himfelf above water. 

 Four bamboos, two before and two behind their bodies, are 

 placed horizontally, and projecl about twenty-eight inches^ 

 They are crolTcd on each fide by two others, and the whole 

 properly fecured, leaving a fpace for their body ; it is put 

 over their heads, and tied fecure in two minutes. 



BAMBOROUGFI, in Geography, a village of England,, 

 in the county of Northumberland, near the coall of the 

 German ocean, with a calUe faid to be built by Ina, king 

 of the Northumbrians, in the year 548. This callle with 

 the ellate was purchufed by Cicw, bilhop of Durham, and 



left 



