B E R 



bitter almonds, but on the whole, this acid is but with diffi- 

 ci-'ty altertd in its nature by the nitrous. Dillilling the 

 nitro-benzoic acid with pure alcohol, he obtaiVied ethereal 

 liquor, part of which was nitrous ether, but the remainder ap- 

 peared, by the fmel! of almonds, to be a dulcified, or ctliercal 

 benzoic acid. But thefe experiments require to be repeated 

 with accuracy, as the powerful operation of the nitric acid 

 on vegetable matter, though highly inllruftive, is often not a 

 little embarrafrmpf. 



Several other fubftances, bcfides the refin of benzoin, con- 

 tain more or Icfs of this acid. Tiie balfam of Peru, and of 

 Styrax, appear to owe to this acid much of thtir fragrant 

 f'licll. Ambergris, vanilla, and fome of the aromatic barks, 

 and even urine, contain a fmall quantity of it. When uncom- 

 bined with an alkaline or earthy bafe, it is generally known 

 by a pungent fragrant fniell,and denfe white lmoke,on apply- 

 ing a heatlefs than is neccfiary to burn or decompofe the fub- 

 Itance with which it is united. When kept down by an al- 

 kali or an earth (as in the cafe of urine), it is feparatcd bv a 

 Urongacid. It has been fuppofed, with probability, that the 

 fragrant fccnt is not proper to the aci<l, but is owing to the 

 prelence of a portion of refill or effentlal oil, combined with 

 It fo intimately as to be infcparable by any means hitherto 

 known, without entire deeompofitioiis of the acid ; and 

 hence too may be explained the very weak affinity of this 

 acid for ail bnfes, which is generally fuperior to no acid but 

 the carbonic. 



Gum benzoin is almoft difufed in medicine, though ftill re- 

 tained in a few preparations of the I.oiidon and Edinburgh 

 pharmacopoeias. The compound tinfture Tinflura Benzocs 

 Compqfita, formerly Balfamum Traiimaticum, contains gum 

 benzoin, balfam of Tolu, and aloes ; and the benzoic acid 

 enters into the Edinburgli Tiru^ura Opii AMtnonlata, and in 

 fome other compounds of foreign difpenfarics. 



The fragrance of this rcfin has caufed it to be ufed in 

 fumigations of various kinds. Where the objctl is merely 

 to produce a penetrating agreeable fcent, it may be of con- 

 fiderable ufe ; but as a corredive of foul or contagious air, its 

 powers are very fmall, by no means comparable to thofe of 

 the mineral acid vapours, while the irritation which it gives to 

 the lungs is more intolerable. Scheele's EfTays. Fourcroy. 

 Hermblladt in J. Phyf. torn. 34, &c. 



BEOLIPA Gulf, in Geography, bcs on the call fide 

 of the Urait of Dardanelles, near the opening into the fea of 

 Mamiora. 



BEORI Animal {La'e'l . /tmer.), in Zoology, the Tapir 

 jimirkantis of Gmelin, &c. 



BEOSTER Island, in Geography, one of the Shetland 

 illands, between which and Green iflaiid, at the north end 

 of Brafia, or Brafy found, is a good channel, that runs out 

 into the fea. 



BEOTIA, Cape, lies within the ifland of Negropont, to 

 the north of Corinth, on the north fide of the peninfula, 

 ftretching fouth-eaft from Covinth. 



BEQUIA, afmall iflandof the Weft Indies, dependent on 

 the government of St. Vincent, and containing 3,700 acres 

 It is chiefly valuable from the commodioufne^ of its fine 

 harbour, called " AdmiraUy bay." 



BER, a diilrift of SwifFerland, in the government of jElen 

 and canton of Bern, comprehending two parochial villages. 

 • Ber. See Berbice. 



BERABZAN, a long lake in New North Wales, lying 

 N. and S. and running gradually from its north end, till it 

 mixes with the waters of Schecharas lake, at the foulh end, 

 and where thefe waters form Seal river, which empties into 

 Hudfon's bay, at Churchill fort. The north end of Berabzan 

 liei in about 60° 30' N. lat. and 93° 50' W. long. 



BER 



BER^^.A, in Jtnc'tevi Geography. See BerceA. 



BERAMS, in Commerce, a coarfe cloth, made altogether 

 of cotton thread, which is brought from the Eaft Indies, 

 and particularly from Surat. 



BERAMUN, in Geography, a town of Egypt, on the 

 Nile ; 3 miles north call of Manfora. 



BERARDI, Angelo, in Biography, an Italian writer 

 on mufic, who publifhed at Bologna a coi.fiderable number 

 of mufical trafts, between the years 1681 and 1693, which, 

 with a large portion of pedantry and common-place informa- 

 tion, contain much cunons and ufeful knowledge. Their 

 titles are : " Ragionamenli Muficali, Mu'.ical Dillevtations;" 

 " Document! Armonici, Harmonical Documents ;" " Mif- 

 cellaiiea Muficale, a Mulical Mifccllany;" " Orcani Muficali, 

 Dialo, Mufical Arcana, a Dialogue ;" and the " Perche 

 Muficale, Mufical Definitions." If the whole had been 

 comprefl'ed, methodiled, and digeftcd into a iiiigle treatile, 

 and all the mufical information difperfcd through tliefe 

 fcveral trafts arranged in a regular and gradual order, a more 

 ufeful and practical didaftic work might have been produced, 

 than Italy feems to have furniflied during the 17th century. 



BERAR, in Geography, a fonbah, or kingJom of Hni- 

 doftan, bounded on the liorth by Allahabad and Malwa ; on 

 the weft by Candeifh and Anicdiiagur ; on the fouth by 

 Tellingana and Golconda ; and on the eaft by Onfl'a. It 

 contains 13 cirear?, divided into 42 pergunnahs. The 

 wcilern parts of this province were reduced by Acbar; and 

 its revenue under Aurungzebe, as ftated by Mr. Frafer, in 

 his " I.,ife of Nadir Shah," amounted to 1532 lacks of ru- 

 pees. The principal part of this province is poflefl'ed by the 

 Berar or Nagpour rajah ; and the remainder is held by the 

 Nizam, or fonbah of the Deccan, who pays to the rajah a 

 " chout," or fourth part of its clear revenues. The interior 

 parts of Berar are lels known than moft other countries in 

 Hindoftan ; but it is thought to be neither populous uor 

 rich. Its prefent capital is Nagpour, about midway between 

 Bengal and Bombay. Th^s province produces wheat, rice, 

 poppies, and many forts of legumes. In the fouthern 

 part is found the deer, which yields the Bezoar ftone ; and 

 the ftitep of this province differ from the common fpecies, 

 their neck being lengthened, their tail ver)' fliort, their ears 

 long, and their wool not curled. 



BERASTEGUE, a mountain of Spain, in the province 

 of Guipufcoa, 3 leagues from Tolofa. 



BERAULT, Nicholas, in Latin Beraldus, in Biogra- 

 phy, one of the learned men of ihe fixteenth century, was 

 either a native of Orleans, or for a long time refident in this 

 place, where he was profeffor of the civil law. He was 

 tutor to admiral de Coligni ; and well acquainted with Eraf- 

 mus, who, in his " Ciceronianus," fpeaks with commenda- 

 tion of his eafy and flowing elocution, and who, in 1522, de- 

 dicated to him his trcatife, " De Confcribendis Epiftolis." 

 Among the Latin works of Berauld, were "A Grasco- Latin 

 Diftionary," Paris, 1521 ; an " Oration on the Peace of 

 Cambray," Paris, 1528; another " On ancient and modem 

 jurifprudence," Lyons, 1533 ; and " A Dialogue on the 

 faculty of fpeaking extempore ;" Lyons, 1534. He alfo 

 wrote paraphrafes on the Politics and Qiconomics of Ari- 

 ftollc, and notes on the Rufticus of Politian. His comment* 

 on the Natural Hittory of Pliny, though not mentioned by 

 Hardouin, are much commended by Eiafmus. He was 

 erteemed for his integrity, and greatly regarded by Poncher, 

 archbifliop of Sens, a prelate diftinguilhed in France by his 

 patronage of Hterature. 



BERAUN, in Geography, a royal borough of Bohemia, 

 in a circle of the fame name. The chief produce of the 

 circle is wood and corn, ai)d in fome parts are found mines oi 



iron. 



