B I S 



proportion to tlic muri;.t of ammonia, tlie greater part of 

 tlilj fait rifca entire, but mixed with a little nuriat of 

 biinnith, forminir the llfmuth'ir fovicrs of j'aUammouhc of the 

 old chemifts. When thcfc flowers are thrown into water, 

 the bifmulh is dcpofitcd in the furm of a white o>;yd. 



OiLvmuriat of potafh mingled with powdered bifniuth, 

 and projcded into a hot crucible, is dtcompofed with great 

 violence, and the metal is completely oxydated. A mixture 

 pf three parts of this fait, and one' of bifr.uth, produces a 

 flalh and a loud detonation, if laid on an anvil aad ftrutk 

 fmartly with a hammer. 



§ Q. Bifmulh lu'ith comluflible BoiJits. 



If one part of fulphur, and four of bifniuth, arc triturated 

 togtlher, and afterwards cxpofjd to a full red heat in a co- 

 vered crucible, a brilliant ftriatcd metallic mafs of fulphur.t 

 of bifmuth is obtained, fmiilar in its properties to the native 

 fulphuret mentioned in J I . It msy be made to cryftallize, 

 by allowing it to cool very (gradually, and pouring off the 

 fluid part as foon as the furface is crufted over. The cavity 

 thus formed will be found to be lined with long tetvaladral 

 piifms croduig each other, and occaiionally of a deep iri- 

 dffcent blue and red colour, forming groupes of eMquifite 

 beauty. The fulphuret of bifmuth is inucli lefs fufible tlian 

 the pure ni^t:d ; it parts witli nearly the wl-.ole of its f ;lph ir 

 by long roailing, and is decompofahlc by nilric acid, vvhith 

 dilTolves the bifmuth without touching the liilphur. 



Sulphuretted liydrogen co'jverts the white oicyd of bif- 

 mulh into a black mafs, of which neither the properties nor 

 proportions have been afcertsincd. 



Phofphorus has very little affinity for this m.etal. Pclle- 

 tier tried in vain by fcveral methodo to prepare phofpliurct of 

 bifmuth. In fome of his experiments, the metallic glolinle, 

 when red hot, gave out a faint lambent flame, but exhibited 

 no other proof of combination with phofphorus. Fat oils, 

 by the affillance of heat, difiolve the oxyd of bifmuth, and 

 form with it a thick tenacious plailler. 



§ 10. yllloys of Bfmiilh. 



Bifmuth appears to increafe remarkably the fufibility of 

 all the metallic compounds into which it enters ; but it is to 

 te lamented, that we are greatly in want of accurate expe- 

 riments on tliii interelling branch of enq^uiry. 



I. Bifmulh and gnU. -See Gold. 



Z- Bifmuth aniljiher. See Silver. 



3. Bifmulh anJ iron. See Iron. 



4. Bifmulh and copper. See Copper. 



5. Bifmulh and lead. Equal parts of thefc two metals 

 tuiite eaCly by fimple fufion, forming an alloy of a brilliant 

 white colou', conliderably harder than lead, and, though 

 not duAile, more malleable than pure bifmuth. By dimi- 

 nifhing the proportion of bifmuth, the malleability of the 

 mafs is increafed, without fenfibly impairing its fufibility, 

 hardnefs, and ludre. 



6. Bifmuth and lin. A fmall quantity of bifmuth in- 

 r.reafes the hardnefs and brilliancy of tin, without rendering 

 it lefs dudile ; hence the bell foils for glafs mirrors are 

 made of this alloy, as alfo are forne kinds of pewter. 



Bfmuth •w'th Lad and ti.i. Fujdile metal. Plumbers' fil- 

 Jer. The fufibility of the alloys of'^bifmuth is in no inftance fo 

 reTnarkable as in that difcovered by Newton, and f hence com- 

 monly called Newton's fufible metal. It i^ made by melting 

 together eight parts of bifmuth, five of lead, and three of 

 tin. The maL ts very brittle, and when broken exhibits a 

 porcellanous appearance, with little or no hiftre ; it is fo 

 fufible as to become liquid when held on a piece of ftiff 

 paper over a eandl", without fcorching the paper ; and be- 

 .comcs as fluid as quickfilvcr in boiling water. If the bif- 



B I -S 



mutli is reduced to one pirt, the proportions of lead siid 

 tin Ttniaining the fame, tl-c alloy is plumbers' folder ; and 

 it difivrs from tlie preceding in being fomewhet lefs fufible 

 and confiderably malleabl.-. 



7. Bifmuth and mercury. See Mercury. 



8. BifKuth and iron. See Iron. 



^11. Mt.lical Ufe of Bifmuth. 

 The magifteiy, or wl.ite oxyd, is the onlf foim of bif- 

 muth which is employed meiHcir.ally. It is prefcribed with 

 fuccefs in fpafmodic affedicris of the ftomach. Gren. Syf- 

 tem. Ha;:dbuch, v. iii. p. 293. Leonhardi's Macquer. art. 

 'Wifrauth. Fourcniy Syft. <!-s Connaiff.'Chimiqucs, vol. v. 

 Beaumc Chem. experimentale, vol. ii. 



BISNAGUR, in Geogrc.pby, an ancient kingdom of 

 Hindoilan, called Narfinga, from the name of one of its ra- 

 jahs, or fovereigrs, was formerly the mod extentlve, power- 

 ful, and !ieh monarchy in the Indies, and coiiiprehended 

 almoll ail the countries in the peninfula foulJi of the 16th 

 pandlel, or the whole of the Carnatic and fome other king- 

 doms. Some have dillingiiidied between the kingdoms of 

 Bifiragur aid Narfinga, 1-ut it is not eafy to determine, 

 whether they were two fuecetrive, or two co-exiding king- 

 doms. It appears, probable, luAvevcr, that in the 16th 

 century I'nfr.agur included the givateft part of the p':nin- 

 fula. The inhabitants of this ancient eiripire, winch is fald 

 to have continued 800 years, were P.igans, and denoi^inated 

 Badagus ; and fpokc the Tamul, or Drtmul language, which 

 is the" fame wich the Malabaric ; but the l ad.igun was ufed 

 at court. According to the Portuguefe writers, the king- 

 dom of Charnataka liad no fovereign prince till the year 

 1200, and the firll was Bokii, a Ihepherd, who ilyled him- 

 felf rau or rajah, that is emperor ; which title has dcfcended 

 to his I'ucceifors. Boka, it is faid, in memoi-y of a viiEtory 

 which he obtained over the king of Delhi, built the 

 famous city of Vifianagur, corruptly calkd Bifnagur. The 

 crown continued in his line till it wasufurptd by Narfinga, 

 from whom this kingdom took its name, as it did that of 

 Bifnagur from the city. Tiie king of Biinagur was a 

 powerful prince about tlie year 1 520; and about tlie year 

 1565 the capital was reforted to bv merchants from all parts, 

 as being the greatell, if not the only mart for diamonds in 

 the ea(l ; and its riches were equal to its extent. At this 

 time it was invaded by the king of Viliapo.ir, and other 

 northern princes cf the Deccan ; and in 1567 the rajah, or 

 king, retired, with his court, firll to Penuconda, and at a 

 fubfequent period, or about 1597, its cxilling fovereign re- 

 moved to Kandegiicri, or Cliandcgheri, an inland city, 

 ftrong by nature and fortified by art, fo as to be deemed 

 impregnable. About the middle of the 17th century, this 

 large monarchy was again invaded and utterly deftroycd, by 

 Adel Shall, king of Vifiapour, who formed a league with the 

 king of Golconda for this purpofe. The unfortunate rajah 

 fled into the mountains, where he remained in 1 667. About 

 20 years afler, the kingdom of Bifnagur fell under the 

 power of the Moguls, by the conqueft which Aurungzebe 

 made of the kingdoms of Vifiapour and Golconda. 



BisNAGUR, rather Bijinagur, fometimes written 

 BEEjANUGGfR, the capital of the above kingdom, is 

 fituated on the fiutii bank of the Toombuddra river, and 

 according to M. BufTy's map, diilant about 30 miles S. E. 

 or S. S. E. from Bancapour. Feriihta fays, that it was 

 founded by Belaldeo, king of the Carnatic, in 1344, and was 

 thus placed in order to guard the northern frontier of his 

 empire. See the preceding article. This city was vifited 

 by Ca:far Frederick in 1565, and was then a very large city ; 

 its circuit, ;is he fays, being 24 miles, and containing within 

 it a nuojiber of hills and pagodas. He reckons it 8 days* 



journey. 



