B IS 



B 1 S 



journey, or about 140 geographical miles, from Coa, Its 

 riiins are extcnfive, itvcral nigged hills ar.o rocks being co- 

 vered with temples that ftifi appear beautiful ; the circuiii- 

 Rrer.ce fcems to be about 8 milts. N. lat, jj" 15'. 

 E. long. 76 ' 34'. BeejanujrfTur lies dirtdtly oppofite to 

 AnntU'-ooiidy, leated i^bout 2 miles iVoui the north bank of 

 the river Trombuddra, which is at prefcnt the principal 

 town of a ffnall diih-icl of the ivime name; one being the 

 Jagh.ire, or eilate, the other the place of reudcnce of ll-e 

 defcendant of t'lie ancient kiiigs cf Beejanuggiir, who, about 

 zi centuries ago, ruled the grcateft part, if not the wlioie, 

 of the pcnir.fula, under the title of the empire, or kingdom 

 of Canhara. Li.^utenant Emmit, an Enfjlifli officer, who 

 CKatnined the ruins of Bcejanuggur, traced between imxente 

 piles of rocks, crowned witli pagodas, fevei-al ftreets from 30 

 to 45 yards wide, feme of which now produce fine rice. 

 Gne ftrtct ( xtcncs about N. E. and S. W. half a mile, and 

 is about 35 yards broad, having colouRadcs of ftone on lach 

 fide, and a very larsre pagoda at the S. W. end, in perfect 

 repair. Ou the wefl fide of this fheet 13 a large mango 

 grove, which is bounded by the Toombuddra. Many ftreanis 

 flow through tliefe veins, which have been formerly employed 

 to fill a great number of carals. Comlapour fort is diltant 

 about half a mile, and (urroi:ndcd with hills through wliich 

 the road winds in atccnts and dcfcents, paved with large 

 itcnes. 



BISXEE, a tO'A-n of Afia, in the country of Dcotan, 

 1 16 miles S. E. of Tafl'afudon, and i8b N. E. of Moorflied- 

 abad. 



BISNOV/, or BiscHNOu, a feci among the Indian ba- 

 nians, or call of merchants. The banian fefl confilfs of 

 two lelTer ones ; that of lifnoiv, and that of fnnuviilh. The 

 followers of the former hold one God, whom they call 

 ram-ram, and allow of no lieutenant^:, or deputy-gods, as is 

 done by thofe of the feft famarath ; but they allow their 

 god a wife, and have idols, which they drefs up with gold 

 chains, and collars of pearl and precio\is Hones, and pay 

 them worfhip, by Cnging hymns in their templts, and 

 dancing before them to the found of flageolets and kettle- 

 drums. 



In this feft, the wives do not burn themfelves after their 

 hufbands' death, as is praftlfed by thofe of the famarath 

 feci ; but content themfelves with a perpetual wiJow- 

 hood. 



BISOIvIUM, DisoMUM, compounded oi Ih, twue, ar.d 

 the Greek s-ijU'z, bod\y cr al}:es cf a body, in /Inliqu'.lx, a 

 tomb for two bodies, or the alh ^ 01 two. The ancients 

 freqtiently buried two, three, or four bodies in the fame fe- 

 pulchre, difpoftd a-fide of each other; for it was held an 

 impiety to lay one a-top of another. Hence the fepukhres 

 of the primitive Ciuilfians had the words bfirini, infunii, 

 qiiailr'ifomi, &c. infcribed on them, to indicate the number 

 of bodies depofited in them. Du-Ca ige. 



BISON, in Enlomology, a fpecics of Scarai/tus, with 

 the anterior part of the thorax oointed ; and tv.o lunated 

 horns on the head. Inh; bits Spain, and the fouthern parts 

 of France. Colour black. The female has on the anterior 

 margin of the thorax an elevated or cariuated edge. 



Bison, in Zoology. See Bos Ferus, or V/lhl-Ox. 



BISPINOSA, in EnlomologV', a fpccits of Mantis, 

 with a roundifh thorax, bidentated in front ; wing cafes very 

 ftiort, and boidcred with yellow, Fabricius. 



BispiNosA, a fpecies of Cicada [Manniferet, Telt/gonia). 

 It is of a large llze, and mhab'ts tiie illand of Sumatra. 

 The colour is broivn, with a finirle fpine on each fide of the 

 thorax ; wings duiky, with a flrcak of black fpols. Fabvj- 

 cius Mantif. 



BISPIKOSUS, a fpecies cf Cehambyx (Sunoeorus) 

 that inhabits Sou'h America. Thoiax unarmed, and 

 nightly tuberculated ; v.-ing-cafes bidentatfd ; joints oft 

 pntcnnje armed with two fpiiies ; and the body tellaccous' 

 Fabricius. 



Eispisosus, a fp?cies of Carabus tbat inhabits Eu- 

 rope. This is of a black colour ; pollerior part of the 

 thorax truncated ; anterior fhanks with two fpines. Linn- 

 Lelk. r.Iuf. 



BispiNosus, a fpecies of Tabanus. found about Goet- 

 tingen, and defcribcd by Fabricius. The colour is brown ; 

 abdomen ferruginous, and black at the bafe, with two fpines 

 on the fcutcl. 



BISQUET. SeeBisKET. 



BlfciSA, in Geography, a town of Servia on the Danube, 

 16 miles S.r E. of Orfova. 



BISSACRAMENTALES, in Eccleftnjtkal Hiflory, a 

 de;;omination given by feme Romifh writers to proteftar.ts, 

 on account of their only holding two facraments, viz. bap- 

 tifm and the fupper. 



BISSAG, in Geography, a town of Croatia, 16 miles 

 N. E. of Agram. 



BISSAGOS, the name of a clufter of iflands and fhoals, 

 bjing off the well coafl of Africa, between the mouths of 

 the rivers Rio Grande and Cacheo, and between about 

 ic'"3o'and 11'' 30' N. lat. and 15^10' and 17° W. long. 

 The principal of thefe iflands, and that which lies neareft the 

 coaft is Boiilnm, or Bulam, which fee. Each of the inha- 

 bited iilands is governed by a chief, who affumes the title 

 and power of a king. All thefe petty monarchs are inde- 

 pendent, and frequently at war with each other, which they 

 carry on by means of canoes, capable of containing from 

 25 to 40 men, with their provifions, and alfo their arms, 

 which are fabres, and bows and arrows. The negroes of 

 thefe iflands are tall, ftrong, and healthy, though they live 

 only on fifli, nuts, and palin-oil ; chufing rather to fell the 

 rice, millet, and other produce of the earth to the Euro- 

 peans, than to reftrain their pafTion for trinkets and orna- 

 ments-. They are idolaters, and are faid to be favage in 

 their difpofition, not only to ilrangera, but to one another, 

 when they happen to quarrel, which is frequently the cafe ; 

 and if they are difappointed in gratifying their revenge, 

 they will drown, or ferocioufly ftab themfelves. 



BISSAO, an illand on the weflcoaft of Africa, feparated 

 from the cor.tinent bva channel, which connefts two bays of 

 the fea, within the Biffagos iflands. between 1 1° 15' and 1 1° 

 39' N. lat. and 15° 11^ and 16° 30'' W. long. Both the 

 Pi<rtuguefe and French began to trade at an early period 

 with this ifland ; the former have a fort upon it, _ar!d the 

 latter a faftorv. The Dutch have in vain attempted to ob- 

 tain a fettlcment. The illand is 35 or 40 .Tiiles in circum- 

 ference, and r;les from the fea, of which it has an agreeable 

 profpeft, by an er\fy afcent to an eminence in the centre of 

 the ifland. Its furface is hilly, and the hills are feparated 

 by beautiful and fertile vales, 'sIiicH arc watered by fmall 

 rivulets. The whole, a few groves of palm-trees excepted, 

 is in a (late of cultivation, and produces, befidea oranges, 

 mangoes, a:id bananas, and other fruits afforded by the 

 warm climat-.s, wheat and maize, which grow luxuriantly, 

 and refemblt', by the fize to which the ftems rife, reeds or 

 bi:m.boo3. Their cattle are likewife of an extraordinary f'ze; 

 and they are amply fupplicd with both milk and wine. The 

 importation of iwine is prohibited, and ih.e foil does not fuit 

 the rearing of liorfes. The inhabitants, who are in a ftate 

 of alniolf pcrp; tual contelt with thoft of the neiglibnuring 

 iflands and coitiiient, live in cottages difperfc-d over the 

 illiiud, which bears no trace o£ a town, except where the 

 3 French 



