1 



B I S 



French snJ Portuguere have ellabliflied ihemfelvcs. The 

 drefs of the married women confifts of a cotton girdle, and 

 bracelets of glafs, coral, and copper ; but the virgins are 

 iltogcther naked ; and thofc of high quality mark their bo- 

 dies with hideous figures of fnakcs and other reptiles. The 

 princefs of the ifland is only dillinguifhcd from other females 

 by the elegance of tliefe paintings, jjnd the richntfs of her 

 bracelets. The drefs of the mcH of all ranks is merely a (liin 

 fixed before and behind to their girdle. One fingular orna- 

 ment is a large iron ring, upon which they ring changes 

 with a piece of iron, fo as to converfe as freely with their 

 catlanets as if they ufed the mod poliflied language. This 

 artificial language is ufed only by perfons of rank and 

 fa(hion. All the BifTaons are idolaters, but their fyllem of 

 religion is very confiifcd and unintelligible. 13efidcs their 

 chief idol, called " China," every one creates a divinity 

 according to his own fancy ; trees are held facred by them, 

 and, if they do not adore them as gods, they worrtiip them 

 as the rcfidence of fome divinity. Their government is 

 defpotic, tlie will of the emperor being the law to his 

 people ; at his death all his women and (laves arc facnficcd 

 and buried near their mailer, in order to attend him in the 

 other world. Although they are at almoft perpetual war 

 with fome of their neighbours, they have among themfclves 

 no civil difcord. Before the emperor rcfolves to invade 

 any adjacent territories, he orders the " bonbalon" to be 

 founded, which is the general fignal to arms, on which all 

 perfons in the pay of government aflemble at a fixed place, 

 and embark on board their canoes, each of which carries 

 about 30 men, and the whole fleet confifts of about 30 

 canoes. Before the fleet fails, they offer facrifices in great 

 number to their gods, which are made of wood, and the 

 favourable anfwer of the priefts, when they confult thef^ 

 deities, enfures their fucetfs. When they attack any towns 

 or villages, they carry off the inhabitants, and every article 

 of value, and divide the booty between the emperor and 

 thofe that have been engaged. The flaves are fold to the 

 Europeans, except fuch as are of quality or fortune, who 

 are rellored to their friends on condition of their fending a 

 number of (laves in their room. The emperor is faid to al- 

 low free commercial intercourfe with all Ihangers. The 

 Portugucfe demoliflitd their fort on the ifland in 1 703. See 

 Balontis. Bijs.\gos, and Bulam. 



BISSECTION, in CfOJKC/r^', the divifion of any quantity 

 into two equal parts, otherwifc called blparlition, which fee. 

 Sec alfo Division, &c. 



BISSENDORF, in Geography, a town of Germany, in 

 the circle of WJlphalia, and bidiopiic of Ofnabruck, 5 

 miles S. E. of Ofnabruck. 



BISSENPOUR, a fmall diftria of Bengal in the Eaft 

 Indies, which is goveincd by a Biamiii fannly of the tribe 

 ot Rajpoots, and which has uniformly prcfcried its inde- 

 pendence. In this dillrlA, it is faid, the purity and equity 

 ot ilie pohtical fyllem of the Indians arc found unadulterated. 

 By the lingular fituation of thisc^nintry, its inhabitants have 

 been enabled to maiiitain their primitive happinefs, and the 

 rciitlencls of their charailer ; and thty have been fecurcd 

 from the danger of being conquered, or of imbruing their 

 hands in the blood of their fellow-creatures. Nature has 

 furround-d them with water, and tluy only need to open the 

 (luices of their rivers in order to inundate the w hole country. 

 The armies that have been ftiit to fubdue them have been fo 

 frequently drowiud, that the pIa::of enfi^viiig tlitm has been 

 laid afide ; ai;d the projertors have thought proper to con- 

 tent thtmfelves with an appearance of lubmifiluu. In Bif- 

 fcnpour, liberty and property are facred ; robh- rv is un- 

 kcuwn ; and every ftraiiger, who enters this U rritory, is 



B I S 



under the protcaion of the laws, which provide for his fe- 

 curity. The guides, to whofe conduft he is committed, 

 become refponfible for his perfon and effeas ; whilft he re- 

 mains, he is maintained and conveyed with his merchandife 

 at the expence of the (late, unlefs he expreffes his defire to 

 ftay longer than three days in the fame place ; and (hould 

 this be the cafe, he is obliged to Hve at his own charge. In 

 this ftate, it is faid, probity and houefl:y are fo prevalent, 

 that if any one find a puife, or any other article of value, 

 he hangs it upon the firll tree he finds, and informs the 

 neareft guard, who gives notice of it to the pubhc by beat 

 of drum. Out of about 330,000!. annually received at an 

 average by the govcrnmeiit, without injury to agriculture or 

 trade, what is not wanted to defray the unavoidable ex- 

 pences of the ftate, is laid ont in improvements. The rajah 

 is enabled to engage in thele hberal employments, as he pays 

 the Moi'uls only fuch tribute, and at luch times, as he thinks 

 proper.'' Raynal's Ilift. Settl. Eaft and Weft Ind. vol. i. 



P- 4'5- 



BI8SENPRAAG, a town of Afia in the country of 



Sirinapur, fituated near the bafe of a mountain, on which 



ftands the famous temple of Buddrienaat. It is a place of 



fome importance, as being the lefidence of the pundits and 



principal Hindoos of Buddreenaat. Here they hold thek 



durbars, cxercife their laws, and the duties of their religion, 



in the greateft ftate of fccurity from foreign intruders, and 



can at any time feclude themfelves from the reft of the 



world, by a removal of the "joalahs," or rope bridges, 



which form the communication acrofs the Aluknundra. 



This river receives at BilTenpraag another river, proceeding 



from the eallward as large as itfclf, called " Dood Ganga," 



or the Milk river, and alio " Dhoulee." Near its junaion 



with the Aluknundra, it runs between two villages, called 



" Gurra" and " Nitty." The town confifts of about 



800 houfes, and is a place of lome trade ; the inhabitants 



are all Hindoos. Aliat. Ref. vol. vi. p. 346. 



BISSET, Charles, in Biography, iludied medicine 

 feveral years at Edinburgh, as he informs us in his Eflay 

 on the medical conftitution of Great Britain, publiftied in 

 1762, and was then promoted to be fccond furgeon to the 

 hofpital in Jamaica, where he continued from 174010 1745, 

 when he returned to England, and purchafing a commiiTicn 

 in the army, he ferved as lieutenant and enjrinctr in Flanders 

 until the peace in 1748. He now rcfumed the praaice of 

 fnigcry, and fettled at Skeltun in Cleveland, Yorkftiire, and 

 foon after publilhed " A Treatifeon the i'curvy," 1755, 8vo. 

 He had before, viz. in 17^1, publilhed " An Effay on the 

 theory and conilruaion of fortifications." In 1 765 he ob- 

 tained a diploma from the univerfity of St. Andrews, con- 

 ftitutiiig him dodor in medicine. He died at Knayton near 

 Thirfl<, in May 1791, in the 75th year of his age. New 

 Gen. Biog. Dia. 



B16SEXT1ALIS, or Bissextialis oHa, an ancient 

 meafure or velTcl, containing twelve ounces, or two Sex- 



TARlFS. 



BISSEXTILE, or Leap-year, in Chrono'.og-/, a year 

 confifting of 366 days, happening once each four years, 

 by rcafon of the addition of a day in the month of Fe- 

 bruary, to recover the fix hours which the fun fpends in 

 his courlc each year, beyond the 365 days ordinarily allowed 

 for it. 



The day thus added, is alfo called bilTextile ; Csfar hav- 

 ing appointed it to be introduced by reckoning the 24th of 

 February twice; and as this day, in the old account, was 

 the fame as the fixth of the calends of ?.Iareh, which had 

 been long celebrated among the Romans on account of the 

 expulfion of Tarquin, it was called " bis f«xtas calendas 



Martii ;" 



