B L A 



divJfions ovatf, reflex. Slam, filaments four, fctaceous, the 

 length of the tube, infertcd into the receptacle ; anthers ob- 

 long. comprefTed, crcd, obtufe, emarginace. Pi/l. germ 

 four-cornered, fliort ; ilyle fetaceoiis, miicli longer tlian the 

 corolla ; lligma obtufe. Per. capfulc obtufe, qiiadrangvi- 

 hr, four-celled, gaping at the angles. Seer^s, fome roundiih. 

 Cfy'. The anthers are tmarginate, but not horned, as in eri- 

 ca, allied to this. 



Eff. Char. Cn/. four-parted. Cor. four-cleft. Slam, m- 

 fcrted into the receptacle. C.;//. four-celled, many-ftedeJ. 

 Species, l. B. erUoirfes, heath-leaved B. " Anthers awn- 

 lefs, (landing out ; calyxes four-leaved ; braftcs the length 

 of the c: Ij X ; leaves in fours, oblong-acerofo, hairy, imbri- 

 cate." This has the ftature of the common heath. Flowers 

 terminating, white with a tinge of purple ; corollas tubu- 

 lous, ereft ; anthers two-parted, fcabrous ; ilyle capillar)-, 

 longer than the anthers. Introduced into Kcw garden in 

 1774 by Mr. 1'. Maaon. 2. B. ci/iaris, ciliated B. " Flow- 

 ers in a head, calyxes ciliate." Rcfembling the preceding, 

 and readily known by its white calyxes, mod diftindly ci- 

 liate. 3 . B. flW/Vw/a/j, jointed-lcivcd B. Peiikca SarcocoUa. 

 Berg. cap. 25. " Stamens protruded, two-parted ; corollas 

 cyrnidric." A diftorted Ihrub, of the ftature of common 

 heath. Leaves in fours, prefTcd to the branches ; heads of 

 flowers terminatinjr, with wliitc-villofe calyxes ; cuiollas 

 flilh-coloured; antliers very narrow, black; differing from 

 the lirft in having equal llamcns, and leaves more imbri- 

 cated. 4. B. purpurea, purple-flowered B. " Stamens 

 included, two-parted ; corollas oblong, llraiglit ; flowers 

 terminating, aggregate ; peduncles ereft." Like the third ; 

 but the heads arc nodding. 5. B. pufilln, dwarf B. " Flow- 

 ers fcattercd ; corollas funnel-form." This has the ftature 

 of fm.ill heath. Branches pubefcent ; leaves in fours, rug- 

 ged, petioled, fcorcd underneath with a line; flowers mi. 

 nute, fcattercd, (horter than the leaves. 6. B. nmfcofa, mofs- 

 leaved B. Ait. Hort. Kew. i. 150. " Anthers awnkfs, 

 ahnoll ftanding out ; calyxes one-leafed, hairy ; corollas 

 bell-(haped, hairy in the upper part ; flowers axillary ; ilig- 

 mas peltate." Found at the cape of Good Hope by Mr. 

 F. MafTon, and introduced in 1774; floweiiiig from June to 

 Augull. 



Propagation and Culture. Thefc are all flirubs, inhabitants 

 of the cape of Good Hope, require the fame treatment and 

 (helter with other Cape plants in the dry ftove, and may be 

 increafcd by cuttings, like the ericas, or heaths, which they 

 much refemble. Martyn. 



BLTESLING, in Ornithology, one of the fynonymous 

 names oi \.\\c greater coot of Englilh writers, Vind fulica aler- 

 rima of Liniixus. Vide Gunther NeJI. uiid. Eyer. The 

 common coot, fulira atra of Linnaeus, is alfo named by this 

 author Ik'incr bUuJl'mg. 



BLyESlIS, in Medicine. See Stammerin'O. 



BLAGAITZKI, in Geography, a town of Croatia, 10 

 miles N.N.W. of Sluin. 



BL.^GNAC, a town of France, in the department of 

 the Upper Garonne, and chief place of a canton, in the di- 

 llriit of Touloufe, on the Garonne ; 3 miles N.W. of Tou- 

 loufe. 



BLAGOVETSCHENSKOI, a town of Ruffia, in the 

 povernment of Archangel, near the fouth-eaft coaft of the 

 Wliitc fca ; 70 milts S.W. of Archangel. 



BLAGRAVE, John, in Biography, an Ensrlifli mathe- 

 matician, was born of an ancient and honourable family at 

 Bulmarlh court near Sunning in Berkfliire, towards the 

 middle or clofe of the 16th century, and educated, iirll at a 

 fchool in Reading, and afterwards at St. John's college, 

 Oxford. Before he took any degree he retired from the uiu- 



B L A 



verfity to his patrimonial feat at South-cote lodge, near Read- 

 ing, where he diligently purfued his ftudies, particularly 

 mathematics. His works, of which we have any account, 

 are " A Mathematical Jewel," (liewing the conll-jclion and 

 ufe of an inftrunicnt fo called, and its application to aftro- 

 nomy,.cofmograp!iy, geography, &c. Loud. 1585, fol. ; 

 " The Contlruftion and Ufe of the Familiar Staff, Src," 

 performing the geometrical menf.iration of all altitudes, 

 Lond. 1590, 4to. ; " Ailrolabium Uranicum generale," 

 containing the life of an inftrument, or aftrolabe, Lond. 

 I5i;6, 4to. ; and " Th.- Art of Dialling, in two parts," 

 Lond. 1600, 4to. Mr. Blagravc was diilinguifhed by his 

 benevolence, both during his lift, and at his death. Having 

 never been married, he bequeathed 50!. to each of the chil- 

 dren of his three brothers, or their poilerity, payible at the 

 age of 26 ; and his bequefts in tliis way were io well ad- 

 julled, that near 80 of his nephews and their dtfccndan's 

 were thus benefited out of his leafchold eftate. He alfo be- 

 queathed lands for producing an annual donation of lol. 

 to a maid-fcrvant in the town of Reading, according to 

 the direftions of his will. Tliefe diredtions required, that 

 the church-wardens of each of the three parilhes fiiould on 

 Good Fiiday fend one virtuous maid, who had lived five 

 years with her mafter. T!ie three maids were to appear in 

 the town-hall before the mayor and aldermen, and to call 

 dice. She, whofe throw was the greatell, received the tea 

 pounds. The two maids who had loft were to appear the 

 next year, togetlier with a third added to them. Accord- 

 ingly each maid was to have by his will the chance of three 

 a;inual throws ; but if any failed in three fucceffive years, he 

 orders new perfons to be prefented. On the fame Good 

 Friday, money is diftributed to 80 widows in purfuance of 

 his will, who attend a fermon for which the preacher is to 

 receive ten (hillings. Mr. Blagravc died Aug. 9th 161 1, 

 and was buried in the church of St. Lawrence, Reading, 

 where a fumptuous monument is ereCled to his memory. 

 Biog. Brit. 



BLAGRE, in Ormihol'jgy. Under this name Levaillant 

 defcribes the African fpecies of eagle called by Lathamya/tf? 

 blagrus, which fee. 



BLAIN, a diilemper incident to bcafts, confifting in a 

 bladder growing on the root of the tongue againft the wind- 

 pipe, which at length fwelling ftops the- breatli. 



It comes by great chafing and heating of the ftomach ; 

 whereby, as forae judge, it ftill grows and increafes by more 

 heat. 



It is perceived by the bead's gaping, holding out his 

 tongue, and foaming at the mouth : to cure it, cad the beaft, 

 take forth his tongue, and then flitting the bladder, wa(h it 

 gently with vinegar and a little fait. 



Blain, in Geography, a town of France, and principal 

 place of a diilrift in the Lower Loire. The population of 

 the place confifts of 1897 perfons, and of the canton of 

 10,274 ; its territorial extent is 342 i kiliometres, and it in- 

 cludes 4 communes; 18 miles N.N.W. of Nantes, and 40 

 S. of Rennes. 



BLAINVILLE, in Biography, a learned mufician of 

 Paris, who propofed, in 1 751, a third mode or key, which 

 he called a mixed mode, becaufe it participates of the modu- 

 lations of the two other, or rather from its being com- 

 pounded of both, a mixture which the author does not re- 

 gard as an inconvenience, but rather as an advantage and 

 fource of variety both in the melody and harmony. Rouf- 

 feau. Dicl. de Muiique, publiflied 1768. 



BlainVille, a performer on the violoncello, and mufic- 

 mafter at Paris, who had many fymphonies and motets per- 

 formed at the Concert Spirituel, in the middle of the laft; 



century. 



