BOG 



Royal Academy of Architefture, and was much employed at 

 Paris, and by fevcral German princes, in furnidiing defigns 

 for various edifices. His ftyle of building was grand and no- 

 ble, and formed after the model of Palladio. He was like- 

 wife a (liilful engineer, and conftrufled a great number of 

 canals, fluices, bridges, and fimilar works. As architeft to 

 the general hofpital of Paris, he gratuicoufly fervedthe infti- 

 tution ; and, as he was dillnterelled in his temper, he was 

 lively and amuling in converfation ; and he indulged his tafte 

 for literature by the compofition of feveral pieces, adapted to 

 the purpofe of producing temporary gaiety and mirth, for 

 the Italian comedy. His " Book of Architefture," with 

 plates, was printed at Paris in 1745, folio ; and contains an 

 account of the general principles of the art, exemplified in his 

 own works. In'this work he has alfo introduced a curious 

 memoir, defcribing the method of calling the bronze equef- 

 trian ftatue of Lewis XIV. He retained his gaiety of dif- 

 pofition to the age of 87 years, and died at Paris in 1755. 

 Encycl. Hift. Gen. Biog. 



BOFIN, Boffin, or Baffik Lough, in Geography, one 

 of thofe large lakes in Ireland into which the river Shan- 

 non expands, fituattd between the counties of Rolcommon 

 and Leitrim. 



BOG, derived from the Italian buca, a hole, or rather from 

 the Belgic hoogen, to lend, on account of its giving way when 

 trod upon, in Agr'icuUure, a quaggy fort of earth, generally 

 met with in low fituations, covered with coarfe gralFes, but 

 of fo little folidity as to be incapable of fupporting the tread 

 of heavy animals; caufed by the dilToIution, decay, and depo- 

 fltion of different vegetable and other fubltances,'' from the 

 ftagnation and detention of the water that oozes along on 

 the clayey or other thin tenacious flrata below, or which 

 fprings up through the fiffures, or other openings of them. 

 They are of difFtreut kinds, depths, andconfiftencics, accord- 

 ing to the different circumftances of the cafe, and the nature 

 of the fituatiun of the ground on which they are formed, as 

 well as that of the earthy material that enters into their com- 

 pofition. Dr. James Anderfon, in his treatife on draining 

 bogs and fwampy grounds, remarks, that clay is a fubllance 

 that llrongly refills the entrance of water into it ; but, when 

 it is long drenched with water, it is, in procefs of time, in 

 fome meafure, dilfolved thereby, lofing its original finnnefs 

 of texture and confiftence, and becoming a fort of femi-fluid 

 mafs, which is called bog. And as thefe bogs are fometimes 

 covered with a furface of a particular kind of grafs, with 

 very matted roots, which is ftrong enough to bear a fmall 

 weight without breaking, although it yields very much ; it 

 is in thefe circumftances denominated Afivaggle. 



But, whatever be the nature of the bog, it is invariably oc- 

 cafioncd by water being forced up through a bed of clay, as 

 juft defcribed, and diffolving or foftening a part thereof. A 

 part is only mentioned, bccaufc, whatever may be the depth 

 of the bog or fwaggle, it generally has a partition of folid 

 clay between it and the refcrvoir of water under it, whence 

 it originally proceeds. For if this were not the cafe, and the 

 quantity of water were confiderable, it would meet with no 

 fufficicnt refinance from the bog, and would of courfe, iffue 

 through it with violence, and caiTy the whole femi-fluid mafs 

 along with it. This would more inevitably be the cafe, if 

 there was at fird a cruft at the bottom of the bog, and if that 

 crud fhould ever be broken, efpecially if the quantity of 

 water under it was very confiderable. And as it is probable 

 that, in manv cafes of this fort, the water (lowly dilutes more 

 and more of this under-crull, no doubt is entertained but that 

 in the revolution of many ages, a great many irruptions of 

 this kind may have happened ; although they may not have 



BOG 



been deemed of importance enough to have flie hillory of 

 them tranfmitted to pofterity. 



It has been remarked by Mr. King, in the Philofo- 

 phical Tranfaaions, N° 170, that the fprings, with which 

 Ireland abounds, are generally dry, or nearly dry, in the 

 fummer time, and that grafs and weeds grow thick about the 

 places where they burlt out. In the winter, he obfei-ves, 

 they fwcll, run, foftcn, and loofen all the earth about them. 

 The fward or fcurf of the earth, which confifts of the roots 

 of grafs, being lifted up and made fuzzy by the water, at 

 that feafon (he has feen it lifted up afoot or two at the head 

 of fome fprings), is dried in the fpring, and does not fall to- 

 gether, but withers in a tuft, through which arifes new grafs, 

 which is alfo hfted up th.e next winter. By this means the 

 fpring is more and more ftopped, and the fcurf grows thicker 

 and thicker, till at firft it makes the appearance which we 

 call a quaking bog ; and as it grows higher and drier, and 

 the roots of the grafs and other vegttifbles become more pu- 

 trid, together with the mud and llime of the water, it ac- 

 quires a blacknels, and grows into that which we call a turf- 

 bog. 



It is, however, confefTed, that there are quaking-bogs 

 caufed otherwife. When, it is obferved, a ilream or fpring 

 runs through a flat, the paflTage, if not kept open, fills with 

 weeds in fummer, trees fall acrofs it and dam it up ; then in 

 winter the water fl:agnates further every year, till the whole 

 flat is covered. Afterwards a coarfer kind of grafs (hoots 

 up, peculiar to thefe b'^gs ; this grafs grow s in tutts, its roots 

 confolidate together, and its height increafes every year, in- 

 fomuch that he has feen it as tall as a man. This grafs rots 

 in winter, and falls on the tufts, and with it the feed, which 

 fprings up the next year ; and (o continues making an annual 

 addition. Sometimes the tops of the flags and grafs are inter- 

 woven on the furface of the water, and this becomes by 

 dv-i;rees thicker till it lies like a cover on it ; then herbs take 

 root in it, and by the matting of their roots, it becomes very 

 (Irong, fo as to bear a man. He has gone on bogs which 

 would rife before and behind, and fink where he flood to a 

 confiderable depth, under which was clear water. 



It is further obferved, that Ireland abounds in mofs more 

 than any other country ; this mofs isof divers kinds, and that 

 which grows in bogs is very remarkable. The light fpongy 

 turf is nothing but a congeries of the threads of this mofs, be- 

 fore it be fuffieiently rotten ; the turf then looks white, and is 

 light. It has been feen in fuch quantities, audio tough, that 

 the turf-fpades could not cut it. In the north of Ireland, 

 they denominate it old-wives tow, being not much unlike 

 flax. The turfholesiH time grow up with it again ; and all 

 the little gutters in bogs are generally filled with it. To this 

 he chiefly imputes the red or turf bog ; and from the fame 

 caufe even the hardened turf, when broken, is ftringy, though 

 there plainly appear in it partsof other vegetables ; and he is 

 almoft, from fome obfervations, tempted to believe, that the 

 feed of this bog-mofs begets heath, whtn it falls on dry and 

 parched ground. However, the mofs is fo fuzzy and quick- 

 growing a vegetable, that it greatly (lops the fpring, and 

 contributes to thicken the fcurf, efptcially in red bogs, 

 where he remembers to have obferved this mofl: particularly. 

 The fituations of land may fometimes contribute to the form- 

 ation of bogs in it, as flat fpots of ground lower than the 

 level of an adjoining liver or lake ; for when that part is 

 filled up by the (limt and earth brought from the furrounding 

 grounds, and the rotten plants and animals, which are buried 

 in it, have choked it up, it will become a bog ; and then the 

 water will continue to flow into it from the river or lake, 

 efpecially when either of thefe is fwelled by a fall of rain or 

 melting of fnow, Thefe waters may alfo fometimes have 



this 



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