B 17 B 



fft.ibliflied figures of wax of the natural fize for t'le Iniman 

 vidims. Herodotus, on the otherhand, contends (lib. ii.), that 

 the Egyptians were never guilty of this crime. " How can a 

 people," fays he, " who can fcarccly prevail upon thcmfelves 

 to facrifice a few animals, flicd human blood upon the altars 

 of their gods ?" In order to reconcile thefe coiitradiftory 

 tellimonies, Savary co:ijeftjrcs, that the palloral Arabs, who 

 fubjuo-ated Egypt, long before the arrival of the Ifratlites, 

 hrni'glit with them that barbarous cullom, which had been 

 ellabhihed among them from remote antiquity ; and as an 

 evidence of the probability of this opinion, it is fut;geftcd, 

 that the Egyptians abftained from fliedding human blood, as 

 foon as the Pharaoh Amafis had taken Helicpolis from thefe 

 ferocious conquerors, and had driven them to the frontieis 

 of Arabia. 



It has been qucftioncd, hov7 Bubaftis could be called tlie 

 daughter of Ifis, as (he W3s alfo the fynibol of the moon. 

 The Egyptian theology, f?ys Savary, explains this apparent 

 contradiction. Itis was the general appellation of the moon, 

 Bubaltis a particular attribute. 'I'he fun, in cnnjunftion 

 with the ftar of the night, formed the ceiellial marriage of 

 Ofiris and Ills ; the crefcent, which appears three days after, 

 was allegorically ilykd their d .lighter. In this fenfe, the 

 Hebrews called the fame phenomenon " the birth of the 

 moon ;" and to the fame purpofe Horace fays, (od. 2j. 

 lib. iii.) : 



" Coelo fupinas fi tuh ris manus, 



Nafccnte luna, ruilica Phidylc," Src. 

 Hence we may deduce the reafon why, in the city of Ili- 

 thyia, where Biibaltis v.-as adored, the third day of the lu- 

 nar month was confccrated by a particular wurfhip. On 

 this day the moon aifumes the form of a crefcent ; and 

 therefore the Egyptians celebrated a folemnitr in honour of 

 BubalUs, which in their tongue figniiied " New Moon." 

 The crefcent with which her head was crowned, obvionfly 

 exprcffes the intention of the pricfts in creating this fymbo- 

 lical divinity. Savary's Letters on Egypt, vol. ii. 



BUBASTUS (Cramer), in Entomology, a variety of 

 Sphinx diflyma, Fabr. See DiDyma. 



BUBBLES, BtiLL^E, in Phyfics, little round drops or 

 veficles of any fluid filled with air, and formed, either on 

 its fnrface, upon the addition of more of the fluid, as in 

 raining ; or in its fubftance, upon a vigorous intcltine com- 

 motion of its parts. 



Bubbles are dilatable or comprefllble, i. e. they take up 

 tnore or lefs room, as the included nir is more or lefs heated, 

 or more or lefs prefTed, from without ; and are round, be- 

 caufe the included aura afts equably from within all round. 

 Their coat, or cover, is formed of the minute particles of 

 the fluid, retained either by the velocity of the air, or by 

 the brillc attraftion between thofe minute parts and the air. 

 See Colour. 



Thefe little bubbles, riling up from fluids, or hanging on 

 their furface, form the white fcum at top; and thefe fame 

 bubble? form the lleam, or vapour, flying up from liquors 

 in boiling, &c. the manner of which fee under Boiling, 

 Vapodr, &c. 



Bubble, in Commerce, is a cant name given to a fort of 

 projeils, for the railing of money on imaginary grounds ; 

 very frequent in the years 1718, 1719, 1720. 



The pretended defign of thefe undertakings was, to raife 

 a (lock, for the retrieving, fetting on foot, or carrying on 

 fome promifing and ufeful branch of trade, manufaflure, 

 machinery, or the like. In order to which, propofals were 

 given out, (hewing the advantages of the defign, and invit- 

 ing perfons into it. The fum neceffary to carry on the af- 

 fair, together with the profits expedsd from it, were di- 



BUB 



vidod Info a certain number of fliarcs, or fubfcrjptloiw, 



be purehafed by perfons difpofed to adventure therein Tl 



real defign, in iomc, was to raife a fum for the private ac 

 vantage of the projcftors, to be laid out by them in the 

 South-fea flock, &c. in hopes, by the rife thereof, to be able 

 to refund the fublcribers' money, with prolit to, thenifelves. 

 In others, the delign was abfulutily to defraud the adven- 

 turers of their fubfcription money, without any view to re- 

 ftitntion. There was a third kind fomcwhat d)(rerciit ; the 

 projcftors of thefe, to pioceed the nior^: fecurely, propofeJ 

 to have books opened, and fubfcriptions taken at fonie 

 time to come ; and in the mean time took money by way of 

 premium, to entitle perfons to be admitted fubfcribers, as 

 ioon as tlie affnir ilould be ripe for dividing into fliarcs, 

 Several thoufand fliares were thus very frequently bcfpokc in 

 one day ; aiid pivmiams, from one fliilliiig to fome pounds, 

 paid thereupon to the profits of the projeflors. 



The number of bubbles, and their qualities, are very ex- 

 tra.jrdinary ; fome of them, too, authorized by p<ttents ; 

 an',', in others, the prnjeiflors and their proprietors formed 

 into corporations ; fome for iiflierie-', fume for infuranccs, 

 foine for the digging of rr.ines, Sic. A llatute was enafted 

 (6 Geo. I. c. iS), which fubjecled all unwarrantable under- 

 takings, by unlav.-ful fubfcriptions, to the penalties of a 

 " pra;r.»unire ;" and a proclamation was ilfucd in 172c, for 

 f'.tppreffing thefe bubbles ; but they were not fufiicient for 

 rellraining and aboH(hing them. At length, in the fame 

 year, writs of " fcire facias" were ilTued againil feveral com- 

 panies by name, and in general againft all other projefts 

 promiilgated contrary to law ; and the crown-lawyers were 

 fl:riftly enjoined to profecute all fuch as had opened books 

 of fubfcriptions, and all who fubfcribed to thtm, or who 

 made or accepted any transfer in them. The publication of 

 the " fcire facias," by authority, in th.e Gazette, llruck fo 

 general a panic amongll the condu6tors of ail thefe bubbles, 

 that the fuddennefs of their fall was no lefs aftonilhing tliau 

 their extent and maj'-nitude. 



BUBBLING Waters. See Water. 



BUBBOI^A, in Ornlihology, a fynonymous name of tlic 

 hoopoe, vfiupa epops, which (ce. 



BUBEREZiNOUSKOI, in Geography, a town of Ruf. 

 fian Tartary, on the river Zulux, 32 miles north of Arka- 

 dinlkaia. 



BUBIL, in Ormlho!ogv, a fpecies of TuRDUs, of a brown 

 colour, with a black longitudinal band behind the eye. 

 Gmel. This inhabits China, and is the only fong-bird that 

 is naturally an inhabitant of the Chinefe dominions. It is 

 the fame fpecies as the ioi//'/7 already defcribed. See Boi;. 



BIL. 



BUBLITZ, in Geography, a town of Hinder Pomerania, 

 in the principality of Cammin, 4 miles S. E. from Coflin. 

 This fmall town, belonging to a bailiwick of the fame name, 

 lies on the Gozcl, not far from the borders of Poland. In 

 l60j', and again in 1O82, it was wholly confumed by 

 fire. 



BUBO, in /lnatomy, is fometimes ufed to denote that 

 part otherwife called ingiien, or groin. 



Bubo, in Ornilhoiogy, a fpecies of Strix, or owl of the 

 cared tribe, known in this country by the name of the great 

 eared, or horned owl. This bird is the largefl fpecies of its 

 tribe, being in point of fize almoll equal to the eagle. Wil. 

 lugliby for this reafon calls it the eagle-owl. The body of 

 this creature is of a tawny colour, very beautifully variegated 

 with lines, ftreaks, and fpeckles of black, brown, cinereous, 

 and ferruginous. The wings are long ; the tail fliort, and 

 marked with diilky bars ; legs thick, covered down to the 

 extremity of the toes with a thick and clofe down of a tcrta- 

 3 1^ - ceous 



