B I R 
BI'RAGUE (Clement), a Milanefe engraver, and the 
inventor of the art of cutting diamonds, flourifhed about 
the year 15S0. 
BIR'BOOM, a town of Hindooftan, in the country of 
Benares : fifty-iix miles weft-fouth-weft of Moorfhedabad, 
and one hundred north-north-weft of Calcutta. 
BIRCH (Dr. Thomas), an eminent hiftorical and bio¬ 
graphical writer, born in London in 1705. His parents 
were both qtiakers ; and his father, Jofeph Birch, was a 
coffee-mill-maker by trade. Thomas, being put to fchool, 
was indefatigable in his application, and dole many hours 
from deep to increafe his dock of knowledge. By this 
unremitting diligence, though he had not the advantage 
of an uniyerfity education, he foon became qualified to 
take orders in the church of England, to the furprife of his 
friends. In 1728, lie married the daughter of the Rev. 
Mr. Cox, to whom he was curate : but his felicity was of 
Ihort duration, Mrs. Birch dying of a puerperal fever in 
lefs than twelve months after their marriage ; an event 
which he deplores in a very elegant and pathetic poem, 
preferved in Nichols’s Colledtion. In 1732 he was recom¬ 
mended to the frienddiip and favour of the late lord high 
chancellor Hardwicke, then attorney-general; to which 
noble family he was indebted for all his preferments. The 
firft proof he experienced of his patron’s regard was the 
living of Ulting, in Effex, to which he was prefented in 
1732. In 1734 he was appointed one of the domeftic chap¬ 
lains to the unfortunate earl of Kilmarnock, who was be¬ 
headed in 1746. Mr. Birch was chofen a member of the 
Royal Society, Feb. 20, 1734-5 > an d of the Society of 
Antiquaries, Dec. 11, 1735, °f which he afterwards be¬ 
came director till his death. Before this, the Marifchal 
college of Aberdeen had conferred on him, by diploma, 
the degree of mailer of arts. In 1743, by the intereft of 
lord Hardwicke, he was prefented by the crown to the 
finecure redlory of Llandewy Welfrey, in the county of 
Pembroke ; and in 1743-4 was preferred to the rectory of 
Sidington, in the county and diocefe of Gloucefter. We 
find no traces of his having taken pofleffion of this living; 
and indeed it is probable that he quitted it immediately 
for one more fnitable to his literary engagements, which 
required his almoft conftant relidence in town ; for, on the 
34th of February, 1743-4, he was inftituted to the united 
redlories of St. Michael, Wood-ftreet, and St. Mary, 
Staining; and, in 1745-6, to the united rectories of St. 
Margaret Pattens, and St. Gabriel, Fenclnirch-ftreet. In 
January, 1752, he w'as elected one of the fecretaries of the 
Royal Society, in the room of Dr. Cromwell Mortimer. 
In 1753, the Marifchal college of Aberdeen created him 
doctor of divinity; and in that year the fame degree was 
conferred on him by archbifhop Herring. He was made 
one of the truftees of the Britilh Mufeum ; and in the lat¬ 
ter part of his life he was chaplain to the princefs Amelia. 
In 1765, he refigned his office of fecretary to the Royal 
Society, and was fucceeded by Dr. Morton. His health 
now declining, he was ordered to ride for the recovery of 
it ; but, being a bad horfeman, and going out January 9, 
1766, he was unfortunately thrown from his horfe, on the 
road betwixt London and Hampftead, and died on the 
fpot, in the fixty-firft year of his age, to the great regret 
of the doftor’s. numerous literary friends, and was buried 
in St. Margaret Pattens. Dr. Birch was a very worthy 
man, and a very ufeful member of fociety. He had in his 
life-time been very generous to his relations and, none 
that were nearly allied to him being living at his deceafe, 
he bequeathed his library of books and manufcripts, with 
his picture painted in 1735, and all his other pictures and 
prints not otherwife difpofed of by his will, to the Britilh 
Mufeum. He likewife left the remainder of his fortune, 
which amounted to not much more than 500I. to be laid 
out in government fecurities, for the purpofe of applying 
the intereft to increafe the ftipend of the three afliftant li¬ 
brarians : thus manifefting at his death, as he had done 
during his whole life, his refpeft for literature, and his 
defire to promote ufeful knowledge. His principal pub- 
Vol. III. No. ijS. 
B I R 49 
lications were, 1. The General Diftionary, Hiftorical and 
Critical ; Including a new tranflation of Mr. Bayle, and, 
interfperfed with feveral thoufand new lives. Dr. Birch’s 
affociates in this undertaking were, the Rev. John Peter 
Bernard, Mr. John Lockman, and Mr. George Sale. The 
whole defign was completed in ten volumes folio. 2. Dr. 
Cudworth’s Intellectual Syftem (improved from the Latin 
edition of Mofheim), his Difcourfe on the true Notion of 
the Lord’s Supper, and two Sermons, with an account of 
his Life and Writings, two vols. 4to, 1743. 3. The Life 
of the Hon. Robert Boyle, 1744; prefixed to an edition 
of that excellent philofopher’s works, revifed by Dr. 
Birch. 4. The Lives of Illuftrious Perfons of Great Bri¬ 
tain, annexed to the engravings of Houbraken and Vertue, 
1747-1752. 5. An Inquiry into the Share which Charles I. 
had in the Tranfadtions of the Earl of Glamorgan, 1747, 
8vo. 6. An edition of Spenfer’s Fairy (Lueen, 1751, three 
vols. 4to. 7. The Mifcellaneous Works of Sir Walter Ra¬ 
leigh ; two vols. 8vo. 8. The Theological, Moral, Dra¬ 
matic, and Poetical, Works of Mrs. Catharine Cockburn ; 
with an Account of the Life of that very ingenious Ladv, 
1751, two vols. 8vo. 9. The Life of Dr. Tillot(br), arch- 
bilhop of Canterbury, compiled chiefly from his original 
Papers and Letters, 1752, Svo. 10. Milton’s Profe Works, 
1753, two vols. 4to. 11. Memoirs of the Reign of Omen 
Elizabeth, in which the fecret Intrigues of her Court, and 
the Conduct of her favourite Robert earl of EiTex, are 
particularly illuftrated, 1754, two vols. 4to. 12. The 
Hiftory of the Royal Society of London, from its firft rife. 
In which the moft confiderable of thole Papers communica¬ 
ted to the Society, which have hitherto not been pubhlh- 
ed, are infected in their proper order, as a Supplement to 
the Philofophical Tranfadtions, 1756 and 1757, four vols. 
4to. 13. The Life of Henry Prince of Wales, eldeft Son 
of James I. 1760, 8vo. His numerous communications 
to the Royal Society may be feen in the Philofophical 
TranfaCtions ; and his poetical talents aie evident frora 
the verfes already referred to. 
BIRCH-TREE. See Betui.a. 
BIRCH-BARK, being of a fragrant fmell, is Ufed in 
fumigations to correct infected air. The inner lilken bark 
was anciently ufed for writing-tables before the invention 
of paper ; though Ray rather affigns the office of paper to 
the cuticle, or outer fkin, which peels otf yearly. And 
with the outward, thicker, and coarfer, part, are houfes 
in Ruffia, Poland, and other northern countries, covered, 
inftead of Hates and tiles. The Indians make pinnaces 
with white cedar, which they cover with large flakes of 
beech bark, fewing them with thread of fpruce-roots, ami 
pitching them, as the ancient Britons did with the willow. 
BIRCH (fungus of), an excrefcence growing on its 
trunk. It is aftringent, and good againft hemorrhagies. 
When boiled, beaten, and dried in an oven, it makes ex¬ 
cellent fpunk, or touch-wood. 
BIRCH-WINE is made by fermenting the vernal juice. 
Formerly it was in great repute againft all nephritic dif- 
orders, but it is left out of modern practice. 
BIRCK, a town of Germany, in the circle of Weftpha- 
lia, and duchy of Berg : three miles north-eaft of Siegberg. 
BIRD (William), an eminent mufician and compofer, 
was one of the children of the chape! in the reign of Ed¬ 
ward VI. and, as it is-afierted by Wood in the Afhmoleah 
MS. was bred up under Tallis. It appears, that, in 1575, 
Tallis and Bird were both gentlemen and organifts of the 
royal chapel; but the time of their appointment to this 
latter office cannot now be afeertained. The compofitions 
of Bird are many and various; thofe of ltis younger years 
were moftly for the fervice of the church. He compofed 
a work entitled “ Sacrarum Cantionum quinque vocnm,” 
printed in 1589; among which is that noble compofition 
“ Civitas famSli tui,” which for many years paft has been 
fung in the church as an anthem. He was alio the author 
of “ Gradualia, ac Cantiones facrae, quinis, quaterriis, 
trinifque vocibus concinnatas, lib. primus.” Of this there 
are two editions, the latter publiihed in 1610. Although 
