77 
B L A 
Articled in the manner mod conducive to the ends of fo- 
iitary confinement, ufeful labour, and moral reformation. 
Accordingly, government propofed premiums for the bell 
plans that (hould be produced. The higheft premium 
was a hundred guineas, which was affigned to Mr. Black¬ 
burn, in March 1782. Yet the deligns of government, 
in this refpect, were never carried into execution ; nor has 
the fubjetl been fince refumed, Neverthelefs, though 
Mr. Blackburn might in this refpecl be difappointed, lie 
did not lofe his reward, nor was the nation deprived of the 
benefit arifing from his ingenuity. A fpirit of ereCting 
prifons in conformity to his plans was immediately excited ; 
and many county gaols, and other ftrudtures of the fame 
nature, were built under his infpeftion. Befides the com¬ 
pletion of feveral prifons, Mr. Blackburn was engaged 
in other defigns of a fimilar nature, when he was arrefted 
by the hand of death, in the fortieth year of his age, on 
the 2.8th of October, 1790, at Prefton in Lancafiiire, being 
on a journey to Scotland, where he was going at the in- 
flance of the duke of Buccleugh, and the lord provoft of 
Glafgovv, with a view to ereCt a new gaol in that city. 
BLACK'BURN, a market-town in Lancafiiire, diftant 
from London 208 miles, eight from Haflingdon, fixteen 
from Bury, twenty-five from Manchetler, eleven and a 
half from Prefton. The manufactures carried on in this 
town are cotton, calicoes, and muflin. There are three 
churches, viz. Ola Church, St. John’s, (lately built,) 
and St. Paul’s; alfo Methodift and Diflenting meetings. 
The town lies in a pleafing valley. There are four (lone 
bridges over the Derwent, from the blacknefs of whofe 
water here the town takes its name. The market is on 
Wednefday; fairs, Eafter Monday, Ma.y n, and Sep¬ 
tember 29. By the late inland navigation, this place has 
communication with the rivers Merfey, Dee, Ribble, 
Oufe, Trent, Severn, Humber, Thames, Avon, &c. 
which navigation, including its windings, extends above 
500 miles in the counties of Lincoln, Nottingham, York, 
Weftmoreland, Chefter, Stafford, Warwick, Leicefter, 
Oxford, Worcefter, &c. 
BLACKBUR'NIA,y. [fo named by Forfler, in ho¬ 
nour of John and Anna Blackburne, of Orford in Lanca- 
ihire.] In botany, a genus of the clafs tetrandria, order 
monogynia. The generic characters are—Calyx : peri- 
anthium very fhort, four-toothed, inferior ; teeth fiiort, 
acute, horizontal. Corolla : petals four, elliptic. Sta¬ 
mina : filaments four, Tabulate, rather fhorter than the 
petals ; antherae heart-fliaped, ereCt. Piftillum : germ 
conic; (tyle filiform, ereCt, length of the (tamens ; ftigma 
fimple. Seed : Angle.— EJjential CharaEler. Calyx four¬ 
toothed ; petals four, elliptic; anthers heart-fhaped ; 
germ conic ; ftigma fimple ; pericarpium berry, with a 
(ingle feed. 
Only one fpecies is known, called blackburnia pinnata: 
leaves alternate, abruptly pinnate, with two or three pairs 
of leaflets, which are oppofite, oblique, ovate, quite en¬ 
tire, and very fmooth. Panicles axillary, fmall. It is in 
habit hot unlike ptelea trifoliata, and whether it ought to 
be feparated from that genus cannot be determined till we 
are better acquainted with the fruit. Native of Norfolk 
Eland. Found there in 1774. 
BLACK-CAP, f. in ornithology. See Motacilla. 
BLACK-C ATTLE,y. Oxen, bulls, and cows.—The 
other part of the grazier’s bnfinefs is what we call black- 
cattle, produces hides, tallow, and beef, for exportation. 
Swift. 
BI.ACK-CAVE HEAD, a cape on the eaft coafl of 
Ireland, in the Irifh fea. Lat. 54. 53. N. Ion. 5.43. W. 
Greenwich. 
BLACK-E ARTH,y Is every where obvious on the 
furface of the ground, and what we call mould. 
To BLAC'KEN, v. a. To make of a black colour. To 
darken ; to cloud.—That little cloud that appeared at 
firft to Elijah’s fervant no bigger than a man’s hand, but 
prefently after grew, and fpread, and blackened the face of 
the whole heaven. South. —To defame, or make infamous : 
Vox,. HI. No. 117. 
B L A 
The morals blacken'd , when the writings ’feape, 
The hbell’d perfon, and the pictur’d (ltape. Pope. 
To BLACKEN, v. n. To grow black, or dark : 
The foreft (hook around, 
Air blacken'd, roll’d the thunder, groan’d the ground. 
Dry den. 
BLACK-EUNUCHS, in the cuftoms of ~aftern nations, 
are Ethiopians caftrated, to whom their princes commonly 
commit the care of their women. See Eunuch. 
BLACK FOREST, a foreft of Germany, in Suabia, 
running from north to fouth between Ortnau, Brifgaw, 
part of the duchy of Wirtemberg, the principality of Fufi- 
temburg towards the fource of the Danube, as far as the 
Rhine above Bafil. It is part of the ancient Hyrcanian 
foreft. 
BLACK-FRIARS, f. A name given to the Dominicats 
order; called Mo predicants and preaching friars-, in France, 
jacobins. 
BLACK-GUARD, f. [from black and guard. ] A 
cant word amongft the vulgar; by which is implied a 
dirty fellow ; of the meaneft kind.—Let a black-guard boy 
be always about the houfe, to fend on your errands, and 
go to market for you on rainy days. Swift. 
BLACK'HALL (Offspring, D. D.), an eminent Eng- 
lifli divine, born in London in 1654, and educated at Ca¬ 
tharine Hall, Cambridge. In 1690, he was inducted intai 
the living of South Okendon, Elfex, and four years after¬ 
wards to the reCtory of St. Mary Aldermary, London; 
and was fucceflively chofen lecturer of St. Olave’s, and 
of St. Dunftan’s in the Weft. He was likewife appointed 
chaplain to king William. He preached before the houfe 
of commons January 30, 1699, and in his fermon animad¬ 
verted on Mr. Toland, for aflerting, in his Life of Milton, 
that Charles 1 . was not the author of Icon Bafilike, and 
for fome infinuations againft the authenticity of the Holy 
Scriptures; which drew him into fome controverfy with, 
that author. In 1700, he preached a courfe of fermons 
at Boyle’s leCture, in the cathedral church of St. Paul, 
which were afterwards publifhed. In 1707, he was con» 
fecrated to the bithopric of Exeter. Burnet, having men¬ 
tioned him and Sir William Dawes as raifed to bifhoprics, 
tells us, “that thefe divines were in thendelves men of 
value and worth ; but their notions were all on the other 
fide. They had fubmitted to the government; but they, 
at lead Blackball, feemed to condemn the revolution, and 
had refufed for two years to take the oath of allegiance to 
king William.” He died at Exeter, November 29, 1716, 
and was interred in the cathedral there. 
BLACK'HALL HEAD, a cape at the fouth-weft coaft 
of Ireland, at the ,north entrance into Bantry Bay, in the 
county of Cork. Lat. 51. 32. N. Ion. 9. 55. W. Greenwich. 
BLACK'HEAD, a cape, on the eaft coaft of Ireland, 
at the north entrance into Belfaft Lough : four miles north- 
eaft of Carrickfergus. 
BLACK'HEAD, a cape, on the fouth coaft of Ireland, 
on the weft fide of Kinfale harbour : five miles fouth of 
Kinfale. 
BLACK'HEAD, a cape on the weft coaft: of Ireland, 
on the fouth fide of the entrance into Galway Bay. Lat. 
53. 7. N. Ion. 9. 11. W. Greenwich. 
BLACK'HEAD, a cape on the weft coaft of Scotland, 
in the county of Wigton : fix miles weft-fouth-weft of 
Stranraer. 
BLACKING, f. A factitious black ; as lamp-black, 
(hoe-black, &c. A mixture of ivory or lamp black with 
linfeed-oil makes the common oil blacking. For a (tuning 
blacking, fmall-beer or water is ufed inftead of oil, in 
the proportion of about a pint to an ounce of.the ivory- 
black, with the addition of half an ounce of brown fugar, 
and as much gum arabic. The white of an egg fubftituted 
for the gum makes the black more (tuning ; but is fup- 
po(ed to hurt the leather, and make it crack. The black, 
ing now mod extenfi vely in ufe, and from which fimple ar. 
tide a capital fortune has been made, is the cakes lately 
X intr . 1 ,;i 
