B L A 
ginia, and was afterwards, bythe fame bifhop, made c.om- 
tyilfary for that colony. He diftinguifhed liiml'elf by his 
exemplary conduit and unwearied labours in the work of 
the m ini (try ; and, finding that the want of proper femina- 
ries for the advancement of religion and learning was a 
great obftacle to the propagation of the gofpel, he formed 
a defign of creating and endowing a college at Williamf- 
■burgh, in Virginia, for profeffors and ftudents in academi¬ 
cal learning. He therefore not only fet on foot a volun¬ 
tary fubfcription ; but, in 1693, came to England to folicit 
the affair at court: when queen Mary was fo well plea-fed 
with the noble defign, that (lie efpoufed it with particular 
zeal ; and, king William readily concurring, a patent was 
palled for eredting and endowing a college by the name of 
the William and Mary college, of which Mr. Blair was ap¬ 
pointed prelident, and enjoyed that office near fifty years. 
He wasalfo redlor of Williamlburgh, and prelident of the 
council in that colony. He wrote, Our Saviour’s divine 
Sermon on the Mount explained in feveral Sermons, 4 
vols. 8vo ; and died in 1743. 
BLAIR (John), was educated at Edinburgh ; and came 
to London in company with Andrew Henderfon, a volu¬ 
minous writer, who, in his title-pages fiyled himfelf A. M. 
and for fome years kept a bookfeller’s fhop in Weflminfler- 
hall. Henderfon’s firlf employment was that of an ulher 
at a fchool in Hedge-lane, in which he was fucceeded by 
his friend Blair, who, in 1754, obliged the world with a 
valuable publication, under the title of The Chronology 
and Hiliory of the World, from the Creation to the Year 
of Chrilt 1753. Illuftrated in fifty-fix tables ;'of which 
four are introductory, and contain the centuries prior to 
the fir ft Olympiad ; and each of the remaining fifty-two, 
contain in one expanded view fifty years, or half a cen¬ 
tury. By the Rev. John Blair; LL. D.- This volume, 
which is dedicated to lord chancellor Hardvvicke, was 
publi(lied by fubfcription, on account of the great ex¬ 
pence of the plates, for which the author apologized in 
his preface, where he acknowledged great obligations 
to the earl of Bath, and announced fome chronological 
differtations, wherein he propofed to illuflrate the difputed 
points, to explain the prevailing fyflems of chonology, 
and to eftablifh the authorities upon which fome of the 
particular teras depend. In January 1755, h e was defied 
F. R. S. and in 1761 F. A. S. In 1736 he publifhed a 
fecond edition of his Chronological Tables. In Septem¬ 
ber 1737, he was appointed chaplain to the princefs dow¬ 
ager of Wales, and mathematical tutor to the duke of 
York ; and, on Dr. Townfhend’s promotion to the deanry 
of Norwich, theYervices of Dr. Blair were rewarded, 
March 10, 1761, with a prebendal flail at Weflminfler. 
The vicarage of Hinckley happening to fall vacant fix 
days after, Dr. Blair was prefented to it by the dean and 
chapter of Weflminfler; and, in Auguft that year he ob¬ 
tained a difpenfation to hold with it the reflory of Burton 
Coggles in Lincolnlhire. In September 1763 he attended 
lfis royal pupil the duke of York in a tour to the conti¬ 
nent ; had the fatisfaction of viliting Lilbon, Gibraltar, 
Minorca, and mofl of the principal cities in Italy, and 
feveral parts of France ; and returned with the duke in 
Auguft 1764. In 1768 he publifhed an improved edition 
of his Chronological Tables, which he dedicated to the 
princefs of Wales. To this edition were annexed, four¬ 
teen maps of ancient and modern geography, for illuflrat- 
ing the tables of chronology and hiflory ; to which is pre¬ 
fixed a differtation on the progrefs of geography. In 
March 1771 he was prefented by the dean and chapter of 
Weflminfler to the vicarage of St. Bride’s in London ; 
which made it neceffary for him to refign Hinckley. In 
April 1776 he refigned St. Bride’s, and was prefented to 
the redtory of St. John the evangelifl in Weflminfler ; 
and in June that year obtained a difpenfation to hold the 
redlory of St. John with that of Horton, near Colebrooke,' 
Bucks. His brother, captain Blair, falling glorioufly in 
the fervice of his country in the memorable fea-fight of 
April iz, 1782, the fhock accelerated the doctor's death. 
-Vol. Ill, No, 118, 
B L A 85 
He had at the fame time the influenza in a fevere degree, 
which put a period to his life, June 24, 1782. 
BLAIR .(Captain), brother to the above, for his gallant 
conduit in the Dolphin friga'te in the engagement with the 
Dutch on the Dogger Bank, Auguft 3, 1781, was pro¬ 
moted to the command of the Anfon, a new (hip of fixty- 
four guns. By bravely diftinguifhing himfelf under fir 
George Rodney, in the adtion with count de Graffe, in 
America, lie-fell in the bed of honour, and became one 
of three heroes to whom their country, by its reprefenta- 
tives in parliament, has voted a monument, for which an 
ingenious writer propofed the following v\ eii-adapted lines 
as part of an epitaph : 
“ This la(l juft tribute grateful Britain pays, 
That diflant time may learn her heroes’ praife. 
Fir’d with like zeal, fleets yet unform’d (hall gain 
Another Blair, a Manners, and a Bayne ; 
And future chiefs fhall unrepining bleed, 
When lenates thus reward and celebrate the deed.” 
BLAIR, or Blair Athol, a town of Scotland, in 
the county of Perth, with a caftle called Blair Cajlle, the 
feat of the duke of Athol: fixty-two miles north of Perth. 
The caflle was befieged by the Highland army in 1746 ; 
and bravely defended by fir Andrew Agnew, who was 
reduced to eat horfe’s flefh, until he was relieved by the 
Heffians under the carl of Crawford. 
BLAl'RIA, f. See Verbena. 
BLAISE, a river of France, which runs into the 
Marne, near Larzicour, in the department of the Marne. 
BLAISE, a town of France, in the department of the 
Upper Marne, and chief place of a canton, in the dillrict 
of Chaumont : twelve miles north-north-weft of Chaumont. 
BLAI'SOIS, before the revolution,aprovinceof France, 
bounded on the eaft by Orleanuois, on the fouth by Berry, 
on the weft by Touraine, and on the north by Vendomois 
and Dunois. The country is accounted one of the mofl 
agreeable in France. Blois was the capital. It now forms 
the department of Loir and Cher. 
BLAI'SON, a town of France, in the department of 
the Mayne and Loire, and chief place of a canton, in the 
diftridt of Angers : eight miles fouth-eall of Angers. 
BLAKE (Robert), a famous Englifli admiral, bom 
Auguft 1589, at Bridgewater in Sornerfetfhire, where he 
was educated at the grammar-fchool. He went from 
thence to Oxford in 1613, where he was entered at St. 
Alban’s hall. From thence he removed to Wadham col¬ 
lege: and on the 10th of February 1617, he took the de¬ 
gree of bachelor of arts. In 1623, he wrote A Copy of 
Verfes on the Death of Mr. Cambden, and foon after¬ 
wards left the univerfity. He was tindlnred ftrongly with 
republican principles; and, difliking that feverity with 
which Dr. Laud, then bifhop of Bath and Wells, prelfed 
uniformity in his diocefe, he began to fall into the dillent- 
ing opinions-. His natural bluntnefs caufing his principles 
to be well known, the puritan party returned him member 
for Bridgewater in 1640; and he ferved in the parliament 
army with great courage during the civil war: but, when 
the king was brought to trial, he highly difapproved the 
meafure as illegal, and was frequently heard to fay, ‘ He 
would as freely venture his life to lave the king, as ever he 
did to ferve the parliament.’ But this is thought to have 
been chiefly owing to the humanity of his temper, (ince 
after the death of the king he fell in wholly with the re¬ 
publican party, and, next to Cronnveli, was the ablefl 
officer the parliament had. February 12, 1649, he was 
appointed, in conjundtion with colonel Dean and colonel 
Popham, to command the fleet ; and foon after blocked 
up prince Maurice and prince Rupert in Kinfale harbour. 
But, thefe getting out, Blake followed them from port to 
port: and at lafl attacked them in Malaga-bay, burnt and 
deflroyed their whole fleet, two (hips only excepted, the 
Reformation in which prince Rupert himfelf was, and the 
Swallow commanded by his brother prince Maurice. In 
1652, he was conflituted foie admiral; when he defeated 
2 tl\o 
