B Y , N 
hood. In 1705, in about two months time, be took twelve 
of the enemy’s largdl privateers, with the Thetis French 
man-of-war of forty-four guns; and alfo feven merchant- 
Ihips, moff of them richly laden. The number of men 
taken 011-board was 2070, and of guns 334. In 1718, he 
was made admiral and commander in chiet of the fleet, and 
was fent with a fquadron into the Mediterranean for the 
protection of Italy. In this expedition he detached cap¬ 
tain Walton in the Canterbury, with five more (hips, in 
purfuit of lix Spaaifli memof-war, with gallics, fire-fliips, 
bomb-velfels, and (lore-(hips; who feparated from the 
main fleet, and Hood in for the Sicilian fliore. Of thefe, 
lie took four men-of-war, a bomb-vclfel, and a (hip laden 
with arms ; and burned four, with a fire-fhip and bomb- 
veffel. George I. made the admiral a hand Tome prefent, 
and fent him plenipotentiary powers to negotiate with the 
princes and dates of Italy, as there (iiottld be ocealion. He 
procured the emperor’s troops free accefs into the fortrefles 
thar (fill held out in Sicily; failed .afterwards to Malta, 
and brought out the Sicilian galiies, and a (hip belonging 
to the Turkey company. Soon after he received a gra¬ 
cious letter from the emperor Charles.VI. written witli 
his own hand, accompanied with a picture of his imperial 
majefiy, fer round with very large diamonds, as a mark 
of the grateful fenfe.he had of his fervices. It was en¬ 
tirely owing to : his advice and afliliance, that the.Germans 
retook the city of Medina, in 1719, and deffroyed the 
'flops that lay in the balon, which entirely completed the 
ruin of the naval power of Spain. The Spaniards, being 
much diffreffed, offered to quit; Sicily ; but the admiral 
declared that the Spaiiilh .troops fhould never be fullered 
to quit the ifland, till the king ot Spain bad acceded to 
the quadruple alliance. And to his conduft: it was owing, 
that Sicily was fubdued, and ids Catholic. majefiy forced 
to accept he terms..prescribed, by the quadruple alliance. 
After performing lo many lignal fervices, the king receiv¬ 
ed him .with the mod gracious- expreflions of favour and 
(atisf'aftion, made him rear-admiral of England, and trea- 
furer ot the navy; one of his mod hohourable privy..coun¬ 
cil; baron Byog of Sou thill, in the county of Bedford; 
vifcount Torrington in Devonihire ; and one of the knights 
jCpmpanions of the bath, upon the revival of that order. 
In 1727, George II. on his gcce.lfion to the crown, placed 
him at th.e.head of his naval affairs, as firff lord commif- 
fioner of the .admiralty;; in .which high Itaiion he died 
January J7, 17.33, in the 70th year of his age, .and was 
buried at Southill, in Bedford (hire. 
BYNG (John), the unfortunate fon of the former, was 
bred totlve fep, and rofe to the rank of adiaii'al.of the blue. 
He gave many proofs of courage.; bur, .upon a dubious 
fentence for negleft of duty, was (hot on-boarcl the. Mo- 
narque man-of-war at Portfmo.utli, March.34, 1757. This 
feyerity Iws been often attributed rather to party rage, 
than as an example demanded by drift jullice; and on this 
fubjecl, captain Beatl.on, in Iris Memoirs of Great Britain, 
. publifhed in 1790, has the following remark : “ The juf- 
tice.of admiral .Byng’s fate has-been, doubted by .many, 
and we cannot help being of opinion, that it was bv far 
too rigorous a fentence for tire ofiVoce-committed. Many 
perhaps dill think him gu,i;lty ; but time,..which gradually 
. ££ts ;t-be better of prejudices, has gained numbers over to 
a contrary opinion, making them view thingsnn a very dif¬ 
ferent light, when no longer hooq,winked by party rage, 
or an inflamed, imagination. Even at the very time of paff- 
. ing fentence on him, ..many fen.fible and brave ine.n thought 
him innocent. We may further obferve, that the lapfe of 
..jn.ore than thirty years has thrown much light pa this tra¬ 
gedy; there .being now the bed reafoivs for prei'uming, 
that the court-martial did not clearly comprehend the 
. meaning of the aft of parliament pn which he was con¬ 
demned; that the mifconduft of admiral Byhg did not 
deferve fo fevere a pimiffiment as death; . and that, fo far 
from confidering hun as a viftitn to public jultice, he will 
be regarded by polierity as.a fitcrifice to the refentment of 
an. adminiftration, for who fe conduft their country has 
B Y R 567 
but too much reafon to be afhumed, and in whom it would 
have been more honourable to have folicited his majedy 
fora pardon, than, by perfftering in their mifrepiefenta- 
tionS, and artfully mifieading the people, to throw the 
blame of the )ofs of Minorca on a perfon who did not de¬ 
ferve it, and by that means prevent the crown from exer- 
cifing the nobleff of its prerogatives.” 
BY'RAM, a river of North America, which forms 
part of the boundary between tbe-dates of New York and 
Connecticut. 
BYRE'THRUM,/ [ l/cretta , Ital. or burette, Fr. a cap.] 
An odoriferous cap, filled with cephalic drugs, for the 
head-ach. 
BYRGE (Julius), a mathematical inflriiment maker. 
In the intervals of his bufinefs, he made tvvo noble difeo- 
veries : the logarithms, and the compafs of proportion. 
Thefe inventions were for a long time unknown. Byrg.e 
was a .man of admirable (implicity, working in filence and 
obfeurity. He fiouridied about the end of the fifteenth 
ce ntury. 
BY'ROM (John), a poetical writer, and the inventer 
of a new lydem of (hort-hand, was born at Kerfal, near 
Manchefter, in 1691 ; a younger (on of Mr. Edward By¬ 
ron), linen-draper; defeeflded from a genteel family in 
Lancalhire. Young .Byrom, having received the fi-rft rudi¬ 
ments of education at his native place, was removed to 
Merchant Taylors’fchool in London; and at the age of 
.fixteen, lie was Cent to Cambridge ; w here he was- admit¬ 
ted a penfione-r of Triniity-college, under the tuition of 
.Mr. Baker. In the univerlity he gave no greater .(hare 
of attention to logic and philofophv than was fieceflary to 
qualify him for his degrees. The bent of his inclination 
was to poetry ; and,five fil'd Jpe.cimen of his talents ap¬ 
peared in his beautify! a-nd natural pafforal, Colin to 
Phoebe, which w-as .printed in the eighth volume of the 
Spectator, and’has always been much admired. At Cam¬ 
bridge, Mr. Byrom proceeded to take both his degrees in 
arts ; and. in 1714 was effofen feliow of his college. His 
fellowfhip, however, he did no; long hold ; being obliged 
to quit it, by the flatutes of the college, in 17:16, on ac¬ 
count of his not having entered into orders, Not long af¬ 
ter, being indifpofed, he went to Montpelier for the re¬ 
covery of hi? health. During bis relide.jice in France, lie 
met with father Maiebranclie’s Search after Truth, and 
k),me pieces of mademoifelle, Antoniette Bourignoii ; the 
cor.fequence of which was, that he came home tlrongly 
polfelfed with the vifionatty philosophy of the fo ruler, and 
the enthuliaftic .extravagancies of the latter; infomuch 
that he beca,nte attached to tl\e doftrines of Jacob Bell¬ 
men. Upon Ins return to London, lie’ had tbosights of 
applying tofthe practice-of phytic, but did not p'rocced fo 
taigas take a degree in that ('deuce ; though from that 
time he ufualiy went .under the title of Dr. Byrom. tie 
taught his fyffem of (hort-hand for feveral years' in Man- 
chette;r and London; and oil the. 29th of March '1724, un¬ 
der the title of M. A. fie was ehoien fellow of the Royal 
Society. During .the latter part of his life he employed 
'himfelf almoib entirely in'writing, a variety ot pieces in 
verfe ; fome.of which are of. a u'itty'and humorous nature, . 
but ftil! more aiexm'fenous fubjefts. He died at Marichcf- 
ter, on the 28th of September 1763, in the (evepty-R’cpnd 
year of his age. 
' BY’RON’s ISLAND, in the-Pacific Ocean, alow flat’ 
ifland about tvvelve miles in length. Lat. i .zS-S. Lon. 17.j, - 
E. Greenwich. 
BY'RON’s STRAIT, a. narrow f'ea which-divides New- 
Ireland from -New Hanover. 
BYR'RHUS, f. in entomology, a-genus of infefts -be¬ 
longing to rhe order'of coleoptera, The feelers-are cbt~ 
vated, pretry fnlkl, and! a little compreffhdi There are 
five fpecies'y all of which' are- to lie found on particular'- 
plants ; arid'principally diffinguilh'ed from one another by- 
the colour and figure of tlie elytra, or cruftiice-oas wing- 
cafes. The bynhus fcrophularite, which is very com¬ 
mon upon flowers, is difficult to defcnbe. Its bo^y is al- 
