6 o8 # A C 
niina : filaments five, inferted into the tube of the corol¬ 
la; antherae fagittate. Piftillum: germ ovate, compreff- 
ed, below inGrufted by the calyx growing to itftyle 
fiiort; ftigma headed. Pericarpium : capfule one-celled. 
Seeds : very many, extremely fmall.— EJfential CharaEler. 
Corolla with a fiiort tube, fpreading at top; (lamina in¬ 
fected into the tube of the corolla; ftigma headed; cap¬ 
fule one-celled. 
There is only one fpecies, called bacopa aquatica. This 
plant puts forth feveral cylindric, fucculent, knotty, ftems. 
Leaves oppofite, ftem-clafping, or rather connate, thick, 
oblong, concave, fliarp, fmooth. Flowers folitary, pedun- 
cled, alternate from the axils. Below the calyx there i-s a 
pair of flefiiy bradtes on the long peduncle. Corolla blue. 
It puts forth roots from the knots, both as it runs along 
the ground, and as it lies on the furface of the water. Na¬ 
tive of the ifland of Cayenne, on the borders of rivulets, 
flowering and fruiting in December. The French inha¬ 
bitants call it hcrbe-aux-brulurcs , on account of its effica¬ 
cy in curing burns. 
BAC'TRIA, or Bactria'na, now Chorajfan, or Kho- 
raj'an, an ancient kingdom of Ada, bounded on the weft 
bv Margiana, on the north by the river Oxus, on the fouth 
by mount Paropifnnis, and on the eaft by Aliatic Scythia 
and the country of the Maflagetae. It was a large, fruit¬ 
ful, and well-peopled, country, containing according to 
Ammianus Marcellinus 1000 cities, though only a few- are 
mentioned by hiftorians, of which that called Maracanda, 
now Sarmacand, is the mod conliderable. Of the hiftory 
.of this country we know but little. Authors agree that 
it was fubdued firft by the Afiyrians, afterwards by Cyrus, 
and then by Alexander the Great. Afterwards it remain¬ 
ed fubject to Seleucus Nicator and his fucceilbrs till the 
time of Antiochus Theos ; when Theodorus, from gover¬ 
nor of that province, became king, and ftrengthened him- 
felf fo effectually in his kingdom, while Antiochus was 
engaged in a war with Ptoiomy Philadelplms king of E- 
gvpt, that he could never afterwards difpoftefs him of his 
acquifitions. Hispofterity continued to enjoy the kingdom 
for fome time, till they were driven out by the Scythians, 
who reigned in BaCtria at the time of Adrian, Antoninus 
Pius, &c. The Scythians were in their turn driven out 
by the Huns or Turks, and thefe often conquered by the 
Saracens.and Tartars; neverthelefs they continued in pof- 
l'eflion of this country in the time of Ladifiaus IV. king of 
Hungary. 
In early times the BaCIrians differed little in their man¬ 
ners from the Nomades; and being near neighbours of the 
Scythians, who were a very warlike people, the Badtrian 
foldiers were reckoned the beft in the world. Their ap¬ 
pearance was very favage; being of an enormous ftature, 
having a terrible afpedt, rough beards, and long hair hang¬ 
ing down their fhoulders. Some authors aflert that they 
kept dogs on purpofe to devour fuch as arrived at extreme 
old age, or who were exhaufted by long ficknefs. They 
add, that, for all their fiercenefs, the Baftrian hu(bands 
were fuch dupes to their wives, that they durft not com¬ 
plain of them even for conjugal infidelity, to which it feems 
they were very much addicted. 
BACTRI A'NI, a town of Afia, in the country of Geor¬ 
gia, fixty miles north of Teflis. 
BAC'TRIS,/! [from a ftaff; canes being made 
of the flem.j In botany, a genus of the clafs monoecia, 
order hexandria, natural order of palms. The generic 
characters are— 1 . Male flowers. Calyx : fpathe univer- 
fal, one-leated; fpadix branched; perianthium one-leaf- 
ed, three-parted, fmall; parts lanceolate, concave, colour¬ 
ed. Corolla: one-petalled, three-cleft; tube fhort; clefts 
ovate, acute, erect. Stamina: filaments fix, Tubulate, 
erect, of the length, of the corolla, inferted into the mid¬ 
dle of the tube ; antherae oblong, incumbent. II. Female 
flowers few: in the fame fpadix, intermixed with the male 
ones. Calyx : fpathe the fame as in the males ; perian¬ 
thium one-leafed, bell-fhaped, three-toothed, (harp-point¬ 
ed, coloured, very fmall, permanent. Corolla : one-.pe- 
B A C 
tailed, ered, three-toothed, permanent. Piftillum : genf* 
ovate, large; ftyle very fiiort; ftigma headed, obfeurely 
three-cleft. Pericarpium: drupe coriaceous, roundifh, 
fibrous-fucculent, flidrp-pointed with the ftyle. Seed: 
nut roundifh, depreffed on each fide, marked on the (idea 
with three holes ; kernel folid.— EJfential CharaEler. Male. 
Calyx three-parted ; corolla one-petalled, three-cleft; (la¬ 
mina fix. Female. Calyx one-leafed, three-toothed ; co¬ 
rolla one-petalled, three-toothed ; ftigma obfeurely three- 
cleft ; drupe coriaceous. 
Species, i. Badris minor: fruit roundifh. Root creep¬ 
ing. Trunk upright, armed with very numerous prickles 
about an inch in diameter, feldom more than twelve feet 
high in open fituations, but in woods fomewhat higher, 
covered witli a brow nifti bark. It begins to flower as foon 
as it has attained the height of about four feet. Leaves 
few, ftem-clafping at the bafe ; the rib prickly; the leaf¬ 
lets enftform, acuminate, (hilling, flat, very (lightly folded 
hack at the bafe, with very fine prickles, to be known on¬ 
ly by drawing the finger from the tip towards the bafe, 
unarmed, or with very few prickles on each furface, ufu- 
ally alternate, but fometimes oppofite, uncertain in num¬ 
ber. Flowers without feent, very llightly tinged with 
yellow. Fruit dark purple, the fize of a common cherry, 
containing an acid juice, of which the Americans make a 
fort of wine. They are alfo eaten raw, but are not plea- 
fant. Canes are made of the Item : they are dark-colour¬ 
ed, fhining, jointed, and very light; the French call them 
Cannes de Tobago. 
i. Badris major: fruit ovate. In habit and manner of 
growth this is very like the foregoing, but it commonly 
grows to the height of tw'enty-five feet, and the trunk is 
two inches and more in diameter. The leaves are fix feet 
long, the leaflets near two feet, with the marginal prickles 
brown, and more confpicuous. Fruit the form and fize of 
an egg, fucculent, covered with a dark-purple coriaceous 
coat, of which the natives make a vinous liquor. The 
nut is large, of a dark colour, ovate-oblong. Kernel ob¬ 
long, blunt at both ends, cartilaginous, folid. The fruits 
are fold in the market, and are called cocorotes. Both thefe 
palms are natives of Carthagena in South America. 
BACTROPERAfTAj/i an ancient appellation given 
to philofophers by way of contempt, denoting a man with 
a ftaff and a budget. We fuppoie it is of the fame peo¬ 
ple that Pauchafias Radbertus lpeaks, under the corrupt 
name of Bacoperita. , or Bacckionitcc, whom he deferibes as 
philofophers who had fo great a contempt for all earthly 
things, that they kept nothing but a difh to drink out of; 
and that one of this order, feeing a peafant fcooping up 
the water in his hand, threw away his cup as a fuperfluity : 
which is" nothing but the old ftory of Diogenes the Cynic. 
BACUA'CHI, a town of North America, in New Na¬ 
varre, 135 miles fouth of Cafa Grand. 
B ACULA'RIUS,yi in writers of the middle age, an 
ecclefiaftical apparitor, or verger; who carries a ftaff, ba¬ 
cillus, in his hand, as an enfign of his office. 
BACU'LE^y. in fortification, a kind of portcullis, or 
gate, made like a pit-fall with a counterpoife, and fupport- 
ed by two great flakes. It is ufually made before the corps 
de garde, not far from the gate of a place. 
BACULO'METRY, f [of bacu/us, Lat. or / 3 xxt£ou, 
a ftaff, and Gr. to meafure.] The.art of meafuring 
accelftble or inacceffible diftances or lines, by one or more 
ftaves. Schwenter has explained this art in his Geome- 
tria Pradica ; and the rules of it are delivered by Wol- 
fius, in his Elements. Ozanam alfo gives an illuftration 
of the principles of bactilometrv. 
BA'CULUS DIV 1 NATO'RIUS, a branch of hazel, 
ufed for the difeovery of mines, fprings, See. 
BACU'RIUS, or Baturius, king of the Iberians, a 
people on the fide of the Cafpian Sea. One day being a 
hunting, he loft fight of his company, through a great 
ftorm and hidden darknefs; upon which he vowed to the 
god of his Chriftian (lave, that if he were delivered he 
would worfltip him alone : the day breaking up immediate- 
