Encyclopedias

Encyclopedias

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Encyclopedias

Bitumen

Language; Encyclopedias

An inflammable mineral substance, presumably of vegetable origin, called Naphtha when liquid and light-coloured, Petroleum when less fluid and darker, Maltha when viscid, and Asphalt when solid.

Black Assize

Language; Encyclopedias

A plague at Oxford in 1557, which carried off 300 victims; caught at the assize from the prisoners under trial.

Bizerta

Language; Encyclopedias

A seaport of Tunis, northernmost town in Africa, 38 m. NW. of the capital, with an excellent harbour.

Black Art

Language; Encyclopedias

Name given to the presumed power of evoking evil spirits.

Bokhara

Language; Encyclopedias

A Mohammedan State in Central Asia, N. of Afghanistan, nominally independent; but the Khan is a vassal of the Czar. The surface is arid, and cultivation possible only near the rivers-the Oxus, ...

Bolan Pass

Language; Encyclopedias

A high-lying, deep, narrow gorge, extending between Quetta (Beluchistan) and Kandahar (Afghanistan), sloping upwards at an inclination of 90 ft. a mile; is traversed by a torrent.

Bois de Boulogne

Language; Encyclopedias

A promenade between Paris and St. Cloud, much frequented by people of fashion, and a favourite place of recreation; it rivals that of the Champs Elysées.