Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 1).djvu/187

Rh often walked forty miles a day on snow-shoes when visiting his Indians. He was stricken with apoplexy while in attendance on the council of Baltimore in 180G, and returned to his diocese liroken in health, but continued to perform his iiiiuistorial duties till a few days before his death.

BARALT, Rafael Maria (bar-ahlf), Spanish American poet, b. in Maracaibo, Venezuela, 2 July, 1810. He studied in Bogota and Caracas, took part in politics, and entered the Venezuelan army, in which he served with distinction. In 1843 he went to Spain, where he held several important public offices, and won literary fame. His most im{)ortant works are " Historia antigua y moderna de Venezuela " ; " Diecionario de Galicismos " ; and sevei'al masterly poems, specially the odes to Co- lumbus and to Spain.

BARANDA, Pedro Sainz de (bah-ran'-dah), Mexican naval officer, b. in Campeche, 13 March, 1787; d. in Merida, Yucatan, 16 Se}3t., 1845. He studied in Ferrol, Spain, and served in the Spanish navy during the war with England, being present at Trafalgar and other battles. During the revo- lutionary war of Mexico, Baranda left the service of Spain, was appointed chief of the Mexican naval forces, and besieged the castle of San Juan de Ulua, still held by the Spaniards, luitil they sur- rendered to the military chief Barragan. After that Baranda retired from the naval service and filled several important civil offices.

BARANOFF, Alexander Andrevitch, governor of Russian America, b. in 1746; d. at sea, near Java, 28 April, 1819. In early life he was a merchant in Siberia, but in August, 1790, he went to the island of Kodiak and opened trade there with the natives. In 1796 he established a trading-post at Bering strait. In 1799 the Russian Company was formed, by the consolidation of all the companies in the territory, and established a line of forts and trading-posts on the coast. With its assistance, Baranoff, overcoming many natural obstacles, took possession of the largest of the Sitka group of islands, now known by his name, and the Emperor Alexander gave him a title of nobility. After losing, and again recovering, in October, 1804, the fortress at Sitka, he built a factory there, and traded with Canton, Manila, the Sandwich islands, New York, Boston, and California, and even founded a colony (of which no traces remain) near San Francisco, then a Spanish mission. As his life of hardship began to affect his health, he applied to the government for leave to return to Russia; but this was not granted him until 1818, and he died in the vessel that was carrying him home.

BARBA, Pedro, the first governor of Havana when Hernan Cortes undertook the conquest of Mexico in 1519. He refused to arrest Cortes, not- withstanding the strict orders of Diego Velasquez ; but he went to Mexico to help Panfilo Narvaez, and was made a prisoner by an officer of Cortes, who intrusted Barba with the command of a com- pany and afterward of a brigantine, in which he took part in the famous fight of the four thousand Indian canoes. He died of a wound received in the storming of the city of Mexico.

BARBACENA, Fesberto Caldeira Brant (bar-bah-thay'-na), marquis of, Brazilian statesman, b. in Sabora in 1772; d. in Rio Janeiro, Brazil, 13 June, 1841. He was already distinguished in both the land and sea service of Portugal, when Pedro, the prince-regent of Brazil, on becoming emperor, appointed him to negotiate with the mother coun- try for the independence of that pi-ovince. His success gained him the title of marquis. When Pedro gave up the crown of Portugal to his infant daughter, Barbacena accompanied the young queen to Lisbon. He was twice Brazilian minister of finance, and was a zealous defender of the interests of Dom Pedro II. During the latter's minority, Barbacena promoted many improvements in Brazil, and introduced into the country the printing-press, steamboats, and steam-engines.

BARBEE, William J., author, b. in Winchester, Ky., in 1S16: d. there, 27 Oct., 1892. He re- moved to Paris, Ky., where he lived until his twen- ty-first year. He was educated at Miami university, Oxford, Ohio, and studied medicine with Dr. Drake, of Cincinnati, where he practised from 1836 to 1846. He afterward taught school in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Missouri, and also became apreacher of the Christian or Canipbellite denomination. He has published " Physical and Moral Aspects of Geology " (Philadelphia, 1859) ; " The Cotton Ques- tion " (New York, 1867) ; " The Scriptural Doctrine of Confirmation " ; " Life of the Apostle Peter," etc.

BARBER, Francis, soldier, b. in Princeton, N. J., in 1751 ; d. in Newburg, N. Y., 11 Feb., 1783. He was of Irish parentage, was graduated at Princeton in 1767, and in 1769 became princi- pal of the acad- emy in Eliza- bethtown, Mdiere he had among his pupils Alex- ander Hamil- ton and others who became dis- tinguished. In February, 1776, he was commis- sioned a nuijor in the 3d New Jersey artillery, and in Novem- ber of that yeara lieutenant- colo- nel. In 1777 he became assist- ant inspector- general under Baron Steuben.

He served with his regiment under Gen. Philip Schuyler, in the northern army, and fought in the battles of Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, and Ger- mantown, and was wounded severely at Monmouth. During his recovery he performed valuable service in obtaining intelligence of the enemy's movements, the importance of which was acknowledged in let- ters of Gen. Washington that are still preserved. He accompanied Sullivan's Indian expedition in 1779 as adjutant-general, and received a severe wound at Newtown. He also took part in the action at Springfield. In 1780 Gen. Washington intrusted to him the task of enforcing a requisition for grain and cattle in Gloucester co., N. J., and in 1781 selected him for the delicate duty of quelling the mutiny of the New Jersey and Pennsylvania troops. In Lafayette's Virginia campaign of 1781 he performed effective service at the head of a battalion of light infantry. He was present at the battle of Yorktown, and was killed at the close of the war by a, falling tree.

BARBER, John Jay, painter, b. in Sandusky, Ohio, 21 Sept., 1840. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1862, joined the volunteer army in 1863. returned sick, and upon recovery determined to devote himself to painting. He received no instruction in art, but settled in Columbus, Ohio, in