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222 torie interest from its prominence in revolutionary times. Thus made independent, Mr. Beekraan travelled extensively, making a careful study of the workings of different European governments. He was chosen state senator in 1850, and served two terms. In 1861 he, with Erastus Corning and Thurlow Weed, was appointed by a meeting of conservative men in New York to go to Washington and urge Presi- dent Buchanan to relieve Fort Sumter. Mr. Beekman was vice - president of the New York hospital, president of the woman's hospi- tal, and a director of the New York dispensary. He was also one of the early members of the New York historical society, before which he delivered a cen- tennial discourse in 1871 and read papers at differ- ent times. On 4 Dec, 1869, he delivered an ad- dress before the St. Nicholas society on "The Founders of New York," which was afterward pub- lished (New York, 1870). See " Memoir of James William Beekman," by Edward F. De Lancey (New York, 1877). In February, 1876, he published a report on a village of hospitals.

BEERS, Ethel Lynn, author, b. in Goshen, Orange co., N. Y., 13 Jan., 1827 ; d. in Orange, N. J., 10 Oct., 1879. Her maiden name was Ethelinda Eliot, and she was a descendant of John Eliot, the apostle to the Indians. Her earliest writings bore the pen-name of " Ethel Lynn," and after her mar- riage with William H. Beers she wrote her name as it is now known. Her most noted poem is " All Quiet along the Potomac," suggested by an oft- repeated despatch during the first year of the civil war. Its authorship was warmly disputed ; but, as is usual in such cases, only one of the claimants had written other verses of equal merit. That was Mrs. Beers, and there is now no further doubt as to the genuineness of her title. The lines originally ap- peared in " Harper's Weekly " for 30 Nov., 1861, with the caption " The Picket Guard." Mrs. Beers says in a private letter : " The poor ' Picket ' has had so many authentic claimants and willing sponsors, that I sometimes question myself whether I did really write it that cool September morning, after reading the stereotyped announcement ' All Quiet,' etc., to which was added in small type ' A Picket Shot.' " The most popular of her other pieces are " Weighing the Baby," " Which shall it be?" and "Baby looking out for Me." She had long had a premonition that she would not survive the print- ing of her collected poems, and she died the same day the volume was issued, "All Quiet along the Potomac, and other Poems" (Philadelphia, 1879).

BEERS, Henry Augustin, author, b. in Buffalo, N. Y., 2 Julv, 1847. He was graduated at Yale in 1869, was "tutor there from 1871 till 1875, and was chosen assistant professor of English in 1875. He spent five months in study abroad, mainly at Heidelberg, and was made full professor in 1880. He has published " Odds and Ends," a collection of verses (Boston, 1878) ; " A Century of American Literature " (New York, 1878) ; "Life of N. P. Willis" (Boston, 1885); "Selections from Willis's Prose Writings " (New York, 1885) ; " The Thankless Muse," a collection of verses (Boston. 1885) ; " Introduction to Readings from Ruskin ' (1885) ; and " An Outline Sketch of English Litera- ture " (New York, 1886).

BEEST, Albert van, artist, b. in Rotterdam, Holland, 11 June, 1820; d. in New York city, 8 Oct., 1860. When quite young he accompanied Prince Henry of the Netherlands on a three years' journey to the east. In 1845 he came to the United States, where he made a reputation as a marine painter and teacher, living mainly in Boston and New York. As an artist he was self-taught. Among his pupils were William Bradford and R. Swain Gifford.

BEHAIM, or BEHEM, Martin, German geographer, b. in Nuremberg about 1459; d. in Lisbon, 29 July, 1506. When a boy he was much interested in astronomy and mathematics. He engaged in the manufacture of cloth in Flanders in 1477, and in 1480 the commercial relations between that country and Portugal, as well as his interest in the maritime discoveries of the Portuguese, led him to visit Lisbon. Here he became a pupil of Johann Müller (Regiomontanus), and a friend of Christopher Columbus, whose views in regard to a western passage to India he supported. He was one of a committee appointed in 1483 to construct an astrolabe and tables of declension, and for his services was made a knight in 1484. He was cosmographer on the expedition of Diego Cam, which sailed along the west coast of Africa to the mouth of the Congo. He established a Flemish colony at Fayal in 1486, married the governor's daughter, and remained there until 1490 when, returning to Nuremberg, he made a large terrestrial globe, on which historical notices were written. This globe is a valuable record of the geographical knowledge of his time. It is made of papier-maché, covered with gypsum, and over this a parchment surface receives the drawing. The Behaim family caused it to be repaired in 1825, and it is now in the city hall at Nuremberg. Behaim placed on his globe an island far to the west of Fayal, and this is thought by some to have been on the Brazilian coast, which would make Behaim, instead of Columbus, the discoverer of America. It is probable, however, that he simply represented the general impression that some such island existed. In 1493 Behaim returned to Portugal, and, being sent on a diplomatic mission to the Low Countries, was captured by English cruisers, and carried to England, but afterward escaped to the continent. See Von Murr's &ldquo;Diplomatische Geschichte des Hitters M. Behaim&rdquo; (1778), and Ghillany's &ldquo;Geschichte des Seefahrers Ritter Martin Behaim&rdquo; (1853).

BEHRENS, James, naturalist, b. in Lubeck, Germany, 30 June, 1824. He was graduated at the gymnasium of Lubeck in 1841, and in 1853 came to the United States. He settled in California, where he has since remained, and has become a recognized authority on entomology. Mr. Behrens has contributed papers to scientific journals, and is a member of many scientific societies in the United States and Europe.

BEISSEL, Johann Conrad, German religionist, b. in Eberbach, in the Palatinate, in 1690; d. in Ephrata, Lancaster co., Pa., in 1768. After studying theology at Halle, he became a Dunker, was forced to leave his native country, and settled in Pennsylvania about 1720. While a member of the Dunker society at Mühlbach (Mill Creek), Pa., he published (1725) a tract to prove that the