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LEFT BUCKINGHAM PALACE 218 BT7CKTH0BN BUCKINGHAM: PALACE, a royal palace in London, facing St. James' Park, and the principal London residence of the British ruler. BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, a county of England in the south-midland section. It has an area of about 743 square miles, of which over 80 per cent, is cultivated. The chief agricultural products are wheat and oats. Dairying is also an im- portant industry. In the northern part of the county is considerable woodland. There are a few manufacturing indus- tries. The chief rivers are the Thames, the Ouse, the Ousel, the Colle, and Thame. The principal towns are Ayles- bury, Buckingham, Slough, and Wy- combe. The estimated population in 1917 was 205,164. BUCKLANDIA, a magnificent and beautiful evergreen tree of the order hamamelidess, a native of the Himalayas, and growing in the island of Sumatra. The timber is not valuable. BUCKLE, HENRY THOMAS, an English historian, bom in Kent, Nov. 24, 1822. At an early age he entered his father's counting house, but at 18, on inheriting his father's fortune, he de- voted himself entirely to study. The only thing he allowed to distract him from his more serious pursuits was chess, in which he held a foremost place among contemporary players. His chief work, a philosophic "History of Civi- lization," of which only two volumes (1858 and 1861) were completed, was characterized by much novel and sug- gestive thought, and by the bold co- ordination of a vast store of materials drawn from the most varied sources. He died, while traveling, at Damascus, March 29, 1862. BUCKLES, metal instruments, consist- ing of a rim and tongue, used for fast- ening straps or bands in dress, harness, etc. Both brass and iron are used for them, the chief kinds being called tongue, roller, brace, and gear buckles. The use of buckles, instead of shoe strings, was introduced into England during the reign of Charles II. They soon became very fashionable, attained an enormous size, and were usually made of silver, set with diamonds and other precious stones. BUCKLEY, JAMES MONROE, Amer- ican Methodist clergyman and editor; born in Rahway, N. J., Dec. 16, 1836. He was educated at Pennington Sem- inary, Wesleyan University, and at Exeter, N. H. He entered the Meth- odist ministry in 1858, and speedily attained distinction by his gift of extemporaneous eloquence. He was in great demand as a lecturer. It is as an author and editor, however, that he exerted his greatest influence. He was a powerful force in shaping the policies of his denomination and was noted as a forceful fighter and formidable debater. He edited the chief organ of his de- nomination, "The Christian Advocate," from 1880 till 1912 with great ability. Among his numerous publications are: "Supposed Miracles," "Midnight Sun," "Czar and Nihilist," "Christian Science and Similar Phenomena," "Extempora- neous Oratory," "Constitutional and Parliamentary History of the Methodist Episcopal Church." He died n 1920. BUCKNELL UNIVERSITY, a coedu- cational institution in Lewisburg, Pa.; organized in 1849, under the auspices of the Baptist Church; reported at the end of 1919: Professors and instructors, 39»; students, 885; volumes in the library, 40,000; grounds and buildings valued at $853,960; productive funds, $561,075; president, Emory W. Hunt, LL. D. BUCKNER, SIMON BOLIVAR, an American soldier and politician, bom in Kentucky in 1823. He was graduated at West Point in 1840, and served in the Mexican War. He rose to distinction in the Confederate army during the Civil War, attaining the rank of Lieutenant- General. In 1896 he was nominated for Vice-President by the Gold Democrats, having previously served a term as Gov- ernor of Kentucky. He died in 1914. BUCKRAM, a coarse textile fabric stiffened with glue and used in garments and bookbinding to give them or keep them in the form intended. BUCKSHOT, a kind of leaden shot larger than swan-shot. About 160 or 170 of them weigh a pound. They are especially designed to be used in hunt- ing large game. BUCKSKIN, a kind of soft leather, generally yellow or grayish in color, pre- pared originally by treating deerskins in a particular way, but now in general made from sheepskins. This may be done by oil, or by a second method, in which the skins are grained, brained, and smoked. BUCKTHORN, the English name of rhamnus, a genus of plants, the typical one of the order rhamnacex (rham- nads). The berries of the common species are black, nauseous, and, as the specific name rhamnus catharticus im- ports, highly cathartic; they afford a yellow dye when unripe, as the bark of the shrub does a green one. They are sold as French berries. The alder buck-