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LEFT BLACK 49 BLACKBIRD murdered Robert Ross in the election riots in Troy in 1892. In 1895-1897, he was a member of Congress, and in 1897- 1899 Governor of New York. At the Republican National Convention in 1904 in Chicago he presented the name of Theodore Roosevelt for President. He died in 1913. BLACK, JEREMIAH SULLIVAN, an American lawyer, born in Glades, Pa., Jan. 10, 1810; studied law, and was ad- mitte: to the bar in 1831. In 1857 he was appointed Attorney-General of the United States by President Buchanan, and in 1860-1861 was United States Sec- retary of State. On the accession of President Lincoln he retired from pub- lic life. He died in York, Pa., Aug. 19, 1883. BLACK, JOHN, a Scotch editor, born near Duns, Berwickshire, in 1783. He was left an orphan when 12 years old, and educated himself. He went to Lon- don in 1810. There he became a Parlia- mentary reporter for the "Morning Chronicle," of which he was made editor in 1817. Among the contributors to his paper were Charles Dickens and James Mill. In 1843 he retired from the editor- ship. He was author of a "Life of Tasso, with an Historical and Critical Account of His Writings," and also translated works from the German, French, and Italian. He died in Snodland, June 15, 1855. BLACK, WILLIAM, a Scottish novel- ist, born in Glasgow in November, 1841. He received his education at private schools. In 1874 he abandoned journal- ism. His novels include "Love or Mar- riage" (1867) ; "In Silk Attire" (1869) ; "A Daughter of Heth" (1871); "A Princess of Thule" (1873); "Three Feathers" (1875); "Madcap Violet" (1876); "Macleod of Dare" (1878); "White Wings: a Yachting Romance" (1880); "Yolande" (1883); "Judith Shakespeare" (18C4) ; "White Heather" (1885) ; "The Strange Adventures of a House-Boat" (1888) ; "Wolfenberg" (1892); "Briseis" (1896); "Wild Eelin" (1898) ; besides others. He has also written a "Life of Goldsmith" (1879). He died in Brighton, England, Dec. 10, 1898. BLACK, WILLIAM MURRAY, an American military engineer, born in Lan- caster, Pa., in 1855. He was a graduate of Franklin and Marshall College and the West Point Military Academy. His professional life was spent chiefly in Government river and harbor work. He saw service in Havana and the Philip- pines. In 1913, he was made chief of the Engineer Corps, succeeding Briga- dier-General, William H. Bixby. BLACK ART, exorcism, the alleged ability to expel evil spirits from haunted houses or from persons bewitched; necromancy, or anything similar. The reason why it was called black was that proficients in it were supposed to be in league with the powers of darkness. BLACK ASH, a mixture of 25 per cent, of caustic soda with calcium sul- phide, quicklime, and unburnt coal, ob- tained in the process of making sodium carbonate. The mixture of sodium sul- phate, chalk, and powdered coal is fused in a furnace, gases escape, and the re- sidue is the black ash. BLACK ASSIZE, in English history, an assize held at Oxford in 1557, when the High Sheriff and 300 other persons died of infectious disease caught from the prisoners. It was called also the fatal assize. BLACK BAND, a valuable kind of clay iron-stone occurring in beds in the coal measures, and containing 10 or 15 or even 30 per cent, of coaly matter. Most of the Scotch iron is obtained from it. BLACK BEETLE, a popular name for the cockroach. BLACKBERRY (j-m6ms fruticosus), a plant common in the northern portions of the United States and in most parts of Europe, and also in noi-thern central Asia, having prickly stems, which some- what resemble those of the raspberry. The flowers do not appear till the summer is considerably advanced, and the fruit ripens toward the end of it. Jelly and jam are made from the berries, and a very delicate wine. The blackberry is rarely cultivated, perhaps because it is in most districts so abundant in a wild state. One or two varieties, such as the Lawton, show the possibilities. BLACKBIRD, a well-knoTi British bird, the ho'diis memla. Other English names sometimes given to it are the ring ousel, the merle, the garden ousel, or simply the ousel. A book name is also the black thrush. The male is black, with the bill yellow; the female is deep brown above, lighter beneath, the throat and foreneck pale brown with darker streaks; the young, dusky brown above with dull yellowish streaks, while beneath they have dusky spots. There are several varieties, one of them white. The black- bii'd is a permanent resident in England. It feeds in winter on snails, and also on