Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 1.djvu/290

 BEE

BEELE, in mining, an inftrument ufed by the workmen to break and pick out the ore from the rocks in which it lies. This inftrument is called by the tin-men in Cornwall a tub ber. It is an iron inftrument of eight or ten pound weight, made fharp, and fteeled at both ends, and having a hole in the middle, where the handle is fixed in. When the ore lies in hard rocks, this inftrument wears out fo fall, that it mul have new points made to it every fortnight. The miners, who dio- up the ore in the mines, are, from the ufe of this in- ftrument, called bale-men ; and thofe who attend them, an. whofe bufintfs it is to take up the matter the others loofen or break up, are, from their inftrument, which is a broad and hollow iron fhovel, or a wooden one, with a very ftrang iron lip, called the Jhovellers. In Cornwall, when the ore lies in a hard bed, they allow two fhovellers to three beele-men ; and when it lies in a foft or earthy matter, two beele-mna and three fhovellers is the proportion. Phil. Tranf N° 69. p. 2104.

BEEMEN, or Shee men, in aftronomy, feven ftars of the fourth magnitude, following each other, in' the fourth flexure of the conftellation Eridanus. See Eridanus, Cycl.

BEER {Cycl.)— In New England they make beer from maize, or even the bread made thereof '■ Some phyficians recommend beer made of oats and birch-water, as preferable, in nephritic cafes, to that made of barley ".— [ » Phil. Tranf. N° 138. p. 1068. h Bartholin. A&. Med. T. 1. obf. 19. p. 49: Phil. Tranf. N° 97. p. 6135.]

Foreigners have framed divers conjeaures to account for the excellency of Englifh beer, and its fuperiority to that of all other countries, even of Bremen, Mons, and Roftoch. It has been pretended, our brewers throw dead dogs flead into their wort, and boil them till the ftefh is all confirmed. Others, more equitable, attribute the excellency of our beer to the qua- lity of our malt and water, and the (kill of our brewers in pre paring it. Savar. Diet. Comm. T. I. p 333. Some have endeavoured to compute the quantity of beer con fumed in England from the number of houfes where it is fold, which amounts to two hundred thoufand ; others from the quantity of malt that is yearly made, which amounts to three millions and three hundred thoufand quarters, of which three millions are employed in making beer and ale. Allowing there- fore a quarter of malt to three barrels of ftrong beer, we fhall have nine millions of barrels. Vid. Compl. Engl. Trad. T. 1. p. 87, feq. See Ale.

Sour or decayed beer may be reftored divers ways ; as by fait made of the afhes of barley-ftraw, put into the veffel, and irirred ; or by three or four handfuls of boech-alhes thrown into the veffel, and ftirred ; or, where the liquor is not very four, by a little put in a bag, without ftirring : chalk calcined, oif- ter-fhells, egg-fhells burnt, fea-fhells, crabs eyes, alcalized coral, C5V. do the fame, as they imbibe the acidity, and unite with it into a fweetnefs. Ruft. Difl. T. 2. in voc. rejloring. Seer, it is faid, may be kept from turning four in fummer, by hanging into the veffel a bag containing a new-laid egg, prickt Jul of little pin-holes, fome laurel berries, and a few barley- grains ; or by a new-laid egg and walnut-tree leaves. Laurel- ,berries alone, their fkin being peeled off, will keep beer from deadnefs c. Glauber commends his fal mirabile and fixed nitre, put in a linnen bag, and hung on the top of the cafk, fo as to reach the liquor, not only for recovering four beer, but preferving and ftrengthening it •>.—[' Phil. Tranf. N° III p. 241. " d Ruft. Dia. loc. cit]

Beer tailing of the cafk, may be freed from it, by putting a handful of wheat in a bag, and hanging it in the veffel. Phil. Tranf loc. cit.

BEESTINGS, or Breastincs, denote the firft milk taken from a cow after calving. Dia. Ruft. T. I. in voc. The bee/lings are of a thick confiftence, and yellow colour, ieeming impregnated with fulphur. Dr. Morgan imagines them peculiarly fitted and intended by nature to cleanfe the young animal from the recrements gathered in its ftomacb and . inteftines during its long habitation in utera. The like quality and virtue he fuppofes in womens firft milk after delivery ; and hence infers the neccllity of the mother's fuckling her own child, rather than committing it to a nurfe whofe firft milk is gone. Vid. Morgan, Mecban. Praa. of Phyf.

BEET, Beta, in botany, the name of a genus of plants ; the charaaers of which are thefe : the flower is of the ftaminous kind, confifting of ftamina arifing from a five-leaved cup. Great numbers of thefe flowers are ufually colleaed into a foit of head ; and the cups finally become capfules nearly of a glo- bular figure, in which are contained the feeds. The fpecies of beet, enumerated by Mr. Tournefort, are thefe : I. The white or pale beet, called cicla. 2. The common red beet. 3. The turnep rooted red beet. 4. The broad ftalked beet. 5. The wild fea beet. 6. The great pale-green beet. 7. The great red beet. 8. The great yellow beet. 9. Th' yellow ribbed beet, with a great turnep-fliaped root. 10. The beet with yellow leaves and ftalks. Town. Inft. p. 501. AH the fpecies of this plant are propagated by fowing theii ieeds in February or March in a loofe, deep foil, not ove -dunged. When they are come up, they mult be howed ou have not room, the roots feldom grow large. It is a cufton 1 with the gardners about London to fow carrots on the farm
 * bas to leave them ten or twelve inches afunder; for, if the.

BEG

ground with their beets. The carrots are drawn off in the fummer-time, and the beets have then fufneient time to grow to their fize. Miller, Gard. Dift.

Hares Beet, beta leporina, a name given by fome of the old La- tin writers to a fmall green plant of an acritl tafte. Neophy- tus tells us* that the arum, or, as he calls it, the fmall dra- contias, is the plant meant by this name; but it is not eafy to conceive, with what meaning the authors, who firft ufed the word, could apply it to a plant fo hot as the common arum is.. There is indeedj in fome parts of the world, an arum with efculent roots. This was known to the antients, even fo early as in the days of Theophraftus, who has defcribed it under the name of arum edominon ; and the root of this may be food for hares in the countries where it is plentiful, and the name well enough given to it.

BEET-JIy, a very fmall fly, found always among 'the flowers of the beet.

B^ET-gall-iv/ecl. See GhfL-infecl.

BEETLE, in zoology. Seethe article Scarab &vs.

Beetle, in a mechanical fenfe, denotes a barge wooden in- ftrument, formed after the manner of the mallet, and ufed for driving piles, ftakes, pahfades, wedges, and the like. In this fenfe, the word is alfo corruptly written in fome places boytle. Skinner derives it from the Englifh beating. Ruft. Diet, in voc.

For the military ufe, beetles, called alfo /tampers, are thick round pieces of wood, a foot and a half long, and eight or ten inches in diameter, having a handle of about four feet long. Their ufe is for beating or fettling the earth of a parapet, or about palifades ; which is done by lifting up the beetle a foot or two, and letting it fall with its own weight. Guiil. Gent. Dia P. 2.

The name beetle is alfo given to thepaviour's rammer, or in- ftrument wherewith the ftones are beaten down, and faftened.

BEG, or Bey, is a Turkifh title, properly fignifying lord. The word is alfo written begb, or beig, fometimes bee, or beh, oxbecb; but pronounced bey. See Bey, Cycl.

Beg is more particularly applied to the lord of a banner, called alfo in the fame languagey^*^-^, Marttmere, Dict.Geogr. T. 2. p. 189.

A beg has the command of a certain number of the fpahis, or horfe, maintained by the province under the denomination of timariots.

All the begs of a province obey one governor-general, called begler-beg, or beykr-beg, q. d. lord of lords, or of the beys of the province.

Begs, or Beghs, of Egypt, denote twelve generals, who have the command of the militia, or ftandingforces of the kingdom, and are to fecure the country from the infults of Arabs, as well as to prote& the pilgrims in their annual expeditions to Mecca. Rycaut. Pref. Stat. Ottom. Emp. 1. 3. c: 5. p. 182. The begs, feveral of whom are defcended from the antient race of the Mamalukes, are very rich and powerful, maintaining each 500 fighting men for their own guard, and the fervice of their court. On difcontents, they have frequently rifen in re- bellion. They are often at variance with the bafhaw, whom they have more than once plundered and imprifoned.

BEGLERBEG {Cycl) — The next to the vizier azem, or the firft vizier, are the beglerbegs in Turky, which, according to Rycaut, may be compared to archdukes in fome other coun- tries, being the next minifters below the prime vizier, and having under their jurifdiction many fangiacks or provinces, and their legs, agas, fsV. 1

To every begkrbeg the grand fignior gives three enfigns or ftaves, trimmed with a horfe-tail, to diftinguifh them from the bafhaws, who have but two, and from fimple begs, or fangiac begs, who have but one. Rycaut. Pref. Stat. Ottom. Emp. I. i.e. 12. p. 51.

The province or government of beglerleg is called beglerbeglik, or beglierbeglik. Thefe are of two forts ; the firft called bajile beglerbeglik, which have a certain rent afligned out of the cities, countries, and figniories allotted to the principality ; the fecond called faliancs beglerbeglik, for maintenance of which is annexed a certain falary or rent, collected by the grand fignior's offi- cers with the treafure of the empire. Rycaut, loc, cit. The beglerbegs of the firft fort are in number twenty-two, viz: thofe of Anatolia, Caramania, Diarbekir, Damafcus, Aleppo, Tripoli, Trebizond, Buda, Temifwar, £3V. The beglerbegs of the fecond fort are in number fix, viz. thofe of Cairo, Babylon, &c.

Five of the beglerbegs have the title of viziers, viz. thofe of Anatolia, Babylon, Cairo, Romania, and Buda. The beglerbegs appear with great ftate, and a large retinue, efpecially in the camp, being obliged to bring a foldier for every five thoufand afpers rent which they enjoy. The beglerbegs of Romania brought io 3 ooo effective men into the field.'

'egi.erbeg is alfo a title given to the chief governors of pro- vinces in the Perfian empire, having the command over all kans, fultans, csV. in their refpe£tive diftri&s. Kempf. Amcen. Exot. fafc. 1. relat. 10. p. 153.

?EGONIA, in botany, the name of a genus of plants ; the cha- racters of which are thefe : the flowers are of two kinds ; the one kind is the barren, or male flower ; this is compos'd