Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 04.djvu/465

 force, spirit, candour, and — when the subject afforded opportunity — humour, not often found in critical discussions.'  BEXFIELD, WILLIAM RICHARD (1824–1853), musical composer, was born at Norwich on 27 April 1824, entered the cathedral choir at the age of seven, and studied music under the organist, Dr. Buck, to whom he was articled. He learnt the violin, trumpet, trombone, and drum, but he excelled as an organist when still quite young. On the expiration of his articles he obtained the post of organist at the parish church of Boston, Lincolnshire, and on 16 Nov. 1846 took the degree of Mus. Bac. at Oxford, where his name was entered at New College. His degree exercise was a canon in five parts. On the death of Dr. Crotch he became a candidate for the professorial chair of music at Oxford, but without success, probably on account of his youth. In February 1848 he left Boston, having obtained the post of organist at St. Helen's, Bishopsgate, the competition for which brought forward thirty-six candidates. In the following year he proceeded Mus. Doc. at Cambridge, his name being entered at Trinity College. In 1850 Dr. Bexfield married Miss Mellington, of Boston, by whom he had two children. Soon after his marriage he wrote the oratorio by which his name is best remembered, 'Israel Restored.' This work was produced by the Norwich Choral Society in October 1851, and was again performed at the Norwich Festival on 22 Sept. 1852, when the solo parts were sung by Madame Viardot, Misses Pyne, Dolby, and Alleyne, and Messrs. Sims Reeves, Gardoni, Lockey, Formes, Belletti, and Weiss. The excellence of much of the music was at once recognised; but the book was fatally dull, and the whole work suffered from being forced by a local clique into injudicious rivalry with H. H. Pierson's 'Jerusalem,' which was produced on the following day. Bexfield's other published works are a set of 'Organ fugues, a set of six songs (words by the composer), and a collection of anthems. He died at 12 Monmouth Road, Bayswater, on 28 Oct. 1853, too young to have fulfilled the expectation aroused by the talents he displayed.  BEXLEY, [See ]

BIANCONI, CHARLES (1786–1875) promoter of the Irish car system in Ireland, was born 24 Sept. 1780, at the village of Tregolo in Lombardy, not far from Como. His father, a peasant-proprietor, owned a small silk-mill. Carlo was brought up by a prosperous uncle. At fifteen or sixteen he was bound for eighteen months to a countryman, whom he accompanied to Dublin, where he was sent out to vend cheap prints. From Dublin he was transferred to Waterford, and resolved to start on his own account as an itinerant vendor of prints with a capital of about 100l. which his father had given him on leaving Italy. In His long pedestrian journeys he was led to envy those of his own calling who could afford to drive. In 1806 he opened as carver and gilder a shop in Carrick-on-Suir. After a removal to Waterford he settled at Clonmel, where he added to his former business dealings in bullion, which was in great demand by the government for the payment of its continental subsidies. Every extension of business deepened his sense of the need of better communication. In July 1815 he started a one-horse two-wheeled car to carry passengers, goods, and the mail-bags, from and to Clonmel and Cahir, a distance of eight miles with no public conveyance. The experiment succeeded financially. The carriage-tax led many persons to give up their jaunting-cars, numbers of which were thus thrown upon the market. Horses became cheap after the peace of 1815. Bianconi was, thirty years after he started his first car, conveying passengers and goods over 1,033 miles, and working daily 3,200 miles of road. Although he started his cars as a boon to the humbler classes, they were much used by others, and to this commingling of classes Bianconi attached great importance. He stated in 1866 that after the more remote parts of Ireland had been opened up by his cars, calico, which had previously cost 8d. or 9d. a yard, was sold for 3d. and 4d. As an employer Bianconi was strict, but kindly and just. Merit always insured promotion, and pensions were liberally given. He was able to boast late in his career that the slightest injury had never been done to his property, and that not once had any of his cars been stopped, even when conveying mails through disturbed districts.

In 1820 Bianconi had given up his shop in Clonmel, and in 1831 he received letters of naturalisation from the Irish privy council A zealous Roman catholic and an ardent liberal, he was a friend and adherent of 