Page:Imperial Dictionary of Universal Biography Volume 1.pdf/371

BAF later, to the ocean which washes the northern shores of the New World; and by way of Smith Sound—the most northerly opening of Baffin Bay—Dr. Kane has more recently penetrated to within eight degrees of the pole. Baffin himself, however, believed these, as well as other estuaries which he discovered in the course of this voyage, to be closed up by land, and our voyagers returned to England with the conviction that no passage to the westward existed in the direction which they had been pursuing. There is extant a letter which Baffin addressed to Sir John Wolstenholme, in reference to this voyage, the results of which amply justify the tone of modest self-gratulation in which the writer refers to them. "And I dare boldly say (without boasting), that more good discouerie hath not in shorter time (to my remembrance) been done since the action was attempted, considering how much ice we have passed, and the difficultie of sayling so neere the pole." The conviction entertained by Baffin himself of the futility of any further attempt in this direction operated to discourage subsequent explorers from following his track, and the neglect of Purchas to publish in detail the observations made during the voyage, led the geographers of succeeding generations to entertain the most vague and erroneous notions respecting the great arm of the Atlantic which the English pilot had discovered. Baffin Bay became, in course of time, almost banished from the charts; and it remained for Ross and Parry to restore the lines of coast, with their numerous headlands, sounds, and adjacent islets, which the earlier voyager had traced above two centuries before, and to substantiate, in a remarkable manner, his accuracy of observation and his keen sagacity. There is little more to be told of Baffin. He is said to have entertained the project of effecting a passage from the seas of Tartary and China round the north coasts of Asia and Europe; but to have failed in finding any one who would advance the necessary funds for such an enterprise. Baffin afterwards sailed to the East Indies, and is stated to have been mate upon a voyage from Surat to Mocha in 1618. Three years later, in 1621, he engaged in an English expedition, acting in concert with the ruler of Persia, to drive the Portuguese out of the Persian Gulf, and was killed in the beginning of 1622, at the siege of Ormuz.—W. H.  BAFFO,, born at Venice at the beginning of the seventeenth century. He wrote his poetical compositions in the Venetian dialect, and is undoubtedly the most licentious poet of his age. His works are known under the name of "Cosmopoli," and were published at Venice in 1787. The sweetness peculiar to that dialect has endowed his compositions with a charm which entices the reader's attention; and it is worth remarking, that this poet was as reserved in his conversation as he was licentious in his writings. He died in 1768.—A. C. M.  BAFOR,, a German councillor of state and diplomatist, who enjoyed the confidence of the emperors Rodolph, Mathias, and Ferdinand, and was sent by the last as ambassador to the court of Sigismond III. of Poland; died at Warsaw in 1620. His name frequently occurs in the history of the religious wars of Bohemia.  BAGÆUS, a Persian nobleman, lived in the second half of the sixth century before the Christian era. By command of Darius Hystaspes, he caused Oroës, the rebellious satrap of the province of Lydia, to be assassinated by his own guards.  BAGÆUS, a Persian general, lived in the first half of the fourth century. He commanded a body of cavalry that vanquished Agesilas, in the year 396.  BAGARD,, a French sculptor of great skill and facility, was born at Nancy in 1630; died in 1709; studied under Jaquin in Paris, where he executed some statuary for a fête on the occasion of the marriage of the king, Louis XIV. Returned to his native town, he produced many and important works, all bearing the stamp of an easy genius, but greatly imbued with the exaggeration of the time. His son, Toussaint, was also a distinguished sculptor, who died in 1742.—R. M.  BAGARRIS,, Sieur de, a Provençal antiquary of the commencement of the seventeenth century, who possessed a collection of medals and engraved stones; a discourse on which he was honoured on one occasion to deliver to Henry IV., who forthwith gave him the title of Maitre des cabinets, medailles et antiquités de S. M., and instructed him to furnish a set of medals emblematic of the chief points in the history of his reign. Henry dying two years afterwards, this task was never accomplished. Bagarris left court, and returned to Provence in 1611. He published a tract, now extremely rare, entitled "La necessité de l'usage des medailles dans les monnaies." His medals and other antiquities now form part of the collection in the Bibliotheque Royale.—J. S., G.  * BAGATTI-VALSECCHI,, an Italian enamel and glass painter, living at Milan, where he was born at the beginning of the century; studied partly in France, and partly in Italy. Although his works on glass are very remarkable, his celebrity especially rests upon the exquisite beauty of his enamel and porcelain paintings. Specimens of both were in the Exhibition of 1851.—R. M. <section end="371H" /> <section begin="371I" />BAGE,, a novelist, born near Derby in 1728. He was originally a paper-maker in his native place, but was unsuccessful in business, and turned his attention to literature. His works were remarkably popular in his day, and were indeed superior to the novels then commonly read. They are named "Mount Heneth," "Barham Downs," "The Fair Syrian," and "James Wallace." He died at Tamworth in 1801, and was honoured by Sir Walter Scott becoming his biographer.—J. B. <section end="371I" /> <section begin="371J" />BAGET,, a French general, born at Lavit-de-Lamagne (Tarn-et-Garonne) 19th October, 1743; died 14th February, 1821. He took part in the campaigns of 1759, 1761, and 1762 in Germany. At the outbreak of the Revolution, he held the rank of captain, and in March, 1792, was appointed aide-de-camp of General Valence. He joined the army of the Moselle in 1793, and fought at the battle of Arlon, where he was wounded at the head of his regiment. He was afterwards raised to the rank of general of brigade. <section end="371J" /> <section begin="371K" />BAGETTI,, an Italian landscape painter and draughtsman, a native of Turin, born 1764, died 1831.—R. M. <section end="371K" /> <section begin="371L" />BAGFORD,, an industrious antiquary, born about 1650, was of humble lineage, and received but a slender education. Though little noted as a writer, his laborious research into matters of antiquarian interest, especially connected with the history of books, typography, &c., have been of service to more recent authors. He made a large collection of materials for a History of the Art of Printing, only the prospectus of which appeared, but his MSS. are still preserved in the British Museum. He died in 1716, a pensioner in the Charter House. <section end="371L" /> <section begin="371M" />BAGGE,, a Swedish admiral, born in 1499 in the province of Haland; died between 1565 and 1570. He, at first, served in the army sent by Gustavus I. to the aid of Denmark; and distinguished himself at the siege of Haimslad, where he was wounded. In 1555, he conducted an expedition against the Muscovites, who were about to invade Finland. He showed great ability in the fulfilment of this mission, and succeeded in concluding a peace for forty years. He afterwards broke up the confederation of the Hanseatic towns that had combined to ruin the commerce of the town of Revel. In the naval engagement of Bernholm, he defeated the Danes, but was himself defeated in turn, and died in captivity.—G. M. <section end="371M" /> <section begin="371N" />BAGGER,, bishop of Copenhagen, was born in 1646. After studying at Copenhagen, and travelling in Germany, Holland, and England, he was appointed by the king to teach the Oriental languages in an academy recently established in his native place. Removing thence in 1674 to the pastorate of the church of the Holy Virgin in Copenhagen, he was in the following year appointed bishop of the metropolitan diocese. As bishop and dean of theology. Bagger revised the liturgy and lessons of the church, and published several treatises and discourses both in Latin and Danish. With sectarian bigotry he opposed the admission into Denmark of the Calvinist refugees from France. Died in 1693. His son, Christian, became a famous lawyer, and rose to be a councillor of state.—J. E. <section end="371N" /> <section begin="371Zcontin" />BAGGESEN,, distinguished himself both as a Danish and a German poet. He was born at Corsoer in Zealand, 15th February, 1764. With a mind ill at ease, he left his country in 1789, and by the aid of his patron, the prince of Augustenburg, was enabled to travel in Germany, France, Italy, and Switzerland. At Paris he witnessed the early stages of the French revolution; at Berne he married a grand-daughter of the great Albrecht von Haller. Incapable of steadily devoting himself to any constant pursuit, he several times went to Denmark, and left it again. In 1800 he settled in Paris, was appointed in 1811 to a professorship of Danish literature at Kiel, upon which he never seems to have entered, and which he resigned in 1814; he then resided at Copenhagen until 1820 when he again went <section end="371Zcontin" />