Page:Imperial Dictionary of Universal Biography Volume 1.pdf/486

BEC Bechstein quitted Salzmann's Philanthropin, and in May formally opened his own institution. His wish to see this acquire the dignity of a regular academy of forest science was not gratified; although in 1796 the duke of Saxe-Gotha raised it into a public educational institute, it never received any support from the state, and in fact, so many hindrances stood in its way, that it fell to the ground in 1799. Failing in this, his favourite object, Bechstein established a society for the cultivation of forest science, and this soon included numerous members. Their memoirs were published in a journal called Diana, of which the first volume appeared in 1797. Soon after the institution at Waltershausen had been given up, Bechstein was invited to enter the service of George, duke of Saxe-Meiningen, with whom he was previously acquainted. The duke was exceedingly desirous of establishing an educational institute for forest science in his dominions, and for this purpose selected the castle of Dreissigacker, where the institution was opened under Bechstein's direction on the 12th May, 1801, and continued to flourish until Bechstein's death on the 23rd February, 1822, after which it gradually fell off, and was finally extinguished in 1843. Bechstein's merits in the diffusion of natural history were so great and so generally recognized, as to have obtained for him the name of the German Buffon. His peculiar merit, however, is in the foundation of the science of forestry; and the numerous schools which have been established upon his model, and the number of writers upon similar subjects who have followed in his footsteps, show clearly enough how important a subject this is in Germany. Besides his writings upon forestry, Bechstein published various works upon different branches of natural history, but principally on ornithology; his "Natural History of Cage Birds" being especially well known, from the numerous editions and translations of it which have been published. He also wrote a "Natural History of Insects," published at Nuremberg in 1793, and translated Latham's work on birds, and Pennant's on quadrupeds, from the English—and Lacepéde's Reptiles, and de Vaillant's Natural History of African Birds, from the French, into the German language.—W. S. D.  * BECHSTEIN,, a German poet and miscellaneous writer, was born in the duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, 24th November, 1801. He was bound apprentice to a chemist, when, in 1829, the duke of Meiningen, whose notice he had attracted by a volume of sonnets, granted him the means of attending the university of Leipzig. Two years later he was appointed librarian to the duke. Among his numerous works, his "Collection of the Popular and Nursery Tales of Thuringia," in 4 vols., deserves to be first mentioned; but his "Märchenbuch," his "Wanderings of a Musician," and a great number of his poems, are not less deservedly popular. In 1831 he originated the Henneberg Antiquarian Society.—K. E.  BECICHEMI,, an Italian philologist, born about 1468, at Scutari; died in 1526. He filled the chair of Latin eloquence successively at Ragusa, Venice, Brescia and Padua. His works are very scarce; among them is "Castigationes ad Ciceronis opus de Oratore."  BECK,, an English theologian of the first half of the seventeenth century, author of "The Universal Character by which all Nations may understand one another's Conceptions, reading out of one common writing their own tongues," 1657.  BECK,, a German philologist and historian, born at Leipzig, 22nd January, 1757; died there, December, 1832. In youth he exhibited great aptitude for the learned languages, and at the age of sixteen, published a criticism on the Hippolytus of Euripides. He studied in his native town, and became successively professor of Greek and Latin, and director of the Royal Philological Gymnasium. In 1803, he was made aulic councillor, and afterwards received the Saxon order of civil merit. His editions of Euripides, Aristophanes, Pindar, Apollonius, and Calpurnius, and his admirable papers on archæological and historical subjects, mark him as a man of great erudition, sagacity, and critical acumen.—K. E.  BECK,, a German historian and theologian, born in 1711, was professor of theology in his native town of Basle. He published "De partibus orbis quas ante diluvium Noachicum homines incoluisse videntur," 1739, and "Introductio in historiam patriam Helvetiorum usque ad annum 1743," 1744. Died in 1770.  BECK,, born at Lissau, near Dantzic, about 1761, and professor of philosophy successively at Halle and Rostock. Distinguished as an expounder of Kant's philosophy, which he reduces almost to absolute idealism.—J. D. E.  * BECK,, a German poet, was born at Baja in Hungary, in 1817, whence with his father, a Jewish merchant, he removed to Pesth. In 1837 he left his country, and settled at Leipzig, where he commenced his literary career. Besides several volumes of poetry ("Nâchte, Gepanzerte Lieder," 1838; "Der Fahrende Poet;" "Stille Lieder;" "Lieder vom armen Manne, &c."), he has published "Saul, a Tragedy," 1841, which, however, proved abortive; and "Ianko der Ungarische Rooshirt," 1842, a metrical romance, in which he has best developed his poetical powers. His lyrics, in which he eagerly takes the liberal side, are extravagant in thought and style, and therefore enjoy no great popularity.—K. E. <section end="486H" /> <section begin="486I" />* BECK,, a German jurist, born at Leipzig in 1786, was appointed counsellor to the appeal court of that city in 1835. He has published—"Corpus juris Civilis," 1825-1836; "Das Executions Gesetz von 1838," &c., "Bemerkungen uber den Criminalgerichtsstand in Sachsen." <section end="486I" /> <section begin="486J" />BECKER or BAJERT-BECKER, , Comte de Mons, a French general, born in 1770; died in 1840. He distinguished himself in many campaigns, and in 1819 was called to the chamber of peers, in which he sat until his death. <section end="486J" /> <section begin="486K" />BECKER or BEKKER,, born at Metslawier in West Friesland, a minister of the reformed church, was expelled from that body for Cartesianism, and for denying demoniacal possession. He also incurred persecution by publishing a work entitled "The World Enchanted," intended to allay the fears created by the comet of 1680.—J. D. E. <section end="486K" /> <section begin="486L" />BECKER,, a Swedish poet of the old school. His best writing is in his prize poems. He died 1831. <section end="486L" /> <section begin="486M" />BECKER,, a German divine, born at Grevenstein in the duchy of Westphalia, in 1740. He was curate and afterwards canon of a district of Paderborn. Devoting his leisure to the secular education of his parishioners, he encountered the bigoted opposition of his bishop, by whom he was suspended from his clerical functions, imprisoned, and excommunicated. Besides some educational works, among which may be noticed "Synchronic Tables of History from the earliest times to the time of Christ," he published "History of my Imprisonment in the Convent of Paderborn."—J. S., G. <section end="486M" /> <section begin="486N" />* BECKER,, a German, born at Frankenthal of an artisan family in 1809, was himself a tradesman till the revolutionary year, 1830, when he became connected with a journal devoted to the advocacy of republican opinions. He has since taken part in most of the revolutionary schemes which have been agitated in Germany during the last twenty years, distinguishing himself equally as an advocate and a soldier of liberty. <section end="486N" /> <section begin="486O" />BECKER,, a distinguished German grammarian, was born at Liser, in the then electorate of Treves, 1775, and died at Offenbach, 5th September, 1849. Having been educated at Paderborn and Hildesheim, he successively became a teacher, a distinguished physician, and a pedagogue and keeper of a school. In his numerous works on German grammar he exclusively considers the language as a logical structure, and consequently his doctrines, though highly ingenious, are not always in accordance with the established results of historical and comparative philology. For the same reason the adaptation of his theory to the Greek and Latin languages, as attempted by Raphael Kühner and Hermann Weissenborn, did not prove successful. His principal works are—"Aüsführliche Deutsche Grammatik," "Das Wort in seiner Organischen Bedeutung," and "Organismus der Deutschen Sprache."—K. E. <section end="486O" /> <section begin="486P" />BECKER,, author of the celebrated "Weltgeschichte für Kinder und Kinderlehrer," 1801-1805, 9 vols., was born at Berlin, 1777, and died 15th March, 1806. His work was continued by Woltmann, Menzel, and Loebell, and still enjoys a great and well-deserved popularity.—K. E. <section end="486P" /> <section begin="486Zcontin" />BECKER,, a German popular writer, was born at Erfurt, 9th April, 1752, and died at Gotha, 28th March, 1822. In 1783 he settled at Gotha, where he afterwards established a publishing business. More than thirty years he was successfully engaged in teaching and improving the people by his writings, of which the "Noth und Hülfsbüchlein oder lehrreiche Freuden und Trauergeschichte des Dorfes Mildheim," 1787-98, 2 vols.; and the "Mildheimische Liederbuch," 1799, will always be remembered with the highest praise. Of the former upwards of one million of copies were <section end="486Zcontin" />