Page:Imperial Dictionary of Universal Biography Volume 1.pdf/509

BEL of their rights, and for a financial reform. The clergy joined the malcontents, and King Andrew, in order to prevent a civil war, had in 1222 to sign the so called "Bulla Aurea," the charter of Hungarian liberty, which bears a remarkable similarity to the contemporaneous English Magna Charta. As King (from 1235-1270) Béla remained faithful to the principles laid down in the Golden Bull; he broke the power of the magnates, restricted the expenditure of the government, and protected the freemen. In the midst of his struggles with the great aristocracy, the Mongols of the Golden tribe overran Hungary in 1241, defeating the troops of the king, and carrying plunder and destruction all over the country. Béla sought refuge with Frederic, archduke of Austria, who, instead of granting him aid, or at least an asylum, had the fugitive king arrested, and only released him under the condition of his resigning the border counties of Hungary to Austria. The Mongols having devastated the country, left it the second year of their conquest, called away by the internal dissensions of their nation in Asia. Béla returned and had to rebuild the empire. He restored the towns and castles, invited foreign colonists to the country, reoccupied the border counties, and made war against his faithless neighbour, Frederic of Austria, who fell in the battle of Neustadt. The last years of Béla's reign were troubled by the insurrectionary attempts of his son Stephen, and of the still turbulent oligarchy. Béla died in 1270.—F. P., L.  BELA,, a Basque historian, lived about the middle of the eighteenth century. He was thirty years engaged in writing a history of the Basque countries. The manuscript was discovered in a garret of a library at Pau, and portions of it have been published.  BELADORI,, an Arabic writer; died. 892. He lived at the court of Almotavakel, caliph of Bagdad, and was tutor to the young prince. He wrote an account of the first conquests of the Arabians in Syria, Mesopotamia, Egypt, &c. The manuscript was found at Leyden.  BELAIR,, a French general, born at Paris, 15th October, 1747; died in August, 1819. In 1792 he was appointed engineer for the defence of Paris, and commander of the national guard. In 1793 he was employed in the army of the north, and contributed to the victories gained over the Austrians. He was author of a considerable number of works, chiefly on military engineering, published at Berlin and Paris between 1787 and 1796.  BELAIR,, a negro of St. Domingo and general of brigade. He was one of those who took arms against General Leclerc in the summer of 1802. He had at first some success, but was at length defeated, taken prisoner, and condemned by a military commission to be hanged. In consideration, however, of his grade. General Leclerc ordered him to be shot; and he suffered accordingly on the 15th October, 1802.  * BELBEUF, , marquis De, a French senator, descended from an illustrious family of Normandy, born at Rouen, 20th October, 1791. In October, 1837, he was created a peer of France by the government of Louis Philippe; and from that time until the revolution of 1848, he assisted in the deliberations of the upper chamber, which profited largely by his great talents and experience as a jurisconsult. On the 26th January, 1852, he was raised to the dignity of a senator.—G. M.  BELCHER, or, a minor dramatist of the Elizabethan age, was born about 1580. Little is known of his life, except that he was educated at Oxford, married, and went abroad. He seems to have resided chiefly at Utrecht; he dedicated his comedy of "See me, and see me not," to Sir John Ogle, governor of that town. The comedy was a translation from a dramatic piece called Hans Beerpot. He wrote some other translations and poems, and died in the Netherlands in the year 1621.—J. B.  * BELCHER,, K.C.B., captain, R.N., and hydrographer, was born in 1799, and entered the navy in 1812. Having served for some time on the African coast, and taken part in the bombardment of Algiers, he went in 1825, with Captain Beechey, as assistant surveyor to Behring's Straits. In 1829 he made a survey of the African coast. Between 1836 and 1842 he made his celebrated voyage of discovery round the world in the Sulphur, and subsequently published an interesting "Narrative" of that expedition. In 1841 he rendered able assistance to the operations on the Chinese coast, by sounding the various bays and inlets of the Canton river. For his services on this occasion he was made a post-captain, and received the honour of knighthood in 1843. He was subsequently employed on a survey of the coasts of the East Indies, and was severely wounded in an action against the Borneo pirates. In 1852 he was sent upon a fruitless expedition in search of Sir John Franklin, but was obliged to abandon his ships. For this offence he was tried on his return to England in 1854, but was honourably acquitted.—E. W. <section end="509H" /> <section begin="509I" />BELCHIER,, a distinguished surgeon, born at Kingston in Surrey. After being educated at Eton, he was apprenticed to Cheselden. Perseverance rendered him eminent in his profession, and in his thirtieth year he succeeded Craddock as surgeon to Guy's hospital. In this position he was eminently successful, and treated with unwearied humanity those whom disease or misfortune had placed under his care. He respected the name of Guy almost to adoration, observing, that no other man would have sacrificed one hundred and fifty thousand pounds for the benefit of his fellow-creatures. He died suddenly in 1785, aged 79.—E. L. <section end="509I" /> <section begin="509J" />BELDORI,, an Italian antiquarian, born at Rome in 1615; died in 1696. Christina, queen of Sweden, confided to him the care of her library and museum of antiquities; and Pope Clement X. gave him the title of the "Antiquarian of Rome." He is the author of a vast number of works on medals, inscriptions, &c. <section end="509J" /> <section begin="509K" />BELESTAT,, a French physician and archæologist, who lived in the second half of the sixteenth century. He was first physician to the duke of Anjou, afterwards Henry III. His leisure was devoted to the study of Egyptian antiquities, on which he published a work under the title of "Discours des hiéroglyphes Ægyptiennes," &c., Paris, 1583, which contains some interesting researches.—W. S. D. <section end="509K" /> <section begin="509L" />BELFRAGE,, the Rev., D.D., born at Falkirk, 1774, and succeeded his father in the ministry of one of the Secession congregations there in 1794. He was a popular preacher, but is more extensively known as an author, his publications having procured for him an honourable place among the religious writers of Scotland. His works are numerous. The chief of them are—"Discourses to the Young;" "Monitor to Families;" "Discourses on the Duties and Consolations of the Aged;" "Counsels for the Sanctuary and Civil Life." He died in 1835, in the 41st year of his ministry.—(Life and Correspondence of the Rev. Henry Belfrage, D.D., 1837.)—W. M'K. <section end="509L" /> <section begin="509M" />* BELGIOJOSO, the princess, a native of Lombardy, and famous for her romantic heroism in the cause of her country's liberty. She had been long distinguished as the patron of literature and the arts, and during the revolution in Italy, she warmly espoused the cause of her country. Having raised a troop of 200 horse, she led them herself against the Austrians. For this daring act, her property was confiscated, and a decree of banishment passed against her. She retired to a farm in Asia Minor, and was compelled to labour for her support. The sultan of Turkey afterwards granted her some land on the gulf of Nicomedia, and ultimately the decree of banishment was revoked. She has since been contributing to several journals in Paris and New York.—J. B. <section end="509M" /> <section begin="509N" />BELHOMME,, a learned Benedictine, born at Bar-le-Duc in 1653; died in 1727: distinguished for his eloquence. He was abbé of Moyen-Montier, which he enriched with a splendid library. He wrote a history of this establishment, entitled "Historia Mediani Monasterii in Vosago." <section end="509N" /> <section begin="509O" />BELIDOR,, born in Catalonia in 1697; died at Pavia in 1761. One of the ablest engineers of these times. His works, especially those on mining, are in great credit still. The best of his works are "La Science des Ingenieurs," and "L'Architecture Hydraulique." This latter work has never been superseded. A new edition recently appeared, with notes, bringing down its precepts to the present time. It is indeed an invaluable production.—J. P. N. <section end="509O" /> <section begin="509P" />BELIERE,, a French writer, a native of Charolles, in the second part of the seventeenth century; author of a curious work entitled "Physionomie raisonnée." <section end="509P" /> <section begin="509Qnop" />BELIGATTI,, a capuchin of Macerata, in the papal states, who published on his return from Thibet and India, where he had resided as missionary eighteen years, a Hindostanee and a Sanscrit grammar. He assisted Giorgi in deciphering the Tartar MSS. brought to Europe in 1721. Died in 1791. <section end="509Qnop" />