Page:Imperial Dictionary of Universal Biography Volume 1.pdf/724

BOO modified in the oath of abjuration a century after, by St. 31, G. III., c. 32, s. 6) was not required. Booth was admitted of the inner temple in 1721, and at first practised in the country. But, from the circumstance that the Roman catholic nobility and gentry themselves owned a considerable portion of the landed estates of the country, and always patronized their coreligionists, the metropolis was the proper field for a practitioner looking to their resort. At the time Booth thought of pursuing business in London, N. Pigot was there in possession of the conveyancing goodwill of the Roman catholic connection. His probable want of success under these circumstances at first disheartened Booth. But he enjoyed the friendship of the solicitor-general, Murray, afterwards Lord Mansfield, who, in a letter given in most memoirs of his life, encouraged Booth in a way which does credit to the writer's discernment of character, and proffered personal and material assistance with the warmth and delicacy of generous friendship. Mr. Booth became a member of Lincoln's Inn in the year 1740, with Robert Harley and W. Murray for his mancupators or sureties, and he continued in great practice for thirty years. Booth possessed a profound knowledge of the law of uses, powers, and trusts—the most important agents in effecting modern property arrangements. His style of drafting instruments was prolix and verbose. Indeed, Booth and his contemporary, Ralph Bradley, established, if not founded, that school of conveyancers which flourished in the latter half of the eighteenth, and first quarter of the nineteenth centuries, and cumbered property dealings with the heavy forms devised for the disposal of great estates.—S. H. G.  * BOOTT,, M.D., an eminent English botanist and medical man, has gained distinction by his researches on the natural order Cyperaceæ. He has paid much attention to the genus Carex, and has published a standard illustrated monograph of that genus. Papers by him on the species of this genus have appeared in the Transactions of the Linnæan Society.—J. H. B.  * BOPP,, an eminent Sanscrit scholar, was born at Mentz, September 14, 1791, where his father held an office in the electoral court. He followed his parents to Aschaffenburg: and at an early age became imbued with a bias towards the study of Eastern languages, to which he devoted himself at the universities of Paris, London, and Göttingen with unremitting assiduity. In 1821 he was called to the Oriental chair at Berlin, and since that time has been an ornament to that metropolis of learning and literature. By his "Comparative Grammar of the Sanscrit, Zend, Greek, Latin, &c. Languages," Berlin, 1833-49, he has added comparative philology to the domain of learning. His other works are—"Uber das Conjugations—System der Sanskrit-Sprache," 1816; "Ausführliches Lehrgebäude der Sanskrit-Sprache," 1827; "Grammatica critica linguæ Sanscritæ;" "Kritische Grammatik der Sanskrit-Sprache;" "Glossarium Sanscritum," 2nd ed. 1840-47; "Nalus, Mahabarati episodium," London, 1819; "Die Celtischen Sprachen in ihrem Verhalten zum Sanskrit, Zend," &c.—K. E.  BOR,, a Dutch historian, born at Utrecht in 1559; died in 1635. Author of a history of the Low Countries, to which the most learned men of Holland have accorded the praise of exactitude and impartiality.—J. G.  BORA,, the wife of Luther, was born of noble parentage at Löben, near Schweinitz, Saxony, January 29, 1499. She was entered of the Cistercian convent of Nimptschen, near Grimma, and here became acquainted with the doctrine of Luther. Having in vain intreated her family to take her home, she asked Luther for his assistance. Luther directed a respectable citizen of Torgaù, Leonhard Koppe, to set her free, along with eight other nuns, in the night from Maundy Thursday to Good Friday, 1523, and bring her to Wittenberg, where she was received into the family of the mayor, Mr. Reichenbach. She declined to become the wife of Dr. Kaspar Glaz, but declared her willingness to be married either to Nicolaus von Amsdorf or Luther himself. Luther accepted this offer, June 13, 1525, and had three sons and three daughters by her. After her husband's death she fled to Magdeburg and Brunswick, and died at Torgau, December 20, 1552. Her life has been written by Walch, Halle, 1752-54, 2 vols.; by Beste, 1843; and Weidinger, Greiz, 1854.—K. E.  BORADILLA,, a Spanish painter, born near Seville in 1620. He was a pupil of Zusburan, whom he imitated. He painted small historical pictures and perspective views, and died in 1680.—W. T.  BORASTUS,, a Swedish publicist and poet, born at Norköping about 1584. He left his country and became secretary to the king of Poland. He is not to be confounded with another Swede, Stephen Borastus, who was cardinal, and played an important part at the court of Rome.  BORCH. See. <section end="724H" /> <section begin="724I" />BORCH, M. J., a Polish naturalist, born of illustrious parentage in the province of Witepsk; died in 1810. His principal works relate to the natural history of Sicily, where he resided a number of years. They are still read with interest. He was governor of his native province. Among his works was one on the mineralogy of Sicily.—J. S., G. <section end="724I" /> <section begin="724J" />BORCHT,, a painter and engraver. This double-handed man was a pupil of Giles Valkenburgh, and studied in Italy. He painted fruit and flowers, especially for Charles I., in a pleasant enough way; but on that narrowminded Stuart losing his reason, and subsequently losing his head, he returned to Antwerp, and died there in 1660—the year of that worst of all revolutions, a Restoration. Borcht was also a well-known virtuoso, and was employed as a collecting agent by that judicious amasser to whom we all owe so much—the earl of Arundel. The prince of Wales also employed him in the same capacity. The few etchings of this artist are after Parmegiano and the Caraccis, and are religious subjects. There was a who flourished at Antwerp in 1628, and executed fleets for Thibault's Academie de l'Espée. , was a Flemish painter and engraver (for in these robust ages such double-barrelled men were not rare), born at Brussels in 1540. His works as a painter are poor; his etchings are rough, careless, and show a prodigal invention, though indifferent in drawing and composition. They include 178 illustrations of Ovid.—W. T. <section end="724J" /> <section begin="724K" />BORDA,, born at Dax in 1733; died in 1799. A very eminent mathematician and civil and naval engineer of France. The services he rendered to the department of practical science which engrossed him, were invaluable. We owe to Borda the introduction of the reflecting circle, as the chief instrument for stellar observations at sea; the description and analysis he has left of it—"Description et Usage du Cercle de Reflexion"—is still as good as any extant. He invented the repeating circle, so long a favourite in conducting geodetic surveys, although for good reasons it is now much more rarely employed. He found the length of the seconds pendulum (proposed as the invariable basis of the new system of measures) by methods so well chosen and exact, that his name has been coupled with Coulomb's as one of the fathers of precise experiment in France. He contributed greatly to the improvement of ship chronometers; and laid before the Academy of Sciences numerous memoirs on hydrostatics, ship-building, and navigation. And he obtained, at his own expense, the calculating and printing of that extensive table of logarithmic sines, &c., still bearing his name, adapted to the decimal division of the circumference of the circle. Services like these have worthily secured the gratitude of his country, or rather of European practical science.—Borda undertook several voyages with a view to important results. He visited and surveyed the Canary islands; he served as a naval officer under D'Estaing in 1777 and 1778; and he afterwards joined the squadron of De Grasse as commander of the frigate Solitaire. It is suspected that Borda was not quite so accurate when narrating naval exploits, as while measuring the pendulum. He avers, that having separated by accident from his squadron, he found himself, on a mist clearing away, in the very heart of the English fleet. The Solitaire must have been a favourite with her commander, for his narrative of her obsequies bears, that she singly stood a combined attack for three hours, and then surrendered only because she was a complete wreck. The despatch of the English admiral does not quite coincide with Borda's. It seems the French ship was surprised, and that, on endeavouring to escape, she was pursued by the Ruby of 60 guns. The Ruby being the best sailer, an engagement ensued, and after a fight of forty-one minutes the Solitaire felt it necessary to surrender, on account of her disabled state. The Admiral claims no honour, the force of the Ruby being the superior; nor does he more than allude to the incident. Alas! for the uncertainties of history! But, in this instance, the laws of probability pronounce strongly, and with small courtesy, against our excellent Borda!—J. P. N. <section end="724K" /> <section begin="724Zcontin" />BORDA,, an Italian physician, and professor of materia <section end="724Zcontin" />