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BENGHAZI

200

BENNINGTON

the language commonly heard in Calcutta and the Valley of the Ganges. It is related to Sanskrit, which has had an influence upon its inflexion and syntax, like other languages of the Aryan family. Its literature embodies translations of the chief Sanskrit epics, notably the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. See Dutt's Literature of Bengal] also dictionaries of Bengali, Sanskrit and English.

Benghazi. See BARCA.

Benguela (b$n-gd'la), a district and port in Angola, a colonial possession of Portugal on the west coast of Africa. It lies south of French Congo, and southward also from Sao Paulo de Loanda, the capital town of the district. Its trade is mainly with Portugal, its chief exports being coffeQ and rubber. Malachite, copper and iron, together with petroleum and salt, are found in the province. Its soil is fertile and produces a luxuriant vegetation; but the climate, especially near the coast, is hot, humid and unhealthy. Besides the shipping trade in the coast towns, the province of Angola has now considerable railway traffic inland, with 250 miles of railway in operation. From Lobito Bay near Benguela a i,2oo-mile railway is being built to con-jiect in Northern Rhodesia with the Cape-to-Cairo road.

Ben'jamin, meaning "son of the right hand," was the youngest and best beloved of the sons of Jacob. He was at first named Benoni by his mother Rachel, but after her death the father changed the name to Benjamin. He was the founder of one of the two tribes of Israel whose warriors were noted for their skill in archery and for their cleverness with the left hand. On entering Canaan the tribe numbered 45,600 warriors above twenty years old. The territory of the tribe lay on the west side of the Jordan, between the tribes of Ephraim and Judah. Saul, the first king of Israel, was a Benja-mite. After the death of Solomon, Benjamin along with Judah formed the kingdom of Judah, and on the return from the captivity these two tribes formed the main element of the new Jewish nation. The Apostle Paul belonged to the tribe of Benjamin.

Benjamin, Judah Peter, an American lawyer and politician, was born in 1811 in the West Indies, of Jewish parents, who at a later day emigrated to the United States. He practiced law in New Orleans and became interested in politics, acting first with the Whigs. He was elected United States senator from Louisiana in 1852, and on the slavery question sided with the Democrats. When Louisiana seceded, he withdrew from the senate and became a member of Jefferson Davis's cabinet as attorney-general. He was later secretary of war and then secretary of state until the downfall of the Confederacy. He then went to London, where he

'was called to the English bar and practiced with success until 1881, when he retired. He died in Paris, May 6, 1884. He published a treatise on the Law of Sale of Per-sonal Property.

Ben'nett, James Gordon, founder and proprietor of the New York Herald, was born in Scotland in 1795, and studied to be a Roman Catholic priest, but, abandoning that idea, emigrated to America in 1819. For a livelihood, he tried teaching, proofreading, writing and lecturing, and was connected with several newspapers, but remained a poor man, when in May, 1835, he issued the first number of the New York Herald. By his industry and sagacity he made the paper a great success, and soon became a wealthy man. His paper was the first one to publish the stock lists and a daily money article, and many other original features were afterwards added. When steam communication was opened with Europe, he crossed the Atlantic and made arrangements for correspondence from all countries. The first speech ever reported in full by the telegraph was sent to the Herald. The paper was independent in politics, but generally supported the Democratic party. He died in New York, June 2, 18725 in the Roman Catholic faith. He bequeathed the Herald to his son, James Gordon Bennett, who is now its editor and proprietor. The present editor, together with the London Daily Telegraph, supplied the funds for Stanley's journey across Africa (1874-7) from Zanzibar to Lakes Victoria and Tanganyika and down the Congo to the Atlantic.

Ben Nevis (ben nev'ts), a mountain of In-vernessshire, Scotland. One of the loftiest peaks in Great Britain, it has a height of 4,400 feet, with a precipice of 1,500 feet on the northeast side. A road was built to the summit in 1883, where a weather observatory has been erected. A weather report is sent daily from this elevation and transmitted by telegraph over Scotland.

Ben'ningtqn, capital of the county of the same name in Vermont. The place is famous because of the battle fought there in the Revolutionary War. On Aug. 16, 1777, Gen. Stark, at the head of a column of Green Mountain Boys, defeated a force commanded by Col. Baum, sent from Gen. Burgoyne's army to capture the public stores at Bennington. Six hundred British prisoners were captured In 1891 a monument commemorating this event was dedicated; it is a shaft 301 ffeet in height. The anniversary of this battle has been celebrated almost every year since, and in 1877 a centennial celebration was held, at which the then president of the United States and his cabinet, the governors and legislatures of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont, besides many prominent men of the army and navy and of other