Page:LA2-NSRW-1-0339.jpg



BULFINCH

288

BULWER-LYTTON

footmen with red banners take tip the attention of the bull, while the rider escapes. Men armed with sharp, barbed darts, with fireworks and flags attached to them, next torment the victim. Finally the main actor enters the arena clad in black, and, armed with a long, straight sword, he soon ends the sport, driving his blade up to the hilt into the bull, where the neck joins the spine.

Bulfinch, Thomas (1796-1867), the author of the Age of Fable (1855), a remarkable and well-written book, and of many literary and historical studies, was a native of Boston, Mass. He was a student of Phillips Exeter Academy; and a graduate of Harvard University (1814). Mr. Bulfinch was a business man and banker as well as an author. Among his works are Legends of Charlemagne, Poetry of the Age of Fable, the Hebrew Lyrical History, the Age of Chivalry, Oregon and Eldorado and the Boy Inventor. Mr. Bulfinch was an intimate friend of the poet Longfellow.

Bull Run, a small stream in northeastern Virginia, upon whose banks were fought two severe battles of the Civil War, both of which resulted in defeat to the Federal arms. The first battle of Bull Run was fought July 21, 1861, and was the first important engagement of the war. The Union army, 35,000 strong, was commanded by General Irvin McDowell; the Confederate army, numbering about 32,000, was under General Beauregard. The fight began in the early morning, and until noon the advantage was with the Federal forces, which crossed Bull Run and attempted to turn the confederate left; but in the afternoon the Confederates were re-enforced, the Federal lines gave way before the onset of fresh troops, and finally retreated in confusion and disorder. The effect of this battle was greatly to encourage and strengthen the south, while the north proceeded to prepare for a struggle which it was now seen must be stubborn and prolonged. On the same field a second and terrible battle was fought on the 29th and 3oth of August, 1862, between the Confederate army under General Lee and the Union forces under Major-General John Pope. After two days' hard fighting, Pope was defeated and compelled to retreat. He charged his defeat to the tardy support which was given him by certain divisions of McClellan's army, which had been sent to him, and particularly to positive disobedience of orders by General Fitz-John Porter, who withheld re-enforcements during the crisis of the battle. Porter was afterward courtmartialed and dismissed from the service, but was later on restored.

Billow (bu'lo) Prince Bernard von, German imperial chancellor in succession to Prince Hohenlohe, who retired in 1900 and died in the following year. Prince von Billow was born in 1849, m Holstein, studied at Lausanne, Leip^ic and Berlicu

served in the Franco-Prussian War, and entered the German Foreign Office in 1874, In his early diplomatic career he was successively secretary of legation at Rome, St. Petersburg, Vienna and Paris; charge d' affaires at Athens; and secretary at the Berlin Congress. In 1897 he was named Foreign Secretary at Berlin, and as such concluded with Spain the treaty by which Germany became possessor of the Mariana and Caroline Islands. In 1899 he was created a count and in 1900 became German Chancellor, after which he was raised to the dignity of a prince of the Empire, as well as prime minister of Prussia.

Billow (bti'lo), Hans Quido von, a German musician, born at Dresden in 1830, and died February 12, 1894. He studied law for a time, but by the advice of Wagner and Liszt decided to devote himself to the study of music, which he did under Liszt for two years. In 1855 he was made professor of the piano in the Conservatory of Music at Berlin, and later went on concert tours through Germany and Russia, gaming a great reputation as a pianist. In 1867 he became chapel-master to the king of Bavaria at Munich, and in 1880 he was made director of music to the court at Meiningen. He wrote about thirty musical works, and composed many songs and short pieces. He was one of the most successful orchestra-leaders in Europe, and as a pianist had few equals. He died at Cairo, Egypt, on Feb. i2th, 1894.

Bul'wer-Lyt'ton, Edward George Earle Lytton, Baron Lytton, an English novelist, was born in Norfolk in 1803. He belonged to a very old English family, and was educated at Cambridge University. In 1826 he wrote his first poetry for publication, and in the next year his first novel, Falkland, appeared. After that his writings were published in rapid succession, among the earlier ones being Eugene Aram, Pelham, Last Days of Pompeii, Rienzi the Last of the Tribunes, Zanoni and The Last of the Barons. He was also successful in the writing of dramas, Richelieu and The Lady of Lyons being the best known. He entered Parliament in 1831 and became a prominent member, being made secretary of state for the colonies in Lord Derby's cabinet in 1858. Most of his later works were first published in magazines, of which the most celebrated are The Caxtons, Harold the Last of the Saxon Kings, My Novel, A Strange Story and Caxtoniana, the last being a collection of essays. Bulwer considered King Arthur, an epic poem, his best work. His novels are very popular and have been translated into several languages. He was made a peer and given the title Baron Lytton in 1866. His death occurred in 1873. Lord Lytton's son, Robert, inherited much of his father's gifts, especially -as a poet. His best known work is Lucile,