Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume II.djvu/483

 BEECHEY BEE-EATER 463 in 1866 under the title of "Nina Gordon"); "The Minister's Wooing" (1859); "The Pearl of Orr's Island " ( 18(>2) ; " Agnes of Sorrento " (1803) : " Old Town Folks " (1869) ; " My Wife and I" (1872), and several others. In 1868 the countess Guiccioli put forth her " Recollec- tions of Lord Byron." Mrs. Stowe thereupon, in September, 1869, published in the "Atlantic Monthly" a paper, "The True Story of Lady Byron's Life," in which she undertook to show that Byron had formed an incestuous intimacy with his half-sister, Mrs. Leigh. This paper elicited much comment and many replies. She extended her magazine article into a volume, "Lady Byron Vindicated" (1869), in which she reiterated her original statement, and re- plied to the animadversions which it had occa- sioned. In 1868-'70 she was one of the editors of "Hearth and Home," a weekly literary journal of New York. Her home is in Hartford, Conn., but she passes much of her time at her winter residence in Mandarin, Florida. VI. Charles, born at Litchfield, Conn., in 1815. In 1844 he was ordained as a clergyman, and be- came successively pastor at Newark, N. J., and Georgetown, Mass. He has written "The Incarnation" (1849); "Review of the Spirit- ual Manifestations " (1853) ; and " Pen Pictures of the Bible" (1855). He aided his brother, Henry Ward Beecher, in the compilation of the "Plymouth Collection of Hymns and Tunes," was joint author with his sister, Mrs. Stowe, of the "Sunny Memories of Foreign Lands," and acted as editor of the life of his father, Lyman Beecher. VII. Thomas hriinii-utt, born at Litchfield, Conn., Feb. 10, 1824. He grad- uated in 1843 at Illinois college, of which his brother Edward was president, and en- gaged in teaching. He afterward became pastor of the New England Congregational church in Williarnsburgh, now a part of Brook- lyn, N. Y., and about 1857 removed to Elmira, N. Y., where he is now pastor of a church (1872). He has published a volume entitled ; "Our Seven Churches " (New York, 1870). BEECHEY, Frederick William, an English navi- gator, born in London in February, 1796, died ! there, Nov. 29, 1856. He was a son of Sir j William Beechey, the painter. He entered the i navy as a volunteer at the age of 1 0, and saw a great deal of service (including the contest at New Orleans) during the 12 years following, and in 1815 was made lieutenant. In 1818 he sailed in the Trent, under Franklin, on his first voyage of arctic discovery, acting as artist to the expedition, and in 1819 he was lieutenant of the Ilecla in Parry's first arctic voyage. In 1821 he was commissioned (with his brother II. W. Beechey) to make a survey of the N. coast of Africa, from Tripoli to Derne. He was raised to the rank of commander, and sent out in 1825 in the Blossom on another arctic expedition, by way of Cape Horn, to act in con- cert with Franklin and Parry. Having passed Behring strait, he reached in August, 1826, a point N. of Icy cape, and went in boats to 82 VOL. ii. 30 lat. 71 23' 31" N. and Ion. 156 21' 30" W., only 146 m. from the extreme point simultaneously reached by Franklin. As they were not aware of each other's position, neither advanced. Commander Beechey subsequently discovered, in 1827 (in which year he was made post cap- tain), two secure harbors S. E. of Cape Prince of Wales, and near to Behring strait, which he named Port Clarence and Grantley harbor. He returned to England after an absence of nearly three years. Between 1829 and 1839 he was employed in making surveys of the coasts of South America and Ireland, and in 1854 he was appointed rear admiral of the blue. BEECHEY, Sir William, an English portrait painter, born at Burford, Oxfordshire, in De- cember, 1753, died at Hampstead, near London, in January, 1839.- He was articled to a Lon- don attorney, but procured his release at the age of 19, became a student of the royal acad- emy, and closely imitated the style of Sir Joshua Reynolds. For some time he confined himself to portraits, living at Norwich; but having executed some small pieces in the man- ner of Hogarth, which were very successful, he returned to London, where he obtained numerous commissions for full-length portraits. In 1793 he was elected associate of the royal academy, and appointed portrait painter to Queen Charlotte. In 1797, having painted a good picture of George III., he was knighted, and at the same time made a member of the royal academy. BEE-EATER, a bird of the genus merops, and family meropidtx. There are 26 species de- scribed, inhabiting most parts of the old world, and migrating from place to place, according to change of season. In the winter they seek the warmest portions of the globe, and the tern- Bee-Eater (Merops npiaster). perate regions in summer, in search of food, which consists exclusively of insects. They commonly perch singly or in small parties on a