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 744 BLOOMFIELD BLOOMFIELD, Robert, an English pastoral poet, born at ilonington, Suffolk, Dec. 3, 1766, died at Shefford, Bedfordshire, Aug. 19, 1823. At an early age he lost his father, a tailor, and was taught to read by his mother, who kept a dame school. Not being sufficiently robust for a farmer's boy, he was sent to London to learn the business of a shoemaker, and in his brief leisure read a few books of poetry, in- cluding Thorn son's "Seasons," which he greatly admired. He composed in a garret where he lodged " The Farmer's Boy," in which he de- scribed the country scenes he had been familiar with in childhood. Several London publishers declined this poem, but it was seen by Mr. Capel Lofft, and under his patronage it was published in 1800. Within three years over 26,000 copies were sold, and it was translated into German, French, Italian, and Latin. The fluke of Grafton appointed Bloomfleld to a government situation, but ill health caused him to return to his trade of ladies' shoemaker, the duke settling a shilling a day on him for the rest of his life. Finally, he retired to Shefford, where he died in debt, leaving a widow and four children. His " Farmer's Boy," which has often been reprinted, is by far his best pro- duction. His other principal poems are: "Rural Tales and Ballads," "Good Tidings," "Wild Flowers," "The Banks of the Wye," and " May Day with the Muses." BLOOMFIELD, Samuel Thomas, D. D., an Eng- lish scholar and critic, born in 1790, died at Wandsworth Common, Sept. 28, 1869. He was educated at Sidney college, Cambridge, took orders, and held till the end of his life the vicarage of Bisbrooke, Rutland. IJe published, under the title Recensio Synoptica, exegetical, critical, and doctrinal annotations on the New Testament (8 vols., 1826) ; a Greek and English lexicon to the New Testament, revised and enlarged from Dr. Robinson's (1829); a trans- lation of Thucydides (3 vols., 1829) ; Thucyd- ides's "History of the Peloponnesian War," with a new recension of the Greek text and elaborate notes (2 vols., 1843); and "The Greek Testament, with English Notes, critical, philo- logical," &c. (2 vols., 1832 ; 9th ed., 1855). Dr. Bloomfield's Greek Testament has been more largely used, both in England and the United States, than that of any other English critic, and is still highly approved as a learned, judi- cious, and trustworthy work. BLOOMINGTON, a village and the capital of Monroe co., Indiana, situated on a ridge between the E. and W. forks of White river ; pop. in 1870, 1,032. A railroad from New Albany to Michigan City passes through the village. It is the seat of the state university, which in 1871 had 13 instructors, 277 male and 31 fe- male students, and a library of 5,000 volumes. The law school connected with it had 2 pro- fessors, 53 students, 229 alumni, and a library of 1,100 volumes. BLOOMINGTOJV, a city and the capital of Mc- Lean co., Illinois, 116 m. S. S. W. of Chicago, BLOUNT and 154 m. N. N. E. of St. Louis ; pop. in 1860, 7,075 ; in 1870, 14,590. The city is handsomely built, has street railways and steam fire engines, and contains 36 schools attended by 3,091 pupils, a female seminary, and the Major female college. The Illinois Wesleyan university, a Methodist Episcopal institution, was organized in 1852, and in 1870 had 200 pupils in all the departments, 6 in- structors, and a library of 15,000 volumes. Three daily and two weekly papers are pub- lished. Bloomington is a great railroad centre, and is increasing rapidly in population and wealth. The Chicago, Alton, and St. Louis railroad and the northern division of the Il- linois Central intersect at this point, which is also on the line of the Indianapolis, Blooming- ton, and Western railway. The construction and repair shops of the Chicago and Alton company are built of stone, and with the yards attached cover 13 acres of ground. The city also contains numerous mills and factories of all descriptions. A large wholesale trade is carried on, the city competing with Chicago and St. Louis for the patronage of the neigh- boring towns. BLOUNT. I. A N. county of Alabama, drained by the upper courses of the Locust and Mul- berry forks of Black Warrior river ; area, about 900 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 9,945, of whom 682 were colored. Portions of the surface are mountainous, and covered with forests of ex- cellent timber. Blount's Springs, on Mulberry fork, is a popular watering place. The chief productions in 1870 were 47,375 bushels of wheat, 266,553 of Indian corn, 12,779 of oats, 81,578 of sweet potatoes, and 950 bales of cotton. There were 1,651 horses, 633 mules and asses, 3,235 milch cows, 5,323 other cat- tle, 9,507 sheep, and 15,983 swine. Capital, Blountsville. II. A S. E. county of Tennessee, bordering on North Carolina ; area, 450 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 14,237, of whom 1,456 were col- ored. Holston river, on the N. W. boundary, is navigable by steamboats ; the Tennessee bounds it on the west, and Little river and numerous small creeks intersect it. The Knox- ville and Charleston railroad extends from Knoxville to Marysville. The surface is trav- ersed by several mountain ridges, the principal of which are Iron or Smoky mountain, and Chilhowee mountain. The soil is fertile and carefully tilled. Marble, limestone, and iron ore abound. The chief productions in 1870 were 107,819 bushels of wheat, 384,583 of Indian corn, 104,501 of oats, 18,178 Ibs. of wool, 129,535 of butter, and 20,219 gallons of sorghum molasses. There were 2,847 horses, 2,488 milch cows, 5,018 other cattle, 10,828 sheep, and 15,725 swine. Capital, Maryville. BLOIUT, Charles, an English deistical writer, born in Middlesex, April 27, 1654, died in August, 1693. His first work, a pamphlet in defence of Dryden's " Conquest of Granada," was followed in 1679 by Anima Mundi, a work giving a historical account of the opin-