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BAHRDT. worked himself, and so resigned his professor- ship. When the Wollner edict of 1788 against rationalism appeared he ridiculed it, anony- mously, but was condemned to a year's im- prisonment at Magdeburg. He employed his leisure in writing his autobiography, which is not noted for veracity (1790). Released, in 1790, he opened an inn at Halle, and gave him- self up to riotous living. He then wrote the best book of the many he produced, System der moralischen Religion (1719). He died at Halle, April 23, 1792. For his biography consult J. Leyser, F. Bahrdt sein VerliMltniss zum Philanthropismus und zur neuern Piida- gogik (2d ed., Neustadt, 1870).

BAHREIN (ba-ran') ISLANDS (Ar. Bahrein, two seas). A group of islands under British protection, situated in latitude 26° N. and longitude 50° 40' E., on the western side of the Persian Gulf, and Iving mostly within the bay to the north and west of the Katar Peninsula (Map: Asia, E 6). The chief island, called Bahr- ein, or Aval, has a north and south extent of 25 miles and a greatest breadth east and west of 9 miles: and while having Hat, .sandy coasts, yet is hilly in the interior. The soil is generally fertile, and the frequency of springs permits the some- what e.tcnsive growing of Eastern tropical fruit, such as figs and dates, and of grains, particularly wlieat and barley. The pearl fisheries, on banks submerged from" 50 to 200 feet below the sea- level, and extending for a distance of nearly 125 miles along the shore, form an important indus- try. Bahrein possesses two cities of consider- able size; Manama (25,000), the chief trading centre: and Moharek (22,000), the capital city. These islands have long been important trading points. Population, about 70,000.

BAHR-EL-GHAZAL, bar'el-ga-zjil' ( Ar., the river of gazelles). The name given to two rivers and their valleys in Central Africa. The first issues from the eastern end of Lake Chad, and after a northeasterly course of about 300 miles through a little-known desert region, loses its waters in the marsliy district of the Bodele in latitude 16° N. The" second river rises near the northeastern boundary of the Congo Free State, and after a northeasterly course, during which it receives the waters of several tribu- taries, unites with the Bahr-el-Jebel and joins at Sobat the White Nile or Eahr-el-Abiad, of which it is one of the principal affluents.

BAIÆ, bi'e, now Baja. A famous watering- place of the ancient Romans, situated on a beau- tiful bay in Campania, west of Pueoli (now Pozzuoli') and north of Cape Miseno. It was renowned for its lovely climate and scenery, its warm sulphur springs," and its excellent sea-food, especiallv the oysters of the neighboring Lucrine T>ake. M'any w-ealthy Romans had villas here, and the shore i"s dotted to-day with the remains of ancient houses, baths, and temples. Even under the Republic Baiic was notorious for its loose morals, and under the Emperors life there was marked by extreme luxury and sensuality. With the decline of the Roman'power Bai;c rapidly lost its importance, and was finally abandoned be- cause of its malarious atmosphere. Recently it has attained some importance as a war harbor.

BAIER, bl'er, JoHANN Wiliielm (1647-95). A Lutheran divine. His Compendium Theologice PositiviB (Jena, 1686; many edd., rep., Saint Louis, Mo., 1882), was long the principal man- ual used by Lutheran divinity students.

BAÏ'F, ba'ef, Jean Antoine de (1532-89). A French poet, born at Venice. He was a member of the Pleiade ( see Pleiades ), and is perhaps best known for his unsuccessful attempt to introduce into French poetry the rhjnneless verse (t'crs mesures) of the ancients. For the promo- tion of this, and of a further design for the sim- plification of French orthography, he founded an "Academie de poesie et de musique' (1567-84). His Poesies choisies have been edited by Beeq de Fouqui^res (1874), and his Mimes, enseigne- ments, et proverbes by Blanehemain (1880). Consult Nagel, Die metrisclien Verse J. A. de Ba'ifs (Leipzig, 1878).

BAIKAL, bl'kiil' (Turk., Tatar 601", rich + kal, kid. lake, sea: Mongol, Dalai-'Sor, holy sea ) . The third lake in point of size in Asia, and the largest fresh-water lake of the Conti- nent: situated in the south of Siberia, in the Government of Irkutsk, on the line of the Si- berian Railway, in latitude 51° to 55° N., lon- gitude 103° to 110° E. (Map: Asia, K 3). It is crescent-shaped, covers an area of 13.000 square miles, and has a shore-line of 1000 miles. Its length is 390 miles, and its breadth from 20 to 50 miles; height above the sea, 1513 feet; greatest depth, off its southwest shore, about 4500. The bottom of the lake is, therefore, about 2900 feet beneath the level of the ocean. Its waters are clear and transparent. The Baikal Mountains, a spur of the Altai, inclose the lake, which is fed by numerous streams, the chief of which are the Sclenga and Bargusin. Its outlet is by the Lower Angara, a chief tributary of the Yenisei. Baikal has several islands, the largest of which is Olkhon. Petroleum wells, mineral and hot springs are foiuid in the vicinity of the lake, and the region is subject to violent earthquakes. Baikal forms an important link in the chain of communication between Russia and China, and has two conuuercial ports. Of recent years steamboats have given a considerable impetus to its trade. Its sturgeon, salmon, and fresh- water seal fisheries are valuable, and large quan- tities of other fish are also taken. A peculiar fish, called the golomTika (Comcphorus Bciical- ensis), which is almost one mass of fat, yielding train-oil, was at one time caught in inunense numbers, but is now rather scarce. The surface of the lake is frozen from November to April} but traffic is carried on over the ice. Besides the Russians settled on the banks of the Selenga and Angara, the shores of Lake Baikal are also inhabited by tribes of the Buryats and Tin- guses. Consult Drizhenko, "Exploration of Lake Baikal," in Geographical Journal, Vol. II. (Lon- don, 1898).

BAIKIE, ba'ki, (1825-64). An English naturalist, traveler, and philologist. He was born at Kirkwall, Orkney, joined the British Navy, and was made surgeon and naturalist to the Niger Expedition in 1854. The senior officer died before reaching Africa, and Baikie took command and explored the Niger for 2.W miles. In 1857 he was sent on a second expedition, but his vessel was wrecked, and all his companions returned to England. He settled for a time, with none but native assistants, at the confluence of the Binue and the Niger. Within five years he opened the Niger to navi-