Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 02.djvu/841

BELSHAM. BEL'SHAM, (1750-1829). An English Unitarian clergyman, one of the ablest expounders of that system of theology. He was born at Bedford, was educated in the principles of Calvinism, and was pastor of the Dissenting congregation and head of the theological academy at Daventry from 1781 to 1789, when he resigned, on embracing Unitarian views, and shortly after received the charge of a new theological academy at Hackney. After the collapse of that institution for want of funds in 1796, he took private pupils. In 1805 he removed to London as the successor of Dr. Disney, where he continued till his death, November 11, 1829. Most of his works are controversial; his doctrine regarding the person of Christ represents the purely 'humanitarian' view, as distinguished from the more nearly Arian sentiments of men like Channing. He published also a work on mental and moral philosophy, following Hartley, and a memoir of his predecessor, Theophilus Lindsey (1812, reprinted Boston, 1873). Consult Memoirs, ed. by J. Williams (London, 1883). His brother, (born 1752; died 1827), was an active and voluminous writer of history and political tracts on the side of the Whigs. He wrote History of Great Britain from 1688 to 1820 (London, 1805-24; 14 vols.).

BELSHAZ'ZAR (Babylon. Bel Shar-usur, O Bel, protect the king; from Shar, lord, king + usur, to protect). According to the Book of Daniel (chap. v.), the son and successor of Neb- uchadnezzar, and the last King of Babylon, who was slain, the Empire passing into the hands of Darius, the Mede. He is warned of his doom by a mysterious handwriting that appears on the wall of his palace. Those who accept the results of the modern biblical criticism assert that the Book of Daniel was composed in the Second Cen- tury B.C. This being granted, then it is hardly astonishing that in a composition made several centuries after the fall of Babylonia historical events should have become confused in the mind of a writer who merely introduces Babylonian personages as a disguise, and is interested, not in Babylonian but in Hebrew events. As a mat- ter of fact, the last King of Babylonia was Na- bonidus, in the seventeenth year of whose reign (B.C. 538) Babylon was taken by Cyrus. The inscriptions of Nabonidus, however, make men- tion of a son, Bel-shar-usur, and this name also occurs as that of the son of Nabonidus in several contract tablets, and since, in an inscription of Cyrus, 'a son of the King' is spoken of as in control of the army in northern Babylonia, it is reasonable to conclude that Bel-shar-usur was associated with his father in the government. Thus the tradition could arise which would make him the actual last King of Babylonia. The association of Belshazzar with Nebuchadnezzar rests upon a further confusion which can be eas- ily accounted for, if it be borne in mind that a Jewish writer of the Second Century B.C. would not be at great pains to distinguish one Babylonian king from another. Nebuchadnezzar, as the destroyer of Jerusalem, was the chief representative, in the eyes of a Jewish writer, of the Neo-Babylonian monarchy, and so appears throughout the Book of Daniel.

BELT (AS. belt, allied with OHG. balz, Lat. balteus, girdle, belt). In engineering, a flexible cord or band passing about the periphery of

wheels or drums for the purpose of transmitting motion or power from one to another. Com- monly the name 'belt' is given only to broad, flat bands of leather, rubber, or woven fabric; ropes, chains, etc., although serving similar purposes, being classed separately. (See .) The best leather belts are made from the back strips of all oak-tanned leather, curried with the use of cod-oil and tallow. Such belts have continued in use for thirty years when em- ployed as simple driving-belts, driving a proper amount of power, and having had suitable care. To form the lengths of leather into the long end- less belt, they are connected end to end by lac- ing, riveting, or cementing and lacing. The strength of leather belts in the body of the belt is from 2000 to 5000 pounds per square inch; at the joints only about from 1000 pounds to 1500 pounds, for lacing, and from 1000 pounds to 2500 pounds for riveted joints; the safe working strain is taken generally at not over one-third the strength at the joint. Leather belts should be protected from steam, vapor, water, oil-drip- pings, and moisture, and should not be submitted to a heat of over 110° F. They are usually run with the grain side next to the pulleys, since this side stands the wear better, and also because the flesh side is stronger and the part least subjected to wear. This arrangement gives the belt longer life and greater propelling power. Leather-chain or leather-link belting consists of short sections of leather joined by metal rivets. Rubber belts are made of two or more layers of canvas con- nected together with a rubber composition, and then heated until the rubber vulcanizes. The ad- vantages claimed for rubber belting are perfect uniformity in width and thickness; ability to en- dure greater degrees of heat or cold safely; less danger of injury from moisture and steam vapor; great durability and strength, and greater adhe- sion to the pulleys than is afforded by leather belting. Grease rapidly deteriorates and destroys rubber belts. Besides leather and rubber belt- ing, there are quite a variety of woven-fabric belts employed. Cotton, hair, and most of the more common textile fibres are used for manu- facturing them. Transmission of power by belts is more common in the United States than in European countries, but of late years there has been an increase in the use of belts outside of the United States. The great favor with which power-transmission by belting is received in the United States is due to the fact that the belt is elastic and will slip without injury to the ma- chinery if unduly strained. Ordinarily, flexible belts transmit power by the friction between them and their pulleys. The pulley which com- municates motion is the driving-pulley: that which receives, the driven pulley; that part of the belt which runs from the driven pulley to

the driver is the driving part of the belt, since it is pulled by the driver, and in turn pulls on the driven pulley; the part of the belt which runs from the driver to the driven pulley is the slack belt. If the pulley is higher at one side than at the other, the belt will creep toward the highest part; for this reason the surface of the pulley is usually not made cylindrical, but of greater diameter at the centre. If this be overdone, the belt does not pull, except along its central part. The pulleys usually lie in the same plane, and with their axes parallel; but this is not necessary, provided that the course