Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 02.djvu/859

BENGAL. in summer and winter over the whole of the northern part of the Indian Ocean, which in- cludes the bay, and also over the maritime tracts of Bengal.

BENGAL ARMY. See Benqal,.

BENGALESE, ben'srii-lez'. See Bengal.

BENGALI (l)en-n~i'lf) LAN'GUAGE AND LIT'ERATUBE. The Bengali language is a modern Indian dialect, akin to the Uriya and to the Hindustani (q.v.). Like all the modern In- dian languages, it is analytic in type, and the structure of its grammar thus resemhles that of modern Persian or English. According to the latest census, Bengali is spoken by about 42,000,- 000 souls. There are numerous dialects, but the Calcutta dialect may be regarded as the stand- ard, although the literary language differs wide- ly from any of its vernaculars, on account of the introduction of Sanskrit words, which are employed more freely in Bengali than in any other modern Indian language. The Bengali uses a peculiar but beautiful character derived from the Devanagari or Sanskrit alphabet. The Bengali literature falls into three periods, the first of which, from the Fourteenth to the Six- teenth Century, comprises chielly Krishnaitic hymns. In the next period, which lasted until the Eighteenth Century, a Sivaite tone was im- parted to the literature, and translations of the great Sanskrit epics, the Mahabharata and the liavKiynna, were made. The third period of Bengali literature is marked by the struggle of two opposing schools, the one drawing its in- spiration from the Sanskrit classics, and the other working in sympathy with European ideals. Several novels have been produced under this new inspiration in Bengali, and an attempt has also been made to revive the popular Ben- gali plays, or Jatras.

Consult: Beames, Grammar of the Bengali Language (Oxford, 1894) ; Nieolls, Manual of the Bengali Language (London, 1894) ; Sen, English-Bengalee Dietionarij (Serampore, 1834) ; G. C. Haughton, Bengali, Hanskrit, and English Dictionary (London, 1833) ; Bullorampaul & Co., Prakriti Bibeca Abhidana. an etj'mological dictionarv of the Sanskrit and Bengali languages (Calcutta, 1893) ; and Dutt, The Literature of Bengal (Calcutta, 1895).

BENGAL LIGHT. See Blue Light.

BENGAZI, ben-gii'ze (anciently, Berenice). A seaport town, the capital of the Turkish Vila- j'et of Barca, North Africa, finely situated on the east coast of the Gulf of Sidra (Map: Africa, G 1 ). It has a ruined castle, a pretentious bazar, and a Franciscan monastery. Its har- bor is shallow, but of considerable commercial importance. The chief exports are ivory, ostrich- feathers, and animals. Bengazi is the centre of a fertile region, and controls an important trade with the interior by caravans. The popu- lation, estimated at 1.5.000, includes about 1200 Enrnpoans, chiefly Maltese. Greeks, and Italians. Bengazi is the ancient Hesperides, -which was named Berenice by Ptolemy III., in whose time it was a flourishing town.

BENGEL, beng'el. .Ton.'^NN Albreoht (1687- 1752). A German theologian and commentator He was born at Winnenden, in Wiirttcmburg, June 24, 1087. After completing his theological curriculum in 1707. at Tubingen, be became cu- rate of Metzingen : a year after he was appointed tutor in theology at Tiibingen. Later in life he held several high oflices, among others that of consistorial councilor and prelate of Alpirs- bach, in Wiirttcmburg, where he died November 2, 1752. He was the first Protestant author who treated the exegesis of the New Testament in a tlioroughly critical and judicious style. He did good service also in the recti lieation of the text of the Bible, and in paving the way for classifying the sacred manuscripts into fami- lies. The short notes in his Cnomon yovi Testa- menti (Tiibingen, 1742) have been generally re- garded as valuable, and translated into various languages (Eng. edition, Philadelphia, 18C2). They were especially made use of by John Wes- ley in his Notes on the Xew Testament, which forms one of the standards of Wesleyau Method- ism. Indeed, Wesley's work may be regarded as little more than an abridged translation from Bengel. Erkldrte Offenbarung Johannis (Stutt- gart, 1740), and a chronological work, the Ordo Teinporum a Principio per Periodos (Eco- nomia: Divinec Eistorieus atque Prophcticus (Tiibingen, 1741), gained for Bengel, in his time, a great reputation ; some regarding him as an inspired prophet, but the majority as a visionary. In these works he calculated, on the basis he supposed to be laid down in the Apocalypse, that the world would endure for the space of 7777 7-9 years, and that the "breaking loose and the binding of Satan" would take place in the summer of 1S36. For his biographv, con- sult: H. P. Burk (Stuttgart, 1831; Eng. "trans., London, 1837) ; Oscar von Wiichter, Bengel, Le- hcnsabriss (Stuttgart, 1865).

BENGUELA, ben-ga'la, or BENGUELLA. One of the five districts into which the I'ortu- guese colony of Angola (q.v.) is divided (:lap: Congo Free State, B 5). It is situated between Loanda and Jlossamedes, in the most mountain- ous part of that colony. Capital, Benguela.

BENGUELA, or BENGUELLA. A seaport town, the capital of the district of the same name of the Portuguese colony of Angola, West -Africa (Map: Congo Free State, B 5). Situated in about latitude 12° 34' S., and longitude 13° 20' E., it lies in an exceedingly unhealthy region, near the mouth of the Kavako River, on the Bahfa das Vacas. It has an open roadstead, and exports rubber, cotlee, ivory, and skins. Population, about 3000, mostly natives. Ben- guela was founded in 1017 as San Felipe de llenguela. Before the suppression of the slave- trade it had a greater population tlian at pres- ent, and was of considerable importance as a slave-trade centre.

BENHA'DAD I. King of Damascus, son of Tabrimmon. He reigned c. 885-844 B.C. He was the ally of Asa of Judah (c.933-877) against Israel, and he fought against Ahab (c.875-853) with varying success. On the other hand, he seems to have been .able to cope with Slialmaneser II. (800-825). both at Karkar in 854 and in 849-848. The Assyrian inscriptions refer to him as IM-'idri, which may be read either Biridri or Adad-idri. Possilily his full name was Ben-Adadidri ('the son of Adad is my glory'), abbreviated as Ben Hadad by the Hebrews and Adadidri by the Assyrians. He was proliably murdered by Plazael, who iisurped his throne, according to II. Kings viii. 9-15.