Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 02.djvu/860

BENHADAD II. BENHADAD II. King of Damascus, son of Hazael. He reigned c.804-774 B.C. The Assyr- ians called him Mari'. Possibly his full name was Ben-Adad-mari ('the son of Adad is my lord'). In 803 he was obliged, after a siege of Damascus, to pay tribute to Adad-nirari III. of Assyria. He continued the oppression of Israel begun by his father.

BENHAM, ben'am, Andrew Ellicott Ken- nedy (1832 — ). A United States naval officer, who retired in 1894. He was born in New York State, and entered the navy as a midshipman in 1847. He served in the East Indies until 1851, became a lieutenant in 1855, and in I86I took command of the Bienville, in the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, and participated in the capture of Port Royal, S. C. He was made com- mander of the gunboat Penobscot in 18G2, and served in the Western Gulf Blockading Squadron until the close of the war. He served at the BrookljTi Navy-Yard (1868-09), was lighthouse inspector (187^0-71 and 1884-88), and was pro- moted to be commodore in 1886, and rear-admiral in 1890.

BENHAM, Henry W. (1817-84). An Ameri- can soldier, born at Cheshire, Conn. He grad- uated at the United States ililitary Academy in 1837, was connected with various Government works as a member of the Engineer Corps, and served in the Mexican War in 1847-48. From 1849 to 1852 he was superintending engineer of the sea-wall for the protection of Great Brewster Island, Boston (Mass.) Harbor, and from 1852 to 1853 of the Washington (D. C.) Navy- Yard. In 1861 he was appointed engineer of the Depart- ment of the Ohio; in the same year was pro- moted to be brigadier-general of volunteers, and eonunanded a brigade at New Creek, and from 1863 to 1865, with rank of lieutenant-colonel, was in command of the engineer brigade of the Army of the Potomac. He was mustered out of the volunteer service with rank of brevet major- general, U.S.V. and U.S.A. Promoted to be colo- nel in 1867, he was in charge of the Boston Har- bor sea-wall from 1866 to 1873, and of the de- fenses of New York Harbor from 1877 to 1882.

BENHAM, William (1831—). An English clergyman and author. He was born at West Meon, Hampshire, flhere both his father and his grandfather had occupied the position of village postmaster. He was educated at King's College, London, and in 1864 became editorial secretary to the Society for Promoting Christian Knowl- edge, and professor of modern history at King's (College. In 1867 he was selected by Archbishop Jjongley as his private secretary, and in 1872 was appointed one of the six preachers of Canterbury and Vicar of "Margate by Archbishop Tait. He became Vicar of Marden in 1880, rector of the Church of Saint Edmund the King in 1882, and honorary canon in Canterbury Cathedral in 1889. In 1897 Bishop Creighton appointed him Boyle Lecturer. He was editor of Griffith and Farran's lAbrarii of Ancient and Modern Theolotji), and lias published the following: Enijlish Ballads, icith Introduction and Sotes (1863) : Readings on the Life of Our Lord and His Apostles (1880); Cowpanion to the Lertionnry (1872); A New Translation of Thomas a Kcmpis's "Iini- tatio Christi" (1874); Memoirs of Catharine and Craiifurd Tait (1879); A Short History of the Episcopal Church in America (1884); The Dictionary of Religion (1887); Life of Arch- bishop Tait (in collaboration with the Bishop of Winchester, 1891).

BEN'-HUR' (Heb. hen, son + Hur, a proper name, Ovp, Hour, or "Up, Hor in the Greek Version of the Bible). The Jewish hero of a very popular novel of that name by Gen. Lew Wallace (1880). It is a story of judea in the days of Christ.

BENI, ba'ne. One of the largest departments of Bolivia, occupying the northeastern part of the Republic, and bounded by Brazil on the north and east, by the departments of Cochabamba, La Paz, and Santa Cruz on the south, and La Paz on the west (Map: Bolivia, D 6). Its area is estimated at 100,000 square miles, a large por- tion of which has not yet been explored. The surface is mostly flat and the soil very fertile, producing cacao, coffee, sugar-cane, tobacco, tropical fruits, etc. The natural resources com- prise also a heavy growth of valuable timber, including vast rubber forests, and deposits of. gold. The climate is healthful, though hot and moist. The estimated population of 26,700, mostly Indians, does not include a large number of uncivilized Indians, The capital and chief town of the department is Trinidad, with a population of 6750.

BENI. A river of Bolivia, South America (Map: Bolivia, DO). It rises in the Bolivian Andes in about latitude 17° S., and flows first northwest, then north, and then northeast, and finally unites with the Mamore to form the Madeira at Villa Bella, on the northern Bolivian frontier. It drains the eastern slope of the Andes between latitudes 17° S. and 12° S., and receives many tributaries from the west, the largest of which is the river Madre de Dios; but it has few tributaries from the east. It has a length of 900 miles, and is navigable for half this distance ; but just above its mouth it is ob- structed by rapids.

BENICARLO, b.a'ne-kar-lo'. A walled town in the Province of Castellon de la Plana, Spain, at the mouth of the Benicarlo River, on the Mediterranean, 42 miles northeast of Castellon de la Plana. It coTitains an old castle and a fine church, distinguished by an octagonal tower. Vineeulture is the chief industry, and the red wine manufactured in the town and district is exported to Bordeaux. Population, in 1897, 7900.

BENICIA, be-nlsh'ia. A city in Solano J County, Cal., 33 miles northeast of San Fran- fl Cisco; on the Strait of Karquines, between Suisun and San Pablo bays, and on tlie Southern Pacific Railroad (Map: California, B 2). It has a good harbor and steam communication with San Francisco. There are tanneries, manu- factures of farm implements, wagons, pottery, etc., extensive shipyards, and fruit and fish pack- ing houses. The city contains a L'nited States arsenal and barracks, and a Protestant Episco- pal college. Benicia was founded in 1848, and until 1850 was the chief rival of San Francisco. In Maj', 1853, it was made "the permanent seat of government," but in March, 1854, it was sup- planted by Sacramento. It was incorporated in 1861, and is now governed by a charter of 1886, which provides for a mayor, elected every four