Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 02.djvu/880

BERENICE. BERENICE, ber'e-ni'se (named in honor of Berenice, Gk. BcpevlKrj,Berenike, mother of Ptole- my II.). An ancient town of Egypt, situated on a bay of the Red Sea, in about the same latitude as Assuan. It was founded by Ptolemy II., Philadelphus, in B.C. 275, as an emporium for the trade with Aral)ia and India. It was still very important in Roman time, as temple iiiins bear- ing the name of Tiberius attest. The modern town is called Sikket Bender el-Kebir; the valley in which it is situated is called Wady Sakket. The old fortified caravan road of about 10 days' journey through the land of the Bisharin (q.v.) and Ababde is still traceable. The deserted ancient emerald-mines north of Berenice were discovered by Bruce.

BERENICE, ba'nV'nes'. (I) The name of a tragedy by Thomas Corneille (1657). (2) The title of a tragedy by Racine (1670). The plot was, at her own suggestion, concerned with Queen Henrietta of England.

BERENICE, ber's-nl'se, or BERNICE, ber- ul'se (C.28 ?). The eldest daughter of Herod Agrippa I., sister of Agrippa II., and wife of her uncle, Herod, King of Chalcis. After the death of her husband (48) she married Pole- mon, King of Cilieia, but soon deserted him and returned to live with her brother. She was accused by court scandal of incest with him, and it was before the pair thus besmirched that Paul (58) made his defense (Acts xxv. 23; xxvi. 30). Her younger sister was Drusilla, and her she made unhappy by her petty tyranny. In 68 she attracted the attention of Titus, later the Roman Emperor, who received her when she came to Rome in 75. Their contemplated mar- riage was, however, so ipopular that Titus gave it up and discarded her (79). Her death was at a time and place unknown.

BERESFORD, ber'cs-ferd. Lord Charles "William De La Poer (184G — ). A British naval officer and parliamentarian, born in the county of Waterford, Ireland, the second son of the Rev. Jolm, fourth Marquis of Waterford. He was educated at private schools, and entered the schoolship liritannia as cadet in 1859. He was made a sub-lieutenant in 1866, lieutenant in 1868, commander in 1875, captain in 1882, and rear-admiral in 1897. In 1896-97 he was aide- de-camp to Queen Victoria. At the bombard- ment of Alexandria in 1882 he was in command of the gunboat Condor, and succeeded in silenc- ing one of the most formidable of the Eg^'ptian batteries, under circumstances demanding the utmost skill and bravery. After the bombard- ment, and during the temporary occupation of the city, he acted as chief of police. In 1884 he served with the Nile column of the Gordon Relief Expedition, and commanded the Sofia, whose action, handicapped by a temporarily re- paired boiler, saved the entire column. He was in command of the naval lirigade at the battles of Abu Klea, Abu Kru. and Metemmeh. He was subsequently made a Commander of the Order of the Bath. With the possible exception of Lord Roberts and Lord Kitchener, he is more popular with the British people than any other naval or militarv officer. He served as a member of I'arlianient for Waterford (1874-80), East Ma- rylebone ( 1885-90), and York (1898-1900), which latter seat he resigned to go into active service. In 1902 he was a member of Parliament for Woolwich, being at that time on the retired list. In 1898 Beresford ^»ent to China as the repre- sentative of the Associated British Chambers of Commerce, and returned by way of the United States, where he made important speeches ad- vocating the 'open-door' policv in China, and a closer union of the United States, England, and Germany with regard thereto. He is an en- thusiastic officer, and oceupiea his seat in Parlia- ment as the avowed champion of the navy and its interests. He has written: Life of Xelsoii and His Times; The Break-up of China (1899) ; and many minor articles and essays on naval and Imperial questions, besides his numerous contri- butions to the Times.

BERESFORD, William Cabb, Viscount (1768-1854). A British general. He was the natural son of the first Marquis of Waterford, and was born October 2, 1768. He entered the army in 1785. After serving in India and else- where, he bore a conspicuous part in the re- conquest of the Cape of Good Hope in 1806, and subsequently, with the rank of brigadier- general, was with the British filibustering force that surprised aiul took possession of Buenos Ayres. The population, however, on seeing the smallness of the force, banded together under the leadership of the French Chevalier de Liniers, and after a desperate resistance made the survivors prisoners of war. After six months' imprisonment, Beresford escaped, and reached England in 1807. In August, 1808, he joined the British Army in Portugal, and pro- ceeded into Spain with 'Sir John Moore's force, was present at the battle of Corunna. and, after covering the embarkation of the troops, returned with them to England. Ordered a second time to Portugal, in February, 1809, to take com- inand of the Portuguese Army, he succeeded in ini]n-oving its discipline so greatly as soon to render it highly efficient for active service. Ap- pointed marshal of Portugal in March, at the head of 12,000 men he attacked the French in the north of that kingdom, crossed the River Douro, drove Loison's division to Amarante, and imiting with the force under Sir Arthur Wellesley, pursued it in its retreat till it was utterly disorganized. For his services at the battle of Busaco, September 27, 1810, Beresford was nominated a Knight of the Bath. He com- manded at the bloody battle of Albuera, May 16, 1811; and for the victory there gained "over SouJt lie received the thanks of Parliament. He «as present at Badajoz, at Salamanca, where he was severely wounded, and at various engage- ments in the Pyrenees. In 1814 he distinguislied himself at the battle of Toulouse. In 1814 he was created Baron, and in 1823 Viscount. Beres- ford. He also bore the Spanish title of Duke of Elvas, and the Portuguese, of Conde de Trancoso. He received rich rewards from the British Gov- ernment, and in the Wellington administration (1828-30) he was appointed to the high office of master-general of the ordnance. He died Janu- ary 8, 1854.

BERETTINI, ber'et-te'ne, Pietro. See CoB- ToxA, Pietro d..

BEREZIN, byer'-ye-zen', Ilya Nikolaye- Trfii (1818-96). A Russian Orientalist and traveler. He was born in the (iovernment of Perm, and studied Oriental philology at the Uni- versity of Kazan. In 1846 he was appointed pro-