BISCAY, one of the Basque provinces of Spain, bounded N. by the bay of Biscay, S. by Alava, E. by Guipuzcoa, W. by Santander; area, 1,064 sq. miles; pop. 150,000, including some 5,500 nobles. The surface is irregular; the climate healthy; the soil, though not naturally very fertile, is by cultivation made productive. Fruit, Indian corn, and vegetables are grown abundantly, and of the finest quality. The country is principally divided into small farms, in the hands of the owners, who are frequently the descendants of ancient families. The houses are mostly of stone, and many of the old chateaux and towers have been converted into farm-houses. The iron of Biscay is of the first excellence. It is said that the great mine of Somorostro produces about 40,000 tons annually, though this seems an excessive estimate. The chief occupation of the Biscayans, beside agriculture, is fishery and the coasting trade. The local government is now under the general charge of the captain general of San Sebastian.

BISCAY, BAY OF, an extensive bay of the Atlantic, the opening of which extends from cape Ortegal to Ushant. It is about 400 miles wide and 200 miles in length, being nearly semicircular. It is exceedingly stormy and tempestuous; the whole force of the westerly winds is felt, while the recoil of the waves from the coast causes a very heavy sea. A current sweeps round the inside of the bay, known as Rennell's current, which runs some times 26 miles per day. The Spanish coast washed by the waters of the bay is bold and rocky. The barren cliffs and frowning precipices of Cape Finisterre are particularly gloomy and grand. There are various small safe harbors on this coast. The French coast is low and sandy as far as the Loire, north of which it is of moderate height. The principal French harbors of the bay of Biscay are Bayonne, Bordeaux, La Rochelle, Nantes, Vannes, and L'Orient. The rivers of the north of Spain, which from the contiguity of the mountain chain to the coast are not of size or importance, find their outlet in the bay of Biscay, which receives froin France the Loire, the Garonne, and some smaller streams.

BISCAY, NEW, in Mexico. See DURANGO. BISCEGLIA, a strongly fortified seaport town of Naples, Terra di Bari, 21 miles W. N. W. of Bari. It is the seat of a bishop, and has a cathedral, 2 monasteries, a hospital, and an ecclesiastical college. The harbor only admits sinall vessels. Pop. 15,000.

BISCHOFF, GEORG FRIEDRICH, the originator of the German musical societies and Sängerbünde, born at Ellrich in the Hartz, Aug. 21, 1780, died Sept. 17, 1841. In 1808 he was employed by the French government at Erfurt, and appeared with his societies before Napoleon

and the other monarchs.

BISCHOFF, THEODOR LUDWIG WILHELM, a German physiologist, born Oct. 28, 1807, at Hanover, was professor at Heidelberg in 1836, and

in 1843 became professor of the school of anatomy and surgery at Giessen, where he founded a museum of anatomy and physiology. He has written several treatises on entomology.

BISCHOFF VON ALTENSTEIN, GNATZ RUDOLF, a German physician, born Aug. 15, 1782, at Kremsmünster, in Austria, died July 15, 1850. He was professor at Prague and Vienna, and published a work on typhus and nervous fevers in 1815, and also books on chronic diseases, the natural history of man, pulmonary diseases, and poisons. He had a high reputation in all Germany, both as a practitioner and as a medical writer."

BISCHOFSWERDA, a city of Saxony, capital of a jurisdiction of the same name, on the river Wesenitz, having 3,250 inhabitants, chiefly employed in the manufacture of cloths and the preparation of granite building stones. On a neighboring summit is the castle of St. John, which was finished in 1856. Bischofswerda was raised to a city by Benno, bishop of Meissen, in 1076. It has suffered several conflagrations, one of which was by the Hussites in 1429, and another in an engagement between the French and Russians in 1813, but Napoleon gave 100,000 francs as an indemnity. It is the birthplace of the theologian Bahrdt.

BISCHOFSWERDER, JOHANN RUDOLF VON, a Prussian statesman, born in Saxony about 1738, died near Berlin in 1803. Under Frederic William II. he had an almost supreme power in the government. As plenipotentiary of Prussia he was at the Congress of Szistowe, and brought together the king and the emperor Leopold at Pilnitz. In 1792, being made a general, he accompanied the king in a campaign, and was subsequently ambassador in Paris till 1794. When Frederic William died in 1797, he received a pension, and was forbidden again to present himself at court.

BISCHOP, NICOLAS, in Latin EPISCOPIUS, a Swiss printer, born at Weissemburg, near the end of the 15th century. He was learned in the Greek and Latin languages, and having married the daughter and associated himself in business with the son of the famous Jean Froben, undertook to publish at Basel a collection of the Greek fathers, and began the series with the works of St. Basil, in 1529.

BISCHWILLER, a town in France, situated on the Moder, 14 miles N. of Strasburg, pop. in 1856, 7,676. It was formerly fortified, but was dismantled by the imperialists in 1706. Near Bischwiller is situated the rich iron mine of Mittelhardt. Its manufactures consist of woollen and linen stuffs, oil, soap, and earthenware.

BISCUIT, in pottery, the name given to porcelain ware which has been twice baked, but has not received the finishing process of glazing. Many beautiful ornamental articles, as vases, medallions, statuettes, and other imitations of sculpture, are made of this material, and for durability and cleanliness they are to be preferred to the same articles in marble or alabaster. They often possess the translucency of

the finest Parian marble. The most famous manufactories of ornaments in porcelain biscuit are those of Sèvres in France. The work has also been carried to a high state of perfection in England, principally by the ingenuity and industry of Josiah Wedgewood, whose name is still attached to the peculiar varieties of the ware which he introduced. Several kinds of biscuit are produced by his processes, as the porcelain-biscuit, which possesses such hardness, that it is used for mortars for domestic and chemical purposes; the white porcelainbiscuit, also of extreme hardness, and employed for many useful and ornamental articles; the bamboo, or biscuit of the yellow color of canes, and the jasper, a white biscuit of great beauty and delicacy, suitable for cameos and other similar objects.

BISHAREEN, BISHARYE, or BIDJA, the collective name of a number of tribes who inhabit the desert between the valley of the Nile and the Red sea, and skirting the districts of Nubia and Abyssinia. They are nomadic in their mode of life, but not of Arabian descent. Camels, sheep, goats, horses, and asses, are their only wealth. In winter they pasture their flocks on the mountains near the Red sea, where the rain produces herbage in the gulleys of the winter streams, but in summer they are obliged to descend to the Nile. For this privilege of getting grass they pay tribute to the Ababdes. They live entirely upon milk and flesh, which they eat raw. A few of them sometimes visit Derr or Asswan, with senna, sheep, and ostrich feathers. In exchange they take shirts and dhurra, the grains of which they swallow uncooked. They resemble the Ababdes in appearance. Their complexion is dark brown; the dress of both sexes consists only of a sort of shirt. They live in tents covered with the leaves of the doum palm. The Bishareen are constantly armed with the primitive bow and arrow. Their youths make plundering excursions, mounted upon camels of a superior breed. They stand in dread of the Ababdes, who often surprise their mountain encampments. They are hostile toward strangers, and have left unfavorable impressions upon travel. lers. They are Mohammedans, but do not observe the rites prescribed by the Koran. Very few of them understand Arabic; those who live on the Abyssinian frontier understand the Abyssinian, to which their own language is closely allied. Burckhardt's "Travels in Nubia," is the chief authority concerning them.

BISHARIBA, a people of Nubia, in Africa, more than 200,000 in number, who lead a nomadic life in a desert tract, which they call Edbai, between lat. 23° and 15° N. They are of a dark brown, almost black color, with decided negro features, but of a mild, humane, intelligent, and almost European character. They abide principally around the mountain Elba. The Amarer, to the south of this mountain, is the most powerful of the tribes into which the people is divided. The language of the Bisha

riba, called the Beganie, is spoken from the Red sea to the Nile, and from the southern boundary of Egypt to Suakim, and is wholly different from the neighboring languages. A dialect of it is spoken by the Ababdes, an almost independent nomadic people dwelling further north.

BISHOP (Sax. biscop, from Gr. EПLOкOTOS, & superintendent), in the Greek, Latin, and Anglican churches, the title given to those who are of the highest order of the priesthood, to the successors of the 12 apostles, in distinction from the priests who are the successors of the 72 disciples; in the Methodist Episcopal and Moravian churches, and in the Protestant churches of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, it is the title given to the highest officers in the ministry, who are not, however, regarded as a distinct order; in Germany the office is hardly more than titular, and is conferred upon princes as well as ecclesiastics. The name was borrowed by the first Christians from the languages of Greece and Rome, in which it designated a civil magistrate. Thus, Cicero was at one time episcopus ora campania. In the New Testament, the words bishop and presbyter, or priest, are sometimes interchanged, as in Acts xx. 17, 28, and St. John, in his last 2 epistles, adopts the title of priest. Yet, as maintained by Roman Catholic writers, it does not follow because the names priest and bishop were then applied indistinctly, that there existed no distinction between the episcopate and the priesthood. "There might have been confusion in the names," says St. Thomas, "but not in the character." Timothy and Titus exhibited the episcopal type during the life of St. Paul, who charged Titus, in consecrating him bishop of the isle of Crete, to ordain priests in every town, to have over them full jurisdiction, and to be the judge before whom complaints might be established by 2 or 3 witnesses. In the epistles of Ignatius, in the beginning of the 2d century, the episcopate is represented as the divinely appointed pillar which sustains the whole ecclesiastical structure. The bishops preside in the church as the representatives of God, and the priests hold the place of the apostolic senate. Tertullian directs the priests and deacons to do nothing without the consent of the bishop. Cyprian speaks of the bishop as the successor of the apostles, the vicar of Christ, the representative and individual organ of the church, in which he has supreme power, being reponsible to God alone, and yet bound in important matters to receive the counsel of his presbyters. Bishops in the Catholic church are regarded as officers appointed by the Holy Spirit to govern the church of God. The authority which they exercise belongs to their character, and comes from God himself, while the jurisdiction of the priests emanates only from a bishop, and can be exercised only under his direction. Bishops are necessary not only to watch and preside over the church, but also to secure the continuity of the ministry, and to

transmit by ordination the mission which they have received from Jesus Christ. They are all equal in power, because they have all received the fulness of the priesthood, but there are degrees of jurisdiction and honor according to the importance of the sees which they occupy. The principal distinctions which have been introduced are the patriarchs, exarchs, and archbishops, and above all, the bishop of Rome, the pope, around whom all other bishops rally as rays to a common centre. At first, the bishops were elected by the clergy and people of the diocese, but on account of the tumults inseparable from popular assemblies, various councils, from that of Laodicea in the 4th century, to that of Lateran in 1215, restrained and suppressed the electoral rights of the laity. Charlemagne and other of the northern kings appointed, by their own authority, the bishops of their own kingdoms. The pope, unwilling that bishops should be dependent upon princes, brought it about that the canons in cathedral churches should have the election of their bishops, which elections were usually confirmed at Rome. At present the mode of electing bishops varies in different countries. They are elected in some countries by cathedral canons; in others, as in France and Bavaria, they are nominated by the crown or governments. In all cases the names designated are sent to Rome for confirmation, and the person chosen is appointed to his see by letters apostolic. According to the decrees of the council of Trent, the candidate for this order must be of legitimate birth, 30 years old, well reputed for learning and morality, usually a native of the country in which his bishopric lies, and acceptable to the political government thereof. Within 3 months from his confirmation he receives the rite of consecration, which is performed in the cathedral of the new bishop, according to the directions of the pontifical, by 3 bishops appointed for that purpose. The candidate takes the ancient oath of allegiance to the pope, the oath of civil allegiance, subscribes to the confession of faith, receives the insignia of his office, is anointed and solemnly enthroned, and concludes the ceremony with pronouncing the benediction. His insignia are a mitre, the symbol of power, a crosier, in allusion to his shepherd's duties, a finger-ring (annulus pastoralis), a sign of his marriage with the church, a cross on the breast, distinctive gloves and sandals, and an official robe. The functions of the bishop embrace all the rites and offices of the Christian religion. He administers 5 sacraments in common with priests, and 2 others, those of confirmation and ordination, are his peculiar prerogatives. He examines and approves or condemns the works published in his diocese concerning religion, and takes part in the general councils convoked by the pope for deciding questions of faith. The guardian of discipline, he makes statutes and ordinances which he judges necessary to the maintenance of it, dispenses with canons according to the canons themselves, judges the

offences of ecclesiastics, and has power of suspension, excommunication, and absolution. There are Catholic bishops who have no dioceses, and who perform duties within limits assigned by the holy see as vicars apostolic. They bear the title of bishops in partibus infidelium, because they are assigned to sees which are in the possession of infidels, and are specially delegated to ecclesiastical duties elsewhere. These were originally bishops, who had been expelled by Mohammedan conquests from their dioceses in the East, and were afterward appointed by the pope as an expression of a perpetual hope and a protest with respect to those conquered sees.The Protestant movement introduced new conceptions of the church, and changed the form of church government. In the dif ferent branches of Protestantism, there was substituted for bishops either the presbytery or ecclesiastical autonomy, or the office of bishop was retained with diminished powers. Only in England has episcopacy been defended by Protestants as a divine institution. Other Protestants affirm its post-apostolic, and therefore human origin. The functions of the Anglican bishop are confirmation, ordination of deacons and priests, consecration of other bishops, dedication or consecration of religious edifices and grounds, administration of the effects of deceased persons till some one has proved a right of executorship, adjudication in questions respecting matrimony and divorce, institution or collation to vacant churches in their diocese, superintendence of the conduct of the priests in the same, and power of suspension, deprivation, deposition, degradation, and excommunication. They are also the medium of communication between the king and people upon matters relating to religion. They are peers of the realm, members of the house of lords, and for the most part richly endowed. Recently, the revenue of the different sees has been reduced more nearly to an equality, and the income of the archbishop of Canterbury has been fixed at £15,000, that of the archbishop of York at £10,000, those of London, Durham, and Winchester at £8,000 each, and the others at from £5,500 to £4,500. The Anglican bishops are nominated by the crown, and then formally elected by the chapters. The ecclesiastical powers of bishops in the Protestant Episcopal church of America resemble those of the Anglican bishops, but they have no political functions. They are clected by the clerical and lay deputies of the vacant diocese assembled in convention, and before consecration are required to produce certificates before the house of bishops, and the house of clerical and lay deputies in general convention. The rights of this office are so restricted in Germany that even Roman Catholic rulers have sometimes been made bishops in the Lutheran church. In Prussia and Nassau this title is ordinarily given to the general superintendents of the Evangelical church. Attempts have been made without success to give this church an episcopal organi

zation. The bishops of the Greek church are appointed by the archbishops, and must be selected from the monks, and are therefore always unmarried. They have much less authority than the Roman Catholic bishops.-The bishopric is the district or diocese over which a bishop has spiritual jurisdiction. There are in England, exclusive of the archbishoprics, 26 bishoprics of the Anglican church, 12 in Ireland, and 32 colonial bishoprics. In the United States there are 36 bishoprics of the Protestant Episcopal church, and 37 of the Roman Catholic church. There are 5 bishops in the northern division of the Methodist Episcopal church, and 6 in the southern. Over the entire world there are 560 Roman Catholic bishoprics. See also ARCH

BISHOP.

BISHOP, SIR HENRY ROWLEY, an English musical composer, born in London in 1786, died April 30, 1855. In 1806 he composed the music of a ballet, entitled "Tamerlane and Bajazet," which was performed at the Italian opera house, and, in 1808, that of "Caractacus," a pantomime ballet, at Drury Lane. At this theatre, in the following year, was successfully produced his first opera, "The Circassian Bride," but on the following evening (Feb. 24, 1809) the theatre was burned to the ground, and with it the score of the opera; the duet, "I love thee," alone remaining to show the character of the music. Between that time and 1826, his dramatic engagements of all sorts were numerous, including (to use his own words) "operas, burlettas, melodramas, incidental music to Shakespeare's plays, patchings and adaptations of foreign operas, with glees, ballads, canzonets, and cantatas." During this time he was director of music at Covent Garden theatre, and among over fifty operas which he wrote, the most successful were "Guy Mannering," "The Maniac," "The Miller and his Men," "Maid Marion," "The Slave," "Clari," "The Englishman in India,' &c. In 1826, while Weber's "Oberon" was creating considerable sensation at Covent Garden, Bishop's "Aladdin" was produced at Drury Lane, in rivalry. In this, however, having Germanized his style, instead of trusting to his own genius, he did not succeed, and he determined to abandon dramatic composition. He adapted Mozart's "Barber of Seville," "Marriage of Figaro," and some other operas, to the English stage. He was director of the concerts of ancient music for several years, also one of the first directors of the philharmonic concerts, and composed some sacred pieces which were performed at different musical festivals. He succeeded Sir John Stevenson as arranger of the music of Moore's "Irish Melodies." In 1842 he was knighted by Queen Victoria. He had, in 1841, been elected professor of music in the university of Edinburgh, but as residence during a greater part of the year was indispensable, and he did not like to leave London, he resigned the appointment in 1843, about which time he received the degree of doctor of music from Oxford, and, on the death of Dr. Crotch, in 1848,

was elected to the chair of music in that university, which appointment he held until his death. Some time before that took place, his embarrassments were so hopeless and pressing, that a subscription was set on foot among his friends and admirers to relieve them, and sufficient was raised to rid him of his debts. From the same charitable source funds were provided to support and educate his children. Latterly, Sir Henry Bishop's almost exclusive source of income was derived from the "Illustrated London News," for which he arranged a large number of old English airs, to which Dr. Charles Mackay wrote the words. Though Bishop's operas have ceased to be performed, many of the finest songs, duets, and concerted pieces which they contained, are separately known and valued, having been transferred to the concert-room and the chamber. His style was essentially English, devoid of affectation, free, flowing, and harmonious.-Sir Henry Bishop was twice married: first, early in life, to Miss Lyon, a vocalist, by whom he left 3 children; secondly, in 1831, to Miss Anna Riviere, a singer of Bath, many years his junior. Both marriages were unfortunate. The latter, well known as Madame Anna Bishop, left her husband and 3 children in 1840, and made professional tours in the United States, and in Australia, with Signor Bochsa, an accomplished musician, but a man of doubtful character, until his death in 1856. This circumstance cast a cloud over the closing years of Sir Henry Bishop's life.

BISHOP'S CASTLE, a borough, parish, and market-town in the county of Salop, England, 159 miles from London and 20 miles from Shrewsbury; pop. of the parish in 1851, 1,961. It receives its name from an old castle belonging to the bishops of Hereford, which once stood here, but has been long since demolished. The town is an old corporation, and has had 3 charters, one from Queen Elizabeth, the second from James I., and the last from James II. It received from Queen Elizabeth the privilege of sending 2 members to the house of commons, but was disfranchised by the reform bill. It has a church which suffered in the civil wars, several dissenting chapels, an endowed free school, a weekly market, and 6 annual fairs.

BISIGNANO (anc. Besidla), a small town, pop. 3,600, in the province of Calabria Citra, in the kingdom of Naples, about 13 miles north of Cosenza. Bisignano gives the title of prince to the Sanseverinos, and is a bishop's see.

BISLEY, a market-town and parish in the county of Gloucester, England, 96 miles W. of London; pop. in 1851, 4,801. It is intersected by the Gloucester and Bristol railway and the Stroudwater canal. It has a church, an endowed free school, and woollen manufactures.

BISMARK, FRIEDRICH WILHELM, count von, a German general, born at Windheim, in Westphalia, July 28, 1783. In 1796 he entered the army of Hanover as an ensign, and in 1804 was attached to the Hanoverian legion in the English army. The result of a duel forcing him to