Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume II.djvu/249

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BAKER BAKHTCHISERAI 229 finishing the usual studies. In 1834 lie was appointed teacher in Newbury seminary, Vt., and in 1839 became its principal. This position he occupied till 1844, when he entered the work of the pastorate. In 1847 he was elected to a chair in theology in the Methodist gene- ral Biblical institute at Concord, N. II., since become the school of theology of the Boston university. Subsequently he was chosen presi- dent of this institution, where he remained till 1852, when he was elected bishop. His chief labors were in behalf of theological education. Among other writings, he was the author of a commentary on the ecclesiastical law and polity of the Methodist Episcopal church. BAKER, Sir Samuel White, an English explorer, born June 8, 1821. In 1848, in conjunction with his brother, he established a model farm and coffee estate in the island of Ceylon. He gave some account of his life there in "The Rifle and the Hound in Ceylon " (1853) and "Eight Years' Wanderings in Ceylon" (1855). In 1861 he organized a large expedition for the purpose of discovering the head waters of the Nile, with the especial design of meeting and succoring Speke and Grant, who had set out from Zanzibar for the same purpose. Baker, accompanied by his wife, a Hungarian by birth, set out from Cairo, April 15, 1861, and on the 13th of June reached the junction of the At- bara with the Nile. For nearly a year he ex- plored the regions of Abyssinia whence comes the Blue Nile, and in June, 1862, returned to Khartoom, at the junction of the Blue and the White Nile. Here he organized a party of 96 persons to explore the course of the White Nile. They set out Dec. 18, 1862, sailing southward up the river. They reached Gondo- koro, lat. 4 55' N., Ion. 31 46' E., on Feb. 2, 1863. Here on the 15th Baker was met by Grant and Speke, who coming from the south had discovered the Victoria N'yanza, which they believed to be the ultimate source of the Nile. They had left the river for some dis- tance, but thought it probable that there was still another great lake connected with the Victoria N'yanza. Baker, resolved to supple- ment the explorations of Grant and Speke, started from Gondokoro by land, March 26, 1863, the route being first eastward, then nearly south, then trending toward the west. The journey was adventurous and toilsome, and Mrs. Baker suffered a sunstroke which nearly cost her life. On March 14, 1864, Baker came in sight of a great fresh-water lake, heretofore unknown, to which he gave the name of Albert N'yanza. (See N'YANZA.) After navigating a small portion of the lake, he set out on his homeward journey early in April, 1864; but owing to illness and the disturbed condi- tion of the country, he did not reach Gondo- koro until March 23, 1865. He then returned to England, where he received the honor of knighthood, and published an account of his explorations, " The Albert N'yanza " (London, 1866). In 1869 he returned to Africa, was created a pasha by the khedive of Egypt, and placed at the head of an expedition to put down the slave trade carried on by the natives and Arabs in the basin of the Nile. BAKEWELL, a market town of Derbyshire, England, situated on the river Wye, near its junction with the Derwent, 20 m. N. N. W. of Derby; pop. in 1871, 10,727. It is the prop- erty of the duke of Rutland, whose seat, Had- don Hall, is two miles from the town. It has a spacious cruciform church founded in Saxon times, showing specimens of Gothic architec- ture of different periods, and on the opposite bank of the Wye are traces of a castle built by Edward the Elder in 924. Cotton mills were first established here by Ark wrigh t, and there are coal and lead mines in the vicinity. There are also chalybeate springs and warm baths, formerly much resorted to. Chatsworth house, the splendid residence of the duke of Devon- shire, is three miles distant. BAKEWELL, Robert, an English agriculturist, born at Dishley in Leicestershire about 1725, died Oct. 1, 1795. He succeeded his father in 1 760 as proprietor of the Dishley farm, where he introduced the long-horned breed of cattle and paid special attention to the development of sheep. His horses and pigs were also noted in their day. His ami was to secure cattle that would fatten on the smallest quantity of food. Mr. Bakewell introduced into English agricul- ture the practice of flooding meadows. He never contributed anything to literature, but Arthur Young, in his "Annals of Agriculture," fully described and praised his plans and im- provements. BAKHHtT, a town of S. Russia, in the govern- ment and 138 m. E. of the town of Yekateri- noslav; pop. in 1867, 10,392. The town has large establishments for rendering tallow, and near it are coal mines and alabaster quarries. BAKHTCHISERAI (Turkish, palace of gardens), a Tartar town of the Crimea, now included in the Russian government of Taurida, in lat. 44 47' N., Ion. 33 54' E., 23 m. N. E. of 8e- bastopol, in a long deep valley on the banks of the Tchuruk Su; pop. in 1867, 11,448, of whom 1,500 were Caraite Jews, Greeks, and Armenians, and the rest Tartars. The khan serai, or palace of the ancient khans of the Crimea, consists of a range- of spacious build- ings one story high, richly adorned with ara- besques and inscriptions, a splendid mosque, beautiful marble fountains, and luxuriant gar- dens. The manufactures consist of morocco leather, 'saddlery and other leather articles, beeza (a spirit distilled from millet), silks, common cutlery, gold and silver plate, pot- tery, and arms. About four miles distant are the renowned seat of the Caraites, Tchufut Kale, or Jews' Castle, and a deserted monas- tery containing 70 cells hewn out of the solid rock. Bakhtchiserai first became the residence of the khans about 1475. In the 16th century their dominion extended not only over the Crimea, but over all the outlying