BARONY 426 BABBAGE believed that this dignity has not been conferred on any one since the union of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801. 3. Baronets of Scotland: A titled or- der planned by James I., but actually instituted, not by him, but by Charles I, in 1625, just after the accession of the latter monarch to the throne. The ob- ject aimed at in the creation of the order was the planting of Nova Scotia (New Scotland). Since the union between England and Scotland in 1707, no bar- onets have been created holding rank in the latter country alone, but some titles existing previously still figure in the British baronetage. BARONY, the lordship or fee of a baron, either temporal or spiritual. Orig- inally every peer of superior rank had also a barony annexed to his other titles. But now the rule is not universal. Bar- onies in their first creation emanated from the King. Baronies appertain also to bishops, as they formerly did to ab- bots, William the Conqueror having changed the spiritual tenure of frank- almoyn, or free alms, by which they held their lands under the Saxon government, to the Norman or feudal tenure by barony. It was in virtue of this that they obtained seats in the House of Lords. The word is common in Ireland for a subdivision of a country. BAROTSE, or MAROTSE, an impor- tant Bantu tribe inhabiting the banks and the regions E. of the upper Zambezi, from about 14° to 18° S. lat. In Liv- ingstone's time the Makololo were the dominant tribe in these parts of South Africa, but since then they have been al- most entirely annihilated by the Bantus, who now occupy the vast territory from the Kabompo river to the Victoria Falls. Formerly they were inhabitants of Ma- shonaland, where many of them were de- stroyed by the Matabili, while the others retired into upper Zambezi valley. BARR, AMELIA EDITH, an Anglo- American novelist, born in Ulverton, Lancashire, England, March 29, 1831. She was the daughter of the Rev. Wil- liam Huddleston, and in 1850 married Robert Barr. She came to the United States in 1854, and lived for some years in Texas; but after her husband's death (1867) removed to New York, where her first book, "Romance and Reality," was published in 1872. Her novels were very popular. They include "Jan Vedder's Wife" (New York, 1885) ; "A Daughter of Fife" (1885) ; "A Bow of Orange Rib- bon" (1886); "A Border Shepherdess" (1887) ; "Friend Olivia" (1890) ; "A Sis- ter to Esau" (1891) ; "Remember the Alamo" and "Prisoners of Conscience" (1897); "I, Thou, and the Other One' (1899); "All the Days of My Life' (1912); "The Measure of Man" (1915) "Three Score Years and Ten," an Auto biography (1915); "Christine" (1917) etc. She died in 1919. BARR, ROBERT, a Scottish author, born in Glasgow, Sept. 16, 1850; he spent his childhood in Canada, drifted into journalism, joined the staff of Detroit "Free Press," and wrote under the name of "Luke Sharp." He went to London in 1881 and founded "The Idler" with Jerome K. Jerome, but retired to devote himself to fiction. He wrote a number of novels, "In the Midst of Alarms" (1894) ; "The Face on the Mask" (1895) ; "One Day's Courtship" (1896) ; "A Wo- man Intervenes" (1896) ; "The Victors" (1901); "The Sword Maker" (1910); "The Palace of Logs" (1912) ; etc. He died in 1912. BARRA, an Island of the Outer Hebrides, W. coast of Scotland, belong- ing to Invernessshire ; 8 miles long and from 2 to 5 broad, of irregular outline, with rocky coasts, surface hilly, but fur- nishing excellent pasture. On the W. coast the Atlantic has hollowed out vast caves and fissures. Large herds of cat- tle and flocks of sheep are reared on the island. Fishing is an important indus- try. Pop. about 2,500. BARRACK, a hut or small lodge. Formerly a temporary building of this character, one of many erected to shelter horsemen. Then it was extended to em- brace any temporary erection for a sol- dier, to whatever arm of the service be- longing. The plural, barracks, is now generally applied to a large structure, for the housing of troops. BARRACKPUR, a native town, capi- tal of a subdistrict in Bengal, on the E. bank of the Hooghly, and 15 miles up the stream from Calcutta. Two Sepoy mutinies have occurred here, the first in 1824, when a regiment of Bengal infantry refused to go for service in the Burmese War, and again in the famous mutiny of 1857. Pop. about 18,000. BARRACUDA, a fish — the sphyrsena barracuda — found in the vicinity of the Bahamas and other West Indian islands. BARRAGE, a protective artillery fire laid down when troops are advanc- ing to an assault. Intensive bombard- ment of a trench or other point destined for attack is first carried on, and when the defenders are supposed to be suffi- ciently decimated or demoralized, the sig- nal is given for the charge. As they
