Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 02.djvu/105

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BOER WAB 83 BOGAEDUS a result of war; in 1803 was restored to the Dutch; in 1806 was again occupied by the British, and, in the Congress of Vienna, in 1814, was formally ceded by Holland to Great Britain. This settle- ment was known as Cape Colony. In 1835-1836 a large majority of the Boers moved to the northward, a part settling in what became the Orange Free State, and the other part in the present colony of Natal. The settlers in Natal remained there till 1843, when Great Britain claimed the territory and took military possession of it. The Boer settlers here then removed farther N. and formed the South African, or, as it was locally known, the Transvaal Republic. See Boer War; Transvaal Colony; South Africa, Union of. BOER WAR, the war waged by Great Britain from October, 1899, to May, 1902, against the two South African republics, Transvaal and Orange Free State. The opening of 1902 saw an attempt on the part of the Boers to negotiate terms of peace; but the British Government still refused to consider the question of the in- dependence of the republics, and the ef- fort accordingly failed. Further fighting took place, and in March a column com- manded by Lord Methuen was badly de- feated near Klerksdorp, its leader being wounded and taken prisoner. Renewed efforts to procure peace before the ap- proaching coronation of King Edward proved successful; and after a meeting of the principal Boer commanders with Lord Kitchener at Vereeniging, the treaty was signed on May 30, at Pretoria, the Boers agreeing to recognize the King of England as their sovereign on condition that representative government should be granted after a limited period, and that the use of the Dutch language be per- mitted together with that of English. The Boers still remaining in the field now surrendered to the number of 20,000. The number of combatants who fought on the English side throughout the cam- paign including regulars, irregulars, Canadians, Australians and sailors amounted to 450,000, of whom about 250,- 000 were engaged at the same time dur- ing the latter stages of the war. Of these 1,072 officers and 21,000 men were killed, and 3,116 officers and 72,500 men invalided home. On the Boer side some 75,000 took part in the war, though never more than 50,000 were present in the field at any time. Their casualties in Killed totalled 3,700 and in prisoners 32,000, of whom 700 died before peace was declared. The net cost of the war to Great Britain is estimated at £250,000,000. BOETHUS (bo-e'thus), a Greek sculp- tor, born in Chalcedon in the 2d century B. c. He is celebrated for his statues of children. "The Boy with the Swan" was his most famous work. A girl playing with dice and a boy extracting a thorn were subjects of other masterpieces by him. BOETIUS, or BOETHIUS, ANICIUS MANLIUS TORQUATUS SEVERINUS (bo-e'thius), a Roman didactic poet and statesman, bom between 470 and 475. While in prison awaiting execution he composed "Consolation of Philosophy" in prose and verse. He died about 525. BCEUF (bef) BAYOU, a large bayou of the Mississippi river in Louisiana; flowing between Atchafalaya Bayou and Grand Lake. BOG, a piece of wet, soft, and spongy ground, where the soil is composed mainly of decaying and decayed vege- table matter. Such ground is valueless for agriculture until reclaimed, but often yields abundance of peat for fuel. Bogs are generally divided into two classes: red bogs, or peat mosses, and black bogs, or mountain mosses. The former class are found in extensive plains frequently running through several counties, such as Chat Moss in Lancashire, and the Bog of Allen in Ireland, the depth vary- ing from 12 to 42 feet. Their texture is light and full of filaments, and is formed by the slow decay of mosses and plants of different kinds. Black bog is formed by a more rapid decomposition of plants. It is heavier and more homogeneous in quality, but is usually found in limited and detached portions, and at high elevations where its reclamation is diffi- cult. In Ireland bogs frequently rest on a calcareous subsoil, which is of great value in reclaiming them. In the rec- lamation of bog land a permanent sys- tem of drainage must be established; the loose and spongy soil must be mixed with a sufficient quantity of mineral mat- ter to give firmness to its texture and fertilize its superabundant humus; prop- er manures must be provided to facili- tate the extraction of nutriment from the new soil, and a rotation of crops adopted suitable for bringing it into per- manent condition. The materials best adapted for reclaiming peat are calcare- ous earths, limestone gravel, shell marl, and shell sand. BOGARDUS, EVERARDUS, a min- ister of the Dutch Reformed Church in New Amsterdam, now New York; hus- band of Anneke Jans. The latter owned a farm of 60 acres, comprising now one