portions of his life which have not been devoted to politics. He began his political career as a federalist, and as such was a member of the Pennsylvania legislature in 1814-15. After an interval he was chosen to the lower house of congress in 1821, and was continued a member by successive re-elections for ten years. As soon as the democratic party was formed upon its new basis by the adherents of General Jackson, Mr. Buchanan became a prominent and active member of it, and has shared its honours and its good or evil fortune for over thirty years. In May, 1831, he was appointed minister plenipotentiary to Russia, as successor to the celebrated John Randolph, and he held this post for three years. Immediately after his return he was elected a senator of the United States, and continued so till 1843, a period of eight years. When the Polk administration began in 1845, Mr. Buchanan was appointed secretary of state, and retained that office till the whigs came into power under General Taylor four years afterwards. Then there was an interval of four years, after which Mr. Buchanan was appointed minister to Britain in 1853, where he continued till the prospect of his elevation to a still higher post tempted him to resign and return home. In the autumn of 1856 he was chosen president of the United States by 174 electoral votes, against 114 which were cast for Colonel Fremont, and 8 for Mr. Fillmore. His death occurred in June, 1868.—F. B.
BUCHEZ, Philippe-Joseph-Benjamin, born in the department of Ardennes in 1796, a noted French politician and publicist. Buchez was a politician through almost his entire life; and his course was shaped by attachments to the old Directory and Robespierre. This statement, however, must be guarded. Buchez was a man of unsullied life and sterling humanity and honour; he merely chimed in with the fantastic theories of the parti exalté. He was, of course, a bitter foe to the Restoration, and we find him closely connected with the secret societies which swarmed at that time in France. He afterwards connected himself with the Producteur—a St. Simonian publication, founded by Bazard, Enfantin, and Rodriguez—all men of considerable ability and much fervour. On the occurrence of the Revolution of 1848, Buchez stood side by side with the men of the Republic; and the solidity and trustworthiness of his character obtained for him positions of responsibility. He was for a short period mayor of Paris, and afterwards president of the Assembly. Unfortunately, he fell on the fatal 15th of May, and his feebleness ruined his cause. Buchez was eminent, however, as a literary and philosophical writer, and made a special philosophy of man, of society, and humanity as a whole. Fair and even sound conceptions, betokening high aspirings and a good heart, run through all Buchez's scheme; but, however logical, it is not workable, and cannot pretend to solid foundation. Like De Bonald, he begins with abstract speculations concerning the nature of the human intellect; nor are the speculations of the two writers dissimilar, although De Bonald takes refuge in despotism, while Buchez steers his bark fearlessly out amid the tumults and uncertainties of democracy. Compared with reveries so dream-like as those of Buchez, there is comparatively little that is visionary in Jean-Jacques-Rousseau. Along with M. Roux, Buchez edited and published the parliamentary history of the early periods of the first and great French Revolution. He died in 1865.
BUCHHOLZ, Paul Ferdinand Friedrich, a German historian, was born at Altruppin in 1768, and died at Berlin in 1843. His writings are very numerous, but of very unequal merit. We mention—"Darstellung eines neuen Gravitations gesetzes für die moralische Welt;" "Der neue Macchia'vell;" "Theorie der moralischen Welt;" "Theorie der politischen Welt;" "Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten seit dem Frieden von Wien;" and "Geschichte Napoleon Bonapartes," &c.—K. E.
BUCHOZ, Pierre Joseph, a French naturalist, was born at Metz in 1731, and died at Paris in 1807. He was a most laborious compiler.
BUCKERIDGE, John, an eminent prelate, born near Marlborough in Wiltshire; after leaving the university of Oxford was appointed to some preferments in Essex; in 1604 became vicar of St. Giles', Cripplegate, and shortly after chaplain to King James; in 1606 was one of the four episcopalians appointed to preach before the king at Hampton Court, on the occasion of his giving an audience to the two Melvilles and other presbyterians of Scotland; and in 1611 was promoted to the see of Rochester. He was afterwards, in succession, bishop of Bath and Wells, and of Ely, where he died in 1631. His principal work is "De Potestate Papua in Rebus Temporalibus."—J. S., G.
BUCKINGHAM, Dukes of. A title of great notoriety, and intimately connected with English history. It were needless to attempt to trace here a continuity, which in all probability does not exist. The title was first borne by the great house of Stafford, the last of whom was beheaded by Richard III.; then by the Villiers and Sheffields; and, lastly, by the Grenvilles, the present dukes.
BUCKINGHAM, George Villiers, duke of, occupies a curious place in history. In many respects he was the lord and master of two English kings, and during a few troubled years virtual sovereign of the empire. He was the younger son of Sir G. Villiers of Rookesly, Leicestershire, though the eldest son of his father's second marriage, and was educated in all the fashionable elegancies of the day. As a youth he was preeminently graceful in person, in dress, in manner, in riding, in dancing, in speech; and from his earliest years he had the position of one of those arrogant favourites who win easy pardon for every caprice. He was sent to France for two or three years, during which he devoted himself to the arts and charms of "la haute politesse," and returned to England at the age of twenty-one. Presenting himself at court, he attracted the notice of James I. A few days after his appearance young Villiers was made cup-bearer, and in a few weeks succeeded Somerset as chief favourite. Offices and honours were showered upon him in profusion. He was knighted, and made gentleman of the bedchamber and knight of the garter; and he became by rapid strides a baron, a viscount, an earl, a marquis, lord high admiral of England, master of the horse, and entire disposer of the favours of the king. He had learnt that in dealing with a weak monarch, abounding arrogance is victory. Called to guide the grave affairs of a kingdom, through his influence with James, Villiers treated events which determine the destinies of nations as though they were intrigues to gratify personal pride and passion. The famous journey of Prince Charles to Spain for the purpose of seeing his intended bride, the Infanta, was planned by Villiers. During his absence upon this journey he was created duke of Buckingham. In Spain, Buckingham's gay and independent familiarity astonished the formal courtiers. The preliminaries of the marriage were arranged, but afterwards broken off by James under the influence of Buckingham, guided as much probably by personal hatred to Olivarez as by motives of state policy. On the death of James, the duke's position at court was unchanged; as heretofore the patronage alike in church and state was at his disposal, but his general popularity was on the wane. He resented his increasing unpopularity with a proud and indignant scorn, and to save him from impeachment, parliament was hastily dissolved, although no adequate supplies had been granted for the Spanish war. Buckingham was shortly after despatched to Paris to conduct the princess Henrietta to England, as the bride of Charles I.; and it is said that he ventured to address the French queen, not as an ambassador, but a lover. Threatened with assassination if he dared to repeat such insolence, he swore that he "would see and speak with that lady, in spite of the strength and power of France," and rumour went that he did not break his wild oath. But not being able to obtain permission to return to the French court, he openly espoused the cause of the Huguenots. The duke himself went as admiral and general of the expedition against France, which terminated in the disaster at the Isle of Rhè; and, subsequently, made preparations for a now expedition in favour of Rochelle, then hotly pressed by the royal forces. His popularity was now at its ebb. The commons impeached him as the one source of national misfortunes. Sarcastic ballads were freely sung among the people, threatening some terrible catastrophe. Buckingham was willing to stake all upon the expedition to relieve Rochelle. He spent threescore thousand pounds of his own money upon the fleet; and declared that he would be the first man who should set his foot upon the dyke before Rochelle, "to die or do the work." But his end was near. On August 23, 1628, he was assassinated by John Felton, a lieutenant, whoso claims to preferment he had overlooked. His son—
Buckingham, George Villiers, second duke of, was born 30th January, 1627, about a year and a half before his father's death. He was the Zimri of Dryden's famous satire of Absalom and Achitophel. Judging Buckingham by a true and rigid standard, history must pass a stern sentence upon him.
