seeds. It is generally too acid to be eaten, but is sometimes used to make jelly and preserves. Free malic acid is extensively prepared from the fruit in France. The fruit of the sweet bar- berry (Berberis dulcis) , a native of Chile, re- sembles in size and color that of the black cur- rant. Berberis aristata and Berberis asiatica also produce wholesome and pleasant fruits, which are dried like raisins. The yellow root of the barberry, especially the inner bark, is used for dyeing, as is also that of the stem and branches. Berberis glauca, Berberis ilieipolia, Berberis tomentosa, and Berberis lutea are made use of in this way in Chile and Peru; Berberis tinctoria and Berberis aristata in India. The bark has also been used tor tanning. Berberis lycium. a native of Northern India, is particular- ly astringent, and an extract prepared from it is used in ophthalmia. Bevlieris vulgaris is the most common species used for ornament, but new species and varieties are frequently introduced, and form important additions to our ornamental shrubbery. For illustration see Plate Balsam, ETC.
BARBERRY RUST. See Rusts.
BAR'BER'S ITCH (Tinea sycosis; sycosis
parositica : ringworm of the beard). A parasitic
disease of the bearded parts of the face, caused
by the entrance into hair follicles of a fungus,
the trichophyton. An eruiition appears in the
form of a ring, red and scaly, and increasing by
the enlarging of the outer limits of the ring.
Later the red area swells, and has a 'boggy'
feeling to the touch, exudes a little thick muci-
laginous fluid on pressure, and is tender. In
many cases itching and burning are also among
the symptoms. The disease is readily curable.
It is sometimes caused by infection from lather-
brush, towels, or the barber's hands. It is seldom
seen except in cases of individuals who are
shaved, and about one-half of the cases occur in
men between 20 and 30 years of age.
BAR'BERTON. A mining town of the Vaal
River Colony, South Africa, in the District of
Lydenburg, about 70 miles west of Lourengo Mar-
ques, with which it is connected by rail (Map:
Transvaal Colony, H 4). It lies in a mountain-
ous region, at an elevation of 2800 feet above the
sea, in the vicinity of the De Kaap gold-fields.
Barberton was founded in 1885. Population,
about 4000. In the early part of the Boer War
of 1809- 11102 tlic British prisoners were confined
here by tlic Boers.
BARBES, bar'bes', Armand (1800-70). A
French revolutionist. He was a leader of secret
political societies, was at various times im-
prisoned, and in 1830 was sentenced to death as
the main instigator of an attempted insurrection
against Louis Philippe. While in prison he
wrote Tiro Days Under Condemnation of Death.
He was pardoned, and in 1848 was chosen to the
Constituent Assembly, but in the same year, with
Raspail and others! he was sentenced to life-
imprisonment for stirring >ip an insurrection
against the Assembly. When set free he refused
to receive pardon, asking to he allowed to return
to jail ; but this was denied him, and he left the
country. Consult La BrugSre, Le Proee» Armand
Barhcs.
BAR'BET (Fr., from Lat. harbatws, bearded).
Any bird of the tropical families Capitonid:e or
BuceonidjE, so called in reference to the promi-
nence of bristles about the mouth. Tho.se of the
former family are scansorial barbets, barbicans,
or thickheads; those of the latter, fissirostral
barbets, barbacous, or puff-birds. See Thick-
head Fly; Puff-Bird; and Plate of Trogon,
Hoopoe, etc.
BARBETTE, biir-bet' (Fr. dim. of harbe,
Lat. harha, beard). In military fortification,
a term applied to the platform on the inner side
of a parapet or rampart on which a heavy gun
is mounted. It is built at such an elevation that
the gun may be fired over the crest of the para-
pet instead of through an embrasure. In this way
the gun may be moved in different directions. In
the LTnited States and British navies, the term
is commonly used to designate the armored struc-
ture surrounding and protecting the bases of
guns or turrets, but which is more properly
called a barbette tower. These towers are al-
mo.st invariably of circular form, the armor ex-
tending down to the protective deck, except
when it is protected by the armor on the ship's
side, while the supporting framework, somewhat
changed in form as it goes down, extends to the
inner keel. Inside the tower is the machinery
for operating guns and supplying them with
ammunition. See Fortification.
BARBETTE GUN. A gun mounted for firing
over a breastwork or parapet, and not through a
porthole or embrasure. On board ship guns are
mounted en barbette in barbette towers. See
Coast Artillery; Gu^js. Nav.l; and Ordnance.
BARBETTE TUR'RET. A revolving tower
or turret mounted above a fixed barbette tower.
Turrets are now generally oval or ovoidal in
plan, and the side in rear of the guns projects
beyond the walls of the barbette tower to form
the 'overhang.' See Turret.
BARBEY B'AUREVILLY, biir'ba' do're-ve'ye', Jules (1808-80). A French writer, born at Saint Sauveur-le-Vicomte (Manche). He was one of the founders (IS.'iS) and editors of the H('veil, and for a number of years contributed literary articles to the Pays. His works, in both fiction and criticism, are original — sometimes grotesque in flavor. They include Du dandi/sme et de George Brummel (3d ed., 1880) ; Les
prophites du passe (1851) ; L'ensorcelce (1854);
Portraits critiques (1803); Le chevalier Des
Touches (1804) ; and Goethe et Diderot (1880).
BAR'BICAN (Low Lat. barbacana, barbi-
cana; perhaps akin to Ar. barbakh, aqueduct,
sewer). A fortified advanced work protecting
a passage, gate, or postern of a city or fortress,
usually at the head of a drawbridge. The barbi-
can was used in all well-fortified places to facili-
tate sallies or protect a retreat. It was built of
wood or earth, or stone, provided with a ditch
and often with a flying bridge. Usually it was
semicircular. Even temporary camps had large
barbicans to mask and protect manojuvres. The
permanent examples in stone at Carcassonne
(q.v.) are of unusual importance. Sometimes
they were closed across their end so as to make
it diHicult for the enemy to enter the city,
even after it had been captured. The famous
English castles of Alnwick and Warwick still
retain their barbicans. In an assault, the bar-
bican was usually captured before the outer
bailey. Sometimes the barbican took the form
of a" double tower on each side of a gate or
liridge, and served as a watch-tower. From the
