BULFINCH. 634 BXTLGABIA. of Selectmen of tlie tow-n of Boston, an office corresponding closely to the later office of mayor, und during this period endeavored to secure the straightening and widening of the streets, to provide a system of street-lighting, and other- wise to modernize the old town. He designed the Massachusetts tJeneral Hospital, the cornerstone of which was laid in 1S18, and in the same year succeeded }5enjamin H. Latrobe as architect of the National Capitol in Washington. He built the rotimda from drawings of his own. after plans suggested by Latrobe. and himself designed the west apjjroachrs and the portico, completing the building in 1830. Consult Ellen S. Bul- finch, Lrifc and Letters of Chiirles liulflnch. BULFINCH, TnoMAS (17H0-1S67) . An American author, born in Boston. Mass. He graduated in 1814 at Harvard, was in mercantile pursuits until 1837. and subsequently was con- nected with the Boston Merchants' Bank. His literary reputation is based on his Age of Fnhle (18.5.1)", intended, in his own words, "to popu- larize mythology, and extend the cnioTuent of elegant literature." The book sought to connect the old Greek. Roman. Norse, and Oriental nar- ratives with modern literature. The Norse sec- tion was derived from Xorthern Antiquities (Loudon, 1770). a translation by Tliomas Percy of a portion of the Introduction « I'histoire du JJuiHiiLUrk tLupenhagen, 175o-5tJ) of the Genoese historian Mallet. In the Greek and Roman stories, ancient classical texts — in particular those of Homer, Vergil, and 0ul — weie closely followed, and often freely translated. His work has been a perennial favorite, both as school book and gen- eral manual, has appeared in a revision (1881) by Dr. E. E. Hale, and was the acknowledged source of the considerable part of the material of another similar volame^The Clussiml Myths in KnqJish Litcriiturc, edited by C. M. Gayley (Boston, 1804). Bulfineh was a friend of H. W. Longfellow, and further published Hebrew Lyri- cal History (1853); The Aye of Chivaby (1858); The Boy Inventor {ii0) ; Legends of Chnrlemaqne (1803); I'oelry of the Age of Fable (IS'CS) ; and Oregon and EUorado (18GG). BULGA^RIA. A principality in the north- eastem part of the Balkan I'cninsula (cj.v.), sit- uated mainlv Ix-tween latitude 41° 30' and 44° 15' N andhmgitiidc 22° 30' and 28° 30' E. (Map: Turkey in Europe. E 3). It is bounded by Tiirkev on' the south, Sen-ia on the west, Ru- mania on the north, with the Danube forming iuost of the northern boundary, and the^ Black Sea on the east, and covers, including Eastern Rumelia. an area of 38.080 scpuire miles. Bul- garia like most of the Balkan countries, is very mountainous, being traversed by the Balkan Alountain chain from west to east. 1 he south- west corner of E.astern Rumclia is covered by a portion of the Rhodope Mountains, forming deep valleys, and connected by elevated passes. The highest summits, situated in the extreme west of Bul"aria, include ^^Tusalla. IHilO feet; Vitosha, 7517 feet; and Rila. 8773 feet. Most of the rivers of Bulgaria empty into the Black Sea, some of them directly, and oth<-rs through the Danube The most important of them are the Omist Tsker, Vid, Osma, and Lorn, tributaries of the Danube. The Kamtchik and Devna empty into the Black Sea, while the IMaritza (which with its nflluent. the Tunja. drams a great part of Eastern Rumclia) and the Struma How southward toward the .^geaa Sea. Geologically the elevated terraces of Bulgaria are composed of Tertiary deposits, with foundations of Ju- rassic and Cretaceous limestones and sandstones. Deposits of gypsum and coal are found, and evidences of gold, iron, and peat. Ci.iM.TE. The climate of Bulgaria is on the whole healthful, with the e.vception of the low- lands along the Black Sea, which are often vis- ited by malaria. The climate in Eastern Ru- mclia is considerably milder than in Bulgaria ])roper, which is generally attributed to the fact that the former is protected on the north by the Balkans. Winter in Bulgaria usually begins in the middle of November and lasts till March, wliile in Rumelia its duration seldom exceeds two months. The rainy season is in early spring and in autumn. The yearly temperature is about 50°, while the lowest for Bulgaria is about — 8°, and for Rumelia 8°. The flora of Bulgaria is of a somewhat mixed character, combining most of tlie common European plants with some belonging to the East. The mountains are gen- erally covered with trees, which are almost en- tirely absent from the valleys. The fauna is of considerable variety. The mountains abound in bears, wild boars, dili'ercnt species of deer, chamois, and most of the common European s])e- cies of wild fowl. The domestic animals include the butt'alo. which, together with the bull, is used for agricultural purposes instead of horses, which are scarce and of a ])oor breed. Agriculture. Like most of the Balkaa States, Bulgaria is primarily an agricultural country. A fertile soil, in conjunction with a favorable climate, counteracts to a large extent the effect of the primitive methods of cultivation in vogue, and the crops are generally abundant. The land is greatly subdivided among the peas- antry, who cling tenaciously to their small liold- ings. The land belongs nominally to the Govern- ment, and its occupants may hold it in per- [letuity, paying the Government a certain rent in the form of a tiix ; the only exception is in the case of woodland and ])asture-land. which are held in common by the comimmes and are shared liy all members without payment to the tJovern- ment. Of the total area of the country, about 48 ]ier cent, is under pasture, 25 per cent, is culti- vated for cereals and vegetables, less than W^ per cent, is under vineyards, over 17 per cent, under forest and heath, the rest being under jirairies, roads, dwellings, etc. The principal grains raised in the country are wheat and corn, yielding from 20,000.000 to 40.000.000 bushels each annually, according to the condition of the crops. Next in importance are barley, oats, rye, and potatoes. Fruits and vegetables are culti- vated extensively, and considerable quantities of
- ittar of ro.scs are exiiorted. The cultivation of
silk, once a very important industry, is now al- most extinct. Grapes of an excellent quality are cultivated all over the country, but the wine pro- duced is po(U-, owing to the careless and anti- quated methods employed in its production. A considerable hindrance to the development of agriculture is found in the present system of levying tithes in kind, which destroys every in- centive to improvement. The mineral lands, as well as the agricultural, belong to the State, which works some of the coal mines on its ow^n account, obtaining over 100,000 tons of coal ai>
