ridged, and black bands across the back; the general color is the same, with the exception of dark brown spots on the head, chest, and limbs, and 6 or 7 black bands extending across the back to the ventral surface. This species was considered by Kaup as belonging to a different genus, which he called corythæolus; it formed the genus ædicoryphus of Wagler. Notwithstanding its forbidding appearance, the basilisk is a perfectly harmless animal; it feeds on insects, and lives principally on trees, which it climbs with great dexterity; it is supposed that the dorsal crest may serve to steady its motions as it springs from tree to tree. The ancient poets imagined an animal, which they called basilisk, whose breath poisoned the air, whose glance was death, and whose presence was fatal to all other creatures, including man; they supposed it to have the form of a snake, and to be produced from the egg of a cock brooded upon by a serpent. The tziphoni of the Hebrew Bible is a true snake, improperly called basilisk in the Greek version, and in the English translation cockatrice, an animal as fabulous as the ancient basilisk.

BASILOSAURUS. See ZEUGLODON. BASKERVILLE, John, an English printer and type founder, born in 1706, died in Birmingham, Jan. 8, 1775. Previous to becoming a type founder he was a writing master, a tombstone cutter, and a successful japanner. He greatly improved type founding and the quality of printing ink. His printing has a rich purple-black hue, supposed to be made by subjecting each sheet as it came from the press to pressure between heated copper plates. He retired in 1765, but his press continued to be highly esteemed in Birmingham until the Priestley riots of 1791, when the mob destroyed the printing office. His remains were removed in 1821 to Christ church.

BASKET, a vessel made by interweaving twigs or reeds, grasses, leaves, metal or glass wire, whalebone, or any similar material. Baskets differ greatly in their forms, sizes, and the uses to which they are applied, from the rudest utensils of necessity to the most delicately wrought articles of luxury and taste. A breastwork on the parapet of a trench is sometimes formed of what is called baskets of earth (corbeils), which are so placed as to allow the soldiers to fire between them, sheltered from the fire of the enemy.-Basket making is one of the simplest and most ancient of the arts. The Romans found wicker boats covered with skins in use among the ancient natives of Britain. Round boats of wickerwork covered with bitumen or skins were used on the Tigris and Euphrates in the times of Herodotus; and similar boats, about 7 ft. in diameter, are still used there. In India boats of a similar form and construction are still in use in crossing the less rapid rivers; they are made of bamboo and skins, requiring only a few hours' labor; they are about 12 ft. in diameter and 4 deep, are navigated with oars

or poles, or towed by oxen or men, and are sometimes used to transport large armies and heavy artillery. The ancient Britons manufactured wicker vessels with extraordinary skill and ingenuity; their costly and elegant baskets are mentioned by Juvenal in speaking of the extravagance of the Romans in his time. The natives of South America make baskets of rushes so closely woven as to hold liquids; their manufacture and sale throughout the Spanish countries is very extensive. The natives of Tasmania wove similar water-tight vessels of leaves. The Caffres and Hottentots possess equal skill in weaving the roots of certain plants. Shields in ancient times were constructed of wickerwork, plain or covered with hides; they are still thus made among savage tribes. Wickerwork is now largely used for the bodies of light carriages. On the continent of Europe Holstein wagons, carriages drawn by two horses and carrying several persons, are made almost entirely of wickerwork. In different parts of the world, houses, huts, gates, fences, sledges, and shoes, and other articles of use and ornament, are formed by this ancient and universal art.-In making baskets, the twigs or rods, being assorted according to their size and use, and being left considerably longer than the work to be woven, are arranged on the floor in pairs parallel to each other and at small intervals apart, and in the direction of the longer diameter of the basket. Then two large rods are laid across the parallel ones, with their thick ends toward the workman, who is to put his foot on them, thereby holding them firm, and weave them one at a time alternately over and under those first laid down, confining them in their places. This forms the foundation of the basket, and is technically called the slat or slate. Then the long end of one of these two rods is woven over and under the pairs of short ends, all around the bottom, till the whole is woven in. The same is done with the other rod, and then additional long ones are woven in, till the bottom of the basket is of sufficient size. The sides are formed by sharpening the large ends of enough stout rods to form the ribs, and plaiting or forcing the sharpened ends into the bottom of the basket, from the circumference toward the centre; then raising the rods in the direction the sides of the basket are to have, and weaving other rods between them till the basket is of the required depth. The brim is formed by bending down and fastening the perpendicular sides of the ribs, whereby the whole is firmly and compactly united. A handle is fitted to the basket by forcing two or three sharpened rods of the right length down the weaving of the sides, close to each other, and pinning them fast about two inches below the brim, so that the handle may retain its position when completed. The ends of the rods are then bound or plaited in any way the workman chooses. This is a basket of the rudest kind. Others will vary according to the

artist's purpose, skill, and materials. When whole rods or twigs are not adapted to the kind of work required, they are divided into splits and skeins. Splits are made by cleaving the rod lengthwise into four parts, by means of an implement consisting of two blades, crossing each other at right angles, the intersection of which passes down the pith of the rod. These splits are next drawn through an implement resembling a common spoke-shave, keeping the pith presented to the edge of the iron, and the back of the split against the wood of the implement. The split is then passed through another implement, called an upright, to bring it to a more uniform shape. This consists of a flat piece of steel, each end of which has a cutting edge, like that of an ordinary chisel; this piece is bent round, and the edges are made to approach each other as near as desired by means of screws, the whole being fixed into a handle. By passing the splits between these two edges, they are reduced to any required thickness. The implements required in basket making are few and simple, consisting, besides those just mentioned, of knives, bodkins, and drills for boring, leads for steadying the work while in progress, and when it is of small dimensions, and a piece of iron called a beater.The splints of various kinds of wood, particularly certain species of ash, elm, and birch, are extensively employed in basket work. These splints are obtained by beating logs of the wood with a maul, thus loosening and separating the different layers or rings into narrow strips. This is the simple and primitive process, and is necessarily slow, and restricted to woods of a free texture. Several machines have been invented and are now employed for the manufacture of splints, by which different kinds of wood, prepared by steaming or otherwise, are cut or rived into the required form. Basket willow and osier are terms commonly applied to the species of salix most used in basket work. (See OSIER.)

BASNAGE DE BEAUVAL, Jacques, a French author and diplomatist, born in Rouen in 1653, died at the Hague in 1722 or 1723. He received an excellent theological and classical education, was Protestant minister at Rouen from 1676 to 1685, and on the suppression of the Reformed church in that city was pensioned and permitted to go to Rotterdam, where he had charge of the Walloon church till 1709. He afterward presided over the same denomination at the Hague at the request of Heinsius, whose influence also led to his being employed diplomatically. In 1717 he cooperated with the abbé Dubois in concluding a defensive alliance between the states general and France and Great Britain, after which his confiscated Rouen estates were restored to him. He was the author of various theological and other works, the best of which is his Histoire des Juifs, depuis Jésus-Christ jusqu'au présent, pour servir de supplément à Histoire de Josèphe (5 vols., Rotterdam, 1706; new ed., Paris, 1710).

BASQUE PROVINCES. See BASQUES. BASQUES, a peculiar race, who from time immemorial have inhabited both slopes of the Pyrenees. They number about 800,000, of whom about 150,000 are in the French department of Basses-Pyrénées, the remainder in the Spanish provinces of Navarre, Biscay, Guipuzcoa, and Alava. The last three provinces are usually styled the Basque provinces. From the remotest times the Basques have remained unsubdued in their mountain homes, and neither Carthaginian, Roman, Gothic, Saracen, French, nor Spanish domination has been able to efface their distinctive characteristics. They are of middle size, compactly built, robust and agile, of a darker complexion than the Spaniards, with gray eyes and black hair. They are simple, but proud, impetuous, merry, and hospitable. The women are beautiful, skilful in performing men's work, and remarkable for

Basques.

their vivacity and grace. The Basques are much attached to dancing, and are very fond of the music of the bagpipe. The national dress is a red jacket, long breeches, a red or brown sash, a square-knotted neck tie, hempen shoes, and pointed caps. The women wear headdresses of gay colors over their variously braided and twisted hair. In the social relations of the Basques patriarchal manners and habits prevail. The art of agriculture is but little advanced, yet the fertility of the soil and the industry of the occupants produce an abundance. Among the Spanish Basques there is an almost universal equality of conditions, the nobility being few in number. There are few cities or villages, but small houses lie scattered upon nearly all the heights. In their political constitution, they are divided into districts, each of which chooses annually an alcalde, who is both a civil and military officer, and a member of the supreme junta, which meets every

year for deliberation upon matters of general | interest. Their rights are protected by the fueros, or written constitutions, which were granted by ancient Spanish kings. In religion they are Roman Catholics.-Whatever may have been the origin and ethnological relations of the Basque people, they have enjoyed an immemorial reputation for valor in their present seats. They were the Cantabri of the Romans, and are alluded to by Horace as a people hard to be taught to bear the yoke. The Spanish Basques long maintained themselves independent, though situated between the rival monarchies of Navarre and Castile; and though in the 13th century they were incorporated into the Castilian monarchy, they retained their old liberties, paid no taxes, and enjoyed throughout Spain all the exemptions of the nobility. The Spanish constitution of 1812 stripped them of their long-possessed privileges, which however they recovered in 1823, after an energetic insurrection. When, after the death of Ferdinand VII. in 1833, Isabella determined to take their privileges from them again, they embraced with ardor the cause of Don Carlos, and after six years of rebellion recognized the young queen only when the reestablishment of the fueros was promised them.-The proper name of the Basque language is Euscara or Esquera, which degenerated into Vasc, Bascongada, and in the French provinces into Bascuence. Eusk or Ese probably signifies sunrise or east, pointing to the original country of the Basques. The people call themselves Euscaldunac, people of the language, designating all strangers as Erdaldunac, people of foreign language. Some natives derive the name of Bascon from basocoa, forest-dweller. There are three principal dialects of this language: the Guipuzcoan, the purest, pleasantest, and most developed of all, spoken in Guipuzcoa and Alava; the Vizcayan; and the Labortan of Lower Navarre, Labourd, and Zuberoa, which is softer than the Vizcayan. Great diversity of opinion exists among writers on everything concerning not only the history but the language of this brave, hardy, industrious, freedom-loving people. It is, however, certain that the Euscara entirely differs from the languages of the Indo-European family. It has some common traits with the Magyar, Osmanli, and other dialects of the Uralo-Altaic family. This similarity consists in blending Several words into one, especially in the conjugation of verbs, and in the exclusion of combinations like cr, gr, pr, pl, tr, &c. But there are few coincidences of the roots of words. The Euscara is the primitive language of the inhabitants of Spain, who were called Iberi by the classic writers, were settled in the whole peninsula, in a part of Aquitania, partly in Siciv, Sardinia, and Corsica, and traces of whom are found in Italy and in Thrace. By an invasion of a branch of Celts, in prehistoric times, these aborigines were mixed in a part of the peninsula with the invaders, thus producing the VOL. II.-24

Celtiberi, who included the Cantabri. Many writers confound the latter with the aboriginal Basques; but the inhabitants of Iberia at the time of the Roman invasion were of three sorts: the Iberi, the Celtici, and the Celtiberi, to whom the Cantabri belonged. The settlements of Phoenicians, Greeks, and Carthaginians on the coasts of the Mediterranean sea are of much later date. The Euscara has no words beginning with r, f, st; it has more sibilants than the Greek, viz., 8, 2, hard and soft ts; it is very rich in words and grammatic forms; it is full and well-sounding, and very perspicuous. Its predominant combinations of sounds are: ar, man; bae, be, low, deep; cal, damage; car, gar, high; maen, men, power; na, plain, high; O, high; se, ce, plain, &c. Very rare combinations are ner, and tar, ter. We possess the most valuable grammatical information in the Vizcayan, the best lexical development in the Guipuzcoan (Larramendi's Diccionario trilingüe, Castellano, Bascuence, y

Latin, San Sebastian, 1853), but scarcely anything available in the Labortan dialect.William von Humboldt (in Adelung's Mithridates, and in his work on the aborigines of Spain, &c., Berlin, 1821), Prince Louis Lucien Bonaparte, and Chaho (Dictionnaire basque, Paris, 1857 et seq.) furnish the best materials among all foreign writers on the Basque language. See also Ticknor's "Spanish Literature," vol. iii., and Le pays basque, sa population, sa langue, ses mœurs, sa littérature et sa musique, by Francisque Michel (Paris, 1857), who has also published a Romancéro du pays basque (Paris, 1859).

BAS-RHIN, a former department of France, now included in the German imperial territory of Alsace-Lorraine. (See ALSACE-LORRAINE.)

BASS (labrax), a family of sea and fresh-water fishes of which there are many well known varieties in American waters. They belong to the division acanthopterygii, or those having spinous fins, to the family of the percida, or those of the perch type, and have several subgenera, as grystes and centrarchus, which are the most remarkable. Bass of various kinds are found in most of the waters of the world, and are everywhere well esteemed, both as a table fish and by the angler. The principal European variety is the labrax lupus, which

European Bass (Labrax lupus).

has by some writers been confounded with our striped bass, an entirely different fish, first distinguished by Dr. Samuel L. Mitchill of New York. The following are the American varie

ties: 1. The sea bass, sometimes called blue or black bass (centropristis nigricans). This is purely a sea species, never coming into fresh water. Its general color is blue-black, slightly bronzed. The edges of all the scales are of a darker color than the ground, which gives it the appearance of being covered by a black network. The fins, except the pectoral, are pale blue, the anal and dorsal spotted with a darker shade of the same color. The teeth are set, like those of a carding machine, over all the bones of the mouth, those on the lips the largest. The dorsal fin has 10 spines, 11 soft rays; the pectorals, 18 soft rays; the ventrals, 1 spine, 5 soft rays; the anal, 3 spines, 7 soft rays; the caudal is trilobed and has 18 soft rays. The weight of the sea bass varies from

lb. to 17 lbs., the latter very rare. 2. The striped bass (L. lineatus). This is the rock fish of the Delaware and Potomac. Its color is bluish brown above, silvery white below, with from 7 to 9 equidistant, dark, parallel stripes of chocolate brown, those above the lateral line terminating at the base of the caudal fin, those below it fading away above the anal fin. The teeth are numerous on the palatal and maxillary bones, and on the tongue. The 1st dorsal fin has 9 spines; the 2d, 1 spine, 12 soft rays; the pectorals, 16 soft rays; the ventrals, 1 spine, 5 soft rays; the anal, 3 spines, 11 soft rays; the caudal, which is deeply lunated, has 17 soft rays. This fish winters in the deep, warm, muddy sea bays, and runs up the rivers in the spring in pursuit of the smelt, and to devour the shad roe, and in the autumn to spawn. It runs from the size of a smelt up to 50, 60, and 70 lbs. weight. It is very voracious,

Striped Bass (Labrax lineatus).

excellent on the table, and an especial favorite of the angler. 3. The bar fish (L. notatus), a variety of the fish above described, distinguished from it by Lieut. Col. Smith of the British army. The principal distinction is that the lines on the sides are not continuous, but are broken into spots. 4. The ruddy bass (L. rufus). 5. The little white bass (L. pallidus). These are two small and insignificant varieties, not exceeding a few inches in length, known to anglers in the vicinity of New York, where

Black Bass (Grystes nigricans).

Its color is blue-back, glossed with bronze, and marked with darker clouded bandings; belly lighter colored. Both jaws are armed with a broad patch of small, sharp, recurved teeth; the vomer has also a patch, and the palatal bones a belt or band of teeth of the same description. The dorsal fin has 9 spines; the 2d dorsal, 1 spine, 14 soft rays; the pectorals, 18 soft rays; the ventrals, 1 spine, 12 soft rays; the caudal, 16 soft rays. It is found everywhere west, from the basin of the St. Lawrence to the tributaries of the Ohio, and has lately been extensively introduced into the waters of New York and New England. It runs from a few inches in length to rarely 8 lbs. weight. It is a bold biter and an excellent fish. 7. The Oswego bass (G. megastoma) is often confounded with the species last described, but is entirely distinct. Its principal feature is the great size of its mouth. It is a thicker tish, and its head is larger as compared to its size. Color, dark greenish blue, lighter on the belly. The dorsal fin has 9 spines, 14 soft rays; the pectorals, 13 soft rays; ventrals, 1 spine, 5 soft rays; anal, 3 spines, 11 soft rays; caudal, 20 soft rays. It abounds in the bays and river mouths of Lake Erie, bites well at live or dead minnow, and is a good fish, but inferior to the last described variety. 8. White bass (multilineatus), sometimes called white perch, peculiar to Lake Erie and the upper lakes, and very abundant in them. In color it is light olive above and silvery white on the sides and belly, with numerous longitudinal dark lines, the numbers varying in different specimens. This fish has not been scientifically described, so that its dental system and that of its fin rays cannot be given with accuracy. It is said to be an excellent fish on the table, and a bold, voracious biter. 9. The grass bass (centrarchus hexacanthus), sometimes called the roach, also peculiar to Lake Erie, where it is abundant in the small bays and at the river mouths. In color it is spotted or marbled above, with dark shades on a sea-green ground,

and on the sides with the same marks on light green or yellow. The sides of the head and body are of an iridescent white, the belly silvery white. Like the preceding fish, it has not been scientifically distinguished or described. Its anal fin is said to be extremely long, and its abdomen consequently very small. Wherever the large-mouthed bass is found this fish is

Rock Bass (Centarchus aeneus).

plentiful. It rarely exceeds 10 inches in length and 2 lbs. in weight. 10. The rock bass (C. aeneus). Its color is dark coppery yellow, banded with irregular darker clouds and green reflections; fins bluish green; teeth small, recurved, on the maxillaries, vomer, palatals, and pharyngeals. The dorsal fin has 11 spines, 12 soft rays; the pectorals, 14 soft rays; the ventrals, 1 spine, 5 soft rays; the anal, 6 spines, 11 soft rays; the caudal, 17 rays. This fish, originally peculiar to the basin of the St. Lawrence, has come down the Erie canal and become common in the Hudson river, where it is freely taken. It rarely exceeds a pound in weight, but is an excellent fish on the table, and affords admirable sport to the angler. 11. The growler (grystes salmonoeides), generally called the white salmon in the southern states, closely resembles the black bass in form, but grows larger. It is of a deep bluish green

above, lighter below; when young has 25 or 30 longitudinal dark bands, which grow paler by age. The dorsal fin has 10 spines, 14 soft rays; the pectorals, 16 soft rays; the ventrals, 1 spine, 5 soft rays; the anal, 3 spines, 12 soft rays; the caudal, 17 soft rays. This also is said to be a bold biter and a good fish. With this species ends, so far as is yet ascertained, the list of the bass family proper to American waters, although it is probable that in the

course of time future varieties may be discovered in the vast network of lakes and rivers which have not yet been scientifically explored through one fourth of their extent.

BASS, or Basswood. See LINDEN.

BASS, George A., an English navigator, died early in the 19th century. He was a surgeon in the navy, and made in 1796 with Matthew Flinders his first two voyages of discovery on the coast of New South Wales in a boat only 8 ft. long, which they called the Tom Thumb. In 1797 the government despatched him on a third voyage, during which he discovered in 1798 the strait that bears his name, between Tasmania and New South Wales. He was soon after sent again, with Flinders, with directions to sail around Tasmania and examine and project the coast. His labors greatly increased the progress of colonization, but he died unhonored and unrequited for his arduous and adventurous efforts. See "Voyage to Terra Australis" (2 vols., London, 1814), by Flinders.

BASSANO, a town of Italy, province of Piacenza, on the left bank of the Brenta, 31 m. N. by W. of Padua and 15 N. E. of Vicenza; pop. about 13,000. The fine bridge over the Brenta built by Palladio was swept away in 1748, and restored by Ferracino. The old walls of Bassano are clad with ivy; the sidewalks are paved with marble found in the vicinity, and the streets with granite and other materials. The partly ruined castle of Ezzelino in the centre of the town is now occupied by the archbishop.

Bassano.

The museum in the piazza San Francisco contains an extensive library, a picture gallery, and collections of coins and rare engravings. The palace of the podesta contains frescoes and statuary. Near the town are the villa Rezzonico, famous for its extensive view and for works of art, and the villa Parolini, with a botanical garden. The town contains a number of convents, a gymnasium, and about 30 churches, several of which have paintings ex