590 BESANCON BESANfON (anc. Vesontio), a town of France, capital of the department of Doubs, on both sides of the river Doubs, and on the Rhone and Rhine canals, 198 m. 8. E. of Paris ; pop. in 1866, 46,961. It is strongly fortified, with a citadel built by Vaubnn, is the seat of an arch- bishop, and has a school of artillery, a library of 80,000 volumes, academies of science and art, a seminary for priests, and a botanical gar- den. There are many hospitals and a deaf and dumb asylum. Among the prominent buildings are the prefecture and the ancient palace of Cardinal Granvelle, archbishop of Besancon, who founded a university here, which existed till the first revolution. The town and its vi- cinity abound with Roman remains, and a vast amphitheatre has been lately excavated. The principal articles of trade are corn, timber, staves, cheese, ironware, cloth, leather, and wine. Agricultural implements, iron, steel, and copper ware, paper hangings, cotton, silk, and woollen goods, and other articles are manufac- tured ; and Besancon rivals Geneva in watches, of which 300,000 are made annually, employ- ing over 2,000 persons. Over 600,000 bottles of seltzer water are put up annually. Ancient Vesontio was the chief city of the Sequani, and under the Roman empire was the capital of Maxima Sequanorum. It was rebuilt early in the 5th century by the Burgundians, after hav- ing been destroyed by the Alemanni, but was again ravaged by the Huns. It successively belonged to the Frankish kingdom, to the king- dom of Aries, and to the German empire ; be- came the capital of Franche-Comtd, and under Frederick I. a free imperial city, and subse- quently shared the fortunes of that province, passing with it to France in 1678. In 1814 it was in vain besieged by the Austrians. Victor Hugo, Fourier, and Proudhon were born here. BESBORODKO, Alexander Andrfyevltfh, prince, a Russian statesman, born at Stolnoye, Little BESSARABA Russia, in 1742, died in St. Petersburg, Ang. 9, 1799. He was secretary of Rumiantzoff in the Turkish campaigns, and after having risen by liis rare natural abilities to various high posi- tions tinder Catharine II., became imperial chancellor under Paul I. He concluded the treaty of peace at Jassy (1792) and other trea- ties, and O7'ganized the coalition of Russia and Great Britain against France (1798). He was made a count of the German empire by Jo- seph II., and a Russian prince by Paul I. He was profligate and ava- ricious, but at the same time a zealous patron of the fine arts, and left a large part of his immense fortune for the endowment of a lycenm.
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Nifolas, aine, a French lexicographer and grammarian, born in Paris, June 10, 1802. He was educated at the college Bourbon, and afterward employed in the archives of the council of state and as a libra- rian in the Louvre. His principal works are : Orammaire nationale (2 vols. 8vo, 1834-'8 ; 5th ed., 1851), and Dictionnaire national, ou grand dietionnaire critique de la Inngue fran- faise, including technical, historical, and geo- graphical words (2 vols. 4to, 1843-'6), which 'proved very successful. He also edited with G. Devars the Grand dietionnaire de geo- graphic universelle, ancienne et moderne (4 vols. 4to, 1856-'7; new ed., 1865). His bro- ther, known as BESCHEEELLE jeune, born in Paris, June 12, 1804, an employee of the council of state and the sole author of Methode pour apprendre lei langues modernes (4 vols., 1855), has participated in most of his labors. One of their joint works is a Dictionnaire iisuel de tons lei terles de la, langue francaise (2 vols. 8vo, 1842-'3). BESITOf. See BEHISTFIT. BESSARABA, a family that took an active part in the politics of eastern Europe from the 13th century to the early part of the 18th. It gave several waywodes to Wallachia, and ruled for a considerable time over Bessarabia. Ru dolph the Black founded the principality ol Wallachia during the invasion of Batu Khan, and built the towns of Argish, Tergovist, and Bucharest. He died in 1265. Mirce or Mirxsi I., waywode from 1382 to 1418, fought against the Bulgarians and the Turks, and distinguished himself at the battle of Kosovo ; he was obliged to sign the treaty of 1393, which made him a vassal of Bajazet I. Michael II.. the Brave, waywode in 1592, united under his rule Wai-
