Hudson five years before Bell started his on the Clyde, the European was in all probability only a copy of the American invention. But there is no ground for supposing that Bell had learned anything of his rival's plans at the time he was proceeding with his own, and far less that they were so accurately described to him as to spare him the exercise of all ingenuity but that of correct modelling. He indignantly denied the charge of borrowing an invention to make himself a name, and the researches of his detractors have not produced anything to cast a doubt on his denial.—J. S., G.
BELL, James, a highly respectable editor and compiler of historical and geographical works, was born at Jedburgh in 1769, where his father was pastor of the Relief church. It is characteristic of the comparative simplicity of the times that James Bell, the son of a clergyman, was withdrawn from learning, and apprenticed to the art and craft of weaving. When twenty-one years of age, he appears to have entered business in Glasgow on his own account. In 1806 he became a private teacher of the classics. Mr. Bell was the author of several works on geography, more particularly of "A System of Popular and Scientific Geography," published in six volumes. He was engaged on a Gazetteer of England and Wales, when death put an end to his meritorious and long-continued labours. He died on the 3rd May, 1833.—C. W. C.
BELL, John, a painter mentioned in the Harleian MSS. as a painter employed with the bullying Torreggiano on Henry VII.'s tomb.—W. T.
BELL, John, commonly called Bell of Antermony—that being the name of his paternal estate—was born in 1691. He received a classical education, and passed as a physician in the twenty-third year of his age. Having a strong desire to see foreign countries, as he himself tells us, he obtained recommendatory letters to Dr. Areskine, "a brother Scot," who then acted in the double capacity of chief physician and privy councillor to Peter the Great. Bell arrived at St. Petersburg in July, 1714, and was well received by the emperor. It happened that Peter was then preparing an embassy to the court of Persia, and Bell was engaged to accompany it in his professional character of physician. The expedition left St. Petersburg in July, 1715, and we read of it at Kazan in June of the following year. Kazan is not 800 miles from St. Petersburg, in a straight line, and making full allowance for deviations and deflections of all sorts, it would appear that the expedition took twelvemonths to travel 1000 miles. There was therefore plenty of time for observation and reflection, and the young Scotchman made the best use of his opportunities. From Kazan, the embassy proceeded by Astrakhan, the Caspian sea, and the range of the Taurus to Ispahan; where the "Bactrian Sophi,"—as Milton calls the shah of Persia,—then held his court, and where Bell arrived on the (old style) 13th March, 1717. He did not return to St. Petersburg till December, 1718, having thus been absent from that capital three years and a half. Bell had not been many months in St. Petersburg when he was again called upon to accompany an embassy to China. They left the capital in July, 1719, and, travelling through Siberia and the deserts of Tartary, arrived at Pekin, "after a tedious journey of exactly sixteen months." Bell's description of Siberia forms a very interesting part of his travels, and the account of what he saw at the court of Pekin is still considered of great value, as he is one of the few travellers from the western world who have penetrated so far into the interior of China. Bell left Pekin in March, 1721, and arrived at Moscow in January, 1722. But he had scarcely recovered from the fatigues of his Chinese travels, when he was invited to accompany the czar in person, on his expedition to Derbent, a celebrated pass between the Caucasus and the Caspian sea. In his account of this expedition, we get an insight into the country of the Circassians, who have ever since given the Russians so much trouble, and who are not yet subdued. Bell also gives us an estimate of the character of Peter, whose habits, both public and private, he had an excellent opportunity of studying during this expedition. Soon after returning from Circassia, Bell visited Scotland, where he remained till 1737, when, on the failure of negotiations for peace between Russia and Turkey, he was sent on a confidential mission to Constantinople. He afterwards took up his abode in that famous city, and carried on business for several years as a merchant. Bell married a Russian lady, Mary Peters, about the year 1746; and, in the following year, he returned to his native land, where he lived in ease and affluence tor the remainder of his days. He died on the 1st of July, 1780, in the eighty-ninth year of his age. His "Travels in Asia" were published in two 4to volumes by the celebrated Foulises of Glasgow, in 1763, and they have appeared in several forms since. The work was translated into French, and in this way became widely known on the continent.—C. W. C.
BELL, John, a celebrated Scotch surgeon, the elder brother of Sir Charles Bell, and son of the Rev. W. Bell, a clergyman of the episcopal church of Scotland. He was born at Edinburgh on the 12th of May, 1763. His father having been greatly relieved by a surgical operation just before his son John was born, determined out of gratitude to devote his child to the surgical profession. He was, accordingly, after receiving his early education at the High School, Edinburgh, entered as a pupil to Mr. Alexander Wood of that city. He became a pupil in the university, and studied under Black, Cullen, and the second Monro. He soon began to mark out a career for himself. He felt that, although anatomy and surgery were well taught, they had not been sufficiently connected. He therefore built an anatomical theatre and lecture-room, in Surgeon's Square, and opened it for the teaching of anatomy, in connection with surgery. It was here he attacked Monro and Benjamin Bell, and produced enemies in the university, and surrounded himself with admiring friends. In 1793 he published the first volume of his great work on "The Anatomy of the Human Body." This volume contained a description of the bones, the muscles, and the joints. The second volume, which was published soon afterwards, contained an account of the heart and arteries. The third volume was completed by his brother Charles, and was devoted to the nervous system. This work was written in a clear and forcible style, and, whilst it went into the details of anatomy, discussed physiological points, so as to interest the reader. Subsequently engravings were published, illustrating the anatomy of the parts described in the above work. His works on surgery have deservedly given Mr. John Bell the highest position amongst the surgeons of the last century. He was the first to point out the important influence that the free anastomosis amongst the arteries of the human body, exercised in all those cases where the prime trunk of an artery was injured. His first work in which this great fact was made to bear on practical surgery, was entitled "Discourses on the Nature and Cure of Wounds." This work has gone through many editions. His next great work was his "Principles of Surgery," which was published in three volumes. This work is still consulted and referred to as containing a large body of most important facts and reasonings on the subject of surgery. A new edition was edited by Sir Charles Bell in 1826. In 1810 he published a series of letters addressed to Dr. Gregory, entitled "Letters on Professional Character and Education." Although standing so high in reputation, and throwing into the shade by his genius and industry the men by whom he was surrounded, he was nevertheless opposed in every direction. As a member of the Edinburgh College of Surgeons, he was anxious to reform that institution, but his proposals were rejected, and he met with great personal opposition. Since his death nearly all his proposals have, however, been carried into effect. During the early part of his life, the members of the College of Surgeons took it in turn to attend to the patients of the infirmary. This gave Bell an opportunity of exhibiting his skill as an operator, and of teaching his particular views. It was, however, arranged that permanent surgeons should be appointed to the infirmary, and thus Bell was excluded. He brought the subject before the courts of law, but was beaten. His was one of many instances, in which Edinburgh has excluded from her medical institutions those most qualified to carry out their benevolent and educational objects. In 1805 Mr. Bell married a daughter of Dr. Congleton. His health, however, declining, he visited the continent, and having travelled through Italy, he arrived at Rome, where his health became rapidly worse, and he died of dropsy, April 15th, 1820. After his death, in 1825, his widow edited a work consisting of observations made in his travels through Italy, entitled "Observations on Italy." John Bell was a remarkable man. His works betray great original thought and extensive reading. He was impetuous and energetic, and in his controversial writings almost violent. He had no sympathy with conservatism, and was indignant with those who had not made the same advances with himself. His style of writing was interesting, and his lectures eloquent and attractive. He was one of
