assumption in some of the situations where the sentiment is least natural to Bellini. Esteeming this his loftiest effort, he dedicated it to his revered instructor, and went to Naples to present it to him. The judge, who had disallowed the addresses of the poor student to his daughter, now sought a connection with the most popular composer of his country; but the pride of the once-rejected Bellini, prompted him in turn to refuse the alliance. It is said that the consequent death of the heroine of this romance made an impression upon him that he did not survive. He now visited his family in Sicily, returned to write "Beatrice di Tenda" at Naples, and went to Venice to produce it with Mad. Pasta and Sigs. Curioni and Cartagenova as its representatives. Passing through Paris, he came to London in 1834 to direct the performance of some of his works. He returned to Paris, where he wrote "I Puritani" to the Libretto of Count Pepoli, who relates many circumstances of his exacting scrupulousness as to the construction of the pieces and the poetical rhythm;—among others, his insisting, after the entire completion of the work, upon the interpolation, in the last finale, of the romance "Cre da si misera." He was urgently advised by Marliani and Donizetti, who had each an opera in preparation, to omit the duet, Suoni la Tromba; and he would have followed their counsel but for the obstinate refusal of the poet, which was confirmed by the triumphant reception of the piece at the public rehearsal. This work was produced at the Theatre Italien in the winter with Mad. Giulietta Grisi, and Sigs. Rubini, Tamburini, and Lablache, and it was immediately transplanted to London with the same cast, to become more attractive than any work of its author. In acknowledgment of the success of the "Puritani," he was made a member of the legion of honour. He was engaged to write an opera for the Académie Royale at Paris, and another, on the story of Rienzi, for the S. Carlo at Naples, but his premature death prevented the completion of either of these. He was buried in the cemetery of Père la Chaise. The florid style of Rossini was already exhausted, when Bellini, with a form of cantilena peculiar to himself, was the first to revive the earlier Italian character of melody; the more natural expression of which this is the medium, found a ready welcome with the world, and its manner was at once adopted by Donizetti, then first coming into notice, by Mercadante and Pacini, who had hitherto been imitators of Rossini, and even by this great master himself, whose Guillaume Tell and Stabat Mater sufficiently prove his conviction, that the exuberant ornamentation he had originated was no longer an available resource. Bellini's music is distinguished by a tender langour, in accordance with the almost feminine gentleness of his character. The want of development, which is the weakness of his earlier works, was gradually giving way before his ripening experience; and in his last production there is shown a power of continuity and construction, that would have yielded still higher results had he not been cut off when he was but approaching maturity.—G. A. M.
BELLINIANI, Vittore, a pupil of the old patriarch Bellini; he flourished about 1525, and painted historical and religious subjects.—W. T.
BELLMAN, Carl Michael, the Swedish Anacreon, was born at Stockholm, Feb. 4, 1740. He studied at Upsala, and was appointed by Gustavus III., secretary of the lottery office, with a salary of nine thousand dollars, one half of which he paid over to the clerks who did the work; received himself the title of court secretary, and lived a joyous poet's life. He commenced his poetical career by religious poetry, translations of Gellert's fables, and some dramatic pieces. His peculiar style of poetic composition developed itself in his twenty-fifth year. Whatever foreigners may think of Bellman as a poet, the very mention of his name operates upon a Swede like an electric thrill of joy. The usual themes of Bellman are wine and love; and his poems often contain very free sketches, which, however, are not coarsely painted, but highly indicated by the magic touch of the poet, so that they are rather felt than described. He frequently improvised his poems to the music of a lute or guitar, adding greatly to the effect by his wonderful power of mimicry. When sufficiently excited by wine, of which, however, he drank very moderately, he first selected an air, imitated it and the sound of various instruments, by his mouth and on his fingers, and then sang in accordance what his muse inspired. He would often sing to his friends the night through, till he sank down overcome by weariness. Many, and perhaps the best of his improvisations, were never committed to paper, but have passed away with the pleasures of the moment. It is related, that during his last illness, he summoned his friends together, "that they might hear Bellman," as he said, "once more." He then sang the whole night through, under the influence of an unbroken flow of inspiration, the joyous course of his existence; the praise of his good king; his gratitude to Providence, which had cast his lot amid a noble people and in the beautiful northern land; and finally, he bade farewell to each of the company, in a different air and metre, according to the individual character of each, and the relation of the poet to him. As day dawned, his friends implored him to cease, and to spare his remaining strength; but he replied, "Let us die as we have lived—in music!" emptied the glass before him, and never sang more on earth. His most remarkable compositions are contained in his "Fredman's Songs," "Fredman's Epistles," and the "Select Library of Bacchus." He was assisted in the publication of his poems by his friend Kellgren, and in the music by Kraus. His works have been many times reprinted, and in their collected form have been somewhat purified. A monument was erected to his memory by his numerous admirers at Stockholm in July, 1829, the royal family being present at its inauguration.—M. H.
* BELLOC, Anne Louise, born at Rochelle on the 1st October, 1796. Being the daughter of an Irish officer of the name of Swanston, she was naturally as familiar with the English language as with that of her native land, and possessing taste and learning, she has devoted herself to giving to her own country much of the literature of ours, through the medium of translation. Amongst others she has translated the poetry of Moore, and the Vicar of Wakefield of Goldsmith, as well as many of the tales of Miss Edgeworth, and the travels of the Landers; one of her latest works is a translation of Mrs. Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin.—J. F. W.
BELLOC, Jean Louis, a French surgeon, was born at Saint-Maurin, near Agen, in 1730, and died at Paris on the 19th November, 1807. He studied at Montpellier, and at the early age of fifteen maintained a thesis, entitled "Utrum virtus sine timore Dei adesse queat?" In 1754 he was received as a master of surgery at Paris, but remained at his studies in that city for five years longer, when he returned to Agen and established himself in practice. Some time afterwards he was called to Paris, and attached to the service of the king, when he assisted in the establishment of an amphitheatre for teaching anatomy and pathology, and acquired great celebrity as professor of medical jurisprudence. Belloc was the inventor of several surgical instruments, the best known of which, called the sonde de Belloc, was intended for the introduction of a dossil, either dry or soaked with some styptic liquids, through the mouth into the posterior nasal fossæ; this was made use of by Basdor in tying polypi of the pharynx, but, with the other inventions of Belloc, is now scarcely ever heard of. Besides several papers inserted in the Mémoires de l'Académie de Chirurgie, Belloc published a "Topographie physique et médicale du departement du Lot-et-Garonne," which is regarded as a model in its kind, and a "Cours de médecine légale, judiciaire, théorique et pratique," an excellent work, which passed through three editions, the first published in 1802 and the last in 1819.—W. S. D.
BELLOC, J. H., a painter of history and portrait, studied under Regnault. He gained a medal in 1810. He painted a windy subject from Ossian, and the portraits of the duke of Berry and Boissy d'Anglas.—W. T.
BELLONI, a sculptor of Paris, celebrated for his mosaics, which were miracles of ingenious patience. His cameos were also famous, particularly one which was, "The Genius of the Emperor Chaining Victory." It is a pity such ingenuity should have been prostituted to court flattery.—W. T.
BELLORI, Pietro, a portrait painter of Rome, better known as a useful biographer of artists, and a laborious writer on art antiquities.—W. T.
BELLOT, Joseph René, was born in Paris, March 18, 1826. From the age of five years he resided at Rochefort, where his family, who belonged to the humbler ranks of life, had settled. To the ability which he early evinced he was indebted for the means of pursuing his studies in the college of Rochefort until the age of fifteen and a half, when he was admitted in the naval school, where he passed the two succeeding years. At seventeen and a half, Bellot entered upon active service, and passed a large portion of the ensuing seven years in successive employment upon the African and South American coasts. He
