This page needs to be proofread.


BULL

287

BULL-FIGHT

Sea, Plevna, 23,081, and Rustchuk, 35,823. At Sofia there is a university, with 50 professors and about 800 students.

History. The present Bulgarians came in the 6th century from the banks of the Volga and overran the country. They gained power, and at one time ruled over Macedonia, Thessaly, Epirus and Albania; while their prince styled himself the autocrat of all the Bulgarians and Greeks, and looked forward to a great empire of Slavs. They fell, however, under the power of the Byzantine Empire and, later, under the Turks, lost all their civilization, and their warlike character seemed gone forever. But about the middle of the igth century a national feeling began to stir again, and literature, newspapers, and schools grew up. The Bulgarian atrocities in 1876, in which many thousands of Christians were killed by their Turkish neighbors, aroused the interest of Europe in Bulgaria, and the next year Russia, as the assumed guardian of the Slavic races, made war against Turkey. By the treaty of Berlin, 1878, Bulgaria was made a self-governing state, but her choice of a ruler must be confirmed by Turkey and the powers of Europe. Prince Alexander of Battenberg, by the choice of the people, became Alexander I of Bulgaria in 1879, and in the following year Eastern Rumelia united with Bulgaria. A war with Servia followed, in which Bulgaria was completely successful, through the bravery and generalship of her prince, who became the idol of the people. Russia, however, grew hostile to him, and in the interest of Bulgaria he surrendered the throne. In 1887 Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg occupied the vacant throne. In 1908 Bulgaria proclaimed complete independence of Russia and Ferdinand assumed the title of Czar.

EASTERN RUMELIA is in many respects in advance of Bulgaria proper, as it has been longer open to influence. The production of attar of roses is one of its most valuable industries. Sofia and Philip-popolis are the two capitals. The army consists of about 52,500 men, with a military college at Sofia.1 There is also a small fleet. The total area of Bulgaria, including both parts, is 38,080 square miles, or a little larger than Indiana, and the population of the whole principality is 4,329,108. Eastern Rumelia has a population of 1,174,-535, with an area of 13,700 square miles. Philippopolis, the capital, has a population of 47,929-

Bull, Ole Bornemann, a Norwegian violinist (born 1810, died 1880). His father was greatly opposed to his studying music, but in 1829 he went to study under a musician in a German town. He became discouraged and proceeded to Gottingen to study law, but afterwards went to Paris where the celebrated violinist, Paganini, was present at his de*but. After a period of

misfortune, lie became famous as a player. He traveled through Italy, Great Britain,

Russia, Germany and Norway, his reputation increasing all the time. In 1844 he came to America, and nine years later he made this country a second visit, playing to immense crowds and making a large fortune, most of which he lost in land -specula-tions. One of his land-schemes was the buying of a great tract in Pennsylvania, upon which he founded a Scandinavian colony, later called Oleana. The plan proved a failure, and the colony broke up. In 1869 he once more visited America. He died at Bergen, Norway, in 1880.

Bull-Dog, a large-headed, strong-jawed variety of dog, of the mastiff type common in England, and used in olden days in boar-hunting and bull-baiting. Nowadays they are commonly reared as watch-dogs, or crossed with other breeds and their temper modified, as pets and faithful companions of man. In color the usual varieties are brindle, red, fawn, white or piebald; in weight they are about 50 pounds, compact in shape and thick-set. Other species include the toy bull-dog, and the French bull-dog, the latter familiar now in this country as a house dog of good disposition. Buller, General Sir Redvers, V.C., a British officer in command of the Natal Force in the Boer War of 1899—1901, who, after many disheartening reverses, effected the relief of Lady smith, and returned to England in November, 1900. He was born in England in 1840, and as an officer of the 6oth Rifles saw much service in the China Expedition of 1860, in the Red River Rebellion (in northwestern Canada), in Ashanti and in the Kaffir and Zulu Wars in South Africa. In the war with the Boers, that broke out in October, 1899, he had chief command of the first army-corps sent from England to South Africa, and was conspicuous in the operations which led to the relief of Ladysmith. He died in England, June 2, 1908.

Bull - Fight, a Spanish Amusement. It was introduced by the Moors and soon spread over all the kingdom. Each city has its arena, some very magnificent, called place of the bulls, for carrying on this sport. The bulls are let loose in the open space, one at a time. Horsemen begin the attack armed with lances, and if one of the horses is ripped up, as often happen^ & Qrowd of

OLE BULL