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BOYCE BOYD 171 Serbs, and Russians, and afterward by the Mol- davians and Wallachians. It represented the highest social condition, corresponding in cer- tain respects to that of an English peer. In ancient Russia the boyurs were the next after the princes of the blood, and formed a kind of supreme political body, acting as the council of the grand dukes. All the higher offices, civil and military, including the lieutenancies in the provinces, were held by them. While Russia was divided into petty sovereignties, the boyars enjoyed the right of choosing for them- selves and for their dependants the prince whom they wished to serve, and of leaving his service at pleasure. When the grand dukes of Vladimir and of Moscow stripped these petty princes of their sovereign rights, the dignity of boyars was granted to them, and their influence often equalled that of the grand dukes, the nkases always containing the words, " approv- ed by the boyars." Precedence among the boyars was according to the creation of the title, which was hereditary; and in the 16th and 17th centuries any boyar of an older crea- tion refused to serve under one of a younger. This struggle for precedence, which was espe- cially troublesome in times of war, was ended by Fedor III., and Peter the Great wholly abolished the dignity of boyar. In Roumania the boyar nobility, though not of national ori- gin, sat in the council of the hospodars, and exercised a preponderating influence till 1864, when it was checked by Prince Cuza. BOYCE, Hector. See BOETHIUS. BOYCE, William, an English composer, .born in London in 1710, died in February, 1779. He was the son of a mechanic, and was placed under the tuition of Charles King, choir master of St. Paul's cathedral. When his voice changed he commenced the study of harmony and the or- gan, and became organist first at the Oxford chapel, and subsequently at St. Michael's, and composer for the royal chapel. He received the degree of doctor of music from Cambridge university in 1749. In 1758 he became con- ductor of the royal orchestra, directing in that capacity the music at the triennial gatherings of the cathedral choirs of Worcester, Hereford, and Gloucester. His principal compositions are church services, which are still held in high esteem and are in constant use both in Eng- land and the United States. Several years of his life were devoted to the collection and publication in score of the best works of the composers of English church music from the earliest times to his own. He wrote also 12 trios for two violins and bass, eight sympho- nies, and many anthems of much excellence. One of the latter, "Blessed is he that consid- ereth the poor," is sung every year at the festival given for the sons of the clergy. He also wrote two musical dramas entitled "The Chaplet " and " The Shepherd's Lottery." He was buried in St. Paul's cathedral. BOYD, a N. E. county of Kentucky, separated on the N. E. from Ohio by the Ohio river, and on the E. from West Virginia by Big Sandy river; area, 230 sq. in. ; pop. in 1870, 8,573, of whom 291 were colored. The surface is gen- erally hilly. Iron ore and stone coal are abun- dant. The chief productions in 1870 were 11,718 bushels of wheat, 168,199 of Indian corn, 17,968 of oats, 12,598 of potatoes, and 1,269 tons of hay. There were 850 horses, 945 milch cows, 1,908 other cattle, 3,843 sheep, and 3,999 swine. Capital, Catlettsburg. BOYD, Andrew Kennedy llnlclii-on, D. D., a Scottish clergyman and essayist, born at Au- chinleck, Ayrshire, in November, 1825. He was educated at the university of Glasgow ; became a minister of the established church of Scotland in 1851, and officiated successively in the parishes of Newton-on-Ayr, Kirkpatrick- Irongray in Galloway, St. Bernard's in Edin- burgh, and at St. Andrews, where he still re- mains. His writings, which originally appeared in magazines, have been republished separate- ly. They include " Recreations of a Country Parson " (two series, 1860 and 1861), " Leisure Hours in Town " (1862), " Graver Thoughts of a Country Parson " (1863), " Counsel and Comfort Spoken from a City Pulpit," " Autumn Holi- days of a Country Parson," and "Present Day Thoughts" (1870). BOYD, John Parker, an American soldier, born in Newburyport, Mass., in 1768, died in Boston, Oct. 4, 1830. He entered the United States army in 1786, but soon afterward went to India, where he raised three battalions, each of about 500 men, with a few English officers, whom, as well as his men, he hired at a certain amount per month. The equipment, including guns and elephants, was his sole property, and he let out the services of his little army to any of the Indian princes who would give him the best pay. The demand for his services diminishing, he sold out, and in 1808 returned to the United States, and took part as colonel in the battle of Tippecanoe, Nov. 7, 1811. He was afterward appointed brigadier general, put at the head of a detachment of 1,500 men of Wilkinson's army in the expedi- tion to Upper Canada, and fought the battle of Chrystler'sFarm, Nov. 11, 1813. He published "Documents and Facts relative to Military Events during the late War " (1816). BOYD, Mark Alexander, a Scottish scholar and soldier, born at Galloway, Jan. 13, 1562, died at Pinkill, April 10, 1601. His headstrong temper made him quarrel with his relatives and instructors, and before he had finished his academic course he sought his fortune at court, where one duel and numberless broils soon made him notorious. He went to France, where he studied civil law, and thence to Italy. In 1587 he joined the Catholic league as a volunteer soldier, though himself a Protes- tant; but in 1588 he resumed his legal studies at Toulouse, where he was imprisoned for his religious opinions. He was permitted to escape to Bordeaux, and for some years his life alternated between war and study. His