Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume III.djvu/382

This page needs to be proofread.

376 BUCCINID^E and others crossing the isthmus. Many cities along the coast were pillaged, and the inhabit- ants massacred ; silver was so common that the buccaneers would not receive it in ransom, and would accept nothing but gold, pearls, or jew- els. While these events took place in the south- ern seas, an adventurer of the name of Gram- mont, a man of good birth and education, and distinguished as a soldier, made a demonstra- tion in 1685 against Campeachy. He defeated 800 Spaniards outside of the town, and the com- batants all entered the place together. The buccaneers then turned the guns of the city against the citadel ; but as these did little harm, they were preparing some plan to surprise it when news was brought that it had been aban- doned. Only one man remained faithful to his duty, refusing to quit his post, and Grammont was so pleased with his fidelity that he secured to him all his eifects, besides rewarding him handsomely. After this the marauders spent upward of two months at Campeachy, and rifled the country of everything valuable for 15 leagues around. When their treasures were embarked they proposed that the governor, who was still in the field with 900 men, should ransom the city. On his refusing to do so, they burnt it to the ground, and then retired to Santo Domingo. Jn 1697 a squadron of seven ships, under the command of a buccaneer named Pointis, with 1,200 men, sailed from Europe to attack Cartagena. This was the greatest enterprise that the buccaneers ever attempted. The city was taken, and the booty I amounted to nearly $8,000,000. The com- mander managed to secure for himself nearly all of this immense sum, and the buccaneers, exasperated with this treatment, returned to Cartagena, and there again secured enough to repay them for their losses; but on sailing for Europe they were attacked by a fleet of Dutch and English ships, in alliance with Spain, and most of their vessels captured or sunk. This was the last considerable exploit of the bucca- neers. As the leaders dropped off one by one, none were found to supply their places, so that by degrees the organization fell to pieces ; and moreover, many of them were induced to ac- cept civil and military appointments to draw them from the piracy which governments had been unable to suppress. See " The History of the Bucaniers, made English from the Dutch, written by John Esquemeling " (4to, London, 1684; reprinted in Walker's "British Clas- sics," 12mo, 1810), a French version of which appeared in 1686 under the name of Alexan- dre Olivier (Exmelin (Histoire des aventuriers flibustiers, Paris; new ed., 4 vols. 12mo, Tre- voux, 1775). The author was himself one of the pirates. BCCCINIDJi! (Lat. tuccinum, a trumpet), a family of carnivorous gasteropod mollusks, many species of which are shaped like a trum- pet, and when blown into emitting a sound like that of this instrument. The shell is either notched in front, or with the canal abruptly BUCEPHALUS turned back producing a ridge on the front of the shell. The name is derived from the btie- cinum. (See WHELK.) Other characteristic genera are the harp, helmet, olive, purple, and tun shells. Many are large and handsome, and prized as parlor ornaments ; they are also use- ful as food and in the arts. KIT KVI'AIU (Ital. U Hucentoro, of uncertain etymology), the state galley in which the Vene- tian doge annually, on Ascension day, wedded the Adriatic. It was 100 ft. long, 21 ft. in ex- treme breadth, gorgeously gilded and adorned, and was manned by 168 rowers, four to each oar, and 40 sailors. The custom dates from the victory of the doge Sebastiano Ziani over the emperor Frederick Barbarossa in 1177, when Pope Alexander III. received the con- queror on the Lido and gave him a gold ring and authority to espouse the Adriatic to Ven- ice. Every year afterward the doge in this galley, accompanied by numerous feluccas and gondolas, and saluted by artillery, went to the mouth of the Lido and dropped a ring into the Adriatic with the words : Despomamus te, mare, in signvm teri perpetuique dominii. When the French took Venice in 1797, the Bucentaur was burned and the custom of the espousal was discontinued. A model of the original Bucentaur, made from drawings, is in the arsenal at Venice ; but the galley of the time, with its carvings of cornucopias, medal- lions, marine deities, allegorical groups, &c., though always claimed to be the self-same vessel, was so frequently repaired, readorned, and replaced in parts, that very little if any of the original structure remained. BUCEPHALUS (Gr. Pamirs, ox -headed), the charger of Alexander the Great. His color was white, and he was called Bucephalus be- cause he had a black mark resembling an ox's head on his forehead. The story is, that a Thes- salian offered the horse for sale to Philip, but as none of his attendants or courtiers could manage him, the king ordered his owner to take him away ; whereon Alexander expressed his regret at losing so fine an animal. Philip re- plied that he would buy the horse if his son could ride him. Alexander accepted the offer, and succeeded in the attempt. The horse