Among his inventions were electrical clocks, an earth-battery (1843), an apparatus for registering the progress made by ships (1844), the electro-chemical telegraph (1846), and an electrical apparatus for playing musical instruments at a distance.
BAIN'BRIBGE. A town and county-seat of Decatur County, Ga., 235 miles west by south of Savannah, on the Flint River, and on the Plant System and other railroads (Map: Georgia, B 5). It is in a region which produces cotton and tobacco, and has brickyards, cooperage works, turpentine distilleries, iron-works, lumber-mills, etc. The Georgia Southern Military College is situated here. Population, in 1890, 1668; in 1900, 2641.
BAIN'BRIDGE, William (1774-1833). An
American naval officer. He was born at Prince-
ton, N. J., entered the merchant marine at the
age of fifteen, became captain of a merchant-
man four years later, and in 1796, while in com-
mand of the Hope, was attacked by and defeated
an English schooner, whose captain had attempt-
ed to impress some of the Hope's crew. On the
organization of the navy in 1798, he became a
lieutenant, and was placed in command of the
schooner Retaliation. Later in the year he was
captured off Guadaloupe by the French frig-
ates Volontier and Insurgente. Being released
after several weeks, he returned to the United
States and made a report which caused the
passage of the 'Retaliation Act' of 1798 against
French subjects captured on the high seas. In
March, 1800, he was raised to the rank of cap-
tain, and later in the year was sent with tribute
to the Dey of Algiers, who compelled him to
convey an embassy, under Algerian colors, to
Constantinople. He next served as commander
of the Philadelphia in the war against Tripoli
(1801-05), capturing the Moorish frigate Mesh-
boha (August 20. 1803); but running aground,
he was himself captured in November, off Trip-
oli, where he and over 300 of his men were
kept prisoners until the close of the war. Early
in 1812 he was put in command, as commodore,
of the Constitution, Hornet, and Essex, he him-
self being on the first; but soon afterwards the
three vessels parted company, and on December
29, the Constitution met and captured the
British frigate Java. (See Constitution, The.)
In 1815 he was made commander of the squad-
ron fitted out against Algiers, but the war
was averted. In the same year he established in
Boston the first training-school for naval officers,
and afterwards for two years (1819-21) cruised
in the Mediterranean. He subsequently served at
the Philadelphia and Charlestown navy-yards,
and from 1832 to 1835 acted as chief of the
board of naval commissioners. He was a tall
and powerful man, and was noted at once for his
strong will and his remarkable tact. Consult
Harris, Life of Bainbridge (Philadelphia, 1837).
BAINES, banz. Edward (1774-1848). An
English publicist, born at Walton-le-Dale. He
was apprenticed to a printer at Preston, and
afterwards at Leeds, and in 1801 bought the
Leeds Mercury, which subsequently became one
of the most important of the provincial news-
papers. He was consulted on important ques-
tions by many Parliamentary leaders, and
was elected, in 1834, to succeed Macaulay as
a member for Leeds. Until 1841 he continued
in Parliament as an independent Liberal. He advocated the separation of Church and State and the reform of factory laws, and opposed governmental interference in educational matters. He wrote a History, Directory, and Gazetteer of the County of York (1823). later enlarged as the History of the County Palatine and Duchy of Lancaster; and a History of the Reign of George III. (4 vols., 1823).
BAINES, Sir Edward (1800-90). An English politician. He was elected in 1859 to Parliament, where he became the champion of many reforms. He opposed Church tests in the universities, sought the disestablishment of the Irish Church, and in 1861 and 1864 presented bills for extending the electoral franchise. He wrote a History of the Cotton Manufacture in Great Britain (1835), and other works.
BAINI, ba-e'nj, Giuseppe (1775-1844). A
celebrated Italian composer, one of the most dis-
tinguished and scientific of modern times. He
was born and died in Rome. A pupil of the
Seminario Romano, and later of Jannaconi. he
entered the Papal Choir in 1795, and in 1814
succeeded Jannaconi as chapelmaster. His nu-
merous Church compositions are distinguished by
religious austerity and severe classical profund-
ity. His Miserere for ten voices was the only
work of the Nineteenth Century deemed worthy
to be performed at the Sistine Chapel, alternate-
ly with those of Allegri and Bai, during Holy
Week. His best title to fame, however, rests
upon his life of Palestrina, Memorie storico-
critiche della vita e delle opere di Giocanni Pier-
luigi da Palestrina (2 vols., Rome, 1828; Ger-
man translation by Kandler, with notes by
Kiesewetter, 1834). It is the standard work on
Palestrina, though strongly biased with regard
to non-Italian composers.
BAIRAKTAR, bi'rak-tiir', or BAIRAKDAR ('standard-bearer'). The title of the
energetic Grand Vizier. Mustapha (1755-1808).
He was born of poor parents, but early distin-
guished himself by his bravery. He fought
against the Russians as Pasha of Rustchuk in
1806. When Selim III. was deposed by the
Janizaries in 1807, Bairaktar took the part of
the dethroned Sultan, and after the murder of
Selim in 1808, he deposed his successor. Musta-
pha IV., and elevated Mustapha's brother, Mah-
moud II., to the throne. Bairaktar was now ap-
pointed Grand Vizier. In the exercise of this
office, he deposed the Grand Mufti, the leader of
the Janizaries. and all the ulemas who had taken
any part in the late revolution; while, at the
same time, he was careful to secure the tran-
quillity of the capital, and strengthened the reg-
ular army. His chief object was the annihilation
of the Janizaries; but. like the unfortunate
Selim, he fell a victim to that fierce band of sol-
diery. Favored by the move fanatical among the
people, the Janizaries rebelled, and. with the sup-
port of the fleet, attacked the Seraglio on Novem-
ber 15, 1808, and demanded the restoration of
Mustapha. Bairaktar defended himself bravely,
but when he saw that the flames threatened
to destroy the palace, and that he was in danger
of falling alive into the hands of his enemies,
he strangled Mustapha, threw his head to the
besiegers, and then killed himself.
BAIRAM, bi-riim' or bi'ram. See Beiram.
