Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 02.djvu/654

The basins usually hold lakes that form parts of river basins. Such are the 'finger lakes' of cen- tral New York. Round lakes occupying shallow, bowl-shaped depressions on glaciated surfaces are common. A basin may also be formed when a landslide or moraine obstructs a valley. Such. a basin and its contained lake is of an evanescent character, the extent of its duration depending upon the rate at which the overflow can cut down or remove the obstruction.

Basins lend in time to become shallower through the accumulation upon their floors of debris worn from the surrounding mountains. This process would, if continued Avithout inter- ruption, eventually fill the basin to its brim with deposits of gravel, sand, and silt, and a plain would result which, under conditions of sufficient moisture, would be of great fertility. Such waste-filled basins are common in the Paci- iie States. The discussion of the origin and char- acteristics of oceanic basins is reserved for the article on Ocean. See also articles on Rift Valley; Lake; River; Hydkograpiiy ; Physi- ography.

BASIN. A wet dock, with or without gates, in which vessels umy be kept afloat at all stages of the tide. See Docks.

BASING (bn'zing) HOUSE. Once the seat of the Jiarquis of Winchester, in Hampshire, England, and the last stronghold of the Ro.yal- ists. It fell before Cromwell in 1045. Basing is the scene of the Danish victory over Ethelred and Alfred in 871.

BASINGSTOKE, b5'zing-st6k (stock or place belonging to the Basings). A market-town and railway junction in plampshire, England, 45 miles southwest of London, at the junction of five main roads from the south and west of England to the metropolis, and on the Basing- stoke Canal, which connects it with the rivers Wey and Thames (Map: England, E 5). The town received its first charter from James I. It has a handsome parisli church, town-hall, municipal corn exchange, and owns rcnuuierative real estate, water-works, markets, and cemetery. The chief trade is in corn, malt, coal, and tim- ber, and it has manufactures of agricultural implements, etc. In the neighborhood are the ruins of Basing House, belonging to the Marquis of Winchester, which withstood the forces of the Commonwealth for four years, but was at last taken bv Cromwell, and burned to the ground in 104.5. Population, in 1891, 8200: in 1901. 9800.

BAS'KERVILLE, John (1706-75). A noted English printer, born at Wolverley, Worcester- shire. Originally a footman, he afterwards be- <:ame successively a stone-cutter and a writing- master, and from 1740 manufactured japanned ware with much success at Birmingham. There, in 1750, he began costly experiments in tAiJe- founding, and having obtained a satisfactory letter, published in 1757 his quarto Vergil, ranked by Dibdin {Introduction to the Knoicl- edge of Editions of the ({reek and Latin Classics, 1827) among the "most finished specimens of typography.' In 1758 he was appointed for ten years printer to the University of Cambridge, in which capacity he executed (1763) his famous edition of the'Bible. From 1770 to 1773 he im- printed the splendid series of Latin classics. His type, not unqualifiedly praised by contem- poraries, is now much admired. He manufac- tured his paper, and devised a method of prepar- ing a rich and uniform ink. S])ecimens of his work are now very scarce and aluable. Among his friends was Benjamin Franklin, with whom he corresponded regarding the sale of type-found- ing and printing establishments to tlie French Government.

BAS'KET (Lat. bascaiida, an article of fur- niture, made of basket-work ; probably of Celtic origin; cf. Welsh hnsgcd, basgaicd) . A vessel made of willow, thin strips of wood, reeds, grasses, or similar flexible materials woven to- gether in a great variety of forms, and used for many diflerent purposes. Baskets have been in use from very early ages, and were constructed by the most primitive peoples in one form or another. The ancient Britons are said to have been highly skilled in making baskets, and to-day many tribes of American Indians, the Chinese, and others show great artistic skill and work- manship in the making and ornamentation of baskets. For the ordinary commercial utensils of this kind, the materials most extensively em- ployed are thin split strips of ash and oak, willow, and rattan. The tools required for basket-making are simple, the bulk of the work being done by band.

BASKET BALL. A game that may be played on any ground or floor on which an oblong space not exceeding 3500 square feet can be marked. The goals, at each end of the floor or field, are hammock nets of cord, suspended from metal rings 18 inches in diam- eter at a height of 10 feet. The ball is a round, inflated bladder, covered with leather, from 30 to 32 inches in circumference, and weighing from IS to 20 ounces. The game is played in halves of 20 min- utes, between teams of 5 players each (a left and a right guard, a centre, and a left and a right forward). The ball is put in play by being thrown by the referee into the centre of the field at right angles

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from the side lines and to a greater height than either of the centres can jump, whereupon each team endeavors to throw the ball into the basket of the other, and to prevent its opponents from making .a similar goal. The ball must be thrown or batted with the hands. It may not be kicked, punched, or carried. A player may not tackle, hold, push, shoulder, kick, or hack an opponent, and intentional roughness will disqualify. The penalty for these and other offenses gives the opposing team a free throw for the basket from a distance of not less than 15 feet. A goal so made counts one point ; an ordinary goal from the field, three points.

The game is regulated by the Amateur Athletic Union, which has drawn up the official rules for