BENHADAD II. King of Damascus, son of Hazael. He reigned c.804-774 B.C. The Assyr- ians called him Mari'. Possibly his full name was Ben-Adad-mari ('the son of Adad is my lord'). In 803 he was obliged, after a siege of Damascus, to pay tribute to Adad-nirari III. of Assyria. He continued the oppression of Israel begun by his father.
BENHAM, ben'am, Andrew Ellicott Ken-
nedy (1832 — ). A United States naval officer,
who retired in 1894. He was born in New York
State, and entered the navy as a midshipman in
1847. He served in the East Indies until 1851,
became a lieutenant in 1855, and in I86I took
command of the Bienville, in the South Atlantic
Blockading Squadron, and participated in the
capture of Port Royal, S. C. He was made com-
mander of the gunboat Penobscot in 18G2, and
served in the Western Gulf Blockading Squadron
until the close of the war. He served at the
BrookljTi Navy-Yard (1868-09), was lighthouse
inspector (187^0-71 and 1884-88), and was pro-
moted to be commodore in 1886, and rear-admiral
in 1890.
BENHAM, Henry W. (1817-84). An Ameri-
can soldier, born at Cheshire, Conn. He grad-
uated at the United States ililitary Academy in
1837, was connected with various Government
works as a member of the Engineer Corps, and
served in the Mexican War in 1847-48. From
1849 to 1852 he was superintending engineer of
the sea-wall for the protection of Great Brewster
Island, Boston (Mass.) Harbor, and from 1852 to
1853 of the Washington (D. C.) Navy- Yard. In
1861 he was appointed engineer of the Depart-
ment of the Ohio; in the same year was pro-
moted to be brigadier-general of volunteers, and
eonunanded a brigade at New Creek, and from
1863 to 1865, with rank of lieutenant-colonel,
was in command of the engineer brigade of the
Army of the Potomac. He was mustered out of
the volunteer service with rank of brevet major-
general, U.S.V. and U.S.A. Promoted to be colo-
nel in 1867, he was in charge of the Boston Har-
bor sea-wall from 1866 to 1873, and of the de-
fenses of New York Harbor from 1877 to 1882.
BENHAM, William (1831—). An English
clergyman and author. He was born at West
Meon, Hampshire, flhere both his father and his
grandfather had occupied the position of village
postmaster. He was educated at King's College,
London, and in 1864 became editorial secretary
to the Society for Promoting Christian Knowl-
edge, and professor of modern history at King's
(College. In 1867 he was selected by Archbishop
Jjongley as his private secretary, and in 1872 was
appointed one of the six preachers of Canterbury
and Vicar of "Margate by Archbishop Tait. He
became Vicar of Marden in 1880, rector of the
Church of Saint Edmund the King in 1882, and
honorary canon in Canterbury Cathedral in 1889.
In 1897 Bishop Creighton appointed him Boyle
Lecturer. He was editor of Griffith and Farran's
lAbrarii of Ancient and Modern Theolotji), and
lias published the following: Enijlish Ballads,
icith Introduction and Sotes (1863) : Readings
on the Life of Our Lord and His Apostles
(1880); Cowpanion to the Lertionnry (1872);
A New Translation of Thomas a Kcmpis's "Iini-
tatio Christi" (1874); Memoirs of Catharine
and Craiifurd Tait (1879); A Short History of
the Episcopal Church in America (1884); The
Dictionary of Religion (1887); Life of Arch-
bishop Tait (in collaboration with the Bishop of
Winchester, 1891).
BEN'-HUR' (Heb. hen, son + Hur, a proper name, Ovp, Hour, or "Up, Hor in the Greek Version of the Bible). The Jewish hero of a very popular novel of that name by Gen. Lew Wallace (1880). It is a story of judea in the days of Christ.
BENI, ba'ne. One of the largest departments
of Bolivia, occupying the northeastern part of
the Republic, and bounded by Brazil on the north
and east, by the departments of Cochabamba, La
Paz, and Santa Cruz on the south, and La Paz
on the west (Map: Bolivia, D 6). Its area is
estimated at 100,000 square miles, a large por-
tion of which has not yet been explored. The
surface is mostly flat and the soil very fertile,
producing cacao, coffee, sugar-cane, tobacco,
tropical fruits, etc. The natural resources com-
prise also a heavy growth of valuable timber,
including vast rubber forests, and deposits of.
gold. The climate is healthful, though hot and
moist. The estimated population of 26,700,
mostly Indians, does not include a large number
of uncivilized Indians, The capital and chief
town of the department is Trinidad, with a
population of 6750.
BENI. A river of Bolivia, South America
(Map: Bolivia, DO). It rises in the Bolivian
Andes in about latitude 17° S., and flows first
northwest, then north, and then northeast, and
finally unites with the Mamore to form the
Madeira at Villa Bella, on the northern Bolivian
frontier. It drains the eastern slope of the
Andes between latitudes 17° S. and 12° S., and
receives many tributaries from the west, the
largest of which is the river Madre de Dios; but
it has few tributaries from the east. It has a
length of 900 miles, and is navigable for half this
distance ; but just above its mouth it is ob-
structed by rapids.
BENICARLO, b.a'ne-kar-lo'. A walled town
in the Province of Castellon de la Plana, Spain,
at the mouth of the Benicarlo River, on the
Mediterranean, 42 miles northeast of Castellon
de la Plana. It coTitains an old castle and a fine
church, distinguished by an octagonal tower.
Vineeulture is the chief industry, and the red
wine manufactured in the town and district is
exported to Bordeaux. Population, in 1897,
7900.
BENICIA, be-nlsh'ia. A city in Solano J
County, Cal., 33 miles northeast of San Fran- fl
Cisco; on the Strait of Karquines, between
Suisun and San Pablo bays, and on tlie Southern
Pacific Railroad (Map: California, B 2). It
has a good harbor and steam communication
with San Francisco. There are tanneries, manu-
factures of farm implements, wagons, pottery,
etc., extensive shipyards, and fruit and fish pack-
ing houses. The city contains a L'nited States
arsenal and barracks, and a Protestant Episco-
pal college. Benicia was founded in 1848, and
until 1850 was the chief rival of San Francisco.
In Maj', 1853, it was made "the permanent seat of
government," but in March, 1854, it was sup-
planted by Sacramento. It was incorporated in
1861, and is now governed by a charter of 1886,
which provides for a mayor, elected every four
