BILL OF RIGHTS. 77 BILOXI. tional certain abuses of the royal power that had characterized the reign of t!ie preceding sover- eign. James 11. — the suspension of acts of Par- liament by royal prerogative, the levying of taxes ■without consent of Parliament, the main- tenance of a standing army in time of peace, interference with the administration of justice and free elections, the infliction of unusual pun- ishments, the exaction of excessive bail, and the denial of the right of petition. It then affirms the freedom of debate in Parliament, the freedom of elections, and the freedom of petition. In France, bills of rights were frequently enacted after the Revolution of 1780. The name is com- monly given to the first ten amendments to the Constitution of the United States, proposed in the first Congi'ess that met after the adoption of the Constitution itself and ratified by the nec- essary number of States in December, 1791. They appear to have been added in order to satisfy the objection made by many that the Constitution itself was not sufficiently specific in defining the rights of the citizen. See Rights, Declakation AND Bill of. BILL OF SALE. A formal written convey- ance, generally, but not necessarily, under seal, of a right to or interest in ])ersonal property. It should contain a description of the parties and property sufficient for identification : and in de- livery it effects transfer of title from vendor to vendee. A bill of sale is the instrument used commonly in the sale of household furniture, the stock, fixtures, and good will of a business, and especially in the transfer of ownership of ships, which, if the ships be registered, must, under both the English and United States laws, be made by bill of sale (English Merchant Shipping Act, 1854, Sec. 55: U. S. Rev. Stats., Sec. 4170). If the property is delivered when sold or a part of the purchase-money is paid, a bill of sale is un- necessary to make a valid transfer, but is a con- venient evidence of title. The instrument alone is insufficient without delivery of the property to protect the purchaser against the creditors of the seller, though under the registration laws of the United States this protection may generally be secured without transfer of possession by filing or recording the bill of sale. Bills of sale may be absolute or conditional. The latter oper- ate as security and are generally considered chattel mortgages (<..) in American law. See Sale. BILL OF SIGHT. A document signed by or on behalf of an imiiorter of goods in England, who does not possess a sufficiently accurate knowledge of their quantity or quality to enable him to make a perfect entry of them. In this document, the importer gives the best descrip- tion of the goods that is practicable. It is then presented to the collector of customs, who is authorized, upon its receipt, to have the goods landed and examined by the importer in the presence of customs officers: after which the im- porter must make a perfect entry within a limited period, or the goods are sold to pay duties and charges. Somewhat analogous pro- visions for expediting the delivery of parcels and packages are contained in Sees. 2853-2858, 20!I0 2907, and Chap. .{71 of Laws of 1806 (29 United States Statutes at Large, 263). BILLON, be'voN' (Fr.. copper coin, base coin, OK. hillnn, nuiss ; cf. bullion). .
alloy of sil-
ver with copper, in which the copper pre- dominates. Billon was formerly much used in (Jermany and in Austria for coins of smaller denominations, in order to avoid the bulkiness of copper. BILLOT, bf'yd', Jean Baptiste ( 1828—) . A French general, born at Chaumeil (Corr&ze). He was admitted to the military academy at Saint Cyr in 1847, was advanced to the raiik of lieutenant in 1852, captain in 1854. lieutenant- colonel in 1869, and colonel in 1870. After a jieriod of service in Jlexieo and Algeria he was appointed to the command of a division of the Second Army Corps (I'Armee du Rhin) upon the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War. and participated in the battle of Spichern, and in the defense of "Met/. Afterwards he became com- mander of the Eighteenth Army Corps, and ren- dered distinguished services at Baune la Rolande and Villersexel, where the French army gained one of the few victories of the war. " He was ^Minister of War in the Cabinets of Frevcinet (1882-83) and Meline (1890-98). BILLROTH, bil'rot, Theodor (1829-94). A German surgeon. He was born at Bergen, on the island of Rugen, and studied medicine at the universities of Greifswald, Giittingen, Berlin, and Vienna. He was the assistant of Langenbeck at Berlin, and was appointed professor of sur- gery at the universities of Ziirich (1859) and Vienna ( 1867 ) . Billroth was one of the greatest operators of modei-n times, and one of the fore- most promoters of histologii-, pathology, and military- surgery. Ilis publications "include the following valuable contributions to medical literature: Die allgemeine chirurgische Pa- tholof/ie uiid Therapie (translated into nearly all the principal languages of Europe, as also "into the .Japanese, 1863, loth ed., 1893) ; Chirurgische Brief e aus den Kricgslazaretten in M'eissenburg und Mannheim (1870-72): TJeber den Transport der im Felde Vcrwundeten und Kranken (1874) ; Die Krankcnpflege im Haus und im Hospital (1900). BILNEY, bil'ni, or BYLNEY. Thomas (1495M531). An English martyr. He was bom probably at Norwich ; studied at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and in 1519 was ordained priest. After a study of Erasmus's Latin Xcw Testament (1516), he denounced the scholastic doctrine of 'good orks,' as well as saint and relic worship, and pilgrimages to Walsingham and Canterbury. He was arraigned before Car- dinal Wolsey in 1527. and, having recanted, was absolved, but confined in the Tower until 1529. In 1531 he began field preaching in Norfolk, but was soon arraigned, condemned as a heretic, and burned at Norwich. BILOXI, bi-loks'i. . city in Harrison Coun- ty, Jliss., (iO miles southwest of Mobile, Ala.: on Biloxi Bay. extending from the Gulf of Mexico, and on the I-ouisville and Nashville Railroad (Map: :Mississippi. H 10). A popular resort. it has a beach six miles long, fine shell-paved streets, and beautiful surroundings. A Federal building, to cost .$150,000, and improvements on the channel to secure a deep-wat.er harbor, are projected for the immediate future. Biloxi is the centre of an extensive canning industry, in- cluding oysters, shrimp, crabs, fruits, and 'vege- tables; and has shipyards, ice factories, and manufactures of lumber in various products. In 1699 Iberville (q.v.) established a settlement at
