reau of the general staff. In lS2n he was intrusted with the task of preparing a triangvUation of East Prussia. He became chief surveyor of the gen- eral staff in 1843, and in 1852 was promoted to the rank of major-general. His plan for a gen- eral survey of Central Europe as accepted by the Prussian Government, and in 18ti7 the sur- vey was extended to embrace all of Europe. When the Central Bureau of European Surveys was established in 1805 at Berlin, Baeyer was appointed president, and four years afterwards he was elected president of the Geodetic Insti- tute. His numerous important works include Vie Verhindungcn der preussischen und rus- sixchen Dreiecksketten (1857) ; Uehcr die Sirah- hnbrechungindcrAtmonphdre (1800) ; Veier Die Orosze und Figur der Erde (1861); and D<is Messen auf der sphUroidischen Erdoierfldche (1802).
BAEZ, ba'ath, Buena-entura (1820-84). A
president, for four terms, of the Republic of
Santo Domingo. He was the son of a mulatto,
inherited a large fortune, and was prominent in
securing Dominican independence. He was
President of the Republic from 1849 to 1853,
when he was driven from the country by San-
tana. He returned in 1850, was again made
President, and in January, 1858, w'as again
driven out, but in 1805 returned once more,
and was elected for the third time. The next
year an insurrection drove him into exile, and
in the following year he was again restored. He
.strove to have the United States annex the coun-
try, but the United States Senate refused to
ratify the treaty which he and President Grant
had drawn up in 1809 for the purpose.
BAEZA, bii-a'tha. An old town of Spain,
in tlic Province of .Jaen. about 22 miles north-
east of the capital city (Map: Spain, D 4). It
is in a fertile region, the leading products of
which are grain, vegetables, oil, and wine, and
has manufactures of liquors, soap, and clothing.
Papulation, in 1897, 14,172. Baeza, anciently
known as Viatia, was considerably improved
by the Gothic kings, and was a flourishing
city under the Jloors, several of whose caliphs
anil kings resided here. It was taken from
the Moors by Alfonso VII. in 1147, only to
cliange hands several times. In the Thir-
teenth Century it was sacked by Saint Fer-
dinand. It was formerly the seat of a univer-
sity, foimded in 1533, and still contains many
evidences of its former splendor. The cathedral
and the oratory of Saint Philip Neri, with the
university, are among its finest buildings.
BAF'FIN, William (1.584-1022). An Eng-
lish navigator. He accompanied James Hall in
liis search for a northwestern passage in 1612,
and in 1013 commanded the English whaling
fleet in the Arctic seas. In 1015 he went north
in the Discovery under Bylot and explored the
inlet now knowii as Baffin's Bay. He was killed
in 1022 while trying, in conjunction with a Per-
sian force, to expel the Portuguese from Ormuz.
BafVin W'as the earliest recorded navigator to at-
tempt to determine longitude at sea by astro-
nomical observation. Consult Markliam's edi-
tion of the Tor/ages of William Baffin (London,
1881 ) for the Hakluyt Society.
BAFFIN LAND. A large island west of
Greenland, constituting a part of the newly es-
tablished Canadian District of Franklin. Its
area is not accurately known, the west coast not
having been as yet thoroughly explored. The
east coast is mountainous and glaciated, while
the climate is severe, like that of (heenland. A
few Eskimos are foiind along the cast coast.
The island is named in honor of William Baffin
(q.v.).
BAFFIN'S BAY. A gulf, or rather sea, on
the northeast coast of Nortli .merica, extending
between that continent and Greenland; latitudes
08° to 78° N., and longitudes 51 ° to 80° W. (Map:
North America, JI 2 ) . It is about 800 miles long,
with an average breadtli of 280. Its greatest
depth is 0890 feet. The tides do not rise more
than 10 feet. The currents are generally toward
the south, though on the east side of Davis's
Strait and Baffin's Bay a current from Spitzbergen
flows northward round Cape Farewell. The bay
is scarcely ever free from ice : during four months
of the year navigable channels are clear along
the coasts with occasional transverse passages.
The shores are for the most part lofty and pre-
cipitous, backed by ranges of snow-clad moun-
tains. The prevailing rocks are granite and
gneiss. Baffin's Bay communicates with the At-
lantic Ocean by Davis's Strait, and with the
Arctic Ocean by Smith Sound on the north and
Lancaster Sound on the west. Wellington
Strait, which forms the northwest outlet of
Lanca.ster Sound, was entered in 1852 by Sir E.
Belcher. The south shore of Whale Sound, on
the east coast, in latitude 77° 20' N., was found
by Captain Inglefleld in 1852 to be inhabited.
There are Danish settlements on Disco and
Whale islands. The principal animals inhabit-
ing the coasts are, on land, bears, black foxes,
and hares; in the sea, the black whale, walrus,
and seal, gulls, ducks, and other sea-fowla.
Whale and seal fishing are prosecuted to a large
extent. Baffin's Bay was first explored in 1015
by William Baffin, after whom it was called, and
who was pilot of the expedition, which was com-
manded by Bylot. Baffin's title to this honor
seems to have been most faithfully earned ; and
the accuracy of his observations and descriptions
has been confirmed by subsequent navigators.
BAFFO, baf'f6. See Papho.
- s8 ##
BA-FYOT, bii'fe-ot', or BA-FIOT. A Bantu tribe (also called Cabinda) living between the Lower Kuilu and the Congo estuary. They are industrious and skillful, good boat-builders, and reputed the best craftsmen on the Western Afri- can coast. They have profited by contact with Europeans more than other tribes in this region, but still burn witches and combine paganism and Christianity in their religion.
BAGAMOYO, ba'ga-mfi'yo. A seaport town of German East Africa, situated a short distance northwest of Dar-es-Salaam (Map: Congo Free State, G 4). It has a few stone houses; but the natives, who constitute the bulk of its population, live mostly in huts. There are a custom-house, a post-office, and a park, with a monument to the troops who fell during the uprising of the natives in 1889. The town is connected by
cable with Dar-es-Salaam and Zanzibar. Its roadstead is accessible for small boats. The population is about 18,000, and includes onl.y a few Europeans. Consult Dietert, "Bagamoyo und Handel und Wandel in Deutsch-Ostafrika," in
Jalirg. 2, Beitrtige ~ir Kolonialpolitik und KolonialiHrtschaft (Berlin. 1901).
