£ I S
B 1 S
445
at the rate of seventy in a minute, the peel is always disengagedin time to receive them separately. As the oven stands openduring the whole time of idling it, the biscuits first thrown inwould be first baked, were there not some counteraction to suchpn inconvenience. The remedy lies in the ingenuity of the manwho forms the pieces of dough, and who, by imperceptible de-grees, proportionably diminishes their size, till the loss of thatlime, which is taken up during the filling of the oven, has nomore effect to the disadvantage of one of the biscuits than toanother. So much critical exactness and neat activity occur in theexercise of this labour, that it is difficult to decide whether thepalm of excellence is due to the moulder, the marker, the splitter,the checker, or the depositer: all of them, like the wheels ot a ma-chine, seeming to be actuated by the same principle. 1 he businessis to deposite in the oven seventy biscuits in a minute; and this isaccomplished with (lie regularity of a clock ; the clack of the peel,during its motion in die oven, operating like the pendulum. Thebiscuits thus baked are kept in reposiforics, which receive warmthftom being placed in drying lofts over the ovens, till they are suffi-cientlv dry to be packed into bags, without danger of gettingmouldy ; "and when in such a state, they are then packed into bagsof a hundred weight each, and removed into store-houses tor im-mediate use. The number of bake-houses belong to the victual-ling office at Plymouth are two, each of which contains fourovens, which are heated twenty times a day, and in the course ofthat time bake a sufficient quantity of bread for 16,000 men. Thegranaries are large, and well constructed ; when the wheat is groundthe flour is conveyed into the upper stories of the. bake-houses,whence it descends through a trunk in each immediately into thehands of the workmen. The bake-house belonging to the victual-ing office at Deptford consists of two divisions, and has twelveevens, each of which hakes twenty shoots daily (Sundays except-ed) ; the quantity of flour used for each shoot is two bushels, or 112pounds, which baked, produce 102 pounds of biscuit. Ten poundsare regularly allowed on each shoot for shrinkage, &c. The allow-ance of biscuit in the navy is one pound for each man per day, sothat one of the ovens at Deptford furnishes bread daily for 2040 men.
BISCUTELLA, in botany, a genus of (he tetradynamia sili-culosa class and order. Natural order, Siliquosic Cruciformes.Silicula compressed, flat, rounded above and below, two lobed ;calyx, leaflets gibbous at the base. There are six species, ofwhich B. auriculata, in a wild state, rises about a foot in height.
BISEKRULA, a genus of the decandria order, and diadel-hia class of plants; natural order, Papilionacetc. Legumenilocular, flat: partition contrary. There is one species, B. peli-cunas an annual plant, native of Italy, Sicily, Spain , and the southof Franee.
BISERTA, a large gulf of Africa , and the Sinus Ilipponensisof the ancients. It is formed by the Capes Blanco and Ziebeb.Also a town and lake in the kingdom of'Funis.
BISHOP, a prelate consecrated for the spiritual government ofa diocese. The word comes from the Saxon bischop, and thatfrom the Greek i-irj-ovro;, an overseer or inspector, which termwas applied both by the Greeks and Uomans to certain officerswho visited the provinces or inspected the bread and provisions.A bishop differs from an archbishop in the following particulars:An archbishop with bishops consecrates a bishop, as a bishopwith priests ordains a priest: the archbishop visits a province asthe bishop a diocese: the archbishop convocates a provincialsynod as the bishop a diocesan one: and the archbishop hascanonical authority over all the bishops of his province, as thebishop over the priests in his diocese. The election of bishopswas anciently placed in the clergy, and the people of the parish,province, or diocese; but afterwards princes and magistrates,patriarchs, and popes, assumed that power. The election was tobe within three months after the vacancy of the see; and theperson to be chosen out of the clergy of "the church. Formerlythe bishop claimed a share in the election of an archbishop; butthis was set aside by the popes. In England, during the Saxontimes, all ecclesiastical dignities were conferred by the king inparliament. At length, however, after several contests, especi-ally between archbishop Anselm and Henry I. in consequence ofa grant of king John, recognized in Magna Charta , and establishedby stat. 25 Edw. III. stat. 6. § 3. bishops were elected by thechapters of monks or cations, which custom still remains in the
present method of disposing of bishupricks; but by stat. 25 lien.VI! I. cap. 20. the right ot nomination was restored to the crown.Ordinarily at least three bishops are required in the ceremonyof consecrating a bishop ; but in some cases a single one maysuffice. In England, the king being certified of the death of "abishop by the dean and chapter, and his leave requested to electanother, the conge d’elire is sent to them, with a letter missive,nominating the person whom he would have chosen. The elec-tion is to be within twelve days after the receipt ot it, otherwisethe king, by letters patent, appoints whom he pleases; and thechapter, ir. case of refusing the person named by the king, incursa prxmunire. After election, and its being accepted of by thebishop, the king grants a mandate under the great seal for con-firmation ; which the bishop consigns to his vicar-general; consist-ing mostly in a solemn citation oi such as have any objections tothe bishop elect, a declaration of their contumacy in not appearing,and an administration of the oaths of allegiance of their supremacy,of symony, and canonical obedience. Sentence being read bythe vicar-general, the bishop is installed in the province of Can-terbury by the arch-deacon ; the fact is recorded by a publicnotary ; and the bishop is invested with full powers to exercise allspiritual jurisdictions, though he cannot sue for his temporalitiestill after consecration. After installation, follows the consecrationby the archbishop, or some other bishop appointed by lawful com-missions, and two assistant bishops, which is performed by im-position of hands and prayer, according to (he form in the commonprayer-book. The process of a translation of a bishop to anotherbishopric differs only in this, that there is no consecration. The“ageof a bishop must lie at least thirty ; and by the ancient disciplinenone were to be chosen but those who had passed through all theinferior orders. The form of consecrating a bishop is different indifferent churches. In the Greek church, the bishop elect, being by'the assistant bishops presented for consecration, and the instrumentof election put in his hand ; after several prayers, (the first calleddiaconicum) demanding consecration, makes profession of hisfaith ; after which he receives a benediction. lie is then interro-gated as to the belief of the Trinity ; to which he answers by along profession of faith, and receives a second benediction. Lastly,he is asked what he thinks of the incarnation ; to which he answersin a third profession of faith ; w hich is followed by a third bene-diction : after which the consecrator gives him the pastoral staff:then he is led up to the altar ; where, after certain prayers, andthree crosses on his head, he receives the palium, if he be anarchbishop or,patriarch ; he then receives the kiss of peace of hisconsecrator and two assistants ; and sitting down, reads, prays,and gives the communion to his consecrator and others. In thechurch of Rome , the bishop elect being presented by the elderassistant to the consecrator, takes the oath : he is then examinedas to his faith ; and after several prayers, the New Testament isdrawn over his head, and lie receives the chrism or unction onhis head. The pastoral staff, ring, and Gospels, are then givenhim ; and after the communion, the mitre is put on his head : eachceremony being accompanied with proper prayers, &c. the con-secration ends with Tc Deum. The functions of a bishop in Eng-land may be considered as two-fold, viz. what belongs to hisorder, and what belongs to ’his jurisdiction. To the episcopalorder belong the ceremonies of dedication, confirmation, andordination ; to the episcopal jurisdiction, by the statute law,belong the licensing of physicians, chirurgcons, and schoolmasters,and the uniting of small parishes, (though this last privilege is nowpeculiar to the bishop of Norwich) assisting the civil magistratein the execution of statutes relating to ecclesiastical matters, andcompelling the payment of tenths and subsidies due from theclergy. By the common law, the bishop is to certify the judges,touching legitimate and illegitimate births and marriages; and bythat and the ecclesiastical law, he is t# take care of the probate ofwills and granting administrations; to collate to benefices, grantinstitutions on tiie presentation of other patrons, command in-duction, order the collecting and preserving of the profits of vacantbenefices for the use of his successors, defend the liberties of thechurch, and visit his diocese once in three years. To the bishopalso belong suspension, deprivation, deposition, degradation, andexcommunication. All the bishops of England are peers of therealm, except the bishop of Man; and, as such, sit and vote in theHouse of i.ords; they are barons in a three-fold manner, viz.
feudal.