BELSON, George John. Second lieutenant R.A. 29 Sep. 1804; lieut. col. 23 Nov. 1841 to 7 April 1842 when he retired on full pay; L.G. 27 Feb. 1866. d. Woolwich 22 April 1868 aged 80.
BELT, Thomas (son of Mr. Belt of Newcastle, seedsman). b. Newcastle 1832; member of Natural history society of Northumberland June 1850; went to Australia 1852; a mining engineer in London 1860; travelled all over Asia and America; superintendent of Nova Scotian gold company’s mines in Nova Scotia 1863–65; examined the quartz rocks of North Wales; superintendent of the Chontales Gold mining company in Nicaragua 1868–72; travelled in Russia 1873–76; F.G.S.; author of Mineral veins, an enquiry into their origin 1861; The naturalist in Nicaragua 1874; The glacial period in North America. d. Denver, Colorado 21 Sep. 1878 in 46 year. Natural history transactions of Northumberland vii, 235–40 (1880).
BELZONI, Sarah. Remarkable for her size and strength; married in London about 1804 Giovanni Baptista Belzoni, acrobat, engineer and traveller who was b. Padua 1778 and d. at Gato, Benin, Africa 3 Dec. 1823; performed feats of strength with her husband in the streets, at fairs and at Astley’s Amphitheatre; travelled in Egypt with him 1815–19; granted civil list pension of £100 6 Feb. 1851; author of Account of the women of Egypt, Nubia and Syria. d. Belozanne valley, Jersey 12 Jany. 1870 aged 87.
BENBEY, Sadi Ombark. Came to England with Mungo Park whom he taught Arabic language. d. 11 Feb. 1854 aged more than 80.
BENBOW, John. Solicitor in London; M.P. for Dudley 8 Aug. 1844 to death. d. Hastings 24 Feb. 1855 aged 86.
BENDIGO, cognomen of William Thompson (son of Mr. Thompson of Nottingham, cabinet maker). b. Nottingham 11 Oct. 1811, being one of 3 children at a birth; fought and beat Ben. Caunt 1 July 1835; beat Brassey (John Leechman) 24 May 1836; beat young Langan 24 Jany. 1837; beat Looney 13 June 1837; beaten by Ben. Caunt 3 April 1838; beat Deaf Burke at Heather, Leicestershire 12 Feb. 1839 in presence of 15000 persons; presented with a “Champion’s belt” by James Ward at Queen’s theatre, Liverpool; beat Ben. Caunt near Sutfield Green Oxon, 9 Sep. 1845 when they fought for £200 a side and the championship; fought Tom Paddock for £200 a side at Mildenhall 5 June 1850 when he won again; a preacher and leader of revivalist services at the Cabmen’s Mission hall, King’s Cross, London. d. Beeston, Notts. 23 Aug. 1880. H. D. Miles’s Pugilistica iii, 1–46 (1880), portrait; J. Greenwoods Low life deeps (1876) 86–94, portrait; Rev. C. M. Davies’s Unorthodox London 2 series 156–64.
Note.—His curious name Bendigo was a contraction of Abednego, his first challenge in Bell’s Life in London in 1835 is signed Abednego of Nottingham; the town of Bendigo in Victoria, Australia (since called Sandhurst) was named after him.
BENEDICT, Sir Julius (2 son of M. Benedict of Stuttgart, banker). b. Stuttgart 27 Nov. or 24 Dec. 1804; pupil of Hummel at Weimar and of Weber at Dresden; conductor at the Kärnthnerthor theatre Vienna 1823–25 and at the San Carlo and Fondo theatres Naples 1825–35; went to London 1835; conducted a series of Italian comic operas at Lyceum theatre 1836; conductor of English opera at Drury Lane 1838, where he produced The gipsy’s warning 19 April 1838; The brides of Venice 22 April 1844, and The Crusaders 1846; travelled with Jenny Lind in the United States and Havannah and directed all her 122 concerts 1850–52; formed a choral society called The vocal association; conductor of Italian opera at Drury Lane and Her Majesty’s theatres 1859–60; conducted the Norwich Musical Festivals 1845–78 where he produced Undine 1860, Richard Cœur de Lion 1863 and St. Cecilia 1866; conducted the Monday Popular Concerts; his best known opera The Lily of Killarney was produced at Covent Garden 8 Feb. 1862; conductor of Liverpool Philharmonic society 9 April 1867 to Feb. 1879; wrote for Birmingham musical festivals St. Peter 1870 and Graziella 1873; knighted at Windsor Castle 24 March 1871. d. 2 Manchester sq. London 5 June 1885. I.L.N. lviii, 377 (1871), portrait, lxvi, 494 (1875), portrait; Scribner’s Monthly xiii, 480–84 (1877); Graphic xxix, 184 (1884), portrait.
BENETT, John (2 son of Thomas Benett of Pyt house Tisbury, Wilts. who d. 16 May 1797 aged 68). b. 20 May 1773; sheriff of Wilts. 1798; M.P. for Wilts. 19 July 1819 to 3 Dec. 1832 and for South Wilts. 17 Dec. 1832 to 1 July 1852; author of some essays on agricultural subjects. d. Pyt house 1 Oct. 1852. G.M. xxxviii, 636–37 (1852).
BENHAM, James Erle. Ed. at St. Mary hall Ox.; student Middle Temple 20 Nov. 1875; author of The student’s guide to the preliminary examination for attorneys and solicitors 1868; edited The preliminary examination Journal 1871. d. Abercorn house, Baron’s court, Kensington, London 11 July 1885 aged 34.