Black Clergy.
The members of the regular monastic orders in Russia. They alone take any part in the ecclesiastical administration.
Black Death.
A pestilence which passed over Europe, and finally reached England in 1349. Its ravages were terrible, amounting, according to some chroniclers, to a third of the population. It probably had its origin in the East, and is thought by some to have been the disease now known as the Bubonic Plague.
Black Eagle, Order of the.
The most coveted of the Prussian orders of knighthood. It was founded by Frederick I in 1701, to commemorate his assumption of the royal title. It is limited to thirty members, who must be of noble descent for four generations.
Black Flags.
Rebel Chinese in the service of the King of Annam, who were the most dangerous opponents of the French during the Tong-King war.
Black Friday.
May 11, 1866, on which day the failure of Overend and Gurney was announced. There was a terrible panic in financial circles, and, among other extraordinary measures, it was found necessary to suspend the Bank Charter.