Beni-Hassan

Beni-Hassan, a village of Upper Egypt, on the east bank of the Nile, remarkable for its catacombs.

Benin

Benin', a country of Western Africa, lying between the lower Niger and Dahomey. Once a powerful kingdom, it is now broken up into several small states, whilst all the coast-line is British, included either in Lagos, or in the Niger protectorate, which are separated by the Benin River. The pop. is dense. The capital, Benin, 73 miles inland from the mouth of the Benin River, has a pop. of above 15,000. Gato is a centre for the palm-oil trade. The river Benin is 2 miles wide at its mouth, but has a troublesome bar of mud. Benin was discovered by the Portuguese Alfonso de Aveiro (1486).

Benin

Benin, Bight of, that portion of the Gulf of Guinea (q.v.) extending from Cape Formosa to Cape St Paul, with a coast-line of 460 miles.

Beni-Souef

Beni-Souef, a town of Central Egypt, on the right bank of the Nile, 70 miles SSW. of Cairo. A branch line of railway has been constructed westward to Medinet el Fayum, and the town is the entrepot of the fertile Fayum, and has cotton-mills and alabaster quarries. Pop. 11,085.

Ben Lawers

Ben Law'ers, a Perthshire mountain, flanking the NW. shore of Loch Tay, and attaining 3984 feet, or with the cairn at the top (rebuilt in 1878), 4004.

Ben Ledi

Ben Ledi (Leddy), a mountain (2875 feet) of Perthshire, 4 1/2 miles W. by N. of Callander. A jubilee cairn was erected on it in 1887.

Ben Lomond

Ben Lomond, a Scottish mountain (3192 feet) in the NW. of Stirlingshire, on the east side of Loch Lomond, 13 1/2 miles N. of Dumbarton.

Ben Macdhui

Ben Macdhu'i, a mountain (429G feet) of South-west Aberdeenshire, one of the Cairngorms, 18 miles WNW. of Castletown-of-Braemar.

Benmore

Benmore, the name of several Scottish mountains. - (1) Perthshire, 10 miles SW. of Killin, 3843 feet; (2) in Assynt parish, Sutherland, 3234 feet; (3) in Mull island, 3185 feet, etc.

Ben Nevis

Ben Nevis, a mountain of Inverness-shire, 7 miles SE. of Fort William, by a carriage-road opened in 1880. The loftiest summit in Great Britain, it has a height of 4406 feet, with a tremendous precipice of 1500 feet on the north-east side. Till a road to the top was made in 1883, the ascent was difficult. A meteorological observatory was erected on the summit in 1883, and beside it is now a shelter for travellers.

Ben-Rhydding

Ben-Rhydding, a hydropathic establishment (1846), in the West Riding of Yorkshire, on the Wharfe, 12 miles NW. of Leeds. The name is a modern coinage.

Ben Rinnes

Ben Rinnes, a Banffshire mountain (2755 feet).

Bentham

Bentham, a town in the West Riding of Yorkshire, on the Wenning, 12 miles WNW. of Settle. Pop. of parish, 2273.

Bentley Priory

Bentley Priory, a seat in Harrow parish, 3 miles WNW. of Edgware. Queen Adelaide died here.

Benue

Be'nue (spelt also Binue and Benuwe), an important river of Central Africa, forming the great eastern affluent of the Niger, which it joins 230 miles above its mouth in the Gulf of Guinea. Flowing through wide tracts of fertile territory, and navigable for 700 miles, it is a highway into the heart of the Soudan. Dr Barth describes it as 800 yards wide, with a general depth in its channel of 11 feet, and 'a liability to rise under ordinary circumstances at least 30, or even at times 50, feet higher.' The Benue was explored by Dr Baikie (1854 and 1862), and by Mr Flegel (1879-83), who reached its sources, in the Adam-awa country, in 7° 30' N. lat. and 13° E. long.