Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 5, BUR-CHI

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Buftuarii rnan one ox facriflcing captives at the builum, or on
lj the tombs of warriors.
BUSTUM, in antiquity, denotes a pyramid or pile
u—y——* of wood, whereon were anciently placed the bodies of
the deceafed, in order to be burnt.
The Romans borrowed the cuftom of burning their
dead from the Greeks. The deceafed, crowned with
flowers, and drefied in his richeft habits, was laid on the
buffum. Some authors fay, it was only called bujlum,
after the burning, qua/i bene ujlum: before the burning
it was more properly called pyra; during it, rogus; and
afterwards, bujium. When the body was only burnt
there, and buried elfewhere, the place was not pro¬
perly called b /ftum, but ujlrina, or ujlnnum.
Bustum, in the Campus Martius, was a ftrufture
whereon the emperor Auguflus find, and after him the
bodies of his fucceifors, were burnt. It was built of
white (tone, furroundcd with an iron pallifade, and
planted withinfide with alder trees.
Bustum was alfo figuratively applied to denote any
tomb. Whence thofe phrafes, facere bitjium, violat e
bujium, &c.
BusTUM of an Altar, was the hearth or place where
the fire was kindled.
BUTCHER, a perfon who (laughters cattle for the
life of the table, or wrho cuts up and retails the fame.
Among the ancient Romans, there were three kinds
of efiablithed butchers, whofe office it was to fumifli
the city with the neceflary cattle, and to take care of
preparing and vending their fleih. The fuarii provided
hogs •, the pecuarii or boarii, other cattle, efpecially
oxen; and under thefe was a fubordinate elafs, whofe
office was to kill, called lanil, and carnrfices.
To exercife the office of butcher among the Jews
with dexterity, was of more reputation than to under-
ftand the liberal arts and fciences. They have a book
concerning {hamble-conllitution ; and in cafe of any
difficulty, they apply to fome learned rabbi for advice :
nor was any allowed to praffife this art, v'ithout a li-
cenfe in form -, which gave the man, upon evidence of
his abilities, a power to kill meat, and others to eat
what he killed ; provided he carefully read every week
for one year, and every month the next year, and
once a quarter during his life, the conflitution above-
mentioned.
We have fome very good laws for the better regula¬
tion and preventing the abufes committed by butchers.
A butcher that fells fwine’s fleffi meafled, or dead of
the murrain, for the firft offence (hall be amerced; for
the fecond, have the pillory •, for the third, be impri-
ffoned, and make fine; and for the fourth, abjure the
town. Butchers not felling meat at reafonable prices
ffiall forfeit double the value, leviable by warrant of two
juftices of the peace. No butcher ffiall kill any fleffi
in his fealding-houfe, or within the walls of London,
on pain to forfeit for every ox fo killed x 2d. and for
every other bead, 8d. to be divided betwixt the king
■and the profecutor.
BuTCHER-Bird. See Lanius, Ornithology In¬
dex.
BVTCItER-Broom. See Ruscus, Botany Index.
BUTCHER-IJland, in the Eaft Indies, a fmall ifland
'about two miles long and fcarce one broad. It has its
name from cattle being kept there for the ufe of Bom-
7 ] BUT
bay, from which it is about three miles diilant. It
has a fmall fort, but of very little confequence.
BUTE, an ifland lying to the weft of Scotland, be¬
ing feparated from Cowal, a diftridff of Argyleffiire, on¬
ly by a narrow' channel. In length it is about 18 miles \
the broadeft part from eaft to weft is about five. Part
of it is rocky and barren •, but from the middle fouth-
wards, the ground is cultivated, and produces peafe,
oats, and barley. Here is a quarry of red ftone, which
the natives have ufed in building a fort and chapel in
the neighbourhood of Rothfay, which is a very ancient
royal borough, head town of the (hire of Bute and A-
ran ; but very thinly peopled, and maintained chiefly
by the hening fifliery, with the profits of which all the
rents of this illand are chiefly paid. On the north fide
of Rothfay, are the ruins of an ancient fort, with its
drawbridge, chapel, and barracks. Here are likewife
the remains of fome Daniffi towers. The natives are
healthy and induftrious, fpeak the Evfe and the dia¬
led of the Lowlands indifferently, and profefs the Pro-
teftant religion. The ifland is divided into tw'o pariffies,
accommodated with four churches j and belongs chiefly
to the earl of Bute, who poffeffes an elegant feat 011
the eaft fide of the ifland. The name of this ifle has
by feveral authors, and in different periods, been very
differently written, as Bote, Both, Bothe, Boot, but
now generally Bute. Our ancient writers fuppofe that
it derived its name from a cell erefted therein by St
Brendan, an Iriffi abbot who flouriffied in the 6th cen¬
tury, becaufe in his language fuch a cell was called
Both. It is, however, probable, that this name v'as of
great antiquity, fince we find it denominated Botis by
the anonymous geographer of Ravenna. It was from
very early times part of the patrimony of the Stuarts :
large poifeflions in it were granted to Sir John Stuart,
fon of Robert II. by his beloved miftrefs Elizabeth
More 5 and it has continued in that line to the prefent
tirtie. . t
BUTESHIRE, comprehends the iflands of Bute,
Arran, the greater and leffer Cumbray, and Inch-mar-
noc. This (hire and that of Caithnefs fend a member
to parliament alternately. Hie earl of Bute is admi¬
ral of the county, by commiflion from bis majefty ; but
no wray dependent on the lord high admiral of Scot¬
land : fo that if any maritime cafe occurs w ithin this
jurifdi&ion, (even crimes of as high a nature as mur¬
der or piracy), his lordffiip, by virtue of his powers as
admiral, is fufficient judge, or he may delegate his au¬
thority to any deputies.
The following is a view of the population of this
county at twm different periods, taken from the Statif-
tical Hiftory of Scotland.
Butcher-
Iihmd
il .
Butefhire.
Parijhes.
y Rothfay,
\ Kingarth,
. { Kilbride,
Atran-lK.ilmorie.
Population
in USS*
Bute.
Population in
J79C-—179&.
4032
727
2545
3259
Total, 6716
10,563
6716
Incrcafe, 3817
D a BUTEO,