denomination given to the Benedictines, called in Latin nigri monachi, or nigro monachi; sometimes ordo nigrorum, "the order of blacks."

Black-Oats. See Oats.

Black-Procession, in ecclesiastical writers, that which is made in black habits, and with black ensigns and ornaments." See Procession. Anciently at Malta there was a black-procession every Friday, where the whole clergy walked with their faces covered with a black veil.

Black-Rents, the same with black-mail, supposed to be rents formerly paid in provisions and flesh, not in specie.

Black-Rod. See Rod.

Black-Row Grain, a species of iron-stone or ore found in the mines about Dudley in Staffordshire.

Black-Sea. See Euxine-Sea.

Black-Sheep, in the Oriental history, the emblem or standard of a race of Turkmans settled in Armenia and Mesopotamia; hence called the dynasty of the black sheep.

Black-Stones and Gems, according to Dr Woodward, owe their colour to a mixture of tin in their composition.

Black-Straker, a range of planks immediately above the wales in a ship's side. They are always covered with a mixture of tar and lamp-black.

Black-Tin, in mineralogy, a denomination given to the tin-ore when dressed, stamped, and washed ready for the blowing-house, or to be melted into metal. It is prepared into this state by means of beating and washing; and when it has passed through several biddles or washing troughs, it is taken up in form of a black powder, like fine sand, called black-tin.

Black-Wadd, in mineralogy, a kind of ore of manganese, remarkable for its property of taking fire when mixed with linseed-oil in a certain proportion. It is found in Derbyshire, and is used as a drying ingredient in paints; for when ground with a large quantity of oily matter, it loses the property above mentioned. See Manganese.

Black-Water, the name of two rivers in Ireland; one of which runs through the counties of Cork and Waterford, and falls in Youghal Bay; and the other, after watering the county of Armagh, falls into Lough-Neagh.

Black-Whitloaf, in our old writers, bread of a middle fineness betwixt white and brown, called in some parts ravel-bread. In religious houses, it was the bread made for ordinary guests, and distinguished from their household loaf, or panis conventualis, which was pure manchet, or white bread.

Black-Work, iron wrought by the blacksmith; thus called by way of opposition to that wrought by whitesmiths.

BLACKALL (Dr Offspring), bishop of Exeter in the beginning of the 18th century, was born at London 1654, and educated at Catharine-Hall, Cambridge. For two years he refused to take the oath of allegiance. Blackbank allegiance to King William and Queen Mary, but at last submitted to the government, though he seemed to condemn the Revolution, and all that had been done pursuant to it. He was a man of great piety, had much primitive simplicity and integrity, and a constant evenness of mind. In a sermon before the house of commons, Jan. 30th 1699, he animadverted on Toland's assertion in his Life of Milton, that Charles I. was not the writer of the Icon Basilike, and for some insinuations against the authenticity of the Holy Scriptures; which produced a controversy between him and that author. In 1700, he preached a course of sermons in St Paul's at Boyle's lecture, which were afterwards published; and was consecrated bishop of Exeter in 1707. He died at Exeter in 1716, and was interred in the cathedral there.

BLACKBANK, a town of Ireland, in the county of Armagh and province of Ulster, seated in W. Long. 6. 55. N. Lat. 54. 12.

BLACKBERRY, in botany. See RUBUS.

BLACKBURN, a town of Lancashire in England, seated near the river Derwent. It takes its name from the brook Blackwater which runs thro' it. W. Long. 2. 15. N. Lat. 53. 40.

BLACKING is sometimes used for a fictitious black; as lamp-black, shoe-black, &c. A mixture of ivory or lamp-black with linseed-oil makes the common oil blacking. For a shining blacking, small-beer or water is used instead of oil, in the proportion of about a pint to an ounce of the ivory-black, with the addition of half an ounce of brown sugar, and as much gum arabic. The white of an egg substituted for the gum makes the black more shining; but is supposed to hurt the leather, and make it apt to crack.