Home1810 Edition

BEWITS

Volume 3 · 189 words · 1810 Edition

in Falconry, pieces of leather, to which a hawk's bells are fastened, and buttoned to his legs.

BEY; among the Turks, signifies a governor of a country or town. The Turks write it begh, or bek, but pronounce it bey.

This word is particularly applied to a lord of a banner, whom, in the same language, they call fangiac beg or bey. Every province in Turkey is divided into seven fangiacs, or banners, each of which qualifies a bey; and these are all commanded by the governor of the province, whom they also call begler-beg; that is, lord of all the beghs or beys of the province: these beys are much the same as banners were formerly in England.

Bey of Tunis, denotes a prince or king thereof; answering to what at Algiers is called the dey. In the kingdom of Algiers, each province is governed by a bey, or viceroy, who is appointed and removed at pleasure by the dey; but has a despotic power within his jurisdiction; and at the season for collecting the tribute from the Arabs, is assisted by a body of troops from Algiers.