(1493).
Burke, Edmund (b. January 12?, 1729, Dublin, Ire.—d. July 9, 1797, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, Eng.) British parliamentarian, orator, and political philosopher. The son of a lawyer, he began legal studies but lost interest, became estranged from his father, and spent some time wander¬ ing about England and France. Essays he published in 1757-58 gained the attention of Denis Diderot, Immanuel Kant, and Gotthold Lessing, and he was hired to edit a yearly survey of world affairs (1758-88). He entered politics (1765) as secretary to a Whig leader and soon became involved in the controversy over whether Parliament or the monarch controlled the executive. He argued (1770) that George Ill’s efforts to reassert a more active role for the crown violated the constitution’s spirit. Elected to Par¬ liament (1774-80), he contended that its members should exercise judg¬ ment rather than merely follow their constituents’ desires. Although a strong constitutionalist, he was not a supporter of pure democracy; although a conservative, he eloquently championed the cause of the American colonists, whom he regarded as badly governed, and he sup¬ ported the abolition of the international slave trade. He tried unsuccess¬ fully to legislate relief for Ireland and to reform the governance of India. He disapproved of the French Revolution for its leaders’ precipitous actions and its antiaristocratic bloodshed. He is often regarded as the founder of modern conservatism.
Burkina Faso \bur-'ke-n9-'fa-so\ formerly Upper Volta Country, West Africa. A landlocked country, it lies south of the Sahara Desert. Area: 103,456 sq mi (267,950 sq km). Population (2005 est.): 13,492,000. Capi¬ taclass="underline" Ouagadougou. Ethnic groups are the Mossi, Hausa, Fulani, Mande, Bobo, and Senufo. Languages: French (official), Mossi, Dyula, Fula. Reli¬ gions: Islam, traditional beliefs, Christianity. Currency: CFA franc. Burkina Faso consists of an extensive plateau characterized by a savanna, grassy in the north and sparsely forested in the south. The plateau is notched by the valleys of the Mouhoun (Black Volta), Nazinon (Red Volta), and Nakanbe rivers, which flow south into Ghana. The economy is largely agricultural. Burkina Faso is a republic with one legislative body; its chief of state is the president and its head of government the prime minister. Probably in the 14th century, the Mossi and Gurma peoples established themselves in eastern and central areas. The Mossi kingdoms of Yatenga and Ouagadougou existed into the early 20th cen¬ tury. A French protectorate was established over the region (1895-97), and its southern boundary was demarcated through an Anglo-French agreement. It was part of the Upper Senegal-Niger (see Mali) colony, then became a separate colony in 1919. It was constituted an overseas terri¬ tory within the French Union in 1947, became an autonomous republic within the French Community in 1958, and achieved total independence in 1960. Since then it has been ruled primarily by the military and has expe¬ rienced several coups; the country received its present name in 1984. A
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298 I Burkitt ► Burne-Jones
ning of the 21st century.
Burkitt, Denis P(arsons) (b. Feb. 28, 1911, Enniskillen, N.Ire.—d. March 23, 1993, England) British surgeon and medical researcher. He discovered Burkitt lymphoma, a lethal cancer of the lymphatic system with a high incidence among children. He showed that it was common in equatorial African regions where malaria and yellow fever are endemic and linked it to Epstein-Barr virus in children with immune systems depressed by chronic malaria. He later helped develop an effective che¬ motherapy treatment. Burkitt was also known for his theory that a high- fibre diet protects against colon cancer, publicized in his book Don’t Forget Fibre in Your Diet (1979).
burlesque In literature, comic imitation of a serious literary or artistic form that relies on an extravagant incongruity between a subject and its treatment. It is closely related to parody, though burlesque is generally broader and coarser. Early examples include the comedies of Aristophanes. English burlesque is chiefly drama. John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera (1728), Henry Fielding’s Tom Thumb (1730), and Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s The Critic (1779) are parodies of popular dramatic forms of the period. Victorian burlesque, usually light entertainment with music, was eclipsed by other popular forms by the late 19th century, and burlesque eventu¬ ally came to incorporate and be identified with striptease acts (see bur¬ lesque show).
burlesque show Stage entertainment composed of slapstick sketches, bawdy humour, chorus numbers, and solo dances. Introduced in the U.S. in 1868 by a company of English chorus girls, it developed as a version of the minstrel show, divided into three parts: (1) a series of coarse humor¬ ous songs, slapstick sketches, and comic monologues; (2) the olio, or mixture of variety acts (e.g., acrobats, magicians, singers); and (3) cho¬ rus numbers and occasionally a takeoff, or burlesque, on politics or a cur¬ rent play. The show ended with an exotic dancer or a boxing match. In the early 20th century, many performers, including Fanny Brice, Al Jol- son, and W.C. Fields, began their careers in burlesque. The addition of the striptease in the 1920s made a star of Gypsy Rose Lee, but censorship and competition from motion pictures soon led to burlesque’s decline.
Burlingame, Anson (b. Nov. 14, 1820, New Berlin, N.Y., U.S.—d. Feb. 23, 1870, St. Petersburg, Russia) U.S. diplomat. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives (1855—61) and helped found the Republican Party. As U.S. minister to China (1861-67), he implemented a policy of cooperation between China and the Western powers. He so impressed the
Chinese government that in 1867 he was appointed imperial envoy to conduct China’s international rela¬ tions. He concluded the Burlingame Treaty, which established reciprocal rights of Chinese and U.S. citizens.
Burlington City (pop., 2000:
38,889), northwestern Vermont, U.S.
Lying on a hillside sloping toward Lake Champlain, it is the largest city in the state and a port of entry. Char¬ tered by Gov. Benning Wentworth of New Hampshire in 1763, it was named for the Burling family, who were pioneer landowners. Settlement began in 1773. Later it was a mili¬ tary post; in the War of 1812 it saw several engagements between land batteries and British warships on the lake. It was the home of Ethan Allen.
It is the seat of the University of Vermont. Shelburne Museum, a recon¬ struction of early American life, is nearby.
Burma See Myanmar
Burma Road Highway, South Asia. It runs 717 mi (1,154 km) from Lashio (in eastern Burma, now Myanmar) northeast to Kunming (in Yun¬ nan, China). An extension runs east through China from Kunming, then north to Chongqing. Completed in 1939, it functioned as a supply route to the interior of China, carrying war goods. It was seized by the Japa¬ nese in 1942 and reopened when it was connected to the Stilwell Road from India. Its importance diminished after World War II, but it has remained a link in a 2,100-mi (3,400-km) road system from Yangon, Myanmar, to Chongqing.
Burmese cat Breed of domestic cat, presumably of Asian origin. Com¬ pactly built, it has a small, rounded head and wide-set, round, yellow eyes. The short, finely textured, glossy coat darkens as it matures from milk- chocolate to a rich sable brown and is paler on the underside; the ears, face, legs, and tail may be darker. The tapered tail may be kinked near the tip.