optische Erklarung der drei ersten Evangelien_),
by H. Holtzmann (1862); (4) his _Lectures on the Apocalypse_
(_Vorlesungen uber die Apokalypse_), (Eng. trans. 1875). Besides these
there has also appeared a small volume containing _Lectures on
Colossians, Philemon and Ephesians_ (Berlin, 1865). Bleek also
contributed many articles to the _Studien und Kritiken_. For further
information as to Bleek's life and writings, see Kamphausen's article
in Herzog-Hauck, _Realencyklopadie_; Frederic Lichtenberger's
_Histoire des idees religieuses en Allemagne_, vol. iii.; Diestel's
_Geschichte des Allen Testamentes_ (1869); and T.K. Cheyne's _Founders
of Old Testament Criticism_ (1893).

BLEEK, WILHELM HEINRICH IMMANUEL (1827-1875), German philologist, son of
Friedrich Bleek, was born in 1827 at Berlin. He studied first at Bonn
and afterwards at Berlin, where his attention was directed towards the
philological peculiarities of the South African languages. In his
doctor's dissertation (Bonn, 1851), _De nominum generibus linguarum
Africae Australis_, he endeavoured to show that the Hottentot language
was of North African descent. In 1854 his health prevented him
accompanying Dr W.B. Baikie in the expedition to the Niger; but in the
following year he accompanied Bishop Colenso to Natal, and was enabled
to prosecute his researches into the language and customs of the
Kaffirs. Towards the close of 1856 he settled at Cape Town, and in 1857
was appointed interpreter by Sir George Grey. In 1859 he was compelled
by ill health to visit Europe, and on his return in the following year
he was made librarian of the valuable collection of books presented to
the colony by Sir George Grey. In 1869 he visited England, where the
value of his services was recognized by a pension from the civil list.
He died at Cape Town on the 17th of August 1875. His works, which are of
considerable importance for African and Australian philology, consist of
the _Vocabulary of the Mozambique Language_ (London, 1856); _Handbook of
African, Australian and Polynesian Philology_ (Cape Town and London, 3
vols., 1858-1863); _Comparative Grammar of, the South African Languages_
(vol. i., London, 1869); _Reynard the Fox in South Africa, or Hottentot
Fables and Tales_ (London, 1864); _Origin of Language_ (London, 1869).

BLENDE, or SPHALERITE, a naturally occurring zinc sulphide, ZnS, and an
important ore of zinc. The name blende was used by G.