artesian wells near the city is utilized for the natatorium and to heat
many residences and public buildings. The Boise valley is an excellent
country for raising apples, prunes and other fruits. The manufactured
products of the city are such as are demanded by a mining country,
principally lumber, flour and machine-shop products. Boise is the trade
centre of the surrounding fruit-growing, agricultural and mining
country, and is an important wool market. The oldest settlement in the
vicinity was made by the Hudson's Bay Fur Company on the west side of
the Boise river, before 1860; the present city, chartered in 1864, dates
from 1863. After 1900 the city grew very rapidly, principally owing to
the great irrigation schemes in southern Idaho; the water for the
immense Boise-Payette irrigation system is taken from the Boise, 8 m.
above the city. (See IDAHO.)

BOISGOBEY, FORTUNE DU (1824-1891), French writer of fiction, whose real
surname was Castille, was born at Granville (Manche) on the 11th of
September 1824. He served in the army pay department in Algeria from
1844 to 1848, and extended his travels to the East. He made his literary
debut in the _Petit journal_ with a story entitled _Deux comediens_
(1868). With _Le Forcat colonel_ (1872) he became one of the most
popular feuilleton writers. His police stories, though not so convincing
as those of Emile Gaboriau, with whom his name is generally associated,
had a great circulation, and many of them have been translated into
English. Among his stories may be mentioned: _Les Mysteres du nouveau
Paris_ (1876), _Le Demi-Monde sous la Terreur_ (1877), _Les Nuits de
Constantinople_ (1882), _Le Cri du sang_ (1885), _La Main froide_
(1889). Boisgobey died on the 26th of February 1891.

BOISGUILBERT, PIERRE LE PESANT, SIEUR DE (1676-1714), French economist,
was born at Rouen of an ancient noble family of Normandy, allied to that
of Corneille. He received his classical education in Rouen, entered the
magistracy and became judge at Montivilliers, near Havre. In 1690 he
became president of the _bailliage_ of Rouen, a post which he retained
almost until his death, leaving it to his son. In these two situations
he made a close study of local economic conditions, personally
supervising the cultivation of his lands, and entering into relations
with the principal merchants of Rouen. He was thus led to consider the
misery of the people under the burden of taxation. In 1695 he p