BOLZANO

bolzano, bernhard (1781-1848), austrian priest and philosopher, was born at prague on the 5th of october 1781. he distinguished himself at an early age, and on his ordination to the priesthood (1805) was appointed professor of the philosophy of religion in prague university. his lectures, in which he endeavoured to show that catholic theology is in complete harmony with reason, were received with eager interest by the younger generation of thinkers. but his views met with much opposition; and it was only through the protection of the archbishop, prince salm-salm, that he was enabled to retain his chair. in 1820 he was accused of being connected with some of the students' revolutionary societies, and was compelled to resign. several doctrines extracted from his works were condemned at rome, and he was suspended from his priestly functions, spending the rest of his life in literary work. he died at prague on the 18th of december 1848. the most important of his numerous works are the _wissenschaftslehre, oder versuch einer neuen darstellung der logik_, advocating a scientific method in the study of logic (4 vols., sulzbach, 1837); the _lehrbuch der religionswissenschaft_ (4 vols., sulzbach, 1834), a philosophic representation of all the dogmas of roman catholic theology; and _athanasia, oder grunde fur die unsterblichkeit der seele_ (2nd ed., mainz, 1838). in philosophy he followed reinhard in ethics and the monadology of leibnitz, though he was also influenced by kant. see _lebensbeschreibung des dr bolzano_ (an autobiography, 1836); wisshaupt, _skizzen aus dem leben dr bolzanos_ (1850); palagy, _kant und bolzano_ (halle, 1902). boma (properly _mboma_), a port on the north bank of the river congo about 60 m. from its mouth, the administrative capital of belgian congo. pop. about 5000. it was one of the places at which the european traders on the west coast of africa established stations in the 16th and 17th centuries. it became the entrepot for the commerce of the lower congo and a well-known mart for slaves. the trade was chiefly in the hands of dutch merchants, but british, french and portuguese firms also had factories there. no european power exercised sovereignty, though shadowy claims were from time to time put forward by portugal (see africa, s 5). in 1884 the natives of boma granted a protectorate of their country to the international association of the congo. see h.m. stanley, _the congo and the founding of its free state_ (london, 1885).