B A L 



216 



B A L 



Balbmus, J,j m the appearance of an eagle, the tuft of feathers 

 m *~ , on his head, like that of certain pigeons, proves that 

 he is not the Roman eagle : besides, the same bird 

 is found in the temple of Palmyra, and is therefore 

 evidently an oriental eagle, consecrated to the sun, 

 who was the divinity adored in both these temples. 

 His worship existed at Balbec, in the most remote 

 antiquity." Mr Wood supposes that Balbec, or ra- 

 ther Balbeth, which signifies in Hebrew, the city qf 

 Baal, or the sun, had its name from the worship of 

 this deity. It was literally translated Heliopolis, or 

 the city of the sun, by the Greeks. There can be 

 no doubt that Balbec is the ancient name, which has 

 again recovered its place after it had been expunged 

 by the Greeks : in the same manner as Tadmor, by 

 which alone Palmyra is known by the Arabs, is un- 

 doubtedly the ancient name of that place. The Greeks 

 have confounded both geography and history, by 

 translating the names of places into their own lan- 

 guage, instead of giving them their proper unalien- 

 able appellations. We know nothing of the state of 

 Balbec in remote antiquity, but as it lies in the road 

 between Tyre and Palmyra, it probably shared the 

 commerce of these opulent cities. It was a gar- 

 rison town in the time of Augustus ; and we read of 

 its garrison being strengthened by the emperor He- 

 raclius, that it might be enabled to withstand the 

 Arabs. On the wall near one of the gates, there is a 

 Latin inscription, in Greek characters, still very le- 

 gible, viz. Kenturia prima, evidently marking it out 

 as a Roman station. When Christianity gained the 

 ascendancy under Constantine, part of the temple was 

 converted into a Christian church, a wall of which is 

 still remaining. 



When describing the temple of Palmyra, M. Vol- 

 ney says, " It is a remark worthy the observation of 

 historians, that the front of the portico has twelve 

 pillars, like that of Balbec ; but what artists will es- 

 teem still more curious is, that these two fronts re- 

 semble the gallery of the Louvre, built by Perrault, 

 long before the existence of the drawings which made 

 us acquainted with them ; the only difference is, that 

 the columns of the Louvre are double, whereas those 

 of Balbec and Palmyra are detached. The popula- 

 tion of Balbec was estimated at five thousand, in 

 1751 ; in 1784, it did not exceed twelve hundred." 

 See Volney's Travels in Egypt and Syria, vol. ii. 

 Pococke's Travels, vol. ii. Wood's Ruins of Balbec. 

 Bruce's Travels, introduction, (g) 



BALBINUS, one of the Roman emperors. See 

 Crevier's Hist. Rom. Empire, vol. viii. p. 382 ; and 

 Gibbon's Hist. chap. 31. (w) 



BALBOA, VascoNugnes i>e, oneof the celebra- 

 ted Spanish adventurers, who, at the beginning of the 

 16th century, repaired to the New World in search 

 or opulence and fame. He was the first who landed 

 on the continent of South America. He received infor- 

 mation that there was a mighty and opulent kingdom 

 situated in the interior, and he transmitted an account 

 of this important news to Ferdinand of Spain. The 

 Spanish king, regardless of the claims of Balboa, ap- 

 pointed Pedrarias Davila to supersede him in the go- 

 vernment of Darien, and provided him with 1200 sol- 

 diers, and a well equipped fleet. No sooner had the 

 new governor assumed his office, than dissensions and 



1 



Baleares. 



sickness conspired to ruin the colony. Balboa sent BalcnU 

 remonstrances to the court of Madrid, and Ferdinand, 

 sensible of his own imprudence, appointed Balboa 

 lieutenant-governor of the countries in the South Sea. 

 The animosities between Pedrarias and Balboa were 

 now reconciled, and their friendship was cemented in 

 1515, by the union of Pedrarias' daughter with Bal- 

 boa. Pedrarias, however, still harboured resentment 

 in his breast ; and having arrested Balboa, he accused 

 him of disloyalty to the king, and of a design to re- 

 volt against the governor. Balboa was condemned to 

 death, and, in spite of the ardent intercessions of the 

 whole colony, he was executed in 1.517, in the 12d 

 year of his age. See Robertson's Hist, of America, 

 p. 276. (,;) 



BALCASH. See Balkash. 



BALD Eagle Valley, or Sinking Spring 

 ley, the name of a delightful valley, about 5 miles 

 wide, on the frontiers of Bedford County, in Penn- 

 sylvania. Its bottom is limestone ; lead ore and slate 

 aBound in its vicinity ; and it exhibits strong marks of 

 pit-coal. This valley is remarkable for a phenomenon 

 called the swallows, which absorb several of the lar- 

 gest streams, and discharge them again on the surface, 

 after a subterraneous passage of several miles.- What 

 are called the " arch springs," is a deep hollow about 

 30 feet wide, formed in the limestone rock, covered 

 with a stony arch which transmits a fine stream of wa- 

 ter. The subterraneous river enters the aperture of 

 an extensive cave about 40 yards wide, in the bottom 

 of which, a strong whirlpool sucks in the floating 

 pieces of timber, and carries them out of sight. In 

 the year 1779, the valley contained about 60 or 

 70 families, who had formed several valuable planta- 

 tions. () 



BALDIVIA. See Valdivia. 



BALDNESS, a disease, or the effect of old age, 

 by which the hair falls from the crown of the head 

 and the parts immediately above the temples. Wo- 

 men and eunuchs are seldom afflicted with this dis- 

 ease, which, in young persons, often arises from ex- 

 cessive venery. See Buffon's Nat. Hist, by Smellie, 

 vol. ii. p. 442. ( j) 



BALDOCK, a neat town of England, in Hert- 

 fordshire, built by the knights templars in the reign 

 of Stephen, and standing on a chalky soil between 

 two hills. There is a strange charity in this 

 parish, which is deserving of notice. John Parker, 

 Esq. left j10 a year to purchase 26 penny loaves, 

 to be distributed every Sunday after they had 

 lain on his grave during the time that the bell tolls 

 for the morning service. There are four ancient en- 

 campments on the hills in the neighbourhood. The 

 town carries on a considerable trade in malt. Popu- 

 lation in 1801, 1283, of whom 202 were employed in 

 trade and manufactures. See Salmon's History of 

 Hertfordsh ire. (w) 



BALDWIN, I. and II. emperors of Constanti- 

 nople, in the 12th and 13th centuries. See Gibbon's 

 Hist. chap. 60, 61, vol. xi. p. 169, 232. (w) 



BALE A RES Insula, the ancient name of the 

 islands of Majorca and Minorca, off the coast of Spain, 

 opposite the mouth of the Ebro. Of the name of 

 these islands various etymologies have been given ; 

 all of thejn referring, however, to the dexterity in 



