BAN 
J£)8 B A L 
1‘rom this engine, stones of a size not less 
tiKiii mill-stones were thrown with so great 
violence, as to dash whole houses in pieces 
at a blow. It is described thus: a round 
iron cylinder was fastened between two 
plunks, from which reached a hollow square 
beam, placed crosswise, and fastened with 
cords, to which were added screws ; at one 
■end of- this stood the engineer, who put a 
wooden shaft with a big. head into the cavity 
of the beam: this done, two men bent the 
engine by drawing some wheels: when the 
top ot the head was drawn to the utmost end 
ot the cords, the shaft was driven out of tire 
baliista, &c. 
BALLOON, or ballon, in a general sense, 
signifies any spherical hollow body, of what- 
ev er matter it is composed, or for whatever 
purposes it is designed, 
1 hus, with chemists, balloon denotes a 
l'ound short-necked vessel, used to receive 
" hat is distilled by means of fire ; in archi- 
tecture, a round globe on the top of a pillar; 
and among engineers, a kind of bomb made 
ot pasteboard, and played off in fire-works, 
either in the air or in the water, in imitation 
of a real bomb. 
Balloon, in the French paper trade, is a 
term tor a quantity ot paper, containing 
twenty -four reams. " It is also the name of a 
sort of brigantine used in the kingdom of 
Siam. 
Balloon, air. See Air-balloon. 
BALLOT A, white horehound, a genus of 
the gymaospennia order and didvnamia class 
ot plants ; and in the natural method ranking 
under the 4-2 d order, verticillatx-. The calyx 
has fi ve teeth, w ith ten striae ; and the upper 
lip ot the corolla is crenated. It is a com- 
mon weed growing on the sides of banks in 
most parts ot England, so is seldom admitted 
into gardens. 'File flowers grow in whorls, 
upon branching peduncles, and lean on one 
side of the stalk ; they are commonly of a 
dull red colour, but sometimes white. It 
was formerly used in hysteric cases, but is 
now fallen into disuse. ’The Swedes reckon 
it almost an universal remedy in the diseases 
ot their cattle. Horses, cows, sheep, and 
goats, refuse to eat it. There are five spe- 
cies. 
BALLS, or ballets, in heraldry, a frequent 
bearing in coats of arms, usually denomi- 
nated according to their colours, bezants, 
plates, hurts, &c. 
BALLUSTRADE, a series or row of bal- 
lusters, joined by a vail ; serving as well for 
a rest to the elbows, as for a fence or enclo- 
sure to balconies, altars, staircases, &c. 
BALNEUM, a term used by chemists to 
signify a vessel filled with some matter, as 
sand, water, &c. in which another is placed 
that requires a more gentle heat than the 
naked lire. r l hus balneum areiiosum, called 
also balneum siccum, or sand-heat, is when 
the cucurbit is placed in sand, in ashes, or 
filings of iron. Balneum mariae, dr mavis, is 
when the vessel, containing the ingredients 
to be distilled, &c. is put into a vessel of 
water, which is made to boil ; so that no 
greater heat than that of boiling water can be 
communicated te the substance to be treated. 
And balneum vaporis, or vaporarium, is 
when two vessels are disposed in such a 
manner, that the vapour raised from the wa- 
ter contained in the lower, heats the matter 
contained in the upper. See Chemistry. 
B A L 
BALS AM, or native balsam, an oily resi- 
nous, liquid substance, flowing eitherspon- 
taneously, or by means of incision, from cer- 
tain plants of sovereign virtue in the cure of 
several disorders. There are many kinds of 
balsams, but the most remarkable are ben- 
zoin, storax, styrax, balsam of Peru, balsam 
of 1 olu. r J hey owe their most important 
properties to the resinous ingredient. 
1. Benzoin. 'Ibis substance is obtained 
from the styrax benzoin, a tree which grows 
in Sumatra, &c. It flows from incisions 
made in the trunk. Benzoin comes to Eu- 
rope in large masses of a light brown colour 
with yellow specks. It is very brittle, and 
breaks vitreous. "\\ hen rubbed it emits a 
fragrant odour, and when heated sufficiently 
lets the benzoic acid escape. It is soluble in 
alcohol, but insoluble in water. It is used 
chiefly to perfume apartments, and extract 
from it benzoic acid. It has not been exa- 
mined by any modern chemist. Its specific 
gravity is 1.092. It is considered as a com- 
pound of resin and benzoic acid. 
2. Storax. '1 his substance is obtained by 
incision from the styrax officinale, a tree 
which grows abundantly in the islands of the 
Levant, and in Italy and France. 'Hie sto- 
rax is sometimes in large masses, sometimes 
in small tears ; it is brittle, and has a brown 
colour. It has an aromatic taste and fra- 
grant smell. It is soluble in alcohol, and 
yields benzoic acid by the usual processes. 
It is composed apparently of benzoic acid 
and resin. 
3. Styrax. 1 his is a semifluid juice, used 
in medicine on the continent, though scarcely 
in Britain. Its natural history is but imper- 
fectly known ; but it is said to exude from a 
tree called by the natives rosamallos, which 
is cultivated in Arabia. Bouillon Lagrange 
has published an account of its properties. 
Us colour is greenish, and its taste aromatic, 
and its smell agreeable. It is easily A'olali- 
lizedby heat When treated with water, its 
benzoic acid is dissolved, while the other 
constituent remains. It is totally soluble in 
alcohol, except the impurities. When ex- 
posed to air it becomes harder, and absorbs 
oxygen. Hence we may consider it as a 
combination ot benzoic acid and an imperfect 
resin. 
4. Balsam of Peru. This substance is ob- 
tained from the myroxylon peruiferum, 
which grows in the warm parts of South 
America. The tree is full of resin, and the 
balsam is obtained by boiling the twigs in 
water. It has the consistency of honey, a 
brown colour, an agreeable smell, and a hot 
acrid taste. Like the last it consists of ben- 
zoic acid and volatile oil, not completely con- 
verted into resin. Water dissolves part of 
the acid, alcohol the whole balsam. It is ea- 
sily volatilized by heat. 
5. Balsam of Tolu. This substance is ob- 
tained from the toluifera balsamum, a tree 
which grows in South America. The balsam 
flows from incisions made in the bark. It 
comes to Europe in small gourd shells. It is 
of a reddish brown colour, and considerable 
consistence ; and when exposed to the air, it 
becomes^ solid and brittle. Its smell is fra- 
grant. The composition of this substance 
has not been ascertained. It is only from 
analogy that it lias been put among the bal- 
sams. Mr. Hatchett’s experiments on it 
are very curious and important. He has 
ascertained that the balsams in general are 
soluble in alkalies. When Tolu is dissolved 
in the smallest possible quantity of lixivium 
ot potash, it completely loses its own odour, 
and assumes a most fragrant smell, some- 
what resembling that of the clove pink. 
“ i his smell,” Mr. Hatchett observes, “ is 
not fugitive, for it is still retained by a’ solu- 
tion which was prepared in June, and lias re- 
mained in an open glass during four months.’' 
Mr. Hatchett found that it. dissolved in nitric 
acid with nearly the same phenomena as the 
resins ; but it assumed the odour of bitter al- 
monds, which leads him to suspect the for- 
mation of prussic acid. 
Such are the balsamic substances at present 
known. lar, which has been sometimes 
placed among them, is obtained by a rude 
distillisation of the fir. Hence it contains a 
variety of ingredients, oil, resin, pyrolignous 
acid, water. When concentrated by heat it 
loses these volatile parts, and is converted 
into pitch; a substance which possesses the 
properties of resin, 
BALSAMICS, in pharmacy, softening, re- 
storing, healing, and cleansing medicines, of 
gentle attenuating principles, very friendly 
to nature. See Pharmacy. 
BAL 1 IMORA, in botany, a genus of the 
pol\gamia necessaria order and syngenesis 
class of plants. The receptaculumls chatty ; 
there is no pappus ; the calvx is cylindrical 
and polyphyllous ; and the ray of the corolla 
is qumqueflorous. There is but one species, 
viz. baltimora recta, a native of Man kind. 
B AM BO E, or bambou. See Arundo. 
BAM BUS A, in botany. See Arundo. 
BAN, in commerce, a sort of smooth, 
fine muslin, which the English import from 
the East Indies. The piece is almost a 
yard broad, and runs about twenty yards and 
a half. 
BANANA, in botany. See Musa. 
BAND, in architecture, a general name 
for any flat, low member, or moulding, that 
is broad, but not very deep. 
Band of pensioners, are a company of 
120 gentlemen, who receive a yearly allow- 
ance of 100/. for attending on his majesty 
on solemn occasions. 
Band is also the denomination of a mili- 
tary order in Spain, instituted by Alphonsus 
XI. king of Castile, for the younger sons of 
the nobility, who, before their admission, 
must serve ten years, at least, either in the 
army, or at court : and are bound to take up 
arms for the catholic faith against the infi- 
dels. 
BANDAGE, in surgery, a fillet, roller, 
or swathe, used in dressing and binding up 
wounds, restraining dangerous hemorrhages 
and in joining fractured or dislocated bones. 
See Surgery. 
BAN DAL, or bundle, the name of a mea- 
sure in the south of Ireland, which is some- 
thing more than half a yard; but the coarse 
narrow linen is sold in the markets, on which 
account it is called bundle-cloth, 
BAN DALKER, or bandeleer, in military 
affairs, a large leathern belt, thrown over the 
right shoulder, and hanging under the left 
arm; worn by the ahtient nnrsqueteers/ 
both for the sustaining of their fire-arms* 
and for the carriage" of their musquet- 
eharges. 
BANDE, or inbencl, in heraldry, ex-’ 
