B A L 
obferve, that the Englifh were late before they engaged 
in the whale-fifliery : it appears that, in the year 1575, we 
■were totally ignorant of that trade, being obliged to lend 
to “ Bilkaie for men (kilfu -1 in the catching of the whale, 
and ordering of the oil, and one cooper Ikilful to let up 
the (laved calk.” This feems very ftrange; for, by the 
account Oclher gives to king Alfred of his travels, near 
700 years before that period, he made that monarch ac- 
quaintedwith the Norwegian pradfice of the whale-fifhery; 
but it feems all memory of that advantageous employ, as 
well as of O filler, and all his important dilcoveries in the 
north, were loft for near feven centuries. It was carried 
on by the Bifcayeners long before we attempted the trade; 
and that for the fake not only of the oil, but alfo of the 
whalebone, which they feem to have long dealt in. The 
earlieft notice we find of that article in our trade is by 
Hackluyt, who fays it was brought from the Bay of St. 
Lawrence by an Englifh fiiip that went there “for the 
barbes and fynnes of whales and train-oil, A. D. 1594, and 
who found there 700 or 800 whale-fynnes, part of the car¬ 
go of two great Bilkaine fhips, that had been wrecked 
there three years before.” Previous to that, the ladies (lays 
mud have been made of fplit cane, or fome tough wood, 
as Mr. Anderfon obferves in his Diflionary of Commerce j 
it being certain that the whale-fifliery was carried on, for 
the fake of the oil, long before the difeovery of the ufo 
of whale-bone. 
The great refort of thefe.animals was - found to be on 
the inhofpitable fliores of Spitzbergen, and the European 
fhips made that place their principal filhery, and for num¬ 
bers of years were very fuccefsful: the Englifh commen¬ 
ced that bulinefs about the year 1598, and the town of 
I lull had the honour of firft attempting that profitable 
branch of trade. At prefent it feems to be on the decline, 
the quantity of fifti being greatly reduced by the conliant 
capture for fueh a vaft length of time: fome recent ac¬ 
counts inform us, that the fifliers, from a defeft of whales, 
apply themfelves to feal-fiftiery, from which animals they 
extrafl an oil. This we fear will not be of very long con¬ 
tinuance; for thefe Ihy and timid creatures will foon be 
induced to quit thofe fliores by being perpetually harrafled, 
as the walrus hath in a great meafure already done. We 
are alfo told, that the poor natives of Greenland begin 
even now to fuffer from the decreafe of the feal in their 
Teas, it being their principal fubfiftence ; fo that, fhould it 
totally defert the coaft, the whole nation would be in dan¬ 
ger of periftiing through want. In ancient times the whale 
feems never to have been taken on our coafts, but when it 
was accidentally flung alhore by fome violent (form or tem- 
peft: it was then deemed a royal fill), and the king and 
queen divided the fpoil; the king aflerting his right to the 
head, her majefty to the tail, f or the manner of taking 
whales, fee the article Fishery. 
The phyfaius, or fin-filh, is diftingnifhed from the com¬ 
mon whale by a fin on the back, placed very low and near 
the tail. The length is equal to that of the common kind, 
but much more /lender. It is furniftied with whalebone in 
the upper jaw,, mixed with hairs, but.fliort and knotty, 
and of little value. The blubber alfo on the body of this 
kind is very inconfiderable. Thefe circumftanccs, added 
to its extreme fiercenefs and agility, which renders the 
capture verv dangerous, caufe the fifhers to negleft it. The 
natives of Greenland, however, hold it in great efteem, as 
it affords a quantity of flefh which to their palate is very 
agreeable. The lips are brown, and like a twifted rope : 
the fpout-hole is as it were fplit in the top of its head, 
through which it blows water with much more violence, 
and to a greater height, than the common whale. T he 
fifhers are not very fond of feeing it, for on its appearance 
the others retire out of thofe feas. Some writers conjec¬ 
ture this fpecies to have been the (pva-xh&, and phyfeter, or 
blowing-whale, of Oppian, Lilian, and Pliny: but, lince 
thofe writers have not left the leaf! defeription of it, it is 
impoflible to judge which kind they meant; for, inrefpeft 
•to the faculty of fpouting out water or blowing, it is com- 
B A L 
mon to all the whale kind. The phyfaius inhabits the 
European and American oceans: it feeds upon herrings 
and other finall fifh. 
The hoops, or pike-headed whale, has a double pipe in 
its fnout, three fins like the former, and a hard horny ridge 
on its back. The belly is full of longitudinal folds or ru¬ 
gae. It frequents the northern ocean. The length of one 
taken on the coaft of Scotland, as remarked by Sir Robert 
Sibbald, was forty-fix feet, and its greateft circumference 
twenty. This fpecies takes its name from the Ihape of its 
note, which is narrower and (harper-pointed than that of 
other whales. 
The mufculus has a double pipe in its front, and three 
fins ; the under jaw is much wider than the upper one. It 
frequents the Scottifh coafts, and feeds upon herrings. 
Linnaeus makes the Narwhal, Physeter, and Del- 
phi\us, which are ranked among the whales by lome wri¬ 
ters, three diftincl genera. See thofe articles. 
BALA.G AN'S KOI, a town of Siberia, on the Angara, 
thirty milgs north-north-weft of Irkutfk. Lat. 53.45.N. 
Ion. 121. o. -E. Ferro. 
BALAGAT', a province of the Mogul empire, and 
the largeft of the three that compofe the kingdom of Dec- 
can. It has Kandifh and Barar to the north, Tillinga to 
the eaft, Baglana with part of Guzcrat to the weft, arid 
Vifiapour to the fouth. It is a fruitful and plealant coun¬ 
try, abounding with cotton and fugar. Its prefent capital 
is Aurengabad, but formerly was Dowlet Abad; and 
from the latter the whole province is fometimes called 
Dowlet Abad. 
Balagat Mountains, a chain of mountains which 
divides the coaft of Malabar from that of Coromandel, 
running almoft the whole length of the peninfula on this 
fide the Ganges. Some parts of them are covered with 
fine red earth, which is blown by the ftrong weft winds as 
far as the illand of Ceylon;' and, when the rays of the fun 
are reflected from thefe mountains, they feem to be all on 
fire. They make furprifing alterations in the feafons; 
for, on the north fide of cape Comorin, it is winter ,iit 
May, June, J itly, Auguft, and September, in which months 
it is fummer on the fouth fide of the cape; on one fide 
there are continual tempefts, thunder, and lightning, while 
the other enjoys a conftant ferenity. When black clouds 
are gathered about the mountains, they are followed by 
Hidden rain, which caufes the overflowing of the rivers, 
and chokes them up with fand, infomuch that they arc 
unnavigable for fome time afterwards. The buildings and 
clothes of the inhabitants are fcarcely fuflicient to defend 
them from the weather. They live upon rice, milk, roots, 
and herbs, with very little meat: they have likewife a fort 
of fmall arrack, but are not given to drunkennefs, though 
they are little better than in a ftate of nature. 
B ALAGUER', a town of Spain, in Catalonia, on the 
Segra, at the foot of a (harp hill, in a fertile country. It 
contains one parifh, and four convents : fixty-three miles 
weft-north-weft of Barcelona, and 219 north-eaft of Ma¬ 
drid. 
BA'LAK, [pSo Heb. he emptied or deftroyed.j A king 
of the Moabites. 
BALAKLAVAL', a town of Ruflia, in the Crimea, 
on the Black Sea, ninety miles fouth-fouth-vveft Perekop, 
and 940 fouth-fouth-eaft of Peterftuug. Lat. 44. 35. N. 
Ion. 51.0. E. Ferro. 
B A I, AM BU'AN, or Balamboa'ny,oi Palambuan, 
a country on the eaft part of the illand of Java, governed, 
by a king, who is defpotic. It produces pepper, cotton, 
rice, Indian corn, and fruit, in great plenty. There are 
excellent paftures which feed a great number of horfes, 
antelopes, buffaloes, and oxen. The principal town is of 
the fame name. 
BALANBAN'GAN, a fmall ifiand in the caftern Pa¬ 
cific Ocean, between Borneo and Mindanao. 
BA'LANCE,yi [balance, Fr. bilanx., Lat.] A pair of 
feales. A metaphorical balance, or the mind employed in 
comparing one thing with anotliex: 
I have 
