66o B A L 
Cordus. Poinet has alfo given a method of imitating one 
cl the native balfants. 
Bai.sam of Antimony, a famous medicine defcribed 
by Balil Valentine in his Currus Anlimonii Triumpha/is. This 
author has related many incredible things in its praife : but 
Kerkring, in his commentaries on that work, declares, 
that all lie has (aid of it is fhort of its real praife ; and 
that, in particular, cancers were to be cured by it : him- 
felf having, as he informs us, performed a perfedt cure on 
a bread condemned to be cut off, by anointing it with this 
balfam, and giving the common internal remedies. Both 
thefe gentlemen, however, are very cautious of giving 
the proceffes for this and the like medicines in intelligible 
terms ; but they acknowledge, that it contains all the vir¬ 
tues of antimony. 
Bai.sam of Sulphur, is a folution of the flowers of 
fulphur in oil: it is made by boiling the two together 
over a flow fire for the (pace of an hour, or till the ful¬ 
phur be totally incorporated with the oil into a dark red 
balfam. The balfams of fulphur are named from the par¬ 
ticular oils which enter into their compofition. Thus if it 
be made with the effential oil of turpentine, it is called tere- 
binthinated balfam of fulphur ; if made with the effential oil 
of anifeed, it is called anifated balfam of fulphur. Thefe 
are the two that have been moft tiled. When made with 
the oil of nuts, it was called Rulland's balfam of fulphur. 
The new name given to the common balfam of fulphur by 
the college is oleum fulphuratum ; and that formerly called 
balfamum fulphuris barbadenfe, they have named petroleum 
fulphuratum. Thefe are of ufe both in external and inter¬ 
nal cafes. Helmont, the inventor of this remedy, extols it 
for all difeafes of the bread; and in many relpedls juftly: 
yet Bocrhaave rejedls all internal ufe of it, as too hot and 
acrimonious. Bartholin alfo obferves, that it fometimes 
catifes the heartburn. 
Bai.sam of Saturn, is prepared by diffolving the 
cerufl'a acetata in oil of turpentine ; digefting the mixture 
till it acquires a red colour. This is found to be a good 
remedy for cleanfing foul ulcers. 
Balsam, or Balm, among alchemifls, fometimes de- 
notes the fpirit of common fait extra fled in a particular 
manner. The preparation is thus : they diffolve the fait, 
and place the folution of it, well clarified, in horfe-dung, 
to putrefy, for the fpace of two or three months, and then 
ditlil it ftrongly with a fand heat; upon which there arifes 
a precious undluofity, wherein things the moll corruptible 
being fteeped, are (aid to remain entire forever! It is 
iitid, that it was by this means fome of the ancients pre- 
ferved dead bodies entire, without reducing them to mum¬ 
my : and particularly that of the woman mentioned by 
Volaterramis to be found in a maufoleum near Albano, in 
the time of pope Alexander VI. which was by his order 
thrown fecretly into the Tiber, to prevent idolatry ; Ihe 
being found as frefh as when alive, though fhe had been 
dead near 1300 years. We read of a balfam of this kind, 
called dead balfam, which was a liquor prepared with 
myrrh and aloes, diffolved in fpirit of wine, chiefly ufed 
for drying and abforbing the moifture of dead bodies. 
Balsam of the Philosophers, balfamum philofopho- 
rum, is one of thofe enigmatical terms, whereby they ex- 
prefs aurum potabile. 
Balsam is fometimes ufed, in ecclefiaflical writers, 
for the facred chryfm. This is otherwife denominated 
balfamelaum. 
Balsam (Vulnerary), a form of medicine preferibed 
in the London Difpenfatory, intended to fupply the place 
of the tincture commonly called the friars balfam, fo fa¬ 
mous for curing old ulcers. The college have lately na¬ 
med it tinblura benzoes compofita. 
B ALSAMA'TIO,/i [from balfamum, a balfam.] The 
embalming of dead bodies. 
B ALSA'MIC, or Balsa'mical, adj. Having the qua¬ 
lities of balfam ; undluous; mitigating; foft; mild; oily. 
.—If there be a wound in my leg, the vital energy of my 
fo.ui thrufta out the balfamical humour of my blood to heal 
3 
B A L 
it. Hale .—The aliment of fuch as have frefli wounds au oh P 
to be fuch as keeps the humours from putrefadlion, and 
renders them oily and balfamic. Arbutknot .—The term bal- 
famic is a very lax one ; it includes medicines of very dif¬ 
ferent qualities, as emollients, detergents, refloratives, &c. 
but in medicines of all thefe kinds there feems to be this 
requifite in them, viz. that they be foft, fragrant, and ad- 
hefive, alfo that by their ftimulus they have a difpofitiotj 
to invigorate. Medicines of this tribe are generally re¬ 
quired for complaints whofe feat is in the vifeera ; and, as 
they cannot be conveyed there but by the common road 
of the circulation, it follows, that no great effedls can 
be expedted from them but by their long continuation. 
Hoffman calls by the name of bafamics, thofe medicines 
which are hot and acrid, and alio the natural balfams* 
gums, &c. by which the vital heat is increafed. 
B ALS A'MIN A, f in botany. See Impatiens. 
B ALSA'MITA,/. in botany. See Achillea, Chry¬ 
santhemum, and Tanacetum. 
BAL'SAS, a town of South America, in Peru, and 
jurifdidlion of Caxamarca, near the river Maragnon. 
BAL'SHAM (Hugh de), was bilhop of Ely, and foun¬ 
der of Peter-houfe college, Cambridge. He was equally 
eminent for piety and munificence ; and died in 1286. 
BAL'SORA. See Bassora. 
BALTA'GI,/ among the Turks, porters, and hewers 
of wood, in the court of the grand fignior; who alfo mount 
on horfeback when the emperor rides out. Part of them 
alfo, who, for that purpofe, muff be caftrated, keep watch 
at the gates of the firff and fecond courts of the feraglio. 
Thefe Taft are called capigi, and their commander capigi 
pafeha. 
BAL'TAS, a town of Courland, twenty miles eaft of 
Seclburg. 
BALTCHUT'ZKO, a town of Siberia, forty-eight 
miles eaft of Krafnoiarlk. 
BALTELUK', a town of European Turkey, in the 
province of Bulgaria, twelve miles north-eaft of Varna. 
B ALTHA'ZAR, [isnSa of without, and trea- 
fure, Heb. without treafure.] A proper name of men. 
BALTHAZ ARI'NI, a celebrated Italian mulician, who 
flouriflied about the year 1381. 
BAL'TIC, an inland fea, on the N.W. part of Europe, 
formed by the coafts of Sweden, Ruflia, Courland, Prufliu, 
Germany, and Denmark: there are a great number of 
iflands in this fea. Aland, which is fituated in the north¬ 
ern part, and divides it from the Gulf of Bothnia, Dago, 
and Efel, or Oefel, near the coaft of Ruflia, Gothland, 
and Oeland, belonging to Sweden, Rugen, a part of Po¬ 
merania, Bornholm, Falfter, Moen, or Mona, and Laland, 
belonging to Denmark, befides a number of other fmaller 
ones; the iflands of Zealand and Funen feparate it from 
the Scaggerack, or Cattegat Sea. The length from fouth- 
weft to north-eaft rather more than 200 leagues, and its 
breadth between Sweden and Germany about twenty-five 
leagues, but in fome places fifty. The general paffage 
for veffels from the North Sea into the Baltic, is through 
a narrow paffage between the coaft of Sweden and the 
ifland of Zealand ; and a toll is paid by velfels to the king 
of Denmark, for the purpofe of maintaining lighthoufes 
as a guide for mariners in the night. Several large rivers 
empty tliemfelves into the Baltic, as the Dwina, fhe Oder, 
the Viftula, the Rega, the Perfante, the Nietnen, &c. 
which give a degree of freftinefs to the water, and proba¬ 
bly make it more liable to be frozen, which it generally is 
for three months in the winter. 
B AL'TIMORE, a village of Ireland, in the county of 
Cork, with a good harbour, fituated on the eaft fide of a 
bay to which it gives name. It is a borough, and fends 
two members to the Irifti parliament. It was formerly a 
place of trade, but, being plundered by the Algerines in 
1631, it has never recovered itfelf: thirteen miles fouth 
of Bantry. 
Baltimore, a county of Maryland, in North Ame¬ 
rica ■, originally fettled by lord Baltimore, whence its 
name. 
