B A L 
name. It is the mod northern county of the ftate, on the 
weft fide of Chefapeak-bay. 
Baltimore, a lea-port town of North America, in the 
ftate of Maryland, lituated at the extremity of Chefapeak- 
bay. It is reckoned the fourth in fize, and fifth in trade, 
in the United States. It contains nine churches, and about 
12,000 inhabitants: a creek divides it into two parts, Bal¬ 
timore Town and Fell’s Point; to the latter of which large 
vejfels can fail, but only fmall veflelscome up to the town. 
It is-forty-five miles north-eaft of Annapolis. Lat. 39. 
21. N. Ion. 76. 30. W. Greenwich. 
Balti'MOre-Bird. See Oriolus. 
BALTI 1 AZARI'NT, a celebrated Italian mufician,vvho 
flouriflied about the year 1581. 
B AL'TINGLASS, a town of Ireland, in the county 
of Wicklow, leventeen miles fouth of Naas, and twenty- 
five weft of Wicklow. 
BAL'TRUM, an ifland in the German Ocean, near the 
coaft: of Eaft Friefland, about four miles long, and one and 
a half broad. Lat. 53. 47. N. Ion. 24.42. E. Ferro. 
BALT'SHIK, a town of European Turkey, in the pro¬ 
vince of Bulgaria, eighteen miles north-eaft of Varna. 
BALTUR'TA, a lalt lake of Asiatic Ruflia, in the go¬ 
vernment of Orenburg, 144 miles fouth-well of Upha. 
Lat. 50. o. N. Ion. 69. 50. FI. Ferro. 
BALTIIS'KOI, or Port Baltic, a fea-port town of 
Rufiia, in the government of Revel, on the fouth coaft of 
the entrance into the gufph of Finland, thirty-fix miles w efc 
of Revel, and 140 north-noi th-weft ot Riga. Lat. 59. 16. 
N. Ion. 41.10. E. Ferro. 
BALT'ZAR (Thomas), a native of Lnbec, and an 
eminent mufical compofer, eiteemed the fineft performer 
on the violin of his time. ’ He came to England in 1658, 
and lived two years in the houfe of Sir Anthony Cope of 
Hanwell in Oxfordlhire. He was a great competitor of 
Davis Mell, a clockmaker, who was, till Bahzar came, 
allowed to be the fineft performer on the violin in Eng¬ 
land ; and after his arrival lie divided with him the pub¬ 
lic applaufe, it being agreed that Mell excelled in the fine- 
tiels of his tone and the fweetnefs of his manner, and-Balt- 
zar in the power of execution and command of the inftru- 
ment. Baltzar alfo firft taught the Englifh the practice 
of fliifting, and the ufe of the upper part of the finger¬ 
board. He was buried in Weftminlter-abbey, the 27th of 
July, 1663. 
BAL'VE, a town of Germany, in the circle of the Low¬ 
er Rhine, and feat of a bailiwick, in the duchy of Weft- 
phalia, fituated on the Holm. It is ten miles fouth-vvelt of 
Arenlberg, and thirty-eight north eaft of Cologne. 
BA'LUSTER,yi [according to Du Cange, from baluf- 
trinum, low Lat. a bathing-place.] A (mail column or pi- 
lafter, from an inch and three quarters to four inches fquare 
or diameter. Their dimenlions and forms are various; 
they are frequently adorned with mouldings; and are pla¬ 
ced w ith rails on ftairs, and in the fronts of galleries in 
churches, See. as deferibed under Architecture. In 
1782, a patent was granted to Mr. Francis Underwood, of 
St. Mary-le-Bone, in London, for compofition balufters, 
which were call in moulds, either plain or ornamented, and 
are neater and much more durable than wood. The com¬ 
pofition, and method of making them, are as follow, ta¬ 
ken from the patent: “I, Francis Underwood, do declare, 
that my new invention confifts of the following materials, 
and is performed by preparing a compofition made of grain 
or block tin, regulus of antimony, and copper, or zink, 
mixed together, in fuch proportions of the harder and 
fofter metals as are requifite, to bring the mafs or compo¬ 
fition to tlte degree of hardnefs and ftiffnefs which the na¬ 
ture or purpofe of the work requires. Then, by making 
or providing moulds of iron, brafs, copper, orother hard, 
metal, or ftone, either plain or for ornaments, as fcrolls, 
leaves, hulks, (hells, flowers, or whatever ornaments the 
work or drawings after which I am to work may require; 
within which moulds I place plain rods, bars, or wires, of 
iron, brafs,.copper, Heel, orother llrongcrhar.dmetal, the 
Vo l. II. No. 95. 
BAM 6S t 
length or fize of the balufters, and of whatever form or 
lize may be requifite to ftreogthen the work. I then eaft 
the compofition firft mentioned upon thofe rods, bars, or 
wires, in the moulds; and 1 afterwards form the work, 
thus prepared, by bending, ferting, and folderiitg, it, to 
whatever form is wanted, either by way of frame, for the 
reception of balfo-relievos of plafter of Paris, paintings, 
drawings, or ornaments of any other kind ; or to exhibit 
the ornaments of this compofition. And, in the letting 
or fixing of baluftrades upon wood or ftone, with a pedi¬ 
ment or bale, 1 firft let the balufter plain, or without its 
plinth, into the wood or ftone, and then, being provided 
with the proper mould for the plinth to go round the loot 
of the rail or balufter, I call the compofition round the 
balufter when fixed. And, in order to the making and 
ornamenting of chimney-pieces, I make ufe of fmall rods or 
wires, upon which to c.aft the before-named compofition; 
which I bend or turn, and folder, fo as to become a frame, ot 
whatever figure or dlmenfions 1 want, to receive plate or 
other glafs, either plain or lilvered ; behind which, it 
plain, I place paintings, drawings, balTb-relievos, orother 
ornaments; and which chimney-pieces I finidi round with 
mouldings, ftrengthened with bars or rods, as aforefaid, if 
requifite ; and with pediments of the fame metal, or com¬ 
pofition, eaft in moulds, and cafed or covered behind with 
a plate of the fame, or any other kind of metal, or other 
body.” The term of the patent being expired, any .per- 
fon who duties may of courle adopt the lame method of 
making them. 
B A'LUSTR ADE,/i An aflcmblage of one or more 
rows of little turned pillars, called balujlcrs , fixed upon a 
terrace, or the top of a building, for leparating one part 
from another. 
BA'LUX,yi [/ 3 x.\^sKCi y Gr.] The fand of rivers which 
is mixed with .gold. 
BALU'ZR (Stephen), a French writer, born in 163r, 
was librarian to M. Colbert. In 1693 he obtained a.pen- 
fion, with the poft of cliredor of the royal college, fpr 
writing the lives of the popes of Avignon; both which 
advantages he foon loft in the fluctuation of court parties. 
M. Baluze is much more noted for collecting ancient MSS. 
and illuftrating them by notes, than famed for Ins own 
competitions. 
BALYUR', or Bal;ur, a fea-port of Africa, in the 
kingdom of Dancali, about fourteen hours journey weft 
from Babel-Mandel. It is remarkable only for being the 
landing-place ot the Abyffinian.patriarch Alphonfus Men¬ 
dez, with his jefuits and -Portuguefe, on the .3d day of 
April, 17,2.4. 
B ALZAC' (John Lewfis Guez de), born at Angoulefme 
in 1595. Voltaire allows him-the merit of having given 
harmony to the French profe, but centimes his ft.yie as too 
bombaft. The critics ot his own time .gave him no littje 
difquiet ; but, getting rid of their difputes by his mode¬ 
ration, he refined his tty le and genius, and got by his letters 
and other writings the reputation of being the mod able, 
writer in France. He was drawn from his retirement by 
the hopes of making his fortune under cardinal Richelieu, 
but in a few years he retired again, difgufted with the fla- 
vifti dependence of a court life. All he obtained was a 
penfion of 2000 livres, with the titles of counfellor pf 
ftate, and hiftoriographer of France. He died in 1654; 
and was buried in the hofpital of Notre Dame des Ange.s, 
to which he bequeathed 12,000 livres. He left an eftaie 
of 100 franks per ann. for a gold medal to be bellow ed 
every two years for the bell difeourfe on fome moral fub- 
je<SL Belides his letters, he wrote a work called 0 eutr.es 
Diverfes , i. e. on various fubjefls; The Prince; The Chrif- 
tian Socrates, &c. and many other pieces; all of which 
have been publifhed in two volumes folio. 
BAM, a town of Perlia, in the province of Kerman, 
130 miles eall-fouth-eaft of Sirgian. 
Bam, or Beam, being initials in the name of any place, 
11 fually imply it to have been woody; from the Saxon beam, 
which we ufe in the fame fenfe to this day. 
8 F BAMAN'KOij 
