Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 1).djvu/177

Rh Lincoln ticket in 1860, delegate to the republican convention that nominated Grant and Wilson in 1872, and was a representative from Rhode Island in the forty-fourth and forty-fifth congresses.

BALMACEDA, Jose Manuel (bal-niah-thay'- da), Chilian statesman, b. in 1840; d. by his own hand, in Santiago, Chili, 19 Sept., 1891. He re- ceived a good education, and early distinguished himself as a political orator, his speeches favoring radical reforms in the constitution of 1883. He was deputy in five consecutive legislatures, was elected senator in 1885, and was from 12 April, 1882, minis- ter of the Interior, appointed by President Santa Maria. He was in 1868 one of the founders, to- gether with the brothers Matta. Isidoro Errazuriz, and other liberal Chilians, of the reform club, and in 1874 boldly but unsuccessfully advocated in con- gress the separation of church and state. As pre- mier, in 1884, Balraaceda succeeded, however, in in- troducing civil marriage and other liberal laws. As Chilian minister at Buenos Ayres, Balmaceda ren- dered his country a great service by gaining the good will of the Argentine Republic during the war between Chili and Peni. He was nominated at the convention of 18 Jan. in Santiago, and subsecjuent- ly elected president, 18 Sept., 1886. In Jan., 1891, he proclaimed himself dictator.

BALMASEDA, Francisco J. (bahl-mah-say'- da), Cuban writer, b. in Remedios, Cuba, in 1833. In 1846 he published, at Havana, "Rimas Cubanas" ; in 1861, "Fábulas Morales." Some years later he printed "Misterios de una Cabaña," a novel ; a work on political economy, and another on agriculture. In 1869 Balmaseda was banished and sent to Fernando Po with many other revolutionists, and in 1871 he published a narrative under the title of "Los Confinados á Fernando Po."

BALMES, Francisco Javier (bahl'-mess), Spanish surgeon. In 1803 he sailed from Coruila and visited the West Indian colonies, in order to extend the use of vaccination. Afterward he went to the Philippine islands and China, where he studied the indigenous plants, and made valuable colored drawings, which he gave to the library of the Museum of natural sciences in Madrid.

BALTA, Jose, president of Peru, d. in Lima, Peru, 26 July, 1872. At the beginning of his pub- lic career he took part in the mili- tary operations consequent on the invasion of Peru by Presi- dent Santo Cruz, of Bolivia, in 1836. He was an actor in the va- rious Peruvian revolutions, was distinguished in the defeat of the S] laniards on 3 I\iay. lS(i6, and in 1867 led a revolt against the dic- tator - president, Prado, and drove him into tempo- rary exile in Chili. Col. Balta was elected president for four years by a large majority in April, 1868, and inaugurated on 2 Aug. His administration was on the whole prospei'ous and populai ; but he burdened the country with immense loans for the purpose of building railroads. In the presi- dential contest of 1872 the vote was so close that the election was thrown into the congress, and when it became evident that Dr. Arenas, the ad ministration candidate, would be defeated. Balta was strongly urged by Gen. Gutierrez, his min- ister of war, to declare himself dictator. But the president refused to do this, and made public his intention of resigning his ofRce, on the ex- piration of his term, to the successor appointed by congress. This did not suit Gutierrez, and he immediately seized and imprisoned Balta, and proclaimed himself supreme chief of the repub- lic. This usurpation was of brief duration. The new dictator had few sympathizers, and four days after his coup d'etat a disturbance took place in which Silvestre Gutierrez, his brother and min- ister of war, was killed. In revenge, the usurper gave orders to kill Balta, and the latter was shot in his prison as he lay ill, July 22 (others say 26), 1872. That night the populace of Lima rose in insurrection. Gutierrez, after a vain attempt to escape, was killed, and the legal president, Pardo, w^as inaugurated soon afterward.

BALTES, Peter Joseph, clergyman, b. in Ens- heim, Rhenish Bavaria, 7 April, 1827 ; d. in Alton, 111., lo Feb., 1886. He studied at the college of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Mass., at St. Ignatius college, Chicago, and at Lavalle university, Mon- treal, and was ordained priest in 1853, and conse- crated bishop of Alton in 1870. He was the author of " Pastoral Instruction " (jSTew York, 1875 ; 3d ed., enlai'ged, 1S80).

BALTIMORE,, proprietors of the prov- ince of Maryland. — Sir George Calvert, first Baron Baltimore, b. in Kipling, Yorkshire, Eng- land, about 1582 ; d. in London, 15 April, 1632. He was graduated at Oxford in 1597, and was then sent abroad to travel. On his return he became secretary to Robert Cecil, who afterward obtained for him a clerkship of the privy coun- cil. In 1617 he was knighted by James I., who es- teemed him high- ly, and gave him a pension in 1620. He had previous- ly been made a secretary of state,

but resigned the office in 1624, having become a Roman Catholic. He did not, however, lose the king's favor, but continued at court in the capacity of privy councillor, and from this fact, in connection with James's hatred of apostasy, some have concluded that he was always a Roman Catholic, but there are many evidences that he was actually converted. In 1625 the king made him a peer of Ireland. He had for some time been interested in the colonization of the New World, having been a member of the great company for Virginia, and in 1621 obtained from the king a patent for the southern promontory of Newfoundland, which he named Avalon. Here he spent money lavishly in building warehouses and a splendid mansion. He visited his colony