Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume II.djvu/260

 240 BALFOUR BALI Lane oratorios, and in the Drury Lane orches- tra, under Thomas Oooke. In 1825 he went on the stage. His voice, which he had culti- vated, was a rich baritone, but he utterly failed from timidity as Casper in Der Freischutz, at the Norwich theatre. Immediately afterward Count Mazzara, who fancied that he resembled a son whom his wife had lost, took young Balfe with him to Rome, where the countess received him very tenderly. Here he remained for a year, studying under the best masters. After this, still through the bounty of Count Mazzara, he had similar advantages at Milan, where his first production of any pretension, a ballet called La Peyrouse, was performed with great success. Passing on to Paris, where Rossini held out hopes of an engagement at the Italian opera, he applied himself to study for several months, and at last appeared as Figaro in the "Barber of Seville," with Sontag as Rosina. His career as a dramatic singer was triumphant, in Italy as well as in France, after this. He sang in New York in 1834, and in 1835 returned to London, accompanied by his wife, who had been Mile. Lina Rezer, prima donna of the troupe in Sicily. He sang at the ancient and philharmonic concerts in London, and appeared at Drury Lane in his " Siege of Rochelle," " The Jewess," and Chiara de Rosenberg. The " Maid of Artois," written for Mme. Malibran, and in which she won one of her greatest triumphs, came next. A variety of operas, among which "Falstaff" deserves particular mention, fol- lowed, and most of them were popular. In 1839 Mr. Balfe became manager of the English opera house, but did not succeed. His " Bohe- mian Girl," the most popular and one of the best of all his works, filled the treasury at Drury Lane, and is still a favorite in England and the United States. Toward the close of Mr. Balfe's life it was successfully produced in Paris under the composer's direction. "The Daughter of St. Mark," "The Enchantress," " The Bondman," " The Rose of Castile," " The Puritan's Daughter," "Satanella" (1858), and other operas were subsequently produced, and many of them were represented with great success in Germany. In the spring of 1857 his daughter, Miss VICTORIA BALFE, appeared on the stage in London as a vocalist. In 1860 she married Sir John Crampton, from whom she was divorced in 1863; and in 1864 she married the Spanish duke de Frias. She died in Ma- drid, Jan. 21, 1871. BALFOUR, Alexander, a Scottish author, born in the parish of Monikee, Forfarshire, March 1, 1767, died Sept. 18, 1829. He was apprenticed to a weaver, failed in business in London (1815), and eventually became a clerk of the Messrs. Blackwood in Edinburgh. Mr. Canning ob- tained for him a grant of 100 from the nation- al treasury. He wrote "Campbell, or the Scottish Probationer" (1819); "The Found- ling of Glenthorn, or the Smuggler's Cave " (1823) ; and " Highland Mary." He edited the poems of his friend Richard Gall, and contrib- uted to the "Edinburgh Review." D. M. Moir published a posthumous selection from his writings under the title of "Weeds and Wild Flowers," with a biographical notice. i:UOI li. Sir James, a Scottish jurist and politician, born in Fifeshire early in the 16th century, died about 1583. He was educated for the Roman Catholic church, but joined the Protestants, took part in the conspiracy against Cardinal Beaton, was made prisoner at the surrender of the castle of St. Andrews, and with Knox, who called him the blasphemous Balfour, was imprisoned in the French galleys. He escaped in 1550, again changed his religion, attached himself to Bothwell's fortunes, was made privy councillor, and received many other appointments, including the governor- ship of Edinburgh castle. He was present at the murder of Rizzio, and accused of com- plicity in the death of Darnley. He gave up to the confederate lords the celebrated letters in- trusted to him for safe keeping by Bothwell, on which it was attempted to establish Mary's guilt. Murray afterward made him president of the court of session, and Morton employed him with Skene in compiling the revision of the Scottish statutes, known as "The Prack- ticks." One of his last acts was compassing Morton's death by furnishing the deed signed by him at the time of the assassination of Darnley. BALFOrR, Walter, an American clergyman, born in the parish of St. Ninians, Stirlingshire, Scotland, about 1776, died in Charlestown, Mass., Jan. 3, 1852. He was educated for the ministry of the church of Scotland, and after preaching a few years emigrated to America. He was still in the faith of the Scottish kirk, but at the age of 30 became a Baptist. A few years later some circumstances, among which he always reckoned the letters of Prof. Stuart of Andover to the Rev. W. E. Channing, written in 1819, led him to think of the doctrines of Universalism, and finally to embrace them. In 1823 he avowed his opinions, and was from that time a laborious writer and preacher in support of the doctrines he then espoused. It tll'KI Ml. or lialfiini.li. a town of Persia, in the province of Mazanderan, situated on the river Bahbul, here crossed by a bridge of 9 arches, about 12 m. from the southern shore of the Caspian sea, and about 100 m. N. E. of Teheran ; pop. about 60,000. It is situated in a swampy but fertile country, in the midst of tall trees. It formerly had an extensive trade with Russia, and many fine bazaars and col- leges, but has much declined owing to the ravages of the plague and the cholera, and the unhealthy climate. BALI, or Little Java, an island of the Malay archipelago, the westernmost of the Little Sunda islands, situated between Java and Lombok, 70 m. long by 35 m. average breadth ; area about 2,200 sq. m. ; pop. about 600,000. The geol- ogy resembles that of Java, from which it is separated by a narrow strait. The island is traversed E. and W. by mountain ranges, which