Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume II.djvu/267

 BALM OF GILEAD BALSAM 247 BALM OF GILEAD, a plant of the genus amy- ris, the balsamodendron Gileadense of De Can- dolle. Its leaves yield when bruised a strong aromatic scent. From this plant is obtained the balm of Gilead of the shops, also called bul- sam of Mecca or of Syria. This has a yellowish or greenish color, a warm and somewhat bit- ter aromatic taste, and a fragrant smell. It is valued as an odoriferous ointment or cosmetic by the Turks, who often adulterate it for the market. The amyris is a low tree or shrub, growing in several parts of Abyssinia and Syria. It has spreading, crooked branches, small bright green leaves growing in threes, and small white flowers on separate footstalks. The petals are four in number, and the fruit is a small egg- shaped berry,, containing a smooth nut. To obtain the juice, the bark of the tree is cut at the time when its sap is in its strongest period of circulation. As the juices ooze through the wound they are received into small earthen bottles, every day's produce being poured into larger bottles and corked. When fresh, the smell of the balsam is ex- quisitely fragrant, but if left exposed to the atmosphere it loses this quality. The quantity of bal- sam yielded by one tree is said never to exceed 60 drops in a day. It is there- fore very scarce, and can with diffi- culty be procured in a pure and un- adulterated state, even at Constanti- nople. Its stimula- ting properties upon the skin are such that the face of a person unaccustomed to use it becomes red and swollen after its application, and continues so for several days. The Turks use it as a cosmetic, and also take it internally, in minute doses, in water, to stimulate the stomach. It seems to have been as highly esteemed by the ancient inhabitants of Syria as it is by the modern Turks and Arabs. Jo- sephus states that the balm of Gilead was one of the trees given by the queen of Sheba to King Solomon. The abies baleamea, which furnishes Canada balsam, and the populus bal- samifera, var. candicaw, the buds of which are covered with a resinous varnish, are both sometimes known as balm of Gilead trees. lill.MKs. Jaime Lueio, a Spanish theologian and philosopher, born at Vich, Catalonia, Aug. 28, 1810, died there, July 9, 1848. He was or- dained in 1832, and was for a time professor at the university of Cervera. He resisted the movements of the revolutionary party in Spain, though he sympathized with liberal institu- Balin of Gilead. tions. In his opinion, the hope of the future lay in the union between Catholicity and po- litical liberty. His principal works are: El Protestantismo comparado con el Catolicismo en sus relaciones con la civilization europea (4 vols., Barcelona, 1842-'4), which passed through several editions, and has been translated into English and other languages ; El criteria (Madrid, 1845; French and German transla- tions, 1850-'52); and Filosofia fundamental (4 vols., Barcelona, 1846 ; French translation, 3 vols., 1852 ; English version by Henry F. Brownson, 2 vols.. New York, 1857). A com- plete edition of his political writings appeared in 1847, and biographies of Balmes have been published in Spanish, French, and German. BALMORAL, a summer residence of Queen Victoria, in the Scottish highlands, parish of Crathie, Aberdeenshire, on the right bank of the Dee, 44 m. W. S. W. of Aberdeen. The castle stands on a natural platform, at the foot of Craig-an-gowan, about 900 ft. above the sea. The estate was leased in 1848 and purchased in 1852 by Prince Albert. It comprises an area of over 100,000 acres, including 1,000 acres of woodland, and a deer park of 30,000 acres. The scenery is highly romantic, and the neigh- boring country is famous for its deer stalking, grouse shooting, and lake and river fishing. Near the Ben-a-bourd, one of the most pictu- resque mountains, is the monument to Prince Albert erected by the queen in 1863. BALNAVES, Henry, a Scotch Protestant re- former, born at Kirkcaldy, Fifeshire, in 1520, died in Edinburgh in 1579. He studied in Scotland and Germany. His open profession in 1542 of the Protestant faith caused his dis- missal from the office of secretary of state, after which he joined the English and was imprisoned in Blackness castle till 1544. He was implica- ted in the conspiracy resulting in the murder of Cardinal Beaton, declared a traitor, and ex- communicated. At the siege of the castle of St. Andrews he was captured, and confined with Knox and others in the castle of Rouen, France, where he wrote a treatise on justification, which was annotated by Knox and published in Ed- inburgh in 1584, under the title of "Confes- sion of Faith." On his release in 1559, he par- ticipated in the contest against Mary, became one of the negotiators of the treaty of Berwick, was reappointed to the bench in 1563, and one of the commissioners for the revision of the Book of Discipline. Subsequently he, Buchan- an, and others were counsellors of Murray in the case of Mary Stuart. BALSAM, in botany, a class of plants forming the genus impatiens, of the natural order ge- raniacea. It has 135 species, most of which are natives of the East Indies and China, but some have long been known in European gar- dens. The generic characteristics of the balsams are a succulent stem filled with a watery juice, simple leaves growing without stipules, irregu- lar flowers with one of the petals spurred, five stamens, distinct stigmas, and a capsule with