Balm (bäm; Melissa officinālis), a plant, belonging to the Labiatæ;, formerly in great repute for its medicinal virtues. A native of the south of Europe, it is cultivated in English gardens. It is a herbaceous perennial, with an
erect branching stem about 2 feet high. The leaves arise with the flower-stems from a thick joint at the extremity of the stalk. The flowers are whitish; they are produced in a round terminal umbel, and appear in June. The stems and leaves are slightly stimulating and tonic. They contain an essential oil of a yellowish colour and with a fragrant smell, called oil of balm.
Balm of Gilead, the exudation of a tree, Balsamodendron gileadense, nat. ord. Amyridaceæ, a native of Arabia Felix, and also obtained from the closely-allied species Balsamodendron Opobalsămum. The leaves of the former tree yield when bruised a strong aromatic scent; and the balm of Gilead of the shops, or balsam of Mecca or of Syria, is obtained from it by making an incision in its trunk. It has a yellowish or greenish colour, a warm, bitterish, aromatic taste, and an acidulous fragrant smell. It is valued as an odoriferous unguent and cosmetic by the Turks. It is frequently adulterated for market.—The balm of Gilead fir, which produces a turpentine called Canada balsam, is the Abies balsamifĕra, a North American species, whose range is from Virginia to Canada. The name is derived from Jeremiah, viii, 22.
Balmain´, a populous western suburb of Sydney, N.S.W., with extensive docks and various industrial works. Pop. 33,000.
Balmer´ino, Arthur Elphinstone, Lord, a Scottish Jacobite, born 1688, executed 1746. He took part in the Jacobite rebellion of 1715, and fought at Sheriffmuir. Having joined the young Pretender in 1745, he was taken prisoner at Culloden, tried at Westminster, found guilty, and beheaded. His title was from Balmerino in Fife.
Balmor´al Castle, a private residence of the British sovereign, beautifully situated on the S. bank of the Dee, in Aberdeenshire, 45 miles W. by S. of Aberdeen. It stands in the midst of fine and varied mountain scenery, is built of granite in the Scottish baronial style, mainly in two connected blocks, and has an imposing appearance. The estate, purchased by the Prince Consort in 1852 and bequeathed to Queen Victoria, extends to about 40,000 acres, mostly deer forest.
Balnaves´, Henry, of Halhill, a Scottish reformer, was born at Kirkcaldy, educated at St. Andrews, and became a lord of session and a member of the Scottish Parliament in 1538. He was one of the commissioners appointed in 1543 to treat of the proposed marriage between Edward VI and Mary. In 1547 he was one of the prisoners taken in the castle of St. Andrews and exiled to France. Recalled in 1554, he busily engaged in the establishment of the reformed faith, assisted in revising the Book of Discipline, and accompanied Murray to England in connection with Darnley's murder. He died in 1579.
Balrampur. See Bulrampur.
Balsa, a kind of raft or float used on the coasts and rivers of Peru and other parts of South America for fishing, for landing goods and passengers through a heavy surf, and for other purposes where buoyancy is chiefly wanted. It is formed generally of two inflated seal-skins, connected by a sort of platform on which the fisherman, passengers, or goods are placed.
Bal´sam, the common name of succulent plants of the genus Impatiens, family Balsaminaceæ, having beautiful irregular flowers, cultivated in gardens and green-houses. Impatiens balsamīna, native of the East Indies, is a common cultivated species. I. noli-me-tangere grows wild in Britain, but is not native. See Impatiens.