es, such as tallow-melting, soap-boiling,
tile-making and brewing, are carried on. The Jews form a very considerable
part of the population, which in 1867 numbered 14,528, and in 1897, 23,393.
Balta was in great part destroyed by the Russians in 1780.

BALTARD, LOUIS PIERRE (1764-1846), French architect and engraver, was born
in Paris on the 9th of July 1764. He was originally a landscape painter,
but in his travels through Italy was so much struck with the beauty of the
Italian buildings, that he changed his profession and devoted himself to
architecture. In his new occupation he achieved great success, and was
selected to prepare the plans for some of the largest public edifices in
Paris. His reputation, however, is chiefly based on his great skill in
engraving. Among the best known of his plates are the drawings of Paris
(_Paris et ses monuments_, 2 vols. fol., 1803), the engravings for Denon's
_Egypte_, the illustrations of Napoleon's wars (_La Colonne de la grande
armee_), and those contained in the series entitled the _Grand prix de
l'architecture_, which for some time he carried on alone. He also gained
distinction as an engraver of portraits. Baltard died in Paris on the 22nd
of January 1846.

Two of his children were also architects. Of these the more important was
VICTOR BALTARD (1805-1874), who was born in Paris on the 19th of June 1805.
In 1833 he gained the _prix de Rome_ at the Ecole des beaux-arts for
designing a military school. He was largely instrumental in introducing a
regular scheme of fresco decoration by modern artists in the churches of
Paris, to take the place of the heterogeneous collections of pictures of
all kinds with which their walls had been promiscuously decorated. He built
many additions to existing churches, and also the church of St Augustin, in
which he united the structural values of stone and steel. His most popular
achievement was, however, the building of the central market in Paris.
Victor Baltard also built the slaughter houses and the cattle market of La
Villette. He died in Paris on the 13th of January 1874, after a life of
great activity in his profession.

BALTIC SEA (Scand. and Ger. _Ostsee_; Russ. _Baltiyskoe More_), a sea
extending between 54deg and 66deg N. lat., and 9deg and 30deg E. long.,
surrounded by the territories of Sweden, Russia, Germany and Denmark. Its
greatest length is about 960 m.; greatest breadth about 400 m.; and length
of coast-line, 5000 m.; the cen