Ballium

[L. Lat.] ( Fort.) See BAILEY. Ball Mountain, in Michigan, a P. O. of Oakland co. Balloon', n. [Fr. ballon, from balle, a ball.] Any spherical hollow body; a round chemical ve el; a ball on the top of a pillar, . (Aeronautics.) A large globe or pear-shaped bag, made of paper or varnished silk, which, containing a gas specifically lighter than common air, rises into the atmosphere with a greater or le degree of ascensional force. A car, supported by a net-work which extends over the balloon, supports the aeronaut; and a valve, usually placed at the top, to which a string is attached, reaching to the car, gives him the power of allowing the gas to escape, and of descending at pleasure. - During the dark ages, and for some time after the revival of science, numerous projects were entertained for navigating the air; but it is only in very recent times, since 1783, that any of them have been realized. The first idea was to employ some mechanical contrivance resembling the wings of birds; but Borelli demonstrated that all attempts on the part of man to fly must nece arily fail, from the utter disproportion of his muscular power to the force that would be nece ary to give impulsion to wings of such enormous magnitude as would be required to sustain his weight in the air. - The principle by which a B. rises in the atmosphere is exactly the same as that which causes the ascent of a cork from the bottom of a ve el filled with water. The weight of the volume of air which it displaces must exceed the weight of the balloon and all that it carries with it. That bodies must rise and remain suspended in a fluid denser than themselves was proved by Arch i me des; but the weight of the air is a modern discovery; and it was only in the latter half of the last century that chemistry detected the nature and differences of specific gravities of aëriform fluids. Mr. Cavendish, in 1766, found hydrogen gas to be from about seven to eleven times lighter than common air, according to the mode of its preparation. In its pure state it is found to be nearly sixteen times lighter than common air. This substance, therefore, if prevented from diffusing itself, and allowed to obey the force by which it is impelled upwards, will continue to mount till it arrives at a stratum of the atmosphere sixteen times more atten. uated than at the surface of the earth. Accordingly, no sooner had Cavendish announced his discovery, than it occurred to Dr. Black that a very thin bag filled with hydrogen gas would mount to the ceiling of a room. Through some imperfection, the experiment, when he attempted to execute it, failed; and Cavallo, in 1782, did not succeed in raising anything heavier than a soap bubble. -Knowing the specific gravities of atmospheric air, of the gas with which the balloon is to be filled, and the weight of the envelope in which it is confined, it is not difficult to compute the size the balloon must have in order to rise from the ground, or carry a given weight to a given height in the atmosphere. A globe of air, one foot in diameter, at the level of the sea and under ordinary pre ure, weighs about 1-25th of a pound avoirdupois. An equal globe of hydrogen gas, obtained in the usual way by di olving iron filings in diute sulphuric acid, may be a umed (making every ailowance for imperfect preparation) to be about six times lighter Ball'-room, n. A room set apart for the holding of balls, or a emblies of persons met for dancing. Ball's Bluff, in Virginia , opposite Harrison's Island, on the right bank of the Potomac, in Loudoun co., about 33 m. N.W. of Washington. Here a severe battle was fought between the Union troops and the Confederates on the 21st Oct., 1861. The latter having occupied the Virgin i an shore of the river for several months, Gen. Mo- Clellan, whose army was a embled on the Maryland side, made a reconnoi ance on the 19th. Several Union companies cro ed the Potomac on Sunday, the 20th. and took up a position on Leesburg Heights, or Ball's Bluff. Their number was increased to 1,900 men by large rein- for cements on the 21st, when they occupied a parallel- ogram, bounded on three sides by a dense forest, and on the fourth by the river, with only four boats capable of carrying 60 persons each, as a means of return. The Confederates opened a heavy fire from the surrounding woods, and the National troops, their retreat being cut off by the destruction of the boats, suffered a disastrous defeat, losing their commander, Col. Baker, and about 1,000 men killed, wounded, and prisoners; together with three guns. The Confederate General Evans estimated his lo at 300 men. This battle is sometimes called the Battle of Leesburg Heights. their seats in the basket of a smoke-balloon; and after rising to an elevation of upwards of 3,000 feet, descended in safety to the earth. The next ascent was made by MM. Charles and Robert in a B. filled with hydrogen gas, on the first of Jan., 1784. After a flight of an hour and a half, they alighted on the meadow of Nesle, about 25 m. from Paris, without the slightest accident. B. be- came then quite a rage, so that, from the commencement of the year 1784, Europe was literally covered with them. In 1785, Dr. Potain cro ed from Dublin to England; and the celebrated Blanchard, who made 36 succe ful voy- ages, pa ed from England to France, accompanied by Dr. Jeffries, an American physician, the voyage being per- formed in le than three hours. This visit led to the tragic death of Pilâtre de Rozier. Wishing to return the compliment of Blanchard's trip, Rozier, with a companion named Roumain, set out for England in a combination of the fire and gas B. Shortly after starting, when they had reached a height of 3,000 feet, the whole took fire, and the voyagers were dashed upon the rocks near Boulogne, and killed. This calamitous occurrence, however, did not damp the courage of aëronauts. It was obvious that it had been occasioned by the want of proper precautions; accordingly, ascents continued to be multiplied, and have since become so common as to be an ordinary spec- tacle in the principal cities of the Old and New Worlds. -When B. first began to be constructed, it was expected that they would be found applicable to many important purposes. These expectations have largely ended in disappointment, chiefly through the difficulty of con- trolling the course of balloons, the principal power which the aeronaut has being to control the elevation of his balloon within certain limits. The highest ascent on record was made by Glaisher and Coxwell, Sept. 5, 1862, from Wolver hampton, England. These daring aëronauts reached an elevation of fully 7 miles, at which point the barometer fell to 7 inches and the thermometer stood at-12° F. Greater height has been reached by small balloons provided with registering dusky co., on the Sandusky river, about 11⁄2 m. from Fre- apparatus. One sent up in March, 1896, reached a height of 8 miles; but in October, 1895, a still greater height had been reached-50,854 feet, or about 925 miles. The temperature here registered-94° F. In some instances the B. has been used for military purposes- first by General Jourdan, in 1794, and later in various wars. During the siege of Paris, in 1870-71, many B. left the city, conveying several persons and nearly 2,500,- 000 letters and post-cards, answers being returned by means of carrier pigeons. It is probable that in future wars captive or dirigible B. may be employed, both to observe or photograph an enemy's position and to let fall explosives on camps and ships. Ascents were made by Biot and Gay Lu ac, in 1804, for the purpose of making meteorological observations in the upper atmosphere. Other scientific ascents have been made from time to time, the most important being those of Glaisher and Flam marion (1862-68). Aërost at i on has been actively prosecuted in the U. S., and Mr. Wise has more than once exploded his B. in the air, the frag- ments of the net-work serving as a parachute and per- mitting an easy descent. The latest projected use of the B. is for the purpose of reaching the North Pole, a feat which several adventurers are prepared to undertake. (See POLAR RESEARCH.) For experiments and results in the use of B. as controllable air-ships, see AERONAUTICS. Balloon'ist, n. An aëronaut; one who manufactures or ascends in a balloon. Ballot, n. [Fr. ballotte , from balle , a ball.] A little ball used in giving votes; a ticket or written note, used for the same purpose, and put privately into a box or urn set apart for this object. -Act of voting by balls or tickets; as, "The insufficiency of the ballot ." -Dickens. -v. n. [Fr. ball otter .] To vote by ballot or by written tickets. "Giving their votes by balloting , they lie under no awe."- Swift . Ballo'ta, n. [Gr. ballo , to reject, on account of its offen- sive odor.] ( Bot .) A genus of plants, ord. Lamiacea. The black or fetid Horehound, B. nigra , with a stem 2-3 feet high, and purple or white flowers in axillary ver- ticles, has the general appearance of the Horehound, Marrubium vulgare , without its fragrance. Bal'lotade, n . ( Man . ) The leap-of a horse between two pillars, or upon a straight line, so that when his fore feet are in the air, he shows nothing but the shoes of his hind feet, without jerking out; differing in that respect from the capriole. Bal'lot-box, n. A box for receiving votes by ballot. Bal'loter, n. A person who votes by ballot. Bal'lot in, n. One who collects votes by ballot. (R.) Balloting, n. The act of voting by ballot. Ballou', HOSEA, commonly called FATHER BALLOU, the founder of Universalism in the U. States, was B. at Rich- mond, New Hampshire, in 1771. His father, a Baptist clergyman, gave him but scanty education. We are told that he learned to write with a cinder on strips of bark, by the light of the fire. Having embraced the Universalist doctrine, he was expelled from his father's church, and soon became an itinerant preacher. After laboring in different parts of the country, he settled as minister of the second Universalist Society in Boston, where he D. in 1852. During his long ministry of 60 years, he was ever earnest in promulgating his peculiar tenets, and was so succe ful as to found a sect. In his various writings he also avowed his belief in the Unitarian doc- trines. B. founded the Universalist Expositor , now called the Universalist Quarterly Review. Ball-proof, a . Not susceptible of being punctured or penetrated by balls from fire-arms. Ball's Mills, in Pennsylvania , a vill. of Lycoming co. Ball's Pond, in Connecticut , a village of Fairfield co. Balls'ton, in New York , a post-township of Saratoga co., 25 m. N. of Albany. Balis'ton Centre, in New York , a post-village of Sa- ratoga co., 25 m. N. of Albany. Balls'ton Spa, in New York , a post-village and cap. of Saratoga co., 30 m. N. of Albany, and 7 S.W. of Sara- toga Springs. It is remarkable for its springs of man- eral waters, from whence the affix of spa to its Balls'town, in Indiana , a post-village of Ripley co. Balls'ville, in Ohio , a village and township of San- Ball'-vein, n . (Min.) A sort of iron-ore, found in loose ma es of a circular form, containing sparkling particles. Ball'ville, in New York , a village of Orange co., 23 m. W. by N. of Newburg. Ball'win, in Mi ouri , a post-office of St. Louis co. Bal'ly, n. ( Geog .) See BAL. Bally, a considerable town of the island of Lombok, in the Malayan Archipelago, E. Indies. Lat. 8° 31′ S.; Lon. 116° 28′ E. Ballybay', a town and par. of Ireland, in co. Mona- ghan, and 8 m. S.S.E. of Monaghan. Ballybofey, or Ballybo'phy, a town of Ireland, co. Donegal, on the Finn, 14 m. W.S.W. of Lifford; pop . about 850. Ballyboy', a parish of Ireland, in Leinster province, King's co. Ballybun'nion, a watering-place of Ireland, on the Shannon, 17 m. N. of Tralee, in the co. Kerry. It is famous for its many natural caves, some of which are of large size. Bally burley, a parish of Ireland, in King's co. Ballycal'len, a par. of Ireland, co. Kilkenny. Bally castle, a seaport of Ireland, on the N. coast of the co. Antrim, prov. Ulster, on a bay of the same name, 42 m. W. by N. of Belfast; pop . about 2,500. Bally castle, a sea-bathing resort in Ireland, co. Mayo; pop . about 1,000. Ballyclare', a market-town of Ireland, co. Antrim, 11 m. N. of Belfast; pop . about 1,000. Bally clough', in low a , a post-office of Dubuque co. Ballycon'nell, a town of Ireland, co. and 9 m. N.W. of Sligo. Pop . about 600. Ballyeas'ton, a par. and village of Ireland, co. Antrim, 2 m. N. of Ballyclare. Pop . about 300. Ballyfer'ris Point, a promontory of the E. coast of Ireland, co. Down; Lat. 54° 39′ N.; Lon. 5° 34/ W. Ballyfin', a chapelry of Ireland, in Queen's co., 4 m. N. of Mary borough. Ballygawley, a market-town of Ireland, co. Tyrone, 3 m. N.N.W. of Aughnacloy. Pop . about 950. Ballyhaise', a town of Ireland, co. and 4 m. N.N.E. of Cavan. Pop . about 750. Bally heigh', or Bally he i gue', a par. of Ireland, co. Kerry, on a bay of the same name, 9 m. N.E. of Tralee. Pop . about 5,000. IMG:content-0505.jpg:[graphic][subsumed] q. v. Ballymoʻney, a town and par. of Ireland, co. Antrim, 17 m. N.W. of Bally men a. Pop. about 3,000. -A parish of Ireland, co. Cork. Bally more', a par. of Ireland, co. West meath. Pop . about 4,000.- Another, co. Wexford; pop . about 600. -A par. and market-town, co. Armagh; pop . about 12,000. Bally more'-Eus'tace, a village and par. of Ireland, co. Kildare, on the Liffey. Pop . of parish, about 2,400; of village, about 1,100. Ballymote', a village of Ireland, co. Sligo, and 13 m. S.W. of the town of Sligo. Ballymy'aeck, a par. of Ireland, co. Tipperary. Ballyo'vey, a parish of Ireland, co. Mayo. Ballyrag get, a par. of Ireland, on the Nore, co. Kil. kenny, 10 m. N.N.W. of Kilkenny. Pop . about 930. Bally sad are', a flourishing seaport of Ireland, situated on a bay of the same name, in the co. of Sligo. Ballysax', a par. of Ireland, co. Kildare. Bally scullion, a par. of Ireland, co. Antrim. Ballyshan'non, a seaport town of Ireland, in the co. of Donegal, and prov. of Ulster, on the Erne, where it discharges into Bally shannon Bay, 108 m N.W. of Dublin In its immediate vicinity is a magnificent cascade formed by the Erne. Pop . about 3,000. Here are the ruins of the ancient castle of the O'Donnells, Earls of Tyrconnell. Ballyshan'non, a parish of Ireland, co. Kildare. Ballytore', a town of Ireland, 11 m. S.S.E. of Kildare. Pop . about 510. Ballyvour'ney, a par. and village of Ireland, co. Cork, 8 m. W. of Macroom. Ballywal'ter, a par. of Ireland, co. Down. Bally wil'lin, a parish of Ireland, co. London derry. Balm, ( bäm ,) n. [Fr. baume. See BALSAM.] An odoriferous vegetable sap or juice; a fragrant ointment. That which heals, soothes, or mitigates pain; figuratively used in the same sense in composition. "A tender smile our sorrow's only balm ."-Young. ( Bot .) A common aromatic plant; the Meli a of ficin a lis. See MELISSA. Balm of Gilead. See BALSA MOD END RON. -v. a. To anoint with balm, or any balsamic substance. " Balm his foul head with warm distilled waters."-Shaks. -To soothe; to mitigate; to a uage. "This rest might yet have balm'd thy senses."-Shaks. Balm, in Pennsylvania , a post-office of Mercer co. Balme, (COL DE,) ( bam ,) a pa of the Alps in Switzerland, leading from the valley of Trient into that of Chamouni. Height, 7,218 ft. above the sea. Balm'ily, adv . In a balmy manner. Balmoral Castle, ( bal -mo'ral,) in Scotland, the Highland residence of Queen Victoria, in the parish of Crathie, Aberdeen shire, 52 m. from Aberdeen. Balm'y, a. Having the qualities of balm; aromatic; odoriferous; soft; mitigating; mild. Affording or producing balm.