-654 B A L 
one called, more particularly, erxvlxhia, or made 
of wood, fometimes a foot or even a cubit long ; their 
heads being armed with Spikes of iron, b.eneath which 
were hemp, pitch, and other combuftibles, which, being 
fet on fire, were calf among the enemy. See Archery. 
The preparation of fire-balls, among the moderns, con- 
fifts of Several operations, viz. making the bag, preparing 
the compofition, tying, and, lafily, dipping, the ball. 
The bags for this purpofe are either oval or round. The 
compofition is generally as follows: To ten pounds of meal- 
gunpowder add two of falt-petre, one of Sulphur, and one 
of colophony ; or to fix pounds of gunpowder, add four 
of falt-petre, four of fulphur, one of powdered glafs, half 
a pound of antimony, as much camphor, an ounce of Sal- 
ammoniac, and four of common fait, all pulverifed. For 
tying the fire-balls, they prepare two iron rings, one fit¬ 
ted round the aperture, where the ball is to be lighted, 
the other near its bafe. A cord is tied to thefe rings in 
fitch a manner, as that the feveral turns reprefent Semi¬ 
circles of the fphere cutting the globe through the poles ; 
over the cords, extended according to tire length of the 
ball, others are tied, cutting the former at right angles, 
and parallel to each other, making a knot at each inter¬ 
section : lafily, after putting in a leaden bullet, the reft of 
the fpace is filled with tow or paper. Thus completed, 
the fire-.ball remains to be dipped in a compofition of melt¬ 
ed pitch four pounds, colophony two, and linfeed oil or 
oil of turpentine two ; after dipping, they cover it round 
with tow, and dip again, till it be brought to the jufi dia¬ 
meter required. 
Light- Balls, with engineers, are fuch as diffufe an 
intenfe light around 5 or they are bails which, being call 
out of the hand, or from a mortar, burn for fome time, 
and illuminate the adjacent parts. Small light-balls for 
the hand are made of ground powder, falt-petre, brim- 
fione, camphor, and borax, all fprinkled with oil, and 
moulded into a mafs with fuet; and this is wrapped up in 
tow, with a (beet of firong paper over it. To fire it, they 
make a hole with a bodkin, into which they put fome 
priming that will burn flow. Its life is to be caft into any 
of the enemy’s works they would examine in the night¬ 
time. For the larger light-balls, or thole to be thrown to 
a greater difiance, they melt equal quantities of fulphur, 
turpentine,.and pitch ; and therein dip an earthen or ftone 
ball, of a diameter much lefs than that of the mortar out 
of which it is to be caft : then rolling it in gun-powder, 
and covering it round with gauze, they dip it again and 
again, till it come to fit the cavity of the mortar : they 
then fprinkle it around with gun-powder. This, being 
once kindled, will ftrongly illuminate the fpot where it is 
thrown, and give opportunity to examine the ftate and con¬ 
dition of the place. 
Smoke or Dark Balls, are thofe which fill the air with 
.Smoke and darken a place to prevent difcoveries. To 
prepare a darkening ball, make an oval or fpherical bag, 
melt rofin over the coals, and add an equal part of nitre, 
the fame of fulphur, and a fifth part of charcoal. The 
whole being well incorporated, put in fome Shred tow, 
and fill the bag with this compofition, dipping it as direct¬ 
ed for the fire-ball. 
Stink-B alls, are thofe which yield a great ftcnch 
when fired to annoy the enemy. They are prepared thus : 
Melt ten pounds of pitch, fix of rofin, twenty of falt-pe¬ 
tre, eight of gunpowder, and four of colophony ; to thefe 
add two of charcoal, fix of horfe-hoofs cut frnall; three 
of afiafcetida, one of the (linking-faracen, and any other 
offenfive ingredients. With this compofition fill the bag, 
and dip as before. 
Sky.- B a lls, are thofe which are caft on high out of 
mortars, and which, when arrived at their height, burft- 
ing like rockets, afford a beautiful Spectacle. Sky-balls 
are made of a wooden Shell, filled with various composi¬ 
tions, particularly that of the liars or fnakes of a rocket. 
Tiiefe are fometimcs intermixed with crackers and other 
combuftibles, making rains of fire, &c. 
3 
B A L 
Water- Balls, thofe which fwim and burn a donflder- 
able time in the water, and at length burft therein, Thefe 
are made in a wooden (hell, the cavity of which is filled 
with refined falt-petre, fulphur, faw-duft boiled in water of 
faltpetre, and dried ; to which Sometimes other ingredients 
are added, as iron filings, Greek pitch, amber 'duft, pow¬ 
dered glafs, and camphor. The ingredients are to be 
ground, mixed up, and moiftened with linfeed oil, nut 
oil, olive oil, hempfeed oil, or petrol. At the bottom is 
placed an iron coffin, filled with whole gun-powder, that 
the ball may at laft explode with a great noife : ana, lafily, 
the ball is, by the addition of lead or otherwise, made of 
the fame Specific gravity with water. 
Land- Balls, or Shells, are thofe which, being 
tin own out of a mortar, fall to the ground, burn, and 
burft there. The ingredients are much the Same as in the 
Water- Balls, only the Specific gravity is not attended 
to. For other inventions.of the kind, and for the art of 
preparing all manner of fire-works, fee the article Pyro- 
TECHNY. 
BALLABTJ'AN (Straits of), or Str aits. of Bali, the 
channel between the iflands of Java and Bali, in the Indian 
Sea, 
BAL'LAD, f. \_balade, Fr.] A fonnet or fong, gene-., 
rally confiding of trivial verfes, reciting fome attion, ad¬ 
venture, - or intrigue : 
Like tiie Sweet ballad, this amufing lay 
Too long detains the lover on his way. G.ay. 
The French confine their ballads to (fritter terms. A 
ballad, according to Richelet, is a fong confiding of three 
ftrophes, or Stanzas, of eight verfes each, belides a half 
ftrophe ; the whole in rhime, cf two, three, or four, 
verfes, with a burthen repeated at the end of each ftrophe, 
as well as of the half ftrophe. In the old Englifh verfion 
of the Bible, the book of Canticles is intitled The Ballad 
of Ballads ; which has given Scandal to fome Romifh 
writers as countenancing the opinion of thofe who hold 
that book a ballad of love, or a recital of the amours be¬ 
tween Solomon and his concubine, as Caftalio and fome 
others have conceived it to be. Some have fuggefted that 
a collettion of ballads is neceftary to a mi miter, in order 
to learn the temper and inclinations of a people, which 
are here frequently uttered with great fimplicity. The 
great Cecil, chief minifter to queen 1 Elizabeth, is faid to 
have made a mod ample colleiStion of ballads, on this ac¬ 
count. There is a very curious cojjettion of olct Englifh 
and Scottifh ballads, published in three volumes ottavo, 
by Dr. Percy ; in which, and in a dissertation prefixed to 
Dr. Aikin's Colledlion of Songs, &c. the curious in this 
way may find abundance of entertainment and information. 
To Ballad, v. n. To make or Sing ballads : 
They’ll catch at us like (trumpets, and feali’d rhimers, 
Ballad us out o’ tune. Shakrfpeare. 
Ballad-singer,/ [from ballad and One who fe 
employment it is to fing ballads in the Streets ; 
No fooner ’gan he raife his tuneful fong, 
But lads and lanes round about him throng. 
Not ballad-finger , plac’d above the crowd, 
Sings with a note f® Shrilling, Sweet, and loud. Gay, 
BALLADUK', a town of Arabia Deferta, 140 miles 
eaft-north-eaft of Damafcus. 
BALLAGHAN', a town of Ireland, in the county of 
Sligo, and province of Connaught. - 
Ballaghan-foint, a cape on the eaft coaft of Ireland, 
in the county of Louth, tire South-weft entrance of Car- 
lingford bay, eleven miles fouth-eaft of Newry. Lat. 53. 
58. N. Ion. 6. 4. W. Greenwich. 
BAL'LAN, a town of France, in the late diocefe of 
Mons, with the title of a marquifate, Seated on the river 
Orne. 
BALLANTl'RE, or Ballantrae, a Sea-port town 
of Scotland, on the weft coalt of the county of Ayr, in 
the Frith of Clyde, containing about eighty houfes and 
300 
