or BALLON, in a general sense, signifies any spherical hollow body, of whatever matter it be composed, or for whatever purposes it be designed. Thus, with chemists, balloon denotes a round short-necked vessel, used to receive what is distilled by means of fire; in architecture, a round globe on the top of a pillar; and among engineers, a kind of bomb made of pasteboard, and played off, in fire-works, either in the air or on the water, in imitation of a real bomb.

Air-BALLOON. See AEROSTATION.

BALLOON also denotes a kind of game something resembling tennis. The balloon is played in the open field, with a great round ball of double leather blown up with wind, and thus driven to and fro with the strength of a man's arm, fortified with a brace of wood.

or BALLOEN, is more particularly used among voyagers for the state-barges of Siam. The balloons are a kind of brigantine, managed with oars, of very odd figures, as serpents, sea-horses, &c. but by their sharpness and number of oars, of incredible swiftness. The balloons are said to be made of a single piece of timber, of uncommon length; they are raised high, and much decorated with carving at head and stern: some are gilt over, and carry 120 or even 150 rowers on each side. The oars are either plated over with silver, or gilt, or radiated with gold; and the dome or canopy in the middle, where the company is placed, is ornamented with some rich stuff, and furnished with a balustrade of ivory, or other costly matter, enriched with gilding. The edges of the balloon just touch the water, but the extremities rise with a sweep to a great height. Some are adorned with a variety of figures, made of pieces of mother-of-pearl inlaid: the richer sort, instead of a dome, carry a kind of steeple in the middle; so that, considering the flendernels of the vessel, which is usually 100 or 120 feet long, and scarce fix broad, the height of the two ends, and of the steeple with the load of decorations, it is a kind of miracle they are not overfet.

in the French paper trade, is a term for a quantity of paper, containing 24 reams.

BALLOON, or BALLOT, in the French glass-trade, signifies a certain quantity of glass-plates, smaller or greater according to their quality. The ballon of white glass contains 25 bundles, of six plates per bundle; but the ballon of coloured glass is only of 12 1/2 bundles, and of three plates to a bundle.