ALLEGIANT, loyal, faithful to the laws.
ALLEZER, to cleanse the mouth of a cannon or other piece of ordnance, and to increase the bore, so as to produce its determined calibre.
ALLEZOIR, a frame of timber firmly suspended in the air with strong cordage, on which is placed a piece of ordnance with the muzzle downwards. In this situation the bore is rounded and enlarged by means of an instrument which has a very sharp and strong edge made to traverse the bore by the force of machinery or horses, and in an horizontal direction.
ALLEZURES, the metal taken from the cannon by boring.
ALLIAGE, a term used by the French to denote the composition of metals used for the fabrication of cannon and mortars, &c.
ALLIANCE, in a military sense, signifies a treaty entered into by sovereign states, for their mutual safety and defence. In this sense alliances may be divided into such as are offensive, where the contracting parties oblige themselves jointly to attack some other power; and into such as are defensive, whereby the contracting powers bind themselves to stand by, and defend one another, in case of being attacked by any other power.
Alliances are variously distinguished, according to their object, the parties in them, &c. Hence we read of equal, unequal, triple, quadruple, grand, offensive, defensive alliances, &c.
ALLODIAL, independent; not feudal. The Allodii of the Romans were bodies of men embodied on any emergency, in a manner similar to our volunteer associations.
ALLOGNE, the cordage used with floating bridges, by which they are guided from one side of a river to the other.
ALLONGE, Fr. a pass or thrust with a rapier or small sword; also a long rein used in the exercising of horses.