ACCOLADE [_ad_ and _collum_, Lat.] The ceremony of dubbing a knight, and
the consequent embrace formerly customary on the occasion.
ACCOMMODATIONS. Cabins fitted for passengers.--_Accommodation ladder_, a
convenient flight of steps fixed at the gangway, by which officers and
visitors enter the ship.--_Accommodation_, the physical application of
one thing to another by analogy.
ACCOMPANY, TO. To sail together; to sail in convoy.
ACCOST, TO. To pass within hail of a ship; to sail coastwise; to
approach, to draw near, or come side by side.
ACCOUNT, GOING UPON. A phrase for buccaneering.
ACCOUNTANT-GENERAL OF THE NAVY. Superintendent of pay and general
accounts of the navy.
ACCOUNTS. The several books and registers of stores, provisions, slops,
and contingents of a ship or fleet; and they are strictly enjoined to be
correct, real, and precise, both in receipt and expenditure.--_Account
sales_, a form of book-keeping in commerce.
ACCOUTREMENT. An old term for an habiliment, or part of the trappings
and furniture of a soldier or knight; now generally used for the belts,
pouches, and equipments of soldiers or marines.
ACCUL. A word used by old voyagers for the end of a deep bay; it is
corrupted from _cul de sac_.
ACHATOUR. The old word for caterer of a mess.
ACHERNAR. A star of the first magnitude in the constellation Eridanus,
called by navigators the "Spring of the River." It is invisible in our
latitude. ({a} Eridani.) Properly should be _acher nahr_.
ACHIEVEMENT. A signal exploit; escutcheon; armorial bearings granted for
achievement.
ACHROMATIC. An optical term applied to those telescopes in which
aberration of the rays of light, and the colours dependent thereon, are
partially corrected. (_See_ APLANATIC.)
ACHRONICAL. An ancient term, signifying the rising of the heavenly
bodies at sunset, or setting at sunrise.
ACKER. _See_ EAGRE or AIGRE. Also, an eddying ripple on the surface of
flooded waters. A tide swelling above another tide, as in the Severn.
(_See_ BORE.)
ACK-MEN, OR ACK-PIRATES. Fresh-water thieves; those who steal on
navigable rivers.
A-COCKBILL (_see_ COCK-BILL). The anchor hangs by its ring at the
cat-head, in a position for dropping.
ACOLYTE. A term sometimes used to distinguish the smaller component of a
double star. A subordinate officer in the ancient church.
ACON. A flat-bottomed Mediterranean boat or lump, for carrying cargoes
over shoals.
ACQUITTANCE. A commercial term, more generally called _quittance_ (which
see).
ACRE, OR ACRE-FIGHT. An old duel fought by warriors between the
frontiers of England and Scotland, with sword and lance. This duelling
was also called _camp-fight_.
ACROSS THE TIDE. A ship riding across tide, with the wind in the
direction of the tide, would tend to leeward of her anchor; but with a
weather tide, or that running against the wind, if the tide be strong,
would tend to windward. A ship under sail should prefer the tack that
stems the tide, with the wind _across the stream_, when the anchor is
let go.
ACROSTOLIUM. A buckler, helmet, or other symbolical ornament on the prow
of ancient ships; the origin of the modern figure-head.
ACT AND INTENTION. Must be united in admiralty law.
ACTE. A peninsula; the term was particularly applied by the ancients to
the sea-coast around Mount Athos.
ACT OF COURT. The decision of the court or judge on the verdict, or the
overruling of the court on a point of law.
ACT OF GOD. This comprehends all sudden accidents arising from physical
causes, as distinguished from _human_ agency, such as from lightning,
earthquakes, hurricanes, plagues, and epidemic contagion amongst the
crew. For none of these are ship-owners responsible.
ACT OF GRACE. An act of parliament for a general and free pardon to
deserters from the service and others.
ACTING COMMISSION. When a commissioned officer is invalided, his vacancy
is filled up pending the pleasure of the admiralty by an acting order.
But when an officer dies on a station, where the admiralty delegates the
power to the admiral commanding in chief, the vacancy is filled by an
acting commission. Thus also rear-admirals now act on acting commissions
as vice-admirals during command on their station, but return to their
proper position on the navy list when it ceases.
ACTION. Synonymous with _battle_. Also a term in mechanics for the
effort which one body exerts against another, or the effects resulting
therefrom.--_Action and reaction_, the mutual, successive, contrary
impulses of two bodies.
ACTIVE SERVICE. Duty against an enemy; operations in his presence. Or in
the present day it denotes serving on full-pay, on the active list, in
contradistinction to those who are virtually retired, and placed on
separate lists.
ACTIVITY. The virtue of acting. The sphere of _activity_ is the
surrounding space to which the efficacy of a body extends, as the
attraction of the magnet.
ACTO, OR ACTON. A kind of defensive tunic, made of quilted leather, or
other strong material, formerly worn under the outer dress, and even
under a coat of mail.
ACTUARIAE. Long light vessels of the ancients, especially contrived for
swiftness; propelled both by sails and oars; of the latter never less
than twenty.
ACUMBA. Oakum. The Anglo-Saxon term for the _hards_, or the coarse part,
of flax or unplucked wool.
ACUTE. Terminating in a point, and opposed to _obtuse_. An _acute_ angle
is less than a right one, or within 90 deg.
ACUTE-ANGLED TRIANGLE. That which has all its angles acute.
ADAMANT. The loadstone; the magnet--the sense in which it was held by
early voyagers; but others considered it a "precyowse stone," or gem.
ADAMAS. The moon in nautic horoscopes.
ADAPTER. A brass tube to fit the eye-end of a telescope, into which all
the eye-pieces will screw.
ADARRIS. A word which Howell explains as the flower of sea-water.
ADDEL, OR ADDLE. An old term for the putrid water in casks.
ADDICE, an adze. Also the addled eggs of gulls and other sea-fowl.
ADDLINGS. Accumulated pay or wages.
ADELANTADO. A lieutenant of the king of Spain, but used by old English
writers for "admiral."
ADHESION. Consent to a proposal. Union or temporary cohesion; as, two
vessels forced into _adhesion_ by the pressure of the tide on their
beam.
ADIT. A space in ancient ships, in the upper and broadest part, at which
people entered. The _adit_ of a military mine, is the aperture by which
it is dug and charged: the name is also applied to an air-hole or drift.
ADJACENT. Lying close to another object; a word applied to the relative
situations of capes or bays from the ship.--_Adjacent angle_ is one
immediately contiguous to another, so that they have one common side.
ADJOURN, TO. To put off till another day. _Adjournments_ can be made in
courts-martial from day to day, Sundays excepted, until sentence is
passed.
ADJUDICATION. The act of adjudging prizes by legal decree. Captors are
compelled to submit the adjudication of their captures to a competent
tribunal.
ADJUST, TO. To arrange an instrument for use and observation; as, to
adjust a sextant, or the escapement of a chronometer. To set the frame
of a ship.
ADJUSTMENT. In marine insurance, the ascertaining and finally settling
the amount of indemnity--whether of average or of salvage--which the
insured (after all proper deductions have been made) is entitled to
receive under the policy, when the ship is lost.
ADJUSTMENT OF THE COMPASS. Swinging a ship to every point of bearing, to
note the variation or error of the needle upon each rhumb, due to the
local attraction of the iron, or the mass, on each separate compass
bearing. Thus, in lat. 76 deg. N. it was found to be +22 deg. 30' with
the head W.S.W., and -56 deg. 30' on the opposite bearing, or E.N.E.
ADJUTANT. [From Lat. _adjuvo_, to help.] A military assistant to
field-officers. The term has been applied to an assistant captain of a
fleet. It is indeed the duty performed by first lieutenants.
ADMEASUREMENT. The calculation of proportions according to assumed
rules, often ignorantly practised in estimating the tonnage of a ship.
ADMIRAL. The derivation of this noble title from the Greek _almyros_,
from the Latin _admirabilis_, from the Saxon _aenmereeal_, and from the
French _aumer_, appear all fanciful. It is extensively received that the
Sicilians first adopted it from _emir_, the sea, of their Saracen
masters; but it presents a kind of unusual etymological inversion. The
term is most frequent in old Romance; but the style and title was not
used by us until 1286; and in 1294, William de Leybourne was designated
"Amiral de la Mer du Roy d'Angleterre;" six years afterwards Viscount
Narbonne was constituted Admiral of France; which dates nearly fix the
commencement of the two states as maritime powers.
The _admiral_ is the chief commander of a fleet, but of this rank there
are three degrees, distinguished by a flag at the fore, main, or mizen
mast, according to the title of _admiral_, _vice-admiral_, or
_rear-admiral_. These were again subdivided according to their colour of
red, white, or blue, which had to be likewise borne by the squadrons
they respectively commanded. (_See_ FLAG.) In 1865 the colours were
omitted, and the only flag now hoisted by ships of war is the white St.
George's ensign, and for admirals the white St. George's cross at the
main, fore, or mizen.
The _admiral of the fleet_ is the highest officer under the admiralty of
Great Britain; it is rather an honorary distinction, and usually
attained by seniority and service: when this officer serves afloat, he
hoists the proud distinction of the Union flag at the main.
The _lord high-admiral_ was one of the principal officers of the state,
who formerly decided all cases relating to the sea: he wore a gold call
and chain, similar in form to that which has descended to the boatswain
and his mate. This dignity has been extinct for many years, and the duty
merged into that of the lords-commissioners and admiralty court; in
1827, it was revived for a short time in the person of His Royal
Highness the Duke of Clarence.
The epithet of _admiral_ was also formerly applied to any large or
leading ship, without reference to flag; and is still used for the
principal vessel in the cod and whale fisheries. That which arrives
first in any port of Newfoundland retains this title during the season,
with certain rights of beach in flakes. The master of the second ship
becomes the vice-admiral, and the master of the third the rear-admiral.
ADMIRAL. A beautiful and rare shell of the genus _Conus_; the varieties
are designated the grand-admiral, the vice-admiral, the orange-admiral,
and the extra-admiral.
ADMIRALTY. An office for the administration of naval affairs, presided
over by a lord high-admiral, whether the duty be discharged by one
person, or by commissioners under the royal patent, who are styled
lords, and during our former wars generally consisted of seven. The
present constitution of the Board of Admiralty comprises--the first
lord, a minister and civilian as to office; four naval lords; one civil
lord attending to accounts, &c.; one chief secretary; one second
secretary. Two lords and one secretary form a legal Board of Admiralty
wherever they may be assembled, under the authority of the board or its
chief.
ADMIRALTY BLACK-BOOK. _See_ BLACK-BOOK.
ADMIRALTY COURT. The constitution of this court relatively to the
legislative power of the king in council, is analogous to that of the
courts of common law relatively to the parliament of the kingdom.--_High
Court of Admiralty_, a supreme court of law, in which the authority of
the lord high-admiral is ostensibly exercised in his _judicial_ capacity
for the trial of maritime causes of a civil nature. Although termed the
High Court of Admiralty, more properly this is the Court of
Vice-Admiralty, and relates solely to civil and military matters of the
sea, and sea boundaries, prizes, collisions, vessels or goods cast on
the shore where the vice-admirals have civil jurisdiction, but no naval
power, as the lord-lieutenants of counties are named in their patents
"vice-admirals of the same;" in like manner all governors of colonies.
All cases in connection are tried by the Admiralty Court in London, or
by our "courts of vice-admiralty and prize jurisdictions abroad."
Admirable as some of the decisions of this expensive tribunal have been,
it has all the powers of the Inquisition in its practice, and has
thereby been an instrument of persecution to some innocent navigators,
while it has befriended notorious villains. Besides this we have the
Admiralty Court of Oyer and Terminer, for the trial of all murders,
piracies, or criminal acts which occur within the limits of the country,
on the coast-lines, at sea, or wherever the admiralty jurisdiction
extends--the deck of a British ship included.
ADMIRALTY MIDSHIPMAN. Formerly one who, having served the appointed
time, and passed his examination for lieutenant, was appointed to a ship
by the admiralty, and thus named in contradistinction to those who used
to be rated by the captain; he generally had precedence for promotion to
"acting orders."
ADONIS. An anguilliform fish, about six inches long: it is of a golden
colour, with a greenish tint, and has a white line from its very small
gills to the tail.
ADORNINGS. The carved work on the quarter and stern-galleries of
men-of-war.
ADOWN. The bawl of privateersmen for the crew of a captured vessel to go
below. Saxon, _adoun_.
ADREAMT. Dozing; the sensation so often combatted with towards the end
of a first or a middle watch, it being the state, as an old author has
it, "between sleeping and waking."
ADRENT, OR ADREYNTE. An old term for _drowned_.
ADRIFT. Floating at random; the state of a boat or vessel broken from
her moorings, and driven to and fro without control by the winds and
waves. Cast loose; cut adrift.
ADSCRIPTS. Sometimes used for the tangents of arcs.
AD VALOREM. Duties levied on commercial goods, according to their value.
ADVANCE, TO. An old word, meaning to raise to honour.
ADVANCED POST. A spot of ground seized by a party to secure their front.
A piquet or outpost.
ADVANCED SQUADRON. One on the look-out.--_Advance_, or _vanguard_, that
division of a force which is next the enemy, or which marches before a
body.--_Advance fosse_, a ditch of water round the esplanade or glacis
of a fortification.--_Advance!_ the order to marines and small-arm men
to move forward.
ADVANCE-LIST. The register by which two months' wages to the crew are
paid, on first commission, and a quarter's to officers.
ADVANCEMENT. Promotion to higher rank.
ADVANCE MONEY. In men-of-war and most merchant ships the advance of two
months' wages is given to the crew, previous to going to sea; the
clearing off of which is called _working up the dead horse_.
ADVANCE NOTE. A document issued by owners of a ship or their agents,
promising to pay a seaman, or to his order, a sum of money in part of
his wages, within a certain number of days after he has sailed in the
ship. Advance notes are quite negotiable before a seaman has taken his
departure.
ADVANTAGE, OR VANTAGE-GROUND. That which gives superiority of attack on,
or defence against, an enemy; affording means of annoyance or
resistance.
ADVENTURE. An enterprise in which something is left to hazard.--_A bill
of adventure_ is one signed by the merchant, by which he takes the
chances of the voyage.
ADVERSARY. Generally applied to an enemy, but strictly an opponent in
single combat.
ADVERSE. The opposite of favourable; as, an _adverse_ wind.
ADVICE-BOAT. A small fast-sailing vessel in advance of a fleet, employed
to carry intelligence with all possible despatch. They were first used
in 1692, to gain tidings of what was transacting in Brest, previous to
the battle of La Hogue.
ADVOCATE GENERAL. An officer of the High Court of Admiralty, whose duty
it is to appear for the lord high-admiral in that court, the court of
delegates, or any other wherein his rights are concerned.--_Judge-advocate
of the navy_, a law officer appointed to watch over and direct
proceedings connected with courts-martial.--_Deputy judge-advocate_, an
appointment made by the sudden selection of some secretary, or captain's
clerk, to perform the duty at a court-martial (where no legal person is
empowered), utterly ignorant of the law or the customs of the naval
service.
ADZE, OR ADDICE. A cutting tool of the axe kind, for dubbing flat and
circular work, much used by shipwrights, especially by the Parsee
builders in India, with whom it serves for axe, plane, and chisel. It is
a curious fact that from the polar regions to the equator, and southerly
throughout Polynesia, this instrument and its peculiar adaptations,
whether made of iron, basalt, nephrite, &c., all preserve the same idea
or identity of conception.
AEINAUTAE. Senators of Miletus, who held their deliberations on board
ship.
AERATAE. Ancient ships fitted with brazen prows.
AEROLITES. One of the many names given to those solid masses or stones
which occasionally fall from the atmosphere to the surface of the earth.
The assumption of their periodicity cannot, as yet, be considered as
confirmed.
AEROLOGY. The rational doctrine or science of the air and its
phenomena.
AEROMANCY. Formerly the art of divining by the air, but now used for
foretelling the changes in the weather, either by experience or by
instruments.
AEROMETRY. The science of measuring the air, its powers, pressure, and
properties.
AESTIVAL. Belonging to summer; the solstitial point whereby the sun's
ascent above the equator is determined.
AESTUARY. _See_ ESTUARY.
AEWUL. An Anglo-Saxon term for a twig basket for catching fish.
AFEARD. This is a very common expression for _afraid_, and though
thought low, is a true archaism of our language, as seen in Chaucer,
Shakspeare, and Ben Jonson. Major Moor terms it an old and good word.
AFER. The south-west wind of the Latins, and used by some of the early
voyagers.
AFFAIR. An indecisive engagement; a duel.
AFFECTED. An algebraic term for an equation in which the unknown
quantity rises to two or more several powers.
AFFECTIONATE FRIENDS. An official inconsistent subscription, even to
letters of reproof and imprest, used by the former Board of
Commissioners of the Navy to such officers as were not of noble families
or bore titles; the only British board that ever made so mean a
distinction, equally kind with the regrets of the clergy on burning a
heretic, or those of Walton in cutting a live fish _tenderly_. It was
probably adopted from James, Duke of York, who, when lord high-admiral,
always so subscribed his official letters. It is said that this practice
was discontinued in consequence of a distinguished naval captain--a
knight--adding, "your affectionate friend." He was thereupon desired to
"discontinue such an expression," when he replied, "I am, gentlemen, no
longer your affectionate friend, J. Phillimore."
AFFIDAVIT. A declaration upon oath, weakened in importance by its too
frequent administration at custom-houses, lazarettos, &c. Declarations
are now substituted in the case of naval officers.
AFFIRMATIVE. The positive sign or quantity in algebra; also signal flag
or pendant by which a request or order is answered.
AFFLUENT. A stream flowing directly into another stream; a more specific
term than tributary.
AFFORCIAMENT. An old term for a fortress or stronghold.
AFFREIGHTMENT. A contract for the letting the vessel, or a part of her
for freight. (_See_ CONTRACT OF AFFREIGHTMENT.)
AFLOAT. Borne up and supported by the water; buoyed clear of the ground;
also used for being on board ship.
AFORE. A Saxon word opposed to abaft, and signifying that part of the
ship which lies forward or near the stem. It also means farther forward;
as, the galley is _afore_ the bitts.--_Afore_, the same as _before_ the
mast.--_Afore the beam_, all the field of view from amidship in a right
angle to the ship's keel to the horizon forward.
AFORE THE MAST. _See_ BEFORE THE MAST.
AFOUNDRIT. An archaism of _sunk_ or _foundered_.
AFRAID. One of the most reproachful sea-epithets, as not only conveying
the meaning being struck with fear, but also implies rank cowardice.
(_See_ AFEARD.)
AFT--a Saxon word contradistinctive of _fore_, and an abbreviation of
_abaft_--the hinder part of the ship, or that nearest the stern.--_Right
aft_ is in a direct line with the keel from the stern.--_To haul aft a
sheet_ is to pull on the rope which brings the clue or corner of the
sails more in the direction of the stern.--The mast _rakes aft_ when it
inclines towards the stern.
AFT-CASTLE. An elevation on the after-part of our ships of war, opposed
to forecastle, for the purpose of fighting.
AFTER. A comparative adjective, applied to any object in the hind part
of a ship or boat; as, the _after_-cabin, the _after_-hatchway,
&c.--_After_ sails, yards, and braces--those attached to the main and
mizen masts. Opposed to _fore_.
AFTER-BODY. That part of the ship's hull which is abaft the midships or
dead-flat, as seen from astern. The term is, however, more particularly
used in expressing the _figure_ or _shape_ of that part of the ship.
(_See_ DEAD-FLAT.)
AFTER-CLAP. Whatever disagreeable occurrence takes place after the
consequences of the cause were thought at an end; a principal
application being when a ship, supposed to have struck, opens her fire
again. This is a very old English word, alluding to unexpected events
happening after the seeming end of an affair; thus Spenser, in "Mother
Hubbard's Tale"--
"And bad next day that all should readie be,
But they more subtill meaning had than he:
For the next morrowes mede they closely ment,
For feare of _after-claps_, for to prevent."
AFTER-END. The stern of a ship, or anything in her which has that end
towards the stern.
AFTER-FACE. _See_ BACK OF THE POST.
AFTER-GUARD. The men who are stationed on the quarter-deck and poop, to
work the after-sails. It was generally composed of ordinary seamen and
landsmen, constituting with waisters the largest part of the crew, on
whom the principal drudgery of the ship devolved. At present the crews
of ships-of-war are composed chiefly of able and ordinary
seamen--landsmen are omitted.
AFTER-LADDER leads to captain's and officers' quarters, and only used by
officers.
AFTERMOST. The last objects in a ship, reckoned from forwards; as, the
_aftermost_ mast, _aftermost_ guns, &c.
AFTERNOON-WATCH. The men on deck-duty from noon till 4 P.M.
AFTER-ORDERS. Those which are given out after the regular issue of the
daily orders.
AFTER-PART. The locality towards the stern, from dead-flat; as, in the
_after-part_ of the fore-hold.
AFTER-PEAK. The contracted part of a vessel's hold, which lies in the
run, or aftermost portion of the hold, in contradistinction to
_fore-peak_. Both are the sharp ends of the ship.
AFTER-RAKE. That part of the hull which overhangs the after-end of keel.
AFTER-SAILS. All those on the after-masts, as well as on the stays
between the main and mizen masts. Their effect is to balance the
head-sails, in the manner that a weather-cock or vane is moved, of which
the main-mast must be considered the pivot or centre. The reverse of
_head-sails_. "Square the after-yards," refers to the yards on the main
and mizen masts.
AFTER-TIMBERS. All those timbers abaft the midship section or bearing
part of a vessel.
AFTMOST. The same as _aftermost_.
AFTWARD. In the direction of the stern.
AGA. A superior Turkish officer.
AGAINST THE SUN. Coiling a rope in the direction from the right hand
towards the left--the contrary of _with the sun_. This term applies to a
position north of the sun; south of the sun it would be reversed.
AGAL-AGAL. One of the sea fuci, forming a commercial article from the
Malay Isles to China, where it is made into a strong cement. The best is
the _Gracilaria spinosa_. Agal-agal derives its name from Tanjong Agal
on the north coast of Borneo; where it was originally collected. It is
now found in great abundance throughout the Polynesian Islands,
Mauritius, &c. It is soluble, and forms a clear jelly--used by
consumptive patients. It fetches a high price in China. It is supposed
that the sea-swallow derives his materials for the edible bird's nests
at Borneo from this fucus.
AGATE. The cap for the pivots of the compass-cards, formed of hard
siliceous stone, a chalcedony or carnelian, &c.
AGAVE. The American aloe, from which cordage is made; similar to the
pina of Manila. The fruit also, when expressed, affords the refreshing
drink "pulque."
AGE. In chronology, a period of a hundred years.--_Ship's age_, one of
the stipulations of contracts at Lloyd's.--_Age of the moon_, is the
interval of time or number of days elapsed since the previous
conjunction or new moon.
AGENCY. Payment _pro opera et labore_, fixed by the prize act at five
per cent. as a fair average, but it gives nothing where the property is
restored; in such cases it is usual for the agent to charge a gross sum.
AGENCY, NAVAL. A useful class of persons, who transact the monetary
affairs of officers, and frequently help them to the top branches of the
profession. They are paid for their services by a percentage of 2-1/2.
AGENT. In physics, expresses that by which a thing is done or
effected.--_Navy agent_ is a deputy employed to pass accounts, transact
business, and receive pay or other monies, in behoof of the officers and
crew, and to apply the proceeds as directed by them.--_Agent victuallers_,
officers appointed to the charge of provisions at our foreign ports and
stations, to contract for, buy, and regulate, under the authority of the
commissioners of the navy. (_See_ NEGLIGENCE.)--_Prize agent_, one
appointed for the sale of prizes, and nominated in equal numbers by the
commander, the officers, and the ship's company.
AGENTS TO LLOYD'S. _See_ LLOYD'S AGENTS.
AGGRESSION. The first act of injury in provoking warfare.
AGIO. An Italian word, applied to denote the profit arising from
discounting bills; also the difference between the value of bank-stock
and currency.
AGISTMENT. An embankment against the sea or rivers, or one thrown up to
fence out a stream.
AGON. A Chinese kind of metal cymbal. (_See_ GONG.) It is singular that
Gower, _circa_ 1395, using this old word for _gone_, thus metallicizes--
"Of brasse, of silver, and of golde,
The world is passed, and _agon_."
AGONIST. A champion; prize-fighter.
AGREEMENT. Except vessels of less than eighty tons register, the master
of a ship must enter into an agreement with every seaman whom he carries
from any port in Great Britain as one of his crew; and that agreement
must be in the form sanctioned by the Board of Trade. (_See_ RUNNING
AGREEMENT.)
AGROUND. The situation of a ship or other vessel whose bottom touches or
rests upon the ground. It also signifies stranded, and is used
figuratively for being disabled or hindered.
AGUA-ARDIENTE [Sp.] Corrupted into _aguardiente_,--the adulterated
brandy of Spain supplied to ships.
AGUADA. The Spanish and Portuguese term for a watering-place.
AGUGLIA. A common name for sharp-pointed rocks. From the Italian for
needle; written _agulha_ in Spanish and Portuguese charts.
AHEAD. A term especially referable to any object farther onward, or
immediately before the ship, or in the course steered, and therefore
opposed to _astern_.--_Ahead of the reckoning_, is sailing beyond the
estimated position of the ship.--_Ahead_ is also used for progress; as,
_cannot get ahead_, and is generally applied to forward, in advance.
AHOLD. A term of our early navigators, for bringing a ship close to the
wind, so as to hold or keep to it.
AHOO, OR ALL AHOO, as our Saxon forefathers had it; awry, aslant,
lop-sided. (_See_ ASKEW.)
AHOY! _See_ HO!
A-HULL. A ship under bare poles and her helm a-lee, driving from wind
and sea, stern foremost. Also a ship deserted, and exposed to the
tempestuous winds.
AID, TO. To succour; to supply with provisions or stores.
AID-DE-CAMP. A military staff officer, who carries and circulates the
general's orders; and another class selected as expert at carving and
dancing. In a ship, flag-lieutenant to an admiral, or, in action, the
quarter-deck midshipmen to a captain.
AIGRE. The sudden flowing of the sea, called in the fens of
Lincolnshire, _acker_. (_See_ BORE.)
AIGUADE [Fr.] AGUADA [Sp.] Water as provision for ships.
AIGUADES. Watering-places on French coasts.
AIGUILLE _aimantee_, magnetic needle. ---- _de carene_, out-rigger. ----
_d'inclinaison_, dipping needle. ---- _de tre_, or _a ralingue_, a
bolt-rope needle.
AIGUILLES. The peculiar small fishing-boats in the Garonne and other
rivers of Guienne.
AIGULETS [Fr. _aiguillettes_]. Tagged points or cords worn across the
breast in some uniforms of generals, staff-officers, and special mounted
corps.
AILETTES. Small plates of steel placed on the shoulders in mediaeval
armour.
AIM. The direction of a musket, cannon, or any other fire-arm or missile
weapon towards its object.--_To take aim_, directing the piece to the
object.
AIR. The elastic, compressible, and dilatable fluid encompassing the
terraqueous globe. It penetrates and pervades other bodies, and thus
animates and excites all nature.--_Air_ means also a gentle breath of
wind gliding over the surface of the water.--_To air_, to dry or
ventilate.
AIR-BLADDER. A vesicle containing gas, situated immediately beneath the
spinal column in most fish, and often communicating by a tube with the
gullet. It is the homologue of the lungs of air-breathing vertebrates.
AIR-BRAVING. Defying the winds.
AIR-CONE, in the marine engine, is to receive the gases which enter the
hot-well from the air-pump, where, after ascending, they escape through
a pipe at the top.
AIRE. A name in our northern islands for a bank of sand.
AIR-FUNNEL. A cavity formed by omission of a timber in the upper works
of a vessel, to admit fresh air into the hold of a ship and convey the
foul out of it.
AIR-GUN. A silent weapon, which propels bullets by the expansive force
of air only.
AIRING-STAGE. A wooden platform, on which gunpowder is aired and dried.
AIR-JACKET. A leathern garment furnished with inflated bladders, to buoy
the wearer up in the water. (_See_ AYR.)
AIR-PIPES. Funnels for clearing ships' holds of foul air, on the
principle of the rarefying power of heat.
AIR-PORTS. Large scuttles in ships' bows for the admission of air, when
the other ports are down. The Americans also call their side-ports by
that name.
AIR-PUMP. An apparatus to remove the water and gases accumulating in the
condenser while the engine is at work.
AIR-SCUTTLES. The same as _air-ports_.
AIR-SHAFTS. Vertical holes made in mining, to supply the adits with
fresh air. Wooden shafts are sometimes adopted on board ship for a
similar purpose.
AIRT, OR ART. A north-country word for a bearing point of the compass or
quarter of the heavens. Thus the song--
"Of a' the _airts_ the wind can blaw,
I dearly love the west."
AIRY. Breezy.
AKEDOWN. A form of the term _acton_, as a defensive dress.
ALABLASTER. An arbalist or cross-bow man; also the corruption of
_alabaster_.
ALAMAK. The name given in nautical astronomy to that beautiful double
star _Anak al ard_ of the Arabians, or {g} Andromedae.
ALAMOTTIE. The _Procellaria pelagica_, or Storm-finch; Mother Cary's
chicken, or stormy petrel.
ALAND. A term formerly used for to the shore, on shore, or to land.
ALARM, ALARUM [from the Italian _all'armi!_] An apprehension from
sudden noise or report. The drum or signal by which men are summoned to
stand on their guard in time of danger.--_False alarm_ is sometimes
occasioned by a timid or negligent sentry, and at others designedly by
an officer, to ascertain the promptness of his men. Sometimes false
alarms are given by the enemy to harass the adversary. Old Rider defines
_alarm_ as a "watch-word shewing the neernesse of the enemies."
ALARM-POST. A place appointed for troops to assemble, in case of a
sudden alarm.
ALBACORE. A fish of the family _Scombridae_, found in shoals in the
ocean; it is about 5 or 6 feet long, with an average weight of nearly
100 lbs. when fine.
ALBANY BEEF. A name for the sturgeon of the Hudson River, where it is
taken in quantity for commerce.
ALBATROSS. A large, voracious, long-winged sea-bird, belonging to the
genus _Diomedea_; very abundant in the Southern Ocean and the Northern
Pacific, though said to be rarely met with within the tropics.
ALBION. An early name of England, from the whiteness of the eastern
coast cliffs.
ALBURNUM. The sap-wood of timber, commonly termed the slab-cuts.
ALCAID. A governor, or officer of justice, amongst the Moors, Spaniards,
and Portuguese.
ALCATRAZ. The pelican. Alcatraz Island is situated in the mouth of the
river San Francisco, in California, so named from its being covered with
these birds. Also Alcatraz on the coast of Africa, from _Pelecanus
sula_--booby. Columbus mentions the alcatraz when nearing America, and
Drayton says--
"Most like to that sharp-sighted _alcatras_,
That beats the air above the liquid glass."
ALDEBARAN. The lucida of Taurus, the well-known nautical star, popularly
called Bull's-eye.
A-LEE. The contrary of _a-weather_: the position of the helm when its
tiller is borne over to the lee-side of the ship, in order to go about
or put her head to windward.--_Hard a-lee!_ or _luff a-lee!_ is said to
the steersman to put the helm down.--_Helm's a-lee!_ the word of command
given on putting the helm down, and causing the head-sails to shake in
the wind.
ALEMAYNE. The early name for Germany.
ALERT. On the look-out, and ready for any sudden duty. Nearly synonymous
with _alarm_. _Alerto_--called frequently by Spanish sentinels.
ALEWIFE. The _Clupea alosa_, a fish of the herring kind, which appears
in the _Philosophical Transactions_ for 1678, as the _aloofe_; the
corruption therefore was a ready one.
ALEXIACUS. The appellation under which Neptune was implored to protect
the nets of the tunny fisheries from the sword-fish.
ALFERE, OR ALFEREZ [_alfier_, Fr.; _alferez_, Span.] Standard-bearer;
ensign; cornet. The old English term for ensign; it was in use in our
forces till the civil wars of Charles I.
ALFONDIZA. The custom-house at Lisbon.
ALGA. A species of millepora.
ALGAE. Sea-weeds, and the floating scum-like substances on fresh water;
they deserve to be more studied, for some, as dulse, laver, badderlocks,
&c., are eatable, and others are useful for manure.
ALGEBRA. A general method of resolving mathematical problems, by means
of equations, or rather computing abstract quantities by symbols or
signs; a literal arithmetic.
ALGENIB. A principal star ({g}) in Pegasus.
ALGERE. A spear used by fishermen in olden times.
ALGIER DUTY. An imposition laid on merchants' goods by the Long
Parliament, for the redemption of captives in the Mediterranean.
ALGOL. A wonderful variable star in Perseus, which goes through its
changes in about two days and twenty-one hours.
ALGOLOGY. Scientific researches into the nature of sea-plants.
ALGORAB. A star taking rank as the {a} of Corvus, but its brightness of
late is rivalled by {b} Corvi.
ALHIDADE. An Arabic name for the index or fiducial of an astronomical or
geometrical instrument, carrying sight or telescope; used by early
navigators. A rule on the back of a common astrolabe, to measure
heights, &c.
ALIEN. Generally speaking, one born in a foreign country, out of the
king's allegiance; but if the parents be of the king's obedience, the
child is no alien. An alien enemy, or person under the allegiance of the
state at war with us, is not _generally_ disabled from being a witness
in admiralty courts; nor are debts due to him forfeited, but only
suspended.--_Alien's duty_, the impost laid on all goods imported into
England in foreign bottoms, over and above the regular customs.
ALIGNMENT. An imaginary line, drawn to regulate the order of a squadron.
ALIQUOT PART. That which will exactly divide a number, leaving no
remainder.
ALL. The total quantity; quite; wholly.--_All aback_, when all the sails
are taken aback by the winds.--_All ahoo_, or _all-a-ugh_, confused;
hanging over; crooked.--_All-a-taunt-o_, a ship fully rigged, with masts
in and yards crossed.--_All hands_, the whole ship's company.--_All
hands ahoy_, the boatswain's summons for the whole crew to repair on
deck, in distinction from the watch.--_All hands make sail!_ the
cheering order when about to chase a strange vessel.--_All hands to
quarters!_ the call in armed merchantmen, answering to the _Beat to
quarters_ in a man-of-war.--_All in the wind_, when a vessel's head is
too close to the wind, so that all her sails are shivering.--_All over_,
resemblance to a particular object, as a ship in bad kelter: "she's a
privateer _all over_."--_All overish_, the state of feeling when a man
is neither ill nor well, restless in bed and indifferent to meals. In
the tropics this is considered as the premonitory symptom of disease,
and a warning which should be looked to.--_All ready_, the answer from
the tops when the sails are cast loose, and ready to be dropped.--_All
standing_, fully equipped, or with clothes on. To be brought up _all
standing_, is to be suddenly checked or stopped, without any
preparation.--_Paid off all standing_, without unrigging or waiting to
return stores; perhaps recommissioned the next day or hour.--_All's
well_, the sentry's call at each bell struck (or half hour) between the
periods of broad daylight, or from 8 P.M. to 4 A.M.--_All to pieces_, a
phrase used for out-and-out, extremely, or excessively; as, "we beat her
in sailing _all to pieces_."--_All weathers_, any time or season;
continually.
ALLAN. A word from the Saxon, still used in the north to denote a piece
of land nearly surrounded by a stream.
ALLEGE. A French ballast-boat.
ALLEGIANCE. The legal obedience of a subject to his sovereign in return
for the protection afforded; a debt which, in a natural-born subject,
cannot be cancelled by any change of time, or place, or circumstance,
without the united consent of the legislature.
ALLER-FLOAT, OR ALLER-TROUT. A species of fine trout frequenting the
shady holes under the roots of the _aller_ or alder tree, on the banks
of rivers and brooks.
ALLIANCE. A league or confederacy between sovereigns or states, for
mutual safety and defence. Subjects of allies cannot trade with the
common enemy, on pain of the property being confiscated as prize to the
captors.
ALLICIENCY. The attractive power of the magnet.
ALLIGATOR [from the Spanish _lagarto_]. The crocodile of America. The
head of this voracious animal is flat and imbricate; several of the
under teeth enter into and pass through the upper jaw; the nape is
naked; on the tail are two rough lateral lines.
ALLIGATOR WATER. The brackish water inside the mouths of tropical
rivers, with white and muddy surface running into the sea.
ALLISION. Synonymous in marine law with _collision_, though the jurists
of Holland introduce it to mark a distinction between one vessel running
against another and two vessels striking each other.
ALLOCUTION. The harangue anciently made by the Roman generals to exhort
their forces.
ALLOTMENT. A part of the pay apportioned monthly to the wives, children,
mothers, or destitute fathers of the warrant and petty officers, seamen,
and marines of ships of war on foreign stations. In the merchant service
all such stipulations for allotting any portion of a seaman's wages
during his absence must be inserted in the agreement.
ALLOTMENT-LIST. A document containing the requisite details, attested by
the four signing officers, to be transmitted to the Navy Office.
ALLOTTING. Persons agreeing to buy a ship's cargo appoint a
disinterested person to allot a share to each by affixing their
respective names.
ALLOW, TO. To concede a destined portion of stores, &c.
ALLOWANCE. The ration or allotted quantum of provisions which each
individual receives; and it is either double, full, two-thirds, half, or
short, according to incidents.
ALLUVION. An accretion formed along sea-shores and the banks of rivers
by the deposition of the various substances held in solution or washed
by the waters. Sea alluvions differ from those of rivers, in that they
form a slope _towards_ the land.
ALLY. A friendly or confederated state.
ALMACANTARS. Circles parallel to the horizon, and supposed to pass
through every degree of the meridian. An Arabic term, synonymous with
_parallels of latitude_.
ALMACANTARS STAFF. An instrument formerly used at sea for observing the
sun's amplitude, formed of an arc of about 15 degrees.
ALMADIA. A small African canoe, made of the bark of trees. Some of the
larger square-sterned negro-boats are also thus designated.
ALMAFADAS. Large dunnage cut on the coast of Portugal.
ALMAGEST. The celebrated work of Ptolemy on geometry and astronomy.
Ricciolus adopted the term in 1651 for his _Body of Mathematical
Science_. It became general, whence Chaucer--
"His _Almagiste_ and bookes, grete and small."
ALMANAC. A record of the days, feasts, and celestial phenomena of the
year. Though confounded with calendar, it is essentially different--the
latter relating to time in general, and the almanac to that of a year;
but the term calendar can be properly used for a particular year. (_See_
EPHEMERIS.)
ALMATH [_Hamal_]. The star in Aries whence the first mansion of the moon
takes its name. The Frankeleine in Chaucer says:--
"And by his eighte speres in his werking,
He knew ful wel how far _Alnath_ was shove
Fro the hed of thilke fix Aries above,
That in the ninthe spere considered is."
ALMIRANTE. A great sea-officer or high-admiral in Spain.
ALMIRANTESA. The wife of an admiral.
ALMURY. The upright part of an astrolabe.
ALNUS CAVER. Transport-ships of the early English, so called from the
wood of which they were constructed.
ALOFT [Anglo-Saxon, _alofte_, on high]. Above; overhead; on high.
Synonymous with up above the tops, at the mast-head, or anywhere about
the higher yards, masts, and rigging of ships.--_Aloft there!_ the
hailing of people in the tops.--_Away aloft!_ the command to the people
in the rigging to climb to their stations. Also, heaven: "Poor Tom is
gone _aloft_."
ALONDE. An old English word for ashore, on land.
ALONG [Saxon]. Lengthwise.--_Alongside_, by the side of a ship; side by
side.--_Lying along_, when the wind, being on the beam, presses the ship
over to leeward with the press of sail; or, _lying along_ the land.
ALONGSHORE. A common nautical phrase signifying along the coast, or a
course which is in sight of the shore, and nearly parallel to it. (_See_
'LONGSHORE.)
ALONGST. In the middle of a stream; moored head and stern.
ALOOF. The old word for "keep your luff," in the act of sailing to the
wind. (_See_ LUFF.)--_Keep aloof_, at a distance.
ALOOFE. _See_ ALEWIFE.
ALOW. Synonymous with _below_; as _alow_ and _aloft_, though more
properly _low_ and _aloft_. Carrying all sail _alow and aloft_ is when
the reefs are shaken out, and all the studding-sails set.
ALPHABETICAL LIST. This is a list which accompanies the ship's books; it
contains the names and number of every person in the pay-book.
ALTAIR. The bright nautical star {a} Aquilae, binary.
ALTAR. A platform in the upper part of a dock.
ALTEMETRIE. The old term for trigonometry among navigators.
ALTERNATE. Reciprocal.--_Alternate angles_ are the internal angles
formed by a line cutting two parallels, and lying on the opposite side
of the cutting line; the one below the first parallel, and the other
above.--_Alternate ratio_ is that of which the antecedents and
consequents bear respectively to each other in any proportion which has
the quantities of the same kind.
ALTERNATING WINDS. Peculiar winds blowing at stated times one way, and
then, from a sudden alteration in the temperature of the elements,
setting in the contrary direction. A remarkable instance is that of the
Gulf of Arta in the Ionian Sea, where the effect is promoted by local
causes. All land and sea breezes are strictly alternating winds. These
however are mostly intertropical; the solar heat causing the sea-breeze
to blow on the land by day, and condensation and greater heat of the sea
causing a reaction when the land has cooled to a lower temperature.
ALTERNATION OR PERMUTATION OF QUANTITIES, is the varying or changing
their order, and is easily found by a continual multiplication of all
numbers.
ALTIMETRY. Trigonometry; the art of measuring heights or depressions of
land, whether accessible or not.
ALTITUDE. The elevation of any of the heavenly bodies above the plane of
the horizon, or its angular distance from the horizon, measured in the
direction of a great circle passing through the zenith. Also the third
dimension of a body, considered with regard to its elevation above the
ground.--_Apparent altitude_ is that which appears by sensible
observations made on the surface of the globe.--_Altitude of the pole._
The arc of the meridian between the pole of the heavens and the horizon
of any place, and therefore equal to its geographical latitude.--_Altitude
of the cone of the earth's and moon's shadow_, is the height of the one
or the other during an eclipse, and is measured from the centre of the
body.--_Altitude of a shot or shell._ The perpendicular height of the
vertex of the curve in which it moves above the horizon.--_Meridian
altitude._ The arc of the meridian,--or greater or less altitude,
measured from the horizon, of a celestial object in its passage over the
meridian, above or below the pole, of the place of the observer. In
Polar regions two such transits of the sun, and in England similarly,
circumpolar stars afford double observations for the determination of
time or latitude. The general term is understood by seamen to denote
mid-day, when the passage and meridian altitude of the sun affords the
latitude.--_True altitude_ is that produced by correcting the apparent
one for parallax and refraction.
ALTMIKLEC. A silver Turkish coin of 60 paras, or 2_s._ 9-1/2_d._
sterling.
ALUFFE, OR ALOOF. Nearer to the wind. This is a very old form of _luff_;
being noticed by Matthew Paris, and other writers, as a sea-term. (_See_
LUFF.)
ALURE. An old term for the gutter or drain along a battlement or parapet
wall.
ALVEUS. A very small ancient boat, made from the single trunk of a tree.
A monoxylon, or canoe.
A.M. The uncials for _ante-meridian_, or in the forenoon. (_See_
MERIDIAN.)
AMAIN [Saxon _a_, and _maegn_, force, strength]. This was the old word to
an enemy for "yield," and was written _amayne_ and _almayne_. Its
literal signification is, with force or vigour, all at once, suddenly;
and it is generally used to anything which is moved by a tackle-fall, as
"lower amain!" let run at once. When we used to demand the salute in
the narrow seas, the lowering of the top-sail was called _striking
amain_ (_see_ STRIKE), and it was demanded by the _wave amain_ (_see_
WAVING), or brandishing a bright sword to and fro.
AMALPHITAN CODE, the oldest code of modern sea-laws, compiled, during
the first Crusade, by the people of Amalfi in Italy, who then possessed
considerable commerce and maritime power.
AMAYE. Sea-marks on the French coast.
AMBASSADOR. A practical joke performed on board ship in warm climates,
in which the dupes are unmercifully ducked in the wash-deck tub:--
"And he was wash'd, who ne'er was wash'd before."
AMBER. A hard resinous substance of vegetable origin, generally of a
bright yellow colour, and translucent. It is chiefly obtained from the
southern shores of the Baltic, and those of Sicily, where it is thrown
up by the sea, but it also occurs in beds of lignite.
AMBERGRIS. A fragrant drug found floating on sea-coasts, the origin and
production of which was long a matter of dispute, although now known to
be a morbid product developed in the intestines of the spermaceti whale
(_Physeter macrocephalus_). It is of a grayish colour, very light,
easily fusible, and is used both as a perfume and a cordial, in various
extracts, essences, and tinctures.
AMBIENT [from _ambio_, Lat., to go round]. Surrounding, or investing;
whence the atmosphere is designated ambient, because it encompasses the
earth.
AMBIGENAL. One of the triple hyperboles of the second order.
AMBIT of a geometrical figure is the perimeter, or the line, or sum or
all the lines, by which it is bounded.
AMBITION is usually denominated a virtue or a vice according to its
direction; but assuredly more of the former, as it is a grand stimulus
to officers to avoid reproach, and aspire to eminence and honour.
AMBLYGON. Obtuse angular.
AMBRY. _See_ AUMBREY.
AMBUSCADE [Span. _emboscada_]. A body of men lying in wait to surprise
an enemy, or cut off his supplies; also the site where they lurk. This,
as well as _ambush_, obviously arose from woods having afforded
hiding-places.
AMBUSH. Signifies an attempt to lie in concealment for the purpose of
surprising the enemy without his perceiving the intention until he is
attacked.
AMELIORATION. An allowance made to the neutral purchaser, on reclaiming
a ship irregularly condemned, for repairs she has undergone in his
service.
AMICABLE NUMBERS are such as are mutually equal to the sum of each
other's aliquot parts.
AMIDSHIPS. The middle of the ship, whether in regard to her length
between stem and stern, or in breadth between the two sides. To put the
helm _amidships_ is to place it in a line with the keel. The term,
however, has a more general bearing to the axis of the ship; as guns, or
stores, or place amidships has reference to that line, fore and aft.
Externally the term "amidships" as to striking, boarding, &c., would be
about the main-mast, or half the length of the ship. (_See_ MIDSHIPS.)
AMIDWARD. Towards the 'midship or middle section of the vessel.
AMLAGH. A Manx or Gaelic term denoting to manure with sea-weed.
AMLEE. A Manx or Gaelic term for sea-weed.
AMMUNITION. This word had an infinite variety of meanings. It includes
every description of warlike stores, comprehending not only the
ordnance, but the powder, balls, bullets, cartridges, and
equipments.--_Ammunition bread_, that which is for the supply of armies
or garrisons.--_Ammunition chest_, a box placed abaft near the stern or
in the tops of men-of-war, to contain ammunition, for the arms therein
placed, in readiness for immediate action.--_Ammunition shoes_, those
made for soldiers and sailors, and particularly for use by those
frequenting the magazine, being soft and free from metal.--_Ammunition
waggon_, a close cart for conveying military effects.--_Ammunition
wife_, a name applied to women of doubtful character.
AMNESTY. An act of oblivion, by which, in a professional view, pardon is
granted to those who have rebelled or deserted their colours; also to
deserters who return to their ships.
AMOK. A term signifying slaughter, but denoting the practice of the
Malays, when infuriated to madness with bang (a preparation from a
species of hemp), of sallying into the streets, or decks, to murder any
whom they may chance to meet, until they are either slain or fall from
exhaustion.--_To run a-muck._ To run madly and attack all we meet
(_Pope_, _Dryden_). As in the case of mad dogs, certain death awaited
them, for if not killed in being taken, torture and impalement followed.
AMORAYLE. An archaism of _admiral_.
AMORCE [Fr.] A word sometimes used to signify priming-powder.
AMPERES. An ancient vessel, in which the rowers used an oar on each side
at once.
AMPHIBIA. A class of animals which, from a peculiar arrangement of
breathing organs, can live either in water or on land. [Gr. _amphibios_,
having a double manner of life.] Hence _amphibious_.
AMPHIPRORAE. Ancient vessels, both ends of which were prow-shaped, so
that in narrow channels they need not turn.
AMPHISCII. The inhabitants of the torrid zone are thus denominated from
their shadow being turned one part of the year to the north and the
other to the south.
AMPHOTEROPLON. _See_ HETEROPLON.
AMPLITUDE. As a general term, implies extent. In astronomy, it is an arc
of the horizon intercepted between the true east or west points thereof,
and the centre of the sun, star, or planet, at its rising or setting. In
other words, it is the horizontal angular distance of a star from the
east or west points. It is eastern or ortive when the heavenly object
rises, and western or occiduous when it sets, and is moreover northern
or southern according to its quarter of the horizon.--_Amplitude_, in
gunnery, is the range or whole distance of a projectile, or the right
horizontal line subtending the curvilineal path in which it
moved.--_Amplitude_, in magnetism, is the difference between the rising
and setting of the sun from the east and west points, as indicated by
the mariner's or magnetic compass--which subtracted from the true
amplitude, constitutes the error of the compass, which is the combined
effect of variation and local deviation.
AMPOTIS. The recess or ebb of the tide.
AMRELL. An archaic orthography for _admiral_.
AMULET. A small relic or sacred sentence, preservative against disaster
and disease, appended to the neck by superstitious people: few Italian
or Spanish seamen are without them.
AMUSETTE. A kind of gun on a stock, like that of a musket, but mounted
as a swivel, carrying a ball from half a pound to two pounds weight.
AMY. A foreigner serving on board, subject to some prince in friendship
with us.
ANACLASTICS, OR ANACLATICS. The ancient doctrine of refracted light or
dioptrics.--_Anaclastic curves_, the apparent curves formed at the
bottom of a vessel full of water, or anything at great depths overboard
to an eye placed in the air; also the heavenly vault as seen through the
atmosphere.
ANADROMOUS. A term applied to migratory fishes, which have their stated
times of ascending rivers from the sea, and returning again, as the
salmon and others.
ANALEM. A mathematical instrument for finding the course and elevation
of the sun.
ANALEMMA. A projection of the sphere on the plane of the meridian, taken
in a lateral point of view, so that the colours become circles, whilst
those whose planes pass through the eye become right lines, and the
oblique circles ellipses. On globes it is represented by a narrow
double-looped formed figure, the length of which is equal to the
breadth of the torrid zone, and is divided into months and days, to show
approximately the solar declination and the equation of time.
ANALOGY. Resemblance, relation, or equality; a similitude of ratios or
proportions.
ANALYSIS. The resolution of anything into its constituent parts:
mathematically, it is the method of resolving problems by reducing them
to equations.--_Analysis of curves_ is that which shows their
properties, points of inflection, station, variation, &c.--_Analysis of
finite quantities_ is termed specious arithmetic or algebra.--_Analysis
of infinites_ is a modern introduction, and used for fluxions or the
differential calculus.--_Analysis of powers_ is the evolution or
resolving them into their roots.--_Analysis of metals_, fluids, solids,
earths, manures, &c.
ANALYTIC. That which partakes of the property of analysis, and is
reducible thereby.
ANAN. A word going out of use, uttered when an order was not understood,
equal to "What do you say, sir?" It is also used by corruption for
_anon_, immediately.
ANANAS. (_Bromelia_). Pine-apple.
ANAPHORA. A term sometimes applied to the oblique ascensions of the
stars.
ANAS. A genus of water-birds of the order _Natatores_. Now restricted to
the typical ducks.
ANASTROUS. _See_ DODECATIMORIA.
ANAUMACHION. The crime amongst the ancients of refusing to serve in the
fleet--the punishment affixed to which was infamy.
ANCHIROMACHUS.--A kind of vessel of the middle ages used for
transporting anchors and naval stores.
ANCHOR. A large and heavy instrument in use from the earliest times for
holding and retaining ships, which it executes with admirable force.
With few exceptions it consists of a long iron shank, having at one end
a ring, to which the cable is attached, and the other branching out into
two arms, with flukes or palms at their bill or extremity. A stock of
timber or iron is fixed at right angles to the arms, and serves to guide
the flukes perpendicularly to the surface of the ground. According to
their various form and size, anchors obtain the epithets of the _sheet_,
_best bower_, _small bower_, _spare_, _stream_, _kedge_, and _grapling_
(which see under their respective heads).
_Anchor floating_, _see_ FLOATING ANCHOR.--_At anchor_, the situation of
a ship which rides by its anchor.--_To anchor_, to cast or to let go the
anchor, so that it falls into the ground for the ship to ride
thereby.--_To anchor_ with a spring on the cable, _see_ SPRING. _Anchor_
is also used figuratively for anything which confers security or
stability.
ANCHORABLE. Fit for anchorage.
ANCHORAGE. Ground which is suitable, and neither too deep, shallow, or
exposed for ships to ride in safety upon; also the set of anchors
belonging to a ship; also a royal duty levied from vessels coming to a
port or roadstead for the use of its advantages. It is generally marked
on the charts by an anchor, and described according to its attributes of
good, snug, open, or exposed.
ANCHOR-BALL. A pyrotechnical combustible attached to a grapnel for
adhering to and setting fire to ships.
ANCHOR-CHOCKS. Pieces indented into a wooden anchor-stock where it has
become worn or defective in the way of the shank; also pieces of wood or
iron on which an anchor rests when it is stowed.
ANCHOR-DAVIT. _See_ DAVIT.
ANCHORED. Held by the anchor; also the act of having cast anchor.
ANCHOR-HOLD. The fastness of the flukes on the ground; also the act of
having cast anchor, and taken the ground. (_See_ HOME.)
ANCHOR-HOOPS. Strong iron hoops, binding the stock to the end of the
shank and over the nuts of the anchor.
ANCHOR-ICE. The ice which is formed on and incrustates the beds of lakes
and rivers: the _ground-gru_ of the eastern counties of England. (_See_
ICE-ANCHOR.)
ANCHORING. The act of casting anchor.--_Anchoring ground_ is that where
anchors will find bottom, fix themselves, and hold ships securely: free
from rocks, wrecks, or other matters which would break or foul the
anchor or injure the cable. In legal points it is not admitted as either
port, creek, road, or roadstead, unless it be _statio tutissima nautis_.
A vessel dropping anchor in known foul ground, or where any danger is
incurred by inability to recover the anchor, or by being there detained
until driven off by stress of weather, is not legally anchored.
ANCHOR-LINING. The short pieces of plank fastened to the sides of the
ship, under the fore-channels, to prevent the bill of the anchor from
tearing the ship's side when fishing or drawing it up. (_See also_
BILL-BOARDS.)
ANCHOR-RING. Formerly the great ring welded into the hole for it. Recent
anchors have Jew's-harp shackles, easily replaced, and not so liable to
be destroyed by chain-cables.
ANCHOR-SEAT. An old term for the prow of a ship, still in use with
eastern nations--Chinese, Japanese, &c.
ANCHOR-SHACKLE. An open link of iron which connects the chain with the
anchor--a "Jew's-harp" shackle.
ANCHOR-SMITH. A forger of anchors.
ANCHOR-STOCK. A bar at the upper end of the shank, crossing the
direction of the flukes transversely, to steady their proper direction.
In small anchors it is made of iron, but in large ones it is composed of
two long cheeks or beams of oak, strongly bolted and tree-nailed
together, secured with four iron hoops. It is now generally superseded
by the iron stock.
ANCHOR-STOCK-FASHION. The method of placing the butt of one wale-plank
nearly over the middle of the other; and the planks being broadest in
the middle, and tapered to the ends, they resemble an anchor-stock, with
which it is more in keeping than is the method called _top-and-butt_;
also pursued in fishing spars, making false rudder-heads, &c.
ANCHOR-STOCKING is a mode of securing and working planks in general with
tapered butts.
ANCHOR-STOCK TACKLE. A small tackle attached to the upper part of the
anchor-stock when stowing the anchor, its object being to bring it
perpendicular and closer to the ship.
ANCHOR-WATCH. A subdivision of the watch kept constantly on deck during
the time the ship lies at single anchor, to be in readiness to hoist jib
or staysails, to keep the ship clear of her anchor; or in readiness to
veer more cable or let go another anchor in case the ship should drive
or part her anchor. This watch is also in readiness to avoid collision
in close rivers by veering cable, setting sail, using the helm, &c.,
which formerly involved the essence of seamanship.
ANCHOVY. The _Engraulis encrasicholus_. A small fish of the family
_Clupeidae_, about four inches in length, much used in sauces and
seasoning when cured. It is migratory, but principally taken in the
Mediterranean, where those of Gorgona are most esteemed in commerce.
ANCIENT. A term formerly used for the colours and their bearer, as
ensign is now. Shakspeare's Nym was only a corporal, but Pistol was an
ancient.
ANCON. A corner or angle of a knee-timber.--_Ancon_ [Sp.] Harbour, bay,
or anchorage.
ANCOR-STRENG. A very old designation of a cable.
ANCYLE. A kind of dart thrown with a leathern thong.
ANDREA-FERRARA. _See_ FERRARA.
ANDREW, OR ANDREW MILLAR. A cant name for a man-of-war, and also for
government and government authorities.
ANDROMEDA. A hemispherical medusa found in the Indian and Red Seas. The
body is transparent and brownish, with a black cross in the middle, and
has foliaceous white arms on the under part.
ANDROMEDAE {a}. (Alpheratz.) A star of the first magnitude in the
constellation of Andromeda.
ANELACE. The early name for a dirk or dagger usually worn at the
girdle.
ANEMOMACHIA. A whirlwind or hurricane in old writers.
ANEMOMETER, OR WIND-GAUGE. An instrument wherewith to measure the
direction and velocity of wind under its varying forces--a desideratum
at sea.
ANEMONE. _See_ ANIMAL FLOWERS.
ANEMOSCOPE. A vane index with pointers to tell the changes of the wind
without referring to the weather-cock.
AN-END. The position of any spar when erected perpendicularly to the
deck. The top-masts are said to be _an-end_ when swayed up to their
usual stations and fidded. To strike a spar or plank _an-end_ is to
drive it in the direction of its length. (_See_ EVERY ROPE AN-END.)
ANENT, OR ANENST. Opposite to; over against.
ANEROID. A portable barometer or instrument for showing variations of
the weather by the pressure of the atmosphere upon a metallic box
hermetically sealed.
ANEROST. A coast-word of the western counties for _nigh_ or _almost_.
ANEW. Enough, as relating to number.
ANGEL-FISH. The _Squatina angelus_, of the shark family. It inhabits the
northern seas, is six or eight feet long, with a cinereous rough back
and white smooth belly; the mouth is beneath the anterior part of the
head, and the pectoral fins are very large. (Also, _Chaetodon_.)
ANGEL-HEAD. The hook or barb of an arrow; probably _angle-head_.
ANGEL-SHOT. A ball cut in two, and the halves joined by a chain.
ANGIL. An old term for a fishing-hook [from the Anglo-Saxon _ongul_, for
the same]. It means also a red worm used for a bait in angling or
fishing.
ANGLE. The space or aperture intersected by the natural inclination of
two lines or planes meeting each other, the place of intersection being
called the vertex or angular point, and the lines legs. Angles are
distinguished by the number of degrees they subtend, to 360 deg., or the
whole circumference of a circle. Angles are acute, obtuse, right,
curvilinear, rectilinear, &c. (all of which see).
ANGLE-DOG, OR ANGLE-TWITCH. A large earth-worm, sought for bait.
ANGLE-IRONS. Certain strips of iron having their edges turned up at an
angle to each other; they are of various sizes, and used for the ribs
and knees of the framing of iron vessels.
ANGLE OF COMMUTATION. The difference between the heliocentric longitudes
of the earth and a planet or comet, the latter being reduced to the
ecliptic.
ANGLE OF ECCENTRICITY. An astronomical term denoting the angle whose
sine is equal to the eccentricity of an orbit.
ANGLE OF ELEVATION. _See_ ELEVATION.
ANGLE OF INCIDENCE. _See_ INCIDENCE.
ANGLE OF LEE-WAY. The difference between the apparent compass-course and
the true one--arising from lateral pressure and the effect of sea when
close-hauled. It is not applicable to courses when the wind and sea are
fair.
ANGLE OF POSITION. A term usually confined to double stars, to
distinguish the line of bearing between them when they are apparently
very near to each other.
ANGLE OF REFLECTION. _See_ REFLECTION.
ANGLE OF SITUATION. This was formerly called the _angle of position_,
and is also termed the _parallactic angle_ (which see).
ANGLE OF THE CENTRE. In fortification, the angle formed at the centre of
the polygon by lines drawn from thence to the points of two adjacent
bastions.
ANGLE OF THE SHOULDER. _See_ EPAULE.
ANGLE OF THE VERTICAL. The difference between the geographical and
geocentric latitudes of a place upon the earth's surface.
ANGLER. A fisherman, or one who angles for recreation rather than
profit. Also a species of _Lophius_ or toad-fish; from its ugliness and
habits called also the _sea-devil_. It throws out feelers by which small
fry are enticed within its power.
ANGLES OF TIMBERS. _See_ BEVELLING.
ANGLING. The practice of catching fish by means of a rod, line, hook,
and bait, which by its mixture of idleness and chance forms recreation;
but however simple the art appears, it requires much nicety.
ANGON. A javelin formerly used by the French, the point of which
resembled a _fleur-de-lis_: it is also generally applied to the
half-pike or javelin.
ANGOSIADE. An astronomical falsehood; a term originating from the
pretended observations of D'Angos at Malta.
ANGRA [Sp.] Bay or inlet.--_Angra grande_, _pequena_, &c., on the coasts
of Spanish and Portuguese settlements.
ANGUILLIFORM. Applied to fishes having the shape, softness, and
appearance of eels.
ANGULAR CRAB. An ugly long-armed crustacean--the _Goneplax
angulata_--with eyes on remarkably long stalks.
ANGULAR DISTANCE. This term, when applied to celestial bodies, implies
that the sun and moon, or moon and stars, are within measuring distance
for lunars.
ANGULAR MOTION is that which describes an angle, or moves circularly
round a point, as planets revolving about the sun.
ANGULAR VELOCITY. This is a term used in the orbits of double stars, and
implies the motion in a certain time of one star round the other.
ANILLA. A commercial term for indigo, derived from the plant whence it
is prepared. [Sp. _anil_, indigo, Indigofera; _alnyl_, Arab.]
ANIMAL FLOWERS. _Actiniae_, or sea-anemones and similar animals, which
project a circle of tentacula resembling flowers. Formerly they were all
classed under zoophytes.
ANIMATE. The giving power or encouragement.--_To animate a battery_, to
place guns in its embrasures.--_To animate a needle_, to magnetize
it.--_To animate the crew_ in various ways for any special duty.
ANKER. An anker of brandy contains ten gallons. The kegs in which
Hollands is mostly exported are ankers and half-ankers.
ANKER-FISH. A name of a kind of cuttle-fish.
ANKLE-BONE. An old seaman's term for the crawfish.
ANNELIDS. A class of worm-like animals, of which the body is composed of
a series of rings.
ANNET. A sea-gull, well known in Northumberland and on the northern
coasts.
ANNIVERSARY WINDS. Those which blow constantly at certain seasons of the
year, as monsoon, trade, and etesian winds.
ANNONA. An ancient tax for the yearly supply of corn or provisions for
the army and capital: still in use in Italy.
ANNOTINAE. The ancient Roman victuallers or provision vessels.
ANNOTTO (_Bixa orellana_). The plant from the dried pulp of the
seed-vessels of which a delicate red dye is obtained, used to give a
rich colour to milk, butter, and cheese.
ANNUAL. Those astronomical motions which return or terminate every year.
ANNUAL ACCOUNTS. The ship's books and papers for the year.
ANNUAL EQUATION. An inequality in the moon's march, arising from the
eccentricity of the earth's orbit, whereby the diurnal motion is
sometimes quicker and at other times slower than her mean motion.
ANNUAL PARALLAX. _See_ PARALLAX.
ANNUAL RETURNS. In addition to the general accounts of the year, there
are three returns to be transmitted to the admiral or senior officer for
the Admiralty. They are, a report of the sailing and other qualities of
the ship; state of the ship as to men; and progress of the young
gentlemen in navigation.
ANNUAL VARIATION. The change produced in the right ascension or
declination of a star by the precession of the equinoxes and proper
motion of the star taken together. Also, the annual variation of the
compass.
ANNUL, TO. To nullify a signal.
ANNULAR. Resembling an annulus or ring. An _annular_ eclipse takes place
when the apparent diameter of the moon is less than that of the sun, and
a zone of light surrounds the moon while central.
ANNULAR SCUPPER. A contrivance for fitting scuppers so that the whole
can be enlarged by a movable concentric ring, in order that a surcharge
of water can be freely delivered; invented by Captain Downes, R.N.