CHURCH. The part of the ship arranged on Sunday for divine service.
CHURCH-WARDEN. A name given on the coast of Sussex to the shag or
cormorant. Why, deponent sayeth not.
CHUTE. A fall of water or rapid; the word is much used in North America,
wherever the nomenclature of the country retains traces of the early
French settlers. (_See_ SHOOT.)
CILLS. Horizontal pieces of timber to ports or scuttles; mostly spelled
_sills_ (which see). Generally pronounced by sailors _sell_, as the
port-sell.
CINGLE [from _cir-cingle_, a horse's belt]. A belt worn by seamen.
CINQUE-PORT. A kind of fishing-net, having five entrances.
CINQUE PORTS, THE. These are five highly privileged stations, the once
great emporiums of British commerce and maritime greatness; they are
Dover, Hastings, Sandwich, Romney, and Hythe, which, lying opposite to
France, were considered of the utmost importance. To these were
afterwards added Winchelsea, Rye, and Seaford. These places were
honoured with peculiar immunities and privileges, on condition of their
providing a certain number of ships at their own charge for forty days.
Being exempted from the jurisdiction of the Admiralty court, the Lord
Warden of the Cinque Ports is authorized to make rules for the
government of pilots within his jurisdiction, and in many other general
acts exceptions are provided to save the franchises of the Cinque Ports
unimpeached. It is a singular fact that it has never been legally
determined whether the Downs and adjacent roadsteads are included in the
limits of the Cinque Ports. All derelicts found without the limits by
Cinque Port vessels are droits of admiralty. This organization was
nearly broken up in the late state reforms, but the Lord Warden still
possesses some power and jurisdiction.