aback A sail is aback when it acts to drive a ship in the direction of the STERN.
abaft Toward the after part, or STERN, of the ship. Used relatively, as in abaft the BEAM: on the stern side of an imaginary line across the middle (or WAIST) of a vessel.
Abd-ar-Rahman I (731-788) The first Umayyad emir of Córdoba (756-88). The only survivor of the Abbasid massacre of his family in Damascus, he fled from Syria and eventually entered Spain, where he defeated the emir of Córdoba at Alameda and seized power. He reorganized the state and attempted to unite the various Muslim groups. His great mosque at Córdoba—finished by his son and successor, Hisham I (757-796)—is a monument of Moorish architecture, known for its complex interior of low rounded arches with alternating black and white stones.
Abercrombie, General Sir Ralph (1734-1802) Scottish-born general. Studied law in Edinburgh and Leipzig, but joined the Dragoons in 1756 and fought in the Seven Years’ War. Member of Parliament for Clackmannanshire, Scotland, 1774-1780. After serving in Holland in 1793 and commanding an expedition in the West Indies, he commanded British forces in Ireland and Scotland. In 1801 he was appointed to command the expedition to the Mediterranean. He died on board H.M.S. Foudroyant of wounds suffered during the successful landing of Anglo-Turkish troops at Aboukir Bay in Egypt.
ablation The removal of any part of the body by surgery.
able seaman A general term for a sailor who has a great deal of experience in performing the basic tasks of sailing a ship. In the Royal Navy in the 18th century the most senior, best paid, and most prestigious of the three basic RATES of sailors: able seaman, ORDINARY SEAMAN, and LANDSMAN.
Aboukir An island and bayou on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt located to the east of Alexandria and to the west of the Rosetta Mouth of the Nile. The Battle of the NILE was fought in Aboukir Bay on August 1, 1798.
Abraham-man Among sailors, one who feigns sickness. Possibly an allusion to the parable of the beggar Lazarus, in Luke 16.
Abraham’s bosom From Luke 16:22, the abode of the blessed dead, where the beggar Lazarus was carried by the angels.
abroad Spread, as in “all sail abroad.”
Absit, o absit omen May it not, oh may it not be an omen (Latin).
abune Provincial form of “above.”
Acacia A genus of leguminous shrubs or trees with white or yellow flower clusters found in the warmer regions of the Old World. Acacia Senegal yields gum arabic, also known as gum acacia, a water-soluble gum used in preparing pills and emulsions and making candy and as a general thickener and stabilizer.
accommodation-ladder A flight of steps at the GANGWAY to enable officers and visitors to enter and exit the ship.
accoucheur One who assists women in childbirth.
Achilles, H.M.S. Launched in 1798, a 74-gun ship that captured the 90-gun Spanish FLAGSHIP Argonauta and recaptured the former British third-rate Berwick from the French at TRAFALGAR in 1805 while under the command of Captain Richard King. She remained in service until 1865.
achromatic Colorless. An achromatic lens or telescope is one that refracts light without separating it into its constituent colors.
a-cockbill or cockbill Having the tapered ends cocked or turned upward. Said of the anchor when it hangs from the CATHEAD, ready for dropping and of the YARDS of a vessel, when they are placed at an angle to the deck. The latter denotes mourning.
Acre or Saint-Jean-d’Acre An ancient port with a fortress northwest of Mount Carmel between Tyre and Haifa in present-day Israel. It was taken by the Crusaders in 1191 and besieged by Napoleon in 1799.
Actaeon In Greek mythology, Actaeon was a hunter who was turned into a stag and killed by his own hounds after he accidentally saw Artemis, the virgin huntress, bathing. Thus, a cuckold, from the play upon his becoming horned.
Actian games Ancient Roman gymnastic competition and musical festival.
acting-order An order to act in a certain capacity. More specifically, a temporary appointment to a vacant position made by one entitled to do so but not necessarily confirmed by the superior authority, as in a field promotion.
acushla A term of endearment, like “dear heart” or “my darling.” Originally from Irish cuisle, “pulse of the heart.”
adagio A direction for the musical time in which a piece is to be sung or played: slowly, leisurely, and gracefully.
Adanson, Michel (1727-1806) A French naturalist and the author of Les Families naturelle des plantes (1763). Adanson’s system of naming and classification was later superceded by that of LINNAEUS.
Adansonia A genus of large trees containing only two species: the BAOBAB, monkey-bread, or Ethiopian sour gourd of western and central Africa and the cream-of-tartar tree, or sour gourd, of northern Australia.
ad captandum vulgus To win over to the masses (Latin).
Addington, Henry, Lord Sidmouth (1757-1844) The Tory Prime Minister (1801-1805) who negotiated the Treaty of Amiens with Napoleon. Taking effect in March of 1802, it contained provisions for the return of all British colonial conquests to France, except for Trinidad and Ceylon; in return, France promised to leave Egypt. The treaty collapsed and war recommenced in April of 1803.
Admiral A naval officer of FLAG RANK. The fleet commander or the commander of one of its principal divisions. Until 1864, the rank structure for Admirals was based on traditional red, white, and blue squadrons, each of which contained van, middle, and rear divisions, commanded by Admirals, Vice-Admirals, and Rear-Admirals, respectively. Beneath Admiral of the Fleet, the highest rank, the rungs on the ladder of promotion were as follows:
Admiral of the Red
Admiral of the White
Admiral of the Blue
Vice-Admiral of the Red
Vice-Admiral of the White
Vice-Admiral of the Blue
Rear-Admiral of the Red
Rear-Admiral of the White
Rear-Admiral of the Blue
Admiralty The administrative department superintending the Navy, directed by the Lord Admiral or Board of Admiralty. During the Napoleonic wars the Admiralty became a center of operational command, with a constant inflow of dispatches and information and a constant outflow of orders. On the roof of the Admiralty, the TELEGRAPH could send a signal reaching SPITHEAD in three minutes on a clear night or day. Various telegraph lines connected to other Naval centers, and a fleet of schooners and cutters laid ready to carry messages to the fleets and squadrons deployed in home and foreign waters. Also, the building housing the administration, located in Whitehall, London. In England, the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, together with the First Secretary of the Admiralty, formerly carried out this function. The Admiralty was incorporated as part of the Ministry of Defence in 1964. See also page 3.
The Admiralty, Whitehall
Adriatic Sea Five-hundred-mile arm of the Mediterranean Sea between the east coast of Italy and Croatia, Bosnia, and the Dalmatian coast. At its northern point lie Venice and Trieste.
advice-note A commercial form, partly printed and partly written, used to advise consignees of the arrival of their goods and to request removal of same from the station.
adze A carpenter’s or cooper’s tool, like an ax with the blade set at right angles to the handle and curving in toward it, often used by shipwrights for the shaping of wooden beams.
aetat Of or at the age of; aged (a particular number of years).
aetiology or etiology The cause(s) of an illness or abnormal condition. Also the branch of medical science that investigates the causes of diseases. In a larger sense, the science or philosophy of causation.
affusion The act of pouring a liquid on or into; a method of administering baptism. Also a remedy for fevers whereby water, usually between 50°F and 70°F, is poured onto the patient.
after-cabin The cabin in the after part of the ship used by a Captain, COMMODORE, or ADMIRAL, having superior accommodation and usually its own companionway.
afterguard The men stationed on the QUARTERDECK and POOP to work the after sails, generally composed of ORDINARY SEAMEN and LANDSMEN.
a fortiori Even more strongly (Latin).
aga In Muslim countries, especially under the Ottoman empire, a commander or chief officer. Originally a military title, it was also used for civil officers and as a title of distinction.
Agamemnon, H.M.S. A 64-gun ship launched in 1781 and commanded by Nelson from 1793 to 1796. After surviving both the battles of Copenhagen and TRAFALGAR, she ran aground and was abandoned in 1809.
Agave A genus of plants that includes the American aloe and whose flower-stem can reach a height of up to 40 feet.
age ingrat The awkward age, as in the teenage years (French).
agent provocateur An agent employed to induce or incite a suspected person or group to commit an incriminating (often political) act, especially by seducing, decoying, entrapping, or impressing them.
Agnus Lamb, that is, the lamb of God, Jesus (Latin).
Agnus Dei In Latin, “lamb of God.” A part of the Roman Catholic Mass so named because it starts with the words “Agnus Dei.” Also the music set to it. Now also used in the Anglican service.
aguardiente A coarse brandy made in Spain and Portugal.
ague An acute or violent fever, usually malaria, marked by periodic paroxysms with cold, hot, and sweating stages. At first more associated with the feverish stage, the term later became synonymous with a fit of shivering, a chill.
a-high-lone A way of emphasizing the word “alone.”
Ah tutti contend saremo cosi Ah, and so we shall all be happy at last (Italian; from the final chorus of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro).
aide-de-camp An officer who assists a general in his military duties, conveying his orders and procuring information.
aide-memoire A memorandum or précis (French).
aigrette A tuft of feathers such as that borne by the egret and some other birds. A spray of gems, or similar ornament, worn on the head.
Ajax, H.M.S. Launched in 1798, a 74-gun, third-rate ship that fought in General Abercromby’s Egyptian expedition of 1801 and at TRAFALGAR in 1805. Burned and exploded with 250 hands on board during the DARDANELLES expedition in 1807.
akavit or aquavit A colorless or yellowish alcoholic spirit distilled from potatoes or other starch-containing plants. Akavit is the schnapps of Scandinavia.
alba mistura Literally, white mixture, an ointment made of olive oil, white wax, and white lead (lead monoxide).
albatross A family of large web-footed seabirds related to the PETRELS and SHEARWATERS and inhabiting the Pacific and southern oceans. The 14 species of albatross include the mollymawks, gooney birds, and the great albatross, Diomedea exulans, to which the name is usually applied. The largest of seafowls, with a wing-span up to 15 feet, great albatrosses have dark-gray or gray-brown and white plumage, large hooked bills with horny plates, and prominent tubular nostrils. They are capable of very long flights, sometimes following ships at sea for weeks, scavenging the ship’s refuse and eating squid, drinking seawater, and sleeping on the ocean’s surface. It was once believed by sailors that albatrosses contained the souls of dead sailors, and so killing one was thought to bring bad luck. “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor COLERIDGE, written in 1798, told the tale of a seaman who tragically killed an albatross: “Ah! well a-day! what evil looks/Had I from old and young!/Instead of the cross, the Albatross/About my neck was hung.” Also, a burden or encumbrance, causing deep anxiety.
The great albatross, Diomedea exulans, the largest of all sea fowl.
Alberes The easternmost section of the Pyrenees Mountains, between France and Spain.
Alca impennis See great AUK.
a-lee or alee On or toward the LEE or sheltered side of the ship; away from the wind. Helm’s a-lee: the response of the helmsman when ordered to bring the bow into the wind in order to TACK.
aleph The name of the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
Aleppo button A disease, also known as oriental sore, endemic in parts of Asia and Africa and caused by infection with Leishmania tropica, a parasite transported by sand flies. Various regional synonyms are used for the disease, for example, Baghdad boil, Delhi boil, Biskra button, and many others.
alexipharmic Originally an antidote against poisons, but by the 18th century it had come to mean a medicine made with variable ingredients used primarily in fevers, that is, as a FEBRIFUGE.
Algaroth Powder of antimony oxychloride, used as a caustic to scarify superficial wounds.
Algiers Ancient Mediterranean port on the BARBARY Coast that served as a base for Algerine or Barbary pirates, who attacked European and American merchant ships and sold Christian captives into slavery. The city was bombarded by the British fleet under Admiral Lord Exmouth in 1816.
Ali Pasha (1741-1822) A Turkish brigand known as the Lion of Janina (or Iannina, presently Ioánnina, Greece), he used ruthless means to become the PASHA of Janina in 1788 and held power over much of Albania and Macedonia and beyond. He intrigued with England and France during the Napoleonic wars. Byron and others described his barbaric yet cultured court.
aliquid amari Something bitter or disagreeable (Latin).
allegro One of the five grades of musical pace and character: brisk, lively, the quickest after presto.
allowance In military use, money paid for various purposes or services and distinct from pay.
Almack’s Club A club in London’s Pall Mall, founded by pub owner William Almack in 1762 to provide meals, newspapers, and gambling. It split into two other clubs, BOODLE’S and BROOKS’S, in 1764.
almoner An official distributor of the alms of another. The name of a functionary in a religious house or in the household of a bishop, prince, or other person of rank. Sometimes applied to the chaplain of a hospital or other institution.
Almoravian draught The name of this medicine is derived from that of the Berber dynasty, which ruled much of North Africa and Spain from 1056 to 1145. Its ingredients are not known.
alopecia A medical term for baldness.
Altair The eagle star, found in the northern constellation Aquila. One of the three stars that form the Summer Triangle (the three brightest stars in the summer sky).
Altiplano The high tableland that lies between the western and eastern cordilleras of the Andes in Bolivia, Peru, and Argentina.
altitude The height of a body in the heavens expressed by its angular distance above the horizon, a measure once taken at sea using a QUADRANT or SEXTANT and used to help determine a ship’s longitude and latitude.
altumal The mercantile style or dialect. Altumal cant is the language of petty traders and tars. It derives from the Latin word altum, “the deep,” i.e., the sea.
amaranth A purple color, that of the foliage of Amaranthus, a genus of ornamental plants with purplish or greenish flowers.
Amati A violin, viola, or violoncello from the workshops of the Amati family in Cremona, Italy, which operated from about 1550 to 1700. Nicolo Amati (1596-1684) trained the masters Antonio Stradivari and Andrea Guarneri.
amber Found chiefly along the southern shores of the Baltic, a yellowish translucent fossil resin that often entombs the bodies of insects. When rubbed it becomes noticeably electric, and when burned produces a pleasant smell. Often used for jewelry.
ambergris A waxlike substance of marbled ashy color produced in the intestines of the sperm whale and found floating in tropical seas. It is odoriferous and used in perfumery.
Amboyna A seaport in Indonesia’s Molucca Islands that was taken from the Portuguese by the Dutch in 1605. In 1623, English traders who had settled there were killed by the Dutch in the Massacre of Amboyna. The port was captured by the British in 1796 and again in 1810.
Amethyst, H.M.S. A fifth rate built in 1799 and wrecked in 1811.
amidships In the middle or toward the middle of a vessel.
Amiens, Peace of The treaty between Britain and France that marked the end of the War of the French Revolution. Most of the conquests that each side had made since 1793 were to have been returned. The peace lasted only a short time, with the Napoleonic War breaking out in 1803.
amor vincit omnia Love conquers all (Latin).
Amphion, H.M.S. A fifth rate built in 1798. The previous Amphion, also a fifth rate, blew up on September 22, 1796, in Hamoaze, Plymouth, most of her crew perishing.
Amphitrite In Greek mythology, goddess of the sea, wife of Poseidon, and mother of Triton.
ampulla A small bottle or flask.
Anabaptist A Protestant sect that arose in Germany in the 16th century. Its members advocated the baptism of adult believers only and the separation of church and state.
anan An expression used when a listener has failed to catch the speaker’s words or meaning and would like him to repeat what he said; the same as “I beg your pardon.”
anastomosis Intercommunication between vessels, channels, or distinct branches of any kind by a connecting cross branch. First applied to communications between arteries and veins in animals.
anchor-ring The large ring on the shank of an anchor for attaching the anchor CABLE.
Andalusia A southern province of Spain, the last stronghold of Moorish Spain.
andante A musical movement that is moderately slow and distinct.
Andromeda A constellation of the northern hemisphere, representing the mythical Andromeda, daughter of Cepheus and Cassiopeia and wife of Perseus, who rescued her from a sea monster.
anemometer An instrument for measuring the force of a wind; a wind gauge.
an-end In the direction of the length; directly ahead.
anfractuosity Sinuosity, circuitousness, as in a winding channel or passage.
Angelus A devotional exercise said by Roman Catholics at morning, noon, and sunset that commemorates the mystery of the Incarnation and consists of short verses and responses and the Angelic Salutation repeated three times.
anguli scapulae The lower, sharper angle of the shoulder blade.
anhidrotic A medicine or action that inhibits perspiration.
anhinga Any bird of the genus Anhinga, fish-eaters related to the cormorant but with long, slender necks and pointed bills, especially the American snake-bird.
animalculae Tiny, usually microscopic, organisms.
anisette A liqueur flavored with aniseed.
anker A measure of wine and spirits, used primarily in Northern Europe, varying in amount from country to country, but in England equal to ten old imperial gallons (equivalent to ten U.S. gallons).
annelid A member of the phylum Annelida, usually elongated, segmented invertebrates such as earthworms, various marine worms, and leeches.
Anson, Admiral George (1697-1762) While attacking Spanish shipping in 1743 during the War of the Austrian Succession, Admiral Anson took a treasure-laden MANILA galleon called Nuestra Señora de Cobadonga with 1,313,843 PIECES OF EIGHT. His PRIZE share enriched him for life. In 1744 at SPITHEAD, Anson finished his three-year and nine-month circumnavigation of the globe, the first part of which is chronicled by his chaplain, Richard Walter, in A Voyage Round the World (1748). (The voyage also provides the historical setting for Patrick O’Brian’s first seafaring novel, The Golden Ocean.) Anson served as First Lord of the Admiralty from 1751 to 1756 and from 1757 to 1762.
antaphrodisiac An agent, usually a medicine, that counteracts carnal desire.
Antares The red supergiant star, the brightest in the constellation Scorpius and in the southern sky. Antares is said to be the heart of the scorpion.
Antilles Arc of tropical islands in the Caribbean Sea from the southern point of Florida to the coast of South America, also known as the WEST INDIES.
antimonials Drugs made with various salts of antimony. Because they caused vomiting, catharsis, and sweating, they were thought to disperse fever and strengthen the body.
antimony A metallic element used to make many medicines, especially tartar emetic, prescribed for the treatment of fevers. It causes vomiting, sweating, and catharsis, depending on the dose and the chemical form specified.
antinomy A contradiction in a law or between two equally binding laws, statutes, or principles.
antiphlogistic An anti-inflammatory treatment used in the early stages of most fevers; see “Stephen Maturin and Naval Medicine in the Age of Sail,” page 31.
antiphon A short verse or sentence sung by one choir in response to another.
Antipodes A term used in Britain to refer to Australia and New Zealand, so called because they lie at the opposite end of the earth (or antipodes) from England. Also, specifically, the Antipodes Islands, a group of uninhabited rocky islands in the South Pacific Ocean, 350 miles off the southeastern coast of New Zealand.
antiscorbutic Of use against scurvy.
anti-trades Winds that blow steadily in the opposite direction to the TRADE WINDS. In the northern hemisphere the anti-trades blow from the southwest; in the southern hemisphere, from the northwest.
Apicius, Marcus Gabius (first century) A Roman gourmet who squandered away his fortune on feasts and then, faced with a need to economize, killed himself instead.
apogee The point in the orbit of the moon at which it is farthest from the earth; by extension, the highest point.
Apollo The sun god of the Greeks and Romans, and the god of music and poetry.
aponeurosis A fibrous white membrane that sometimes sheathes a muscle and sometimes connects a muscle to a tendon.
apoplexy Usually called a “stroke.” Caused by sudden obstruction of a blood vessel or hemorrhage within the brain, the syndrome can produce fainting, unconsciousness, and loss of speech and muscle function. The damage may be permanent or temporary.
Apothecaries’ Hall On Blackfriars Lane, the hall of the Apothecaries’ Society, a city livery company (guild).
appetence A natural affinity, as between chemicals. Thus, appetite or desire.
apse A semicircular or polygonal recess, arched or dome-roofed, especially at the end of the choir, aisles, or nave of a church.
aqua regia A mixture, produced by heating four parts of hydrochloric acid and one part of nitric acid, that can dissolve gold or platinum.
Aragon A region and former kingdom of northeastern Spain.
Arcades ambo Two people of the same tastes, professions, or character, often used derogatorily. The Latin means literally “both Arcadians,” i.e., two pastoral poets or musicians.
Arcadian Referring to Arcadia, a mountainous district in the Greek Peloponnesus idealized as a place of rural contentment. Thus, ideally rural or rustic. Also, a person living a simple, quiet life.
Arcturus The brightest star in the northern constellation Bootes; formerly, also, the whole constellation, and sometimes Ursa Major, the Great Bear, near which it is located.
arcus senilis A narrow opaque band encircling the cornea in the eye, common in old age.
Ardea goliath A very large heron, known as the goliath heron, reaching 59 inches in height and having a reddish head and neck. The goliath heron lives in Africa and feeds during the day.
Argand lamp Invented by Aime Argand in the 1780s, a lamp with a cylindrical wick, allowing a current of air to pass to both inner and outer surfaces of the flame and thus providing better combustion and brighter light.
argosy A merchant vessel of the largest size and burden, especially those of Ragusa (now Dubrovnik) and Venice.
Arma virumque cano I sing of arms (that is, warfare) and man (Aeneas, the Trojan prince who escaped and founded Rome); Latin, the opening words of Virgil’s Aeneid.
Armenian bole Pale red earth originally said to come from Armenia, used in astringent medicines and in tooth powders.
Arminian Of, belonging to, or following the doctrine of Jacobus Arminius, a Dutch Protestant theologian who opposed the views of Calvin, especially on predestination. After Arminius’s death in 1609, his doctrines were condemned by the synod of Dort in 1618-1619, but they quickly spread and were accepted by many of the reformed churches.
armourer A maker of armor or manufacturer of arms. An official who has charge of the arms of a ship.
arrack In Eastern countries, a liquor usually distilled from fermented coconut-palm sap or from rice and sugar fermented with coconut juice.
arrowroot A tropical American plant with tuberous roots native to certain West Indian islands. Especially Maranta arundinacea, an herb with fleshy and nutritious tubers.
arsy-versy Backside foremost, upside down, contrariwise.
arthropod Invertebrate animals with segmented bodies and limbs, such as insects, arachnids, and crustaceans.
ARTICLES OF WAR
The Articles of War were regulations of the Royal Navy that first appeared officially in 1652 and were revised in 1661, 1749, and 1866. They comprised a varied collection of admonitions and rules that dealt mainly with the misconduct of officers and were later expanded to seamen. The Articles of War were supposed to be posted in every ship of the Royal Navy and read once a month to the ship’s company.
According to Falconer’s Marine Dictionary (1815): “After reciting several acts of parliament relating to the government and discipline of the navy, and declaring them to be repealed, it [the Articles of War] states: That, for the regulating and better government of his Majesty’s navies, ships of war, and forces by sea, whereon, under the good providence of God, the wealth, safety, and strength of this kingdom chiefly depend; be it enacted by the king’s most excellent Majesty ... [t]hat from and after the 25th day of December, 1749, the articles herein following, as well in time of peace as in time of war, shall be duly observed and put in execution, in manner herein after mentioned.”
The Articles of War paraphrased:
Article One states that all commanders, captains, and officers shall cause the public worship of Almighty God, according to the liturgy of the church of England established by law, to be solemnly, orderly, and reverently performed in their respective ships; and shall take care that prayers and preaching be performed diligently and that the Lord’s Day be observed according to law.
Article Two condemns profane oaths, cursings, execrations, drunkenness, uncleanness, and other scandalous actions “in derogation of God’s honour, and corruption of good manners.”
Article Three states that any person who “shall give, hold, or entertain intelligence to or with any enemy or rebel” without proper authority and is convicted by a COURT-MARTIAL will be punished by death.
Article Four states that any letter or message from the enemy or a rebel must be conveyed to a superior officer within 12 hours of the opportunity to do so.
Article Five condemns all spies and anyone who aids a spy or conspires to help an enemy or rebel.
Article Six states that no person in the fleet shall give an enemy or rebel money, victuals, powder, shot, arms, ammunition, or any other supplies whatsoever, upon pain of death or such other punishment as the court-martial shall think fit to impose.
Article Seven states that all original papers of any ship taken as a PRIZE must be preserved and delivered to the Court of Admiralty or other authorized commissioner to determine that the prize is a lawful capture.
Article Eight states that nothing should be removed from a prize, except to better secure it, until it is lawfully condemned.
Article Nine states that when any ship or vessel is taken as a prize, none of the officers, mariners, or others aboard her will be stripped of their clothes or in any way pillaged, beaten, or abused.
Article Ten condemns any FLAG OFFICER, captain, or COMMANDER who upon the likelihood of engagement fails to make the necessary preparations and encourage his inferior officers and men to fight courageously, and states that any person who treacherously or cowardly yields or cries for QUARTER will suffer death.
Article Eleven forbids any person to disobey orders of a superior officer in time of action.
Article Twelve condemns any person who through cowardice, negligence, or disaffection withdraws or stays back in time of action, or who does not do his utmost to take or destroy every ship that it is his duty to engage.
Article Thirteen forbids anyone because of cowardice, negligence, or disaffection not to pursue an enemy, pirate, or rebel or come to the aid of a friend.
Article Fourteen forbids any person in the fleet from delaying or discouraging an action or service “upon pretence of arrears of wages, or upon any pretence whatsoever.”
Articles Fifteen and Sixteen set death as the punishment for deserters to the enemy and forbid any captain to harbor a deserter from another ship of the Royal Navy
Article Seventeen commands all officers, seamen, and ships convoying merchant ships to do so faithfully and condemns any sort of extortion.
Article Eighteen forbids His Majesty’s ships and their officers and men from receiving and transporting goods or merchandise for personal commercial purposes.
Articles Nineteen and Twenty forbid mutinous assembly, sedition, failure to report anyone who utters mutinous words, and contemptuous behavior to a superior officer.
Article Twenty-one orders that any “complaint of the unwholesomeness of the victuals, or upon other just ground,” be quietly made known to a superior officer and that the officer should then do whatever is in his power to rectify the situation.
Article Twenty-two forbids quarreling with, striking, drawing a sword on, or offering to draw swords with a superior officer.
Article Twenty-three forbids quarreling and fighting between the men.
Article Twenty-four forbids the waste and embezzlement of a ship’s stores and provisions.
Article Twenty-five sets as death the punishment for arson of anything not belonging to an enemy, pirate, or rebel.
Article Twenty-six orders the punishment of anyone who willfully or through negligence grounds or strands a ship.
Article Twenty-seven forbids sleeping on WATCH and negligence in performing duty.
Article Twenty-eight orders death as punishment for anyone convicted of murder.
Article Twenty-nine orders death as punishment of the “unnatural and detestable sin of buggery or sodomy with man or beast.”
Article Thirty condemns any form of robbery.
Article Thirty-one forbids any officer or other person in the fleet to make or sign a false MUSTER or MUSTER-BOOK, to command someone else to make a false muster, or to aid or abet another person in making or signing such.
Article Thirty-two orders all provost-martials belonging to the fleet to apprehend criminals and detain prisoners as ordered to the best of their ability; all others in the fleet “shall do their endeavour to detect, apprehend, and bring to punishment all offenders, and shall assist the officers appointed for that purpose.”
Article Thirty-three states that any flag officer, captain, commander, or LIEUTENANT belonging to the fleet, convicted of behaving in a scandalous, infamous, cruel, oppressive, or fraudulent manner, unbecoming the character of an officer, shall be dismissed from His Majesty’s service.
Articles Thirty-four and Thirty-five state that anyone “being in actual service and full pay, and part of the crew in or belonging to any of his Majesty’s ships or vessels of war” is liable to trial by court-martial for offenses and to the corresponding punishment as if committed on board ship at sea.
Article Thirty-six states, “All other crimes not capital, committed by any person or persons in the fleet, which are not mentioned in this act, or for which no punishment is hereby directed to be inflicted, shall be punished according to the laws and customs in such cases used at sea.”
Additional paragraphs address such issues as the pay and wages of British seamen captured by the enemy, the conduct and procedures of courts-martial, and command following shipwreck.
Artemisia In The Surgeon’s Mate (p. 247), Maturin makes reference to two Artemisias. One is the Queen of Caria (d. c. 350 B.C.) who married her brother Mausolus and succeeded him to the throne upon his death; the mausoleum she built in his memory at Halicarnassus was one of the Seven Wonders of the (ancient) World. The second is the fifth-century Queen of Halicarnassus and Cos, who joined the Persian fleet of King Xerxes and fought bravely against the Greeks at the Battle of Salamis.
artificer A mechanic in the Royal Navy.
asafoetida or asafetida A bitter, strong-smelling hardened resin of the Ferula asafoetida, a plant of the carrot family from North Africa and Central Asia, having many uses in medicine, including as an antispasmodic and general prophylactic against disease.
Ascension Island In the Atlantic about 280 miles northwest of St. Helena, a triangular-shaped volcanic island of about 35 square miles. Turtle and birds’ eggs were its chief export.
Ascitans A heretical sect of the second century that danced around an inflated wineskin, inspired perhaps by Matthew 9:17.
ascites Abnormal accumulation of fluid within the abdominal cavity; DROPSY of the abdomen, caused most often by heart or liver failure.
Ascot In England, a village near Windsor in Berkshire and the site of fashionable horseraces held each June; also applied to hats, dresses, and other items suitable for wearing in the Royal Enclosure at Ascot or associated with the event.
Ashgrove Cottage The Aubrey home in Hampshire. Ashgrove faces north, on poor soil, and is frequently deep in mud. Still, on a good day the grounds are picturesque, and from his observatory Aubrey can peer down at the shipping around Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. Ashgrove has convenient access to the main Portsmouth-to-London road at the nearby towns of Petersfield, BURITON, and Cosham.
asp A small venomous hooded serpent, found in Egypt and Libya. Also a species of viper found in parts of Europe.
Asperges me, Domine, hyssopo ... et super nivem dealbabor Sprinkle me, Lord, with hyssop (an aromatic plant used in biblical Hebrew purification rites) … and I shall be whiter than snow (Latin, Psalms 51:7).
asphyxia Suffocation.
Assassins A band of Ismaili Muslim fanatics living in Syria at the time of the Crusades whose goal was the creation of a new Fatimid caliphate. From a string of mountain fortresses, they were sent to terrorize orthodox Muslims and Christian Crusaders alike by SHEIKH-AL-JABAL, the Old Man of the Mountain, and subsequent leaders. The Assassins’ campaign included the murder of politically important people, thus in English the term came to mean a politically motivated murderer.
Ast illi solvuntur frigore membra/vitaque cum gemitu fugit indignata sub umbras But as for him, his limbs lay limp and cold, and indignant life fled into the shadows with a groan (Latin, the ending of Virgil’s Aeneid).
Astley’s Royal Amphitheatre A popular house of entertainment, featuring at times clowns (among them Grimaldi), acrobats, conjurors, and equestrians. A favorite of Londoners, it burned in 1803 and was rebuilt.
ataraxy Peace of mind; stoical indifference.
Athenry One of the oldest towns of County Connaught, Ireland, 13 miles east of Galway.
athesphatos oinos Marvelous quantities of wine (Greek).
athwart Across from side to side, transversely; usually, but not necessarily, in an oblique direction. From side to side of a ship.
a-trip Said of YARDS when they are raised up to the MASTS and ready for crossing, of TOPSAILS when hoisted and ready for trimming, and of an anchor when it is just clear of the ground in WEIGHing.
a-try See LIE A-TRY.
attar A very fragrant essential oil obtained from the petals of flowers, especially roses; fragrance.
auctor Originator, author, leader (Latin).
audit ale A special ale brewed at some of the colleges at Oxford and Cambridge and served on audit day, when students had to pay their bills.
auger A carpenter’s tool for boring holes in wood, with a long pointed shank having a cutting edge and a tapered screw point.
auk A diving bird of the family Alcidae, which includes the guillemot, puffin, razor-bill, little auk, and the extinct great auk. Inhabiting mainly the colder parts of the northern oceans, auks are predominantly black, white, or gray with short wings and legs and webbed feet. The great auk, a flightless bird about 30 inches long, nested in great concentrations on North Atlantic islands. Unafraid of humans, it was easily clubbed to death and was often corralled on board for slaughter by sailors, fishermen, and sealers. Auk feathers were used for bedding, the carcasses for oil, and the eggs for food. Each nesting pair produced only one egg per season, and the colonies dwindled rapidly before 1800. The last two known specimens were captured on an island near Iceland in 1844.
The razorbill, a type of auk (from Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1771)
aurora The rising light of dawn. Also, a luminous atmospheric phenomenon, consisting of arches of light and occurring near or radiating from the earth’s northern or southern magnetic poles, caused by the emission of light from atoms excited by electrons accelerated along the earth’s magnetic field lines. Popularly called the Northern or Southern Lights or merry-dancers or streamers. The Southern Lights are also called aurora australis, and the Northern Lights, aurora borealis.
auscultate To listen, especially when physicians, on rare occasions, examined the chest by applying an ear directly to it; this was called “immediate auscultation.” After the stethoscope was invented (see LAENNEC), the use of that instrument as an intermediary tool caused its use to be referred to as “mediate ausculation.” Although listening is essential to the earlier technique of PERCUSSION, the word “ausculation” is not ordinarily used in conjunction with it.
austral Belonging to the south, southern; also, influenced by the south wind, warm and moist. Of or pertaining to Australia or Australasia.
Autre pays, autre merde Different country, different “shit,” Aubrey’s bungled version of the French saying autres temps, autres moeurs (manners change with the times).
avifauna Collective term for the various kinds of birds found in any district or country.
aviso A dispatch boat. Also, a notification, dispatch, or formal advice.
avoirdupois The standard system of weights used in Great Britain for all goods except precious metals, precious stones, and medicines. The avoirdupois pound contains 7,000 grains. The avoirdupois weight of the U.S. agrees with that of Great Britain in the pound, ounce, and dram, but the U.S. hundredweight contains 100 pounds and the British hundredweight 112 pounds; the ton, 20 hundredweights, differs accordingly in the U.S. and Britain.
awning A canvas rooflike covering providing shelter from the weather on deck. Also the part of the POOP deck that is forward of the BULKHEAD of the cabin.
azimuth compass A compass for taking bearings of both heavenly and terrestrial bodies.
Azores Volcanic islands in the North Atlantic about 800 miles off the coast of Portugal and settled by the Portuguese beginning in the 15th century.