COMMERCIAL CODE OF SIGNALS. As Marryat's and others.
COMMISSARIAT. The department of supplies to the army.
COMMISSARY. The principal officer in charge of the commissariat.
COMMISSION. The authority by which an officer officiates in his post. Also, an allowance paid to agents or factors for transacting the business of others.
COMMISSIONED OFFICERS. Those appointed by commissions. Such are admirals, down to lieutenants, in the royal navy; and in the army, all from the general to the ensign inclusive.
COMMISSIONERS, LORDS, OF THE ADMIRALTY. In general the crown appoints five or seven commissioners for executing the office of lord high-admiral, &c.; for this important and high office has seldom been intrusted to any single person. The admiralty jurisdiction extends to all offences mentioned in the articles of war, or new naval code, as regards places beyond the powers of the law courts, or outside the bounds of a county. But all criminal acts committed within the limits of a county, or within a line drawn from one headland to the next, are specially liable to be tried by the common law courts. The high court of admiralty civil court takes cognizance of salvage, prize-derelict, collision, &c., at sea beyond the county limits, even as relates to ships of war if in fault.
COMMISSIONERS OF CUSTOMS. The board of management of the customs department of the public revenue.
COMMISSIONERS OF THE NAVY. Certain officers formerly appointed to superintend the affairs of the navy, under the direction of the lords-commissioners of the Admiralty. Their duty was more immediately concerned in the building, docking, and repairing of ships in the dockyards; they had also the appointment of some of the officers, as surgeons, masters, &c., and the transport, victualling, and medical departments were controlled by that board. It was abolished in 1831.
COMMIT ONE'S SELF, TO. To break through regulations. To incur responsibility without regard to results.
COMMODORE. A senior officer in command of a detached squadron. A captain finding five or six ships assembled, was formerly permitted to hoist his pennant, and command as commodore; and a necessity arising for holding a court-martial, he ordered the said court to assemble. Again, where an admiral dies in command, the senior captain hoists a first-class broad pennant, and appoints a captain, secretary, and flag-lieutenant, fulfils the duties of a rear-admiral, and wears the uniform. Commodores of the second class have no captain or pennant-lieutenant. A commodore rates with brigadier-generals, according to dates of commission (being of full colonel's rank). He is next in command to a rear-admiral, but cannot hoist his broad pennant in the presence of an admiral, or superior captain, without permission. The broad pennant is a swallow-tailed tapered burgee. The second-class commodore is to hoist his broad pennant, white at the fore. It is a title given by courtesy to the senior captain, where three or more ships of war are cruising in company. It was also imported into the East India Company's vessels, the senior being so termed, _inter se_. It moreover denotes the convoy ship, which carries a light in her top. The epithet is corrupted from the Spanish _comendador_.
COMMUNICATION. Corresponding by letter, hail, or signal. (_See_ LINE OF COMMUNICATION and BOYAUX.)
COMMUTE, TO. To lighten the sentence of a court-martial, on a recommendation of the court to the commander-in-chief.
COMPANION. The framing and sash-lights upon the quarter-deck or round-house, through which light passes to the cabins and decks below; and a sort of wooden hood placed over the entrance or staircase of the master's cabin in small ships. Flush-decked vessels are generally fitted with movable companions, to keep the rain or water from descending, which are unshipped when the capstan is required.
COMPANION-LADDER. Denotes the ladder by which the officers ascend to, and descend from, the quarter-deck.
COMPANION-WAY. The staircase, porch, or berthing of the ladder-way to the cabin.
COMPANY. The whole crew of any ship, including her officers, men, and boys. In the army, a small body of foot, or subdivision of a regiment, commanded by a captain.
COMPARATIVE RANK. _See_ RANK.
COMPARISON WATCH. The job-watch for taking an observation, compared before and after with the chronometer.
COMPARTMENT BULK-HEADS. Some of the iron ships have adopted the admirable Chinese plan of dividing the hold athwart-ship by strong water-tight bulk-heads, into compartments, so that a leak in any one of them does not communicate with the others--thus strengthening a vessel, besides adding to its security. Compartment bulk-heads were first directed to be fitted under the superintendence of Commander Belcher in H.M. ships _Erebus_ and _Terror_ at Chatham, for Arctic service in 1835. H.M.S. _Terror_, Commander Back, was saved entirely owing to this fitment, the after section being full of water all the passage home; and lately the mail packet _Samphire_ was similarly saved.
COMPASANT. A corruption of _corpo santo_, a ball of electric light observed flickering about the masts, yard-arms, and rigging, during heavy rain, thunder, and lightning.
COMPASS. An instrument employed by navigators to guide the ship's course at sea. It consists of a circular box, containing a fly or paper card, which represents the horizon, and is suspended by two concentric rings called gimbals. The fly is divided into thirty-two equal parts, by lines drawn from the centre to the circumference, called points or rhumbs; the interval between the points is subdivided into 360 degrees--consequently, the distance or angle comprehended between any two rhumbs is equal to 11 degrees and 15 minutes. The four cardinal points lie opposite to each other; the north and south points form top and bottom, leaving the east on the right hand, and the west on the left; the names of all the inferior points are compounded of these according to their situation. This card is attached to a magnetic needle, which, carrying the card round with it, points north, excepting for the local annual variation and the deviation caused by the iron in the ship; the angle which the course makes with that meridian is shown by the lubber's point, a dark line inside the box. (_See_ ADJUSTMENT OF THE COMPASS.)
COMPASS, TO. To curve; also to obtain one's object.
COMPASSING. (_See_ COMPASS-TIMBERS.)
COMPASSIONATE ALLOWANCES. Grants are made on the compassionate fund to the legitimate children of deceased officers, on its being shown to the Admiralty that they deserve them.
COMPASS-SAW. A narrow saw, which, inserted in a hole bored by a centre-bit, follows out required curves.
COMPASS-TIMBERS. Such as are curved, crooked, or arched, for ship-building.
COMPENSATION. If a detained vessel is lost by the negligence and misconduct of the prize-master, compensation must be rendered, and the actual captors are responsible. The principal being answerable in law for the agent's acts.
COMPENSATOR OF THE COMPASS. _See_ MAGNETIC COMPENSATOR.
COMPLAIN, TO. The creaking of masts, or timbers, when over-pressed, without any apparent external defect. One man threatening to complain of another, is saying that he will report misconduct to the officer in charge of the quarter-deck.
COMPLEMENT. The proper number of men employed in any ship, either for navigation or battle. In navigation the complement of the course is what it wants of eight points; of latitude, what it is short of 90 deg. (_See_ CO-LATITUDE.)
COMPLEMENT OF LONGITUDE. _See_ SUPPLEMENT OF LONGITUDE.
COMPLETE BOOK. A book which contains the names and particulars of every person borne for wages on board, as age, place of birth, rating, times of entry and discharge, &c.
COMPLIMENT, TO. To render naval or military honour where due.
COMPO. The monthly portion of wages paid to the ship's company.
COMPOSITION NAILS. Those which are made of mixed metal, and which, being largely used for nailing on copper sheathing, are erroneously called _copper nails_.
COMPOUND. A term used in India for a lawn garden, or inclosed ground round a house.
COMPRADOR [Sp]. A Chinese contractor in shipping concerns, or in purchasing present supplies.
COMPRESS. A pad of soft linen used by the surgeon for the dressing of a wound.
COMPRESSION OF THE POLES. The amount of flattening at the polar regions of a planet, by which the polar diameter is less than the equatorial.
COMPRESSOR. A mechanism generally adopted afloat for facilitating the working of the large guns recently introduced; the gun-carriage is thus compressed to its slide or platform during the recoil, and set free again by the turn of a handle for running up. It is of various forms; one of the simpler kind used to be always applied to carronade slides.
COMPRESSOR-STOPPER. A contrivance for holding the chain-cable by compression.
COMPROMISE. The mutual agreement of a party or parties at difference, to refer to arbitration, or make an end of the matter.
COMPTROLLER OF THE CUSTOMS. The officer who controls and has a check on the collectors of customs. (_See_ CONTROLLER.)