The Sailor's Word-Book Part 199

RECREANT. This term was for him who had yielded in single combat.

RECTA PRISA REGIS. In law, the sovereign's right to prisage, or one pipe of wine before, and another behind the masts, as customary in every cargo of wine.

RECTIFIER. An instrument used for determining the variation of the compa.s.s, in order to rectify the ship's course, &c. It consists of two circles, either laid upon or let into one another, and so fastened together in their centres that they represent two compa.s.ses, the one fixed, the other movable; each is divided into 32 points of the compa.s.s, and 360, and numbered both ways from the north and the south, ending at the east and west in 90. The fixed compa.s.s represents the horizon, in which the north and all the other points are liable to variation.

REDAN. The simplest form of regular fortification, consisting of two faces meeting in a salient angle; generally applied in connection with other works.

REDD. The sp.a.w.n of fish. Also, the burrow scooped out by salmon in which to deposit their ova.

REDD-FISH. A northern general term for fishes in the sp.a.w.ning state, but particularly applied to salmon.

REDEMPTIONER. One who purchases his release from obligation to the master of a ship, by his services; or one whose services are sold to pay the expenses of his pa.s.sage to America or elsewhere.

REDHIBITION. An action to annul or set aside a contract of sale.

RED-HOT b.a.l.l.s. Shot made red-hot in a furnace, and in that state discharged at the enemy. The loading is managed with wet wads.

REDOUBT. An inclosed work, differing from a fort, in that its parts do not flank one another.

RED PINE. _Pinus rubra_, the red spruce; the timber of which is preferred throughout the United States for yards, and imported for that purpose into Liverpool from Nova Scotia.

REDUCE, TO. To degrade to a lower rank; or to shorten the allowance of water or provisions.

REDUCE A CHARGE, TO. To diminish the contents of a cartridge, sometimes requisite during heavy firing.

REDUCE A PLACE, TO. To compel its commander to surrender, or vacate it by capitulation.

REDUCTION OF CELESTIAL OBSERVATIONS. The process of calculation, by which observations are rendered subservient to utility.

REEF. A certain portion of a sail comprehended between the head of a sail and any of the reef-bands. The intention of each reef is to reduce the sail in proportion to the increase of the wind; there are also reefs parallel to the foot or bottom of large sails, extended upon booms.--_Close-reefed_ is when all the reefs of the top-sails are taken in.--_Reef_ is also a group or continuous chain of rocks, sufficiently near the surface of the water to occasion its breaking over them. (_See_ FRINGING REEFS and BARRIER REEFS.)

REEF-BAND. A narrow band of canvas sewed on the reef-line to support the strain of the reef-points. It is pierced with eyelet-holes, through which the points are pa.s.sed each way with a running eye.

REEF-CRINGLES. _See_ CRINGLE.

REEF-EARINGS. _See_ EARINGS.

REEFED TOP-MAST. When a top-mast is sprung in or near the cap, the lower piece is cut off, and a new fid-hole cut, by which the mast is reefed or shortened.

REEFERS. A familiar term for midshipmen, because they have to attend in the tops during the operation of taking in reefs.

REEF-KNOT. Is one in which the ends fall always in a line with the outer parts; in fact, two loops, easy to untie, never jamming. That with the second tie across, is termed a granny's knot.

REEF-LINE. Casual aids in bad weather to help the men at the earings.

When the vessel was going free, and the sail could not be "spilled," the men were, if blowing hard, often aided by pa.s.sing the studding-sail halyards loosely round the sail, clewed up spirally from yard-arm to bunt.

REEF-PENDANT. A rope going through a cringle in the after-leech of a boom main-sail, and through a check sheave-hole in the boom, with a tackle attached to its end to bowse the after-leech down to the boom by which the sail is held reefed. On the lower yards it is a pendant for a similar purpose as the reef-tackle.

REEF-POINTS. Small flat pieces of plaited cordage or soft rope, tapering from the middle towards each end, whose length is nearly double the circ.u.mference of the yard, and used for the purpose of tying up the sail in the act of reefing; they are made fast by their eyes on each side of the eyelet-holes.

REEF-TACKLES, are indeed pendants and tackles. The pendant is rove through the sister-block, then a sheave in the yard-arm, and secured to a strong cringle beneath the close reef, sometimes through a block, and the end secured to the yard-arm. Within the sister-block it becomes a gun-tackle purchase, with the fall leading on deck. The reef-tackles are hauled out, and the other aids complete, before the men are sent aloft.

REEF-TACKLE SPAN. Two cringles in the bolt-rope, about a couple of feet apart, when a block is used.

REELS. Well-known wheels moving round an axis, and serving to wind various lines upon, as the log-reel for the log-line, deep-sea reel (which contains the deep-sea line, amounting to 150 or 200 fathoms), spun-yarn reel, &c. "She went 10 knots off the reel"--_i.e._ by the log-line.

REEMING. A term used by caulkers for opening the seams of the plank with reeming-irons, that the oak.u.m may be more readily admitted. This may be a corruption of _rimer_, for opening circular holes in metal.

REEMING-BEETLE. A caulker's largest mallet.

REEMING-IRON. The larger iron used by caulkers in opening the seams.

RE-ENTERING ANGLE. In fortification, is an angle whose vertex points inward, or towards the place.

REEVE, TO. To pa.s.s the end of a rope through any cavity or aperture, as the channel of a block; to _unreeve_ is the opposite.

REEVING. In polar voyaging, following up serpentine channels in the ice, till the vessel reaches open water, or _reeves the pack_.

REFITTING. Repairing any damages which a ship may have sustained.

REFLECTING CIRCLE. An instrument used instead of a s.e.xtant, quintant, or quadrant; but the quintant embraces as much--viz. 152 degrees. The instrument reflects a celestial or any distant object so as to bring the image into contact with any object seen direct, by which their angular distance is measured, as in lunar distances.

REFLECTION, ANGLE OF. Whether the instance be a ray of light or a cannon-ball, the angle of reflection will always be found equal to the angle of incidence.

REFLUX. The ebbing of the tide, or reflow of the waters, which have been pressed back.

REFORMADES. The sons of the n.o.bility and gentry who served in the navy under letters from Charles II., and were allowed table-money and other encouragements to raise the character of the service.

REFRACTING TELESCOPE. That through which objects are seen directly through its double object-gla.s.s.

REFRACTION. An inflection of the rays of light: that property of the atmosphere which bends the rays of light in their pa.s.sage to the eye from a different density, and causes the alt.i.tude of heavenly bodies to appear greater than it really is, especially near the horizon. (_See_ TERRESTRIAL REFRACTION.)

REFUSAL OF A PILE. Its stoppage or obstruction, when it cannot be driven further in.

REGAL FISHES. In statute law, these are whales and sturgeons.

REGARDERS. Inspectors of the felling of timber.

REGATTA. A rowing-match formerly peculiar to the republic of Venice; but now the term is applied to yacht and boat races in general.

REGIMENT. A body of men commanded by a colonel, complete in its own organization, and divided into companies of infantry or troops of cavalry.

REGIMENTAL ORDERS. Such as the commanding officer may deem it necessary to issue for the discipline of the regiment.

REGIMENTALS. The regulation dress for the individuals of a regiment.

REGIMENTAL STAFF-OFFICERS. The surgeon, adjutant, paymaster, a.s.sistant-surgeon, and quarter-master of each regiment.