FRA 



3-10 



FRE 



parts as have only half revetments, for 

 the purpose of preventing the assailants 

 from ascending. 



i'RAMBESA, Lat. frambn-sia, from Fr. 

 framboise, a raspberry. The yaws, a dis- 

 ease endemial to the Antilles and some 

 parts of Africa. It appears with excres- 

 cences like mulberries growing out of the 

 skin, which discharge an ichorous fluid. 



FRAME. In carpentry, &c., a name given 

 to the woodwork of windows enclosing 

 glass, and the outward work of doors or 

 window shutters enclosing panels , to the 

 timber work supporting floors, roofs, cei- 

 lings ; to the intersecting pieces of tim- 

 ber forming partitions, &c. In ship-build- 

 ing, the frames consist of pairs of timbers, 

 composed of pieces of different lengths, 

 joining the floor timbers and carried up- 

 wards, those frames whose planes are per- 

 pendicular to the keel, are called square 

 frames; at the head and stern these 

 frames are inclined towards the extremi- 

 ties, and are called cant frames. The di- 

 visions of the ship in which are the 

 square and cant frames are called the 

 square and cant bodies. 



FRANC, an ancient coin of France. The 

 value of the gold franc was something 

 more than that of the gold crown, and the 

 silver franc was one third of its value. 

 The present franc is a silver coin, worth 

 9'69 pence sterling, or 9|d. nearly. 



FRANCHISE, from Fr. franc, free. A 

 particular privilege or right granted by a 

 sovereign to an individual, or number of 

 individuals. A franchise is any particular 

 political privilege, giving a power to do 

 something, and may be vested either in 

 bodies politic, in borough towns, or in in- 

 dividuals, as the electoral franchise. 



FRANCIS'CANS, a name of the Grey- 

 friars. A religious order of St. Francis, 

 by whom they were founded, about A. D. 

 1200. 



FRAN'GIBLE, from frango, to break. A 

 term relating to the degree offeree neces- 

 sary to separate one part of a body from 

 another by percussion: applied to mi- 

 nerals. 



FRANK ALBU. In law, an absolute right 

 to real estate. In Lower Canada, and also 

 iu Guernsey and Jersey, acknowledging 

 no superior, and consequently not a 

 tenure. 



FRANK-ALMOIONE, free alms (Norm, al- 

 moignes, alms). A tenure by which a re- 

 lisioiis corporation holds lands to them 

 and their successors forever, on condition 

 of praying for the soul of the deceased. 



FRANK-CHASE, a liberty of free chase, or 

 of keeping royal game therein, protected 

 even from the owner of the land himself, 

 and with liberty of hunting them thereon. 



FRANK-FEE, in law, is the same as hold- 

 ing lands, &c. in fee-simple. 



*KA>-*-FEIIM, anciently signified lands 



changed in the nature of the fee by feolf- 

 ment, and out of the knight's service for 

 other certain yearly servin-,. 



FRANK-FOLD, is where the lord has the 

 liberty of folding his tenant's sheep with- 

 in his manor. 



FRANKFORT BLACK, a substance procured 

 by calcining vine-branches and other re- 

 fuse lees of the vinegar-vats of Germany, 

 previously well washed. 



FRANK-FREE, \ Germ. bUrge, pledge. 



FRANK-PLEDGE, > An ancient usajfe of 



FREEBORG. ) two kinds. 1. That by 



which every lord was made responsible 

 for the appearance of his own men or de- 

 pendants, when accused before justice. 



2. Public frank-pledge is of obscure 



origin. The inferior class of freemen were 

 enrolled in bodies called tythings, under 

 the superintendence of a tything-man : the 

 tything thus organised was bound for the 

 appearance of any one of its members. 



FRANK'INCENSE, a name common to two 

 resinous juices. 1. That called thus, ob- 

 tained from the pinus abies, or spruce- 

 fir. 2. That obtained from the juiiipentt 

 lycia, a species of juniper-tree common in 

 Turkey and the East Indies. This last ia 

 more commonly called frankincense. It is 

 used as a perfume. 



FRANK'ING, a term used by the maker* 

 of window sashes, and applied to the morte 

 of forming the joint, where the CTOF$- 

 pieces of the frame intersect each other. 



FRANKS. A general appellation, i-.oa- 

 ferred by the Turks and other Asiatics ca 

 the inhabitants of Europe. 



FRA'TRAOE, from frater, a brother. In 

 law, (1.) A partition among co-heirs com- 

 ing to the same inheritance. (2.) The pa rt 

 of an inheritance which comes to the 

 youngest brothers. 



FRAXI'NUS, the ash-tree. A genus of 

 about forty species. Polygamia Diaecia. 

 Name from fragor, on account, as some 

 say, of the noise which its seeds make 

 when the tree is shaken by the wind. 

 Temperate climates. 



FREE-BENCH. In law, a widow's dower 

 in a copyhold estate. 



FREEBOOTERS, Germ, freibeuters. A set 

 of adventurers of all nations, who dis- 

 played great courage in executing the 

 most difficult plundering enterprises. 

 The term is applied to any one who re- 

 gards the universe as his property, and 

 appropriates, either furtively or forcibly, 

 the possessions of others. 



FREE-CHASE. See FRANK-CHASE. 



FREE'HOLD, lands or tenements held in 

 fee-simple, fee-tail, or for life. Freehold 

 in deed is real possession. Freehold in law 

 is the right of a person to lands, &c., but 

 does not imply possession. The term free- 

 hold is sometimes taken in opposition to 

 tillenage. 



FREE'KAN. InoW law, one free from tei* 



