FRE 



FRE 



February ; for if cut down too early, or 

 too late, it is liable to the worm. The 

 ash is hurtful to corn lands, and there- 

 fore should be planted either in hedges 

 or clumps, at about nine or ten feet dis- 

 tance. 



FRECKLES, spots of a yellowish co- 

 lour, of the bigness of a lentile-seed, scat- 

 tered over the face, neck, and hands. 

 Freckles are either natural, or proceed- 

 ing accidentally from the jaundice, or the 

 action of the sun upon the part. Heat, 

 or a sudden change of the weather, will 

 often cause the skin to appear of a darker 

 colour than natural, and thereby produce 

 what is called tan, sunburn, &c. which 

 seem to differ only in degree, and usual- 

 ly disappear in winter. 



Persons of a fine complexion, and those 

 whose hair is red, are the most subject to 

 freckles, especially in those parts which 

 they expose to the air. 



FREE bench, in law, is the widow's 

 share of her husband's copyhold, or cus- 

 tomary lands, in the nature of dower, 

 which is variable, according to the cus- 

 toms in different places. In some manors 

 it is one third, sometimes half, sometimes 

 the whole during her widowhood, of all 

 the copyhold or customary land which 

 her husband died possessed of. In some 

 places, by custom, she holds them only 

 during her chaste viduity. 



FREEHOLD may be in deed or in law. 

 A freehold in deed, is actual seisin of 

 lands or tenements in fee-simple, fee-tail, 

 or for life. A freehold in law, is a right 

 to such lands or tenements before entry 

 or seisure. So there is a seisin in deed, 

 and a seisin in law; a seisin in deed, is 

 when a corporal possession is taken, and 

 a seisin in law, is where lands descend be- 

 fore entry, or where something is done 

 which amounts in law to an actual seisin. 

 Tenant in fee-simple, or fee-tail for life, 

 is said to have a freehold, so called, be- 

 cause it distinguishes it from term of 

 years, chattels upon certain interests, 

 lands in villinage, or customary or copy- 

 hold lands, -See FEE-SIMPLE. A free- 

 )ld cannot' be conveyed to pass in fu- 

 iro, for then there would be want of a 

 mant against whom to bring a prxcipe, 

 id therefore, notwithstanding such con- 

 ;yance, the freehold continues in the 

 endor ; but if livery of seisin be after- 

 1s given, the freehold from thence 

 passes to the vendee. A man is said to 

 be seised of freehold, but to be possessed 

 of other estates, as of copyhold lands, 

 leases for years, or goods and chattels. 

 See ESTATE and FEE-KI.MPJ,F. 



FREE stone, a whitish stone, dug up* 

 in many parts of England, that works like 

 alabaster, but is more hard and durable ; 

 being of excellent use in building 1 , &c< 

 It is a kind of grit-stone, but finer sand- 

 ed, and a smoother stone, and is called 

 free, from its being of such a constitution 

 as to cut freely in any direction : such is 

 the Portland-stone, and the free-stone of 

 Kent. 



FREIGHT, is the consideration money 

 agreed to be paid for the use or hire of 

 a ship, or, in a larger sense, the burthen 

 of such ship. The freight is most fre- 

 quently determined for the whole voy- 

 age, without respect to time ; sometimes 

 it depends on time ; in the former case 

 it is either fixed at a certain sum for the 

 whole cargo, or so much per ton, barrel, 

 bulk, or other weight or measure, or so 

 much per cent, on the value of the cargo. 

 If a certain sum be agreed on for the 

 freight of the ship, it must all be paid, 

 although the ship when measured, should 

 prove smaller, unless the burthen be war- 

 ranted. If the ship be freighted for tran- 

 sporting cattle or slaves, at so much per 

 head, and some of them die on the pas- 

 sage, freight is only due for such as are, 

 delivered alive ; if for landing them, it is 

 due for all put on board. When a whole 

 ship is freighted, if the master suffer any 

 goods besides those of the freight to be 

 put on board, he is liable for damages. 

 If the voyage be completed according to 

 the agreement, without any accident, the 

 master has a right to demand the freight 

 before the delivery of the goods; but if 

 such delivery is prevented by negligence, 

 or accidents, the parties will be recipro- 

 cally responsible in the following man- 

 ner: If the merchant should not load 

 the ship within the time agreed on, the 

 master may engage with another, and re- 

 cover damages. If the merchant recal 

 the ship after she is laden and sailed, be 

 mast pay the whole freight ; but if he 

 unload before the ship has actually sail- 

 ed, he will in such case only be respon- 

 sible for damages If the merchant load 

 goods which are not lawful to export, 

 and the ship be prevented from proceed- 

 ing on that account, he must neverthe- 

 less pay the freight. If the master be 

 not ready to proceed on the voyage at 

 the time stipulated, the merchant may 

 load the whole, or part of :bf cargo, on 

 board another ship, and 'ecover dama- 

 ges ; but any real casualties will release 

 the master from all damages. If an em- 

 bargo be laid on the ship before she sail, 

 the charter-party is dissolved, and the 



