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pol'tVi eUabliflied in iJ2j, compoftd of eight perfons of 

 experience in commerce ar.d navigation, where all papers 

 a-.'d propofals relatinc; to the improvement of trade are 

 examined, and all difficulties which occur in afFaiis of navi- 

 gation and commerce, either within or without the realm, are 

 difcufied. 



BoARD-cfaff«, denotes a certain annual fum allowed to 

 houflioid fcrvants for maintenance. Board-wages, granted 

 to the menial officers and fervants of the crown, commenced 

 in 1629, when the uecelFities of king Charles oblii^ed him to 

 retr.T.ch the expcice of his houfli.'.ld, by aboli'hing the 

 greatell part of the dailv tables in his palace, which were 

 eighty in number, and fubftituting this annual allowance in 

 their room. 



Board, or Aboard, in the Sfa Language, is ufed in Ipeak- 

 ing of things within a ihip, or other vcffel. 



Hence, to go aboard fi'gnifies to go into the (hip ; to heave 

 oi'er board, is to throw a thing out of the vcfTel into the 

 fea ; to (lip by the beard, is to (lip down by the (hip's fide; 

 to fall aboard o^,is to ftrike or encounter another (hip, when 

 one or both are in motion ; to keep the land a-hoard, or to 

 keep hold of the land, is to (leer near to, or in fight of th6 

 land ; board di^d board, is when two (liips come fonear as to 

 touch o'.ie another, or when they lie lide by fide. Weather- 

 board, is that fide of a fl;ip which is to windward. To board 

 a fa-.p, IS to enter an enemy's (hip in an engagement. See 

 Boarding, infra. 



Board demotes the diftance run by a (liip at one tack ; and 

 hence to naie a board, or, as it is otherwife exprclFed, to 

 board it up to a place, is to turn to windivard ; and to beat 

 fometimes upon one tack, and foraetimes upon another ; in 

 which it is to be notf-d, that the farther you (land oii to one 

 point of the comp^fs, the better board you will make ; and 

 that it is better making long boards than (hort ones, if you 

 have fea -room. A long board is when yau (land a great way 

 off btfure you tack or turn.; ^Jljort board \i when you (land 

 o(F a little ; a good board is when a (hip does not go to lee- 

 ward of her courfe, or advances much at one tack, and fails 

 upon a llraight line. To leave a land on back-board, is to 

 leave it a (lern, or behind ; the ^ati-i(?fl/v/ being that which, 

 in boats or (hips, we lean our backs againd. A-board main- 

 tack, the order to draw the main-tack ; i. e. the lower corner 

 of the main-fail, down to the chefs-tree. See Chess- 

 tree. 



BoARD-/-ar, and Starboard. See Larboard, and Star- 

 board. 



BOARDED Floor. See Floor. 



BOARDING, in Naval Taffies, denotes the art of ap- 

 proaching the (hip of an enemy fo near as to admit of the 

 graplings, which are fixed on the lower yard-arms, at the 

 lorccaftle, gang-ways, &c. being thrown into it, for the 

 purpofe of lecuring the vtlTtls together, and of entering her 

 decks with a detachment of armed men. The method of 

 conducing or of avoiding this kind of attack depends 

 upon the relative fituation of the contending (liips ; and 

 varies, as it is to be performed to windward, to leeward, 

 v;ith the wind at large, or wh;:i the fhip propofed to be 

 boarded is at anchor. 



In the firft cafe, when the enemy's (liip keeps her wind 

 under an eafy fail, and is overtaken in a chafe by thofe who 

 intend to board her, the veffel of the latter mull get on the 

 weather-quarter of the former, within half a pitlol (hot. 

 She (houid then begin and continue a brl(k aftion, fo that 

 the fmoke of the cannon and mufqiietry of both (hips may 

 conceal her manoeuvres ; and, under the cover of this cloud, 

 (he (hould increafe her fail, if (he has not way enough, in 

 order to augment her velocity and the rapidity of her move- 



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merits, that fhe may more readily lay on board the enemy, 

 on the weather-fide, either exactly abreafl or a little abaft. 

 This may be eafily done, by edging down fuddeii'y upon her, 

 but avoiding being raked by the enemy's fire. By this ma- 

 iiceuvrs the grapnels will be on board of the adverle (hip, be- 

 fore or very (oon after (he fufpedls the d^fign of the boarderc. 

 In this fituation, the vcfTcl propofcC to Ic boarded can recur 

 only to one precarious expedi nt, which, duly obferved by 

 the boarder, will be of little or no avail. For when f;ie 

 braces (harp a-back her head fails, to caufc the fliip's falling 

 off, ar.d fquares thofe aft, to give her (levn-way, the boarder, 

 by perform.ing briflclv the lame manceuMe, will be as well 

 fituated for boarding as before; provided the boarding (liip 

 feels the impulfe of her fails and ht-lnl, which ought to be 

 put a-weather, and kept fo till the (hip's head-way ceafes, 

 when it is to be put a-lee, to affi!l her in falling off, in order 

 to board the enemy to lee-ward ; tor the boarder ought to 

 be on the quarter of the other, fince at the moment the two 

 fhips were right before the wind, (lie v. ho was diredlly to 

 windward, and wilhed to board, had only to continue her 

 movement of rotation, and render her velocity equal to that 

 of her adverfary, by fliortening fail in order not to pafs 

 her. If, therefore, the circular motion is kept up by the 

 boarder, which at fird caufed him to fall off, and now bring* 

 him to the wind oil the other tack, he will join the enemy to 

 lee-ward ; for it is evident that, if this motion of turning be 

 more rapid than that of the (hip which wifhes to avoid board- 

 ing, the boarder will clofe with her before (he can range to 

 the wii.d on the other tack, fince the boarder comes round 

 with greater celerity. However, if the fliip which fears 

 boarding was preffcd thus clofely, (he could make no otlier 

 attempt than to throw once more ail her fails to the maft, 

 by bracing them only perpendicular to the keel to give her 

 ftern-way, and putting the helm a-weathcr, to keep her to 

 the wind, as foon as her head-way ceafes ; obferving that, a3 

 (he is to windward, (he may be thus driven on the boarder, 

 who watches for her under her lee. But necelTuy obliges her 

 to adopt this only expedient ; becauie, it (he could go a-(lera 

 with fufficicnt velocity, (he might let the boarder pafs 

 a-hcad, veer under his lltrn, and rake him, if he does not 

 anticipate this mancEuvre, and as quickly m.anoeuvre in the 

 fame manner ; the great velocity with which he comes to 

 the wind, and goes a-head, his fails being (till full, reducing 

 him to this Hate, wb.ich may prevent his perlifting in the de- 

 fign of boarding. Neverthelefs the boarder may attain his 

 purpofe, if he throws all his fails a-back at the fame time as 

 the fliip to windward ; becaufe, the attacked (hip dropping 

 to leeward, and having ftcrn-v.ay firll, approaches the 

 boarder, who has prefervcd his pofition on the quarter, and 

 longer kept his luff, by having gone a-llern fomewhat later 

 than the weather fliip. It '(hould alfo be obferved, that 

 when the two (hips are right before the wind, if the veffel 

 which fears boarding moves more quickly to the v.'ind than 

 the one which attacks, (he will avoid it, as the retreating 

 (hip will be clofe to the wind before the other, and able to 

 get a-head of her, by making all fail to keep her wind, or 

 to heave in flays, and get upon the other tack. This lad 

 movement, however, is diladvantageous; becaufe it will 

 prefent the Hern to a (hip, wliich will avail itfelt of that 

 fituation, and rake her, and this may be m.ore deiiruiftive 

 than a well oppofed attack by boarding. After all, if the 

 (hip that is inclined to board (ails better than the other, (he 

 will always have it in her power to execute her pui'pofe, if 

 (he is as well manceuvr;d as the (liip which endeavours ta 

 efcape. 



In the fecond cafe of boarcing to leeward, when clofe to the 



wind, the boarder fliould arrive within pillol (liot, clofe in 



4 P 2 the 



