CAB 
In Europe, cables are comrponly made of hemp ; in Af¬ 
rica, of long draw or ruihes called bafs ; and in Afia, of 
a particular kind of ftrong Indian grals. In England, the 
law provides that cables {hall he made of the very bed 
materials ; and, whenever they are difcovered to have been 
made of old or damaged hemp, they are liable to be feized 
■and forfeited. The regulations for manufadturing cables 
are fettled by fiat. 25 Geo. III. c. 56. 
To prevent cables from the too frequent accident of 
breaking, the following method is recommended : Take 
three chains, of about fifteen fathoms each in length, and 
proportioned in thicknefs to the fize of the cable. Let 
them be wound or wormed round the cable, lb that they 
may projedl fufficiently to receive the greateft part of the 
fridlion, one end of them being fattened to the ring of the 
anchor, and each drain being from thence wormed round 
its refpettive hollow or channel of the cable, fo as not to 
check it from ttretching. Fatten the other ends of the 
chains to the cable. It is not neceflary that the drains 
fliould be very heavy, but extremely advifable that the 
links fliould be (hort, becaufe they will thereby be more 
pliant, and worm much eafier. Thefe chains will com¬ 
pletely guard the cable againft the chafing of the rocks, 
and they may be put on in a few minutes, fo that it is un- 
necell'ary to have them fitted on but when it is probable 
they may be really ferviceable. A due attention to fliort- 
-ening cables at the flack of the tide, and veering out as it 
flows, mutt alfo be highly important to prevent their be¬ 
ing damaged. But it frequently happens that cables are 
fuffered to kink, as it is called, through inattention to 
thefe circumftances, and to avoid a little trouble. If the 
wind fliould frelhen when they are in this condition, though 
the cables be ever fo good, the firft foul flea that comes 
againft them is almoft fare to occafion their fnapping ; and 
velfels may be driven on fhore, and much damaged, if not 
totally loft, before they can poflibly be brought up to other 
anchors. As the weight of the three chains, even for a 
large cable, will not exceed 500ft}. weight, the only diffi¬ 
culty which remains to be obviated will arife from the 
fmallnefs of the hawfe-holes; but thefe can eafily be en¬ 
larged in veflels that fhall deem it of fufficient moment to 
make the trial. It may not be improper to recommend 
farther, in high latitudes, where ice may cut or damage 
the cables, while riding at anchor, the ufe of three other 
chains of the fame nature as the preceding, but not more 
than five or fix fathoms in length. Thefe may be wormed 
round the cables in the fame manner at the furface of tne 
water, and will be an excellent means of guarding them 
from the pretture of the ice, fo as to prevent its wounding 
, ■ or cutting them afunder, a circumftance which is not un¬ 
precedented in our own harbours, but which frequently 
happens in the frozen feas. 
CABLE’s LENGTH, a meafureof 1 20 fathoms, which 
is the ufual length of the cable ; i. e. 240 yards. 
CA'BLED,yi in heraldry, a term applied to a crofs 
formed of the two ends of a fhip’s cable; fometimes alfo 
to a crofs covered over with rounds of rope; more pro¬ 
perly called crofs corded. 
CABLED FLUTE, in architeflure, fuch flutes as are 
filled up with pieces in the form of a cable. 
CA B'LISH.y. £ cablicium , Lat.] fignifies brufhwood, 
according to the writers of the fore ft laws; but Spehrian 
fhinks it more properly windfall-wood, becaufe it was 
written of old cadibulum, from cadere-, or, if derived from 
the French ckabilis, it alfo mu ft be windfall-wood. 
CA'BO, or Kabo, a powerful kingdom of Africa, to 
the north of Rio Grand, in Nigritia. 
• CA'BO CORSO, fee Cape Coast Castle. 
CABO'CHED, f. in heraldry, is when the heads of 
beafts are borne without any part of the neck, full-faced. 
CABO'CHON, f A term ufed by the French to denote 
the figure of precious ftones, when polilhed with a convex 
furface. 
CABOLRT'TO, /. a coin of the republic of Genoa, 
worth about 3d. of our money, 
Vol. III. No. 148. 
CAB $75 
CABOT (Sebaftian), the firft difcoverer of the conti¬ 
nent of America, was the ion of John Cabot, a Venetian-, 
who refided feveral years at Briftol, where Sebaftian was 
born, in 1477. He was educated by his father in thole 
parts of the mathematics which were then be ft under¬ 
flood ; efpecially arithmetic, geometry, and cofmography. 
Before he was twenty years of age, he made feveral voya¬ 
ges ; and, by thus adding practice and experience to theory, 
he became eminent in the art of navigation. The firft 
voyage of confequence in which he was engaged, feems 
to have been that made by his father, by commiffion from 
Henry VII. for the difcoverv of the north-weft paflage to 
India. They failed in the Ipring of the year 1497, and 
kept on their north-weft courfe till June 24, when they 
firft difcovered land, which for that re a foil they called 
Prima Vifta. Another ifland, lefs than the firft, they 
named St. John, becaufe it was found on the feaft of St. 
John the Baptift. They afterwards failed down to Cape 
Florida, and then returned with a good cargo, and three 
favages on-board, to England, where they met with a 
gracious reception. 
It is probable that Sebaftian, after his father’s death, 
made feveral voyages into thole parts, to complete his 
difcovery of the coaft of Newfoundland. A map of his 
difcoveries, drawn by bimfelf, with his effigies under it, 
was hung in the gallery at Whitehall. Stowe and Speed 
afcribe this difcovery wholly to Sebaftian, without any 
mention of the father. And Purchas is very much offend¬ 
ed, that America Ihould be fo called from Americas Vef- 
utius; and aflerts, that it ought rather to be called Ca- 
otiana, or Sebaftiana ; becaufe, fays he, Sebaftian Cabot 
difcovered more of it than Americas, or Columbus him- 
felf. It is 'evident that Newfoundland was the firft of our 
plantations, and that it has been the fource of riches and 
naval power to this nation. Hiftory leaves a blank in the 
life of this great man, of near twenty years; for the next 
account we have of him is in the eighth of Henry VIII. 
At this time he entered into a correfpondence with Sir 
Thomas Pert, vice-admiral of England, who procured 
him a good Ihip, in order to make difcoveries. He failed 
firft to Brazil, and, miffing there of his purpofe, ffiaped 
his courfe for the iflands of Hifpaniola and Porto Rico, 
where he carried on fome traffic and then returned ; hav¬ 
ing failed in the defign upon which he went; not through 
want of courage or conduff in himfelf, but from the faint- 
heartednefs of Sir Thomas Pert, his coadjutor, as Mr. 
Eden relates. This difappointment probably inclined him 
to leave England, and to go to Spain, where he was treat¬ 
ed with great refpeft, and raifed as high as pilot-major, or 
chief pilot of Spain; and, by his office, entrufted with 
reviewing all projetts for difcovery, which, in thole days, 
were many and important. His great capacity induced 
many rich merchants to treat with him in the year 1524, 
about a voyage to be undertaken, at their expence, by the 
new-found paflage of Magellan to the Moluccas ; which 
at length he accepted, and of which we have a clear ac¬ 
count in the writings of Herrera, the Spanilh hiftorian. 
He failed in April 1525, firfl to the Canaries, then to 
the iflands of Cape Verde, thence to Cape St. Auguftine, 
and the illand of Patos. Some of his people began to be 
mutinous, and refufed to pafs through the ftraits: on 
which account he laid afide his defign of going to the 
Spice iflands, left fome of the principal of the mutineers 
aftiore on a defert ifland, failed up the rivers of Plata and 
Paraguay, built feveral forts, and not only difcovered, 
but fubdued, a large traft of couniry, producing gold, 
fllver, and other rich commodities. He dilpatched mel- 
fengers to Spain, to demand a fupply of provilions, am¬ 
munition, goods to carry on a trade, and a competent re¬ 
cruit of featnen and loldiers. But, finding his requeft not 
complied with, after having been five years in America, 
he returned home ; where he met with but a cold recep¬ 
tion. The merchants were difpleafed becaufe he had not 
purified his voyage to the Moluccas : and his levere 'reat- 
ment of the mutineers had given umbrage at court. 1 hele 
