The Commissioners for Victualling his Majesty’s Navy, as a Board Hon. Capt. Raby Vane His Excellency Count San-Vincent, Rear Admiral of Portugal Henry Vansittart, Esq; George Vandeput, Esq; Capt. in the Navy W Mr. Thomas Walker Mr. John Way Andrew Wilkinson, Esq; Capt. Williams Mr. William Wigginton, of Bristol Capt. John Waddell, of the East India Company Lieut. George Robinson Walters Y Rear Admiral Young TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE. A LIST OF THE SUBSCRIBERS. AN UNIVERSAL DICTIONARY OF THE MARINE. A TRANSLATION OF THE PHRASES AND TERMS OF ART IN THE FRENCH MARINE. AN UNIVERSAL DICTIONARY OF THE MARINE. A. ABACK, _coeffé_, the situation of the sails when their surfaces are flatted against the masts by the force of the wind. The sails are said to be _taken aback_, when they are brought into this situation, either by a sudden change of the wind, or by an alteration in the ship’s course. They are _laid aback_, to effect an immediate retreat, without turning to the right or left; or, in the sea-phrase, to give the ship _stern-way_, in order to avoid some danger discovered before her in a narrow channel; or when she has advanced beyond her station in the line of battle, or otherwise. The sails are placed in this position by slackening their lee-braces, and hauling in the weather ones; so that the whole effort of the wind is exerted on the fore-part of their surface, which readily pushes the ship astern, unless she is restrained by some counter-acting force. See BACKING, and BRACING. It is also usual to spread some sail aback near the stern, as the mizen-top-sail, when a ship rides with a single anchor in a road, in order to prevent her from approaching it so as to entangle the flukes of it with her slackened cable, and thereby loosen it from the ground. See ANCHOR. Fig. 1. Plate III. discovers the plan of a ship, _a b_, with her main-top-sail, _c d_, aback; in which the curved dotted line expresses the cavity of it, as blown back by the wind on each side of the mast. The fore-top-sail, which is full, is exhibited by the line _e f_. Fig. 3. represents a perspective view of the ship in the same situation; and the dart shews the direction of the wind upon both. _Lay all flat_ ABACK, the order to arrange all the sails in this situation. ABAFT, _arriere_, (_abaftan_, Sax. behind) the hinder part of a ship, or all those parts both within and without, which lie towards the stern, in opposition to afore; which see. ABAFT, _arriere de_, is also used as a preposition, and signifies _further aft_, or _nearer the stern_; as, the barricade stands _abaft_ the main mast, i. e. behind it, or nearer the stern.