CANOPUS. The lucida of Argo Navis, and a Greenwich star. Also, a city of classical importance, visited by the heroes of the Trojan war, the reputed burial-place of the pilot of Menelaus, &c. But, as some ancient places have been so fortunate as to renew their classical importance in modern times, so this, under the modern name of Abukeir, has received a new "stamp of fate," by its overlooking, like Salamis, the scene of a naval battle, which also led to a decision of the fate of nations. In this bay Nelson, at one blow, destroyed the fleet of the enemy, and cut off the veteran army of France from the shores of Egypt. The Canopian mouth of the Nile was the most westerly of all the branches of that celebrated river. CANOPY. A light awning over the stern-sheets of a boat. CANT, TO. To turn anything about, or so that it does not stand square. To diverge from a central right line. Cant the boat or ship; _i.e._ for careening her. CANT. A cut made in a whale between the neck and the fins, to which the cant-purchase is made fast, for turning the animal round in the operation of flensing. CANTARA. A watering-place. CANT-BLOCKS. The large purchase-blocks used by whalers to cant the whales round under the process of flensing. CANT-BODY. An imaginary figure of that part of a ship's body which forms the shape forward and aft, and whose planes make obtuse angles with the midship line of the ship. CANTEEN. A small tin vessel for men on service to carry liquids. Also, a small chest containing utensils for an officer's messing. Also, a kind of sutling-house in garrisons. CANTERA. A Spanish fishing-boat. CANT-FALLS. _See_ SPIKE-TACKLE. CANT-HOOK. A lever with a hook at one end for heavy articles. CANTICK-QUOINS. Short three-edged pieces of wood to steady casks from labouring against each other. CANTING BALLAST. Is when by a sudden gust or stress of weather a ship is thrown so far over that the ballast settles to leeward, and prevents the ship from righting. CANTING-LIVRE. _See_ CONSOLE-BRACKET. CANT-LINE. Synonymous with _girt-line_, as to cant the top over the lowermast-head. CANTONMENTS. Troops detached and quartered in different towns and villages near each other. CANT-PURCHASE. This is formed by a block suspended from the mainmast-head, and another block made fast to the cant cut in the whale. (_See_ CANT-BLOCKS.) CANT-RIBBONS. Those ribbons that do not lie in a horizontal or level direction. CANT-ROPE. _See_ FOUR-CANT. CANT-SPAR. A hand-mast pole, fit for making small masts or yards, booms, &c. CANT-TIMBERS. They derive their name from being canted or raised obliquely from the keel. The upper ends of those on the bow are inclined to the stem, as those in the after-part incline to the stern-post above. In a word, cant-timbers are those which do not stand square with the middle line of the ship. They may be deemed radial bow or stern-timbers.