by Dean King
Linois, Charles Alexandre Leon Durand, comte de (1761-1848) French admiral who fought COCHRANE at the battle of Algeciras in 1804. Taken prisoner in the EAST INDIES in 1806, he was brought to England, where he remained until 1811. At the restoration in 1814, he became governor of Guadeloupe.
linseed Seeds and oil of common flax, Linum usitatissimum, used as an emollient in enemas and poultices.
linstock A staff with a forked tip used to hold a lit match for the firing of a cannon.
lint A soft, absorbent material made by scraping or unraveling linen cloth that was used for dressing wounds.
lintel A horizontal piece of timber, stone, or other material over a door, window, or other opening that bears the weight above it.
Li Po (701-762) One of the most acclaimed Chinese lyric poets, the author of nearly 2,000 poems.
liquor ammoniae acetatis Solution of ammonium acetate prescribed as a DIAPHORETIC FEBRIFUGE.
Litera scripta manet The written word endures (Latin).
lithotomy Surgical incision into the bladder to remove stones. The English surgeon William Cheselden (1688-1752), who wrote The Anatomy of the Human Body (1713), originated the operation of lateral lithotomy, entering the bladder from the side. A suprapubic lithotomy entered through the area of the lower abdomen overlying the bladder just above the pubic area.
Lively, H.M.S. A 32-gun fifth rate built in 1794 and wrecked near Cadiz in 1798. Another fifth rate (38 guns) built in 1804 and wrecked near Malta in 1810.
liver, palpable state of When the liver is enlarged by disease, such as yellow fever or hepatitis, it can be palpated, or felt, through the anterior abdominal wall.
livery Provisions or an allowance allotted to servants. A distinctive uniform dress or a badge worn by servants or by an official. The uniform of a soldier or sailor.
livre A book; also, a (monetary) pound (both French). In this period, a unit of French currency divided into 20 sols (or sous).
Livy (59 B.C.-A.D. 17) A Roman historian (Latin name, Titus Livius) who, under the patronage of Emporer Augustus, wrote The Annals of the Roman People (142 books). Books I to X and XXI to XLV still exist; the rest have been fully or partially destroyed.
lixiviation The separation of a soluble substance from an insoluble one by the percolation of water, for example, the extracting of salts from wood ash.
lizard A short rope with an EYE at one end by which means it runs along another rope or STAY.
Lizard Point or The Lizard The southern-most point of Cornwall, a formidable headland where many wrecks have occurred.
Lloyd’s International insurance market founded in 1680s by a group of underwriters who met at a coffeehouse operated by Edward Lloyd (1688-1713) in Tower Street, London. From 1760 it issued an annual list of merchant vessels and their owners. From 1774 to 1838, Lloyd’s operated in space rented at the ROYAL EXCHANGE.
Lloyd’s presentation sword It was common for corporate or patriotic bodies to give swords as a reward. Among the best known were those given by Lloyd’s Patriotic Fund, established in 1803.
lobcock A bumpkin, a blundering fool.
loblolly boy An assistant who helps a ship’s surgeon and his mates, so called after loblolly, the gruel commonly served in the sickbay.
lobscouse A common sailor’s dish consisting of salted meat stewed with vegetables, spices, and crumbled ship’s biscuit.
lobster Derogatory term for a British soldier. Originally it was applied to a regiment that wore complete suits of armor, and then was easily transferred to red-coated soldiers.
log A device for measuring the speed of a ship (see LOG-LINE and LOG-SHIP); also, short for LOG BOOK.
logarithm A type of mathematical function invented in 1614 and used to abridge calculation.
log-board or log-slate A hinged pair of boards divided into several columns, containing the hours of the day and night. In it were recorded the direction of the winds, the ship’s course, latitude by observation, and all the material occurrences that happen during the 24 hours, or from noon to noon. From this table the officers worked the ship’s course and compiled their journals and the LOG-BOOK, where the contents of the log-board were recorded daily. Written with chalk, the log-board was rubbed out every day at noon.
log-book or log The daily record of a ship’s journey, a book ruled in columns like a LOG-BOARD, into which the account of the log-board was transcribed every day along with other information such as maneuvers, weather, crew activity, actions, and encounters. The intermediate divisions, or WATCHes, of a log-book, containing four hours each, were usually signed by the commanding officer in ships of war and EAST INDIAMEN. In the Royal Navy, separate logs kept by the captain, LIEUTENANT, and MASTER were required to be turned in at the end of each cruise. Part of a MIDSHIPMAN’S training was to keep a log, which an officer frequently checked for legibility and accuracy.
loggia A roofed gallery or arcade open to the air on one or more sides and often overlooking a court.
log-glass A half-minute sandglass used on a vessel to time sailing speed by comparing the length of line run out to a fixed interval of time.
log-line A line of 100 FATHOMS or more attached at one end to the LOG-SHIP, which was released overboard (the act called “heaving the log”), KNOTS tied in the log-line were counted as sand ran out of a LOG-GLASS. By comparing the amount of time passed to the number of knots released, the speed of the vessel was calculated in nautical miles per hour, or “knots.” With a 28-second glass, the line was divided into lengths of 47.33 feet; with a 30-second glass, 50.75 feet.
log-ship also log or log-chip A wooden apparatus in the shape of a piece of pie attached to the LOG-LINE and used for calculating a ship’s speed. Weighted with lead along the arc, it floated point up in the water.
Loligo A genus of cephalopods, including squids.
London’s Change See ROYAL EXCHANGE.
London Gazette See GAZETTE.
London River A common term for the River Thames, including its docks, pools, reaches, and shipping outlets.
long-boat Similar to a Navy LAUNCH, the largest boat belonging to a sailing ship, CARVEL-BUILT with high sides, capable of carrying a ship’s gun in the BOWS and fitted with a MAST and sails for short journeys. Used primarily for provisioning, for transporting water casks for refilling, and as a lifeboat.
longicorn Pertaining to a family of beetles that includes those with long horns.
long nine A nine-pounder gun (one that fires nine-pound balls) with a long barrel for greater range.
longshoreman or stevedore A worker who is employed along the shore to perform such tasks as loading and unloading cargoes.
long-stop In cricket, a fielder positioned behind the wicket-keeper to stop balls that get past him.
long tackles BLOCKS used in hoisting up TOPSAILS from the deck to the YARD.
looby A clumsy, hulking person, a lout, a LUBBER.
loom The shaft of an oar, between the blade and the handle. When in use, the shaft of the oar between the rowlock and the hand; also, the handle. Also, the glow of a light visible over the horizon before the source of the light can be seen.
loose-box A box stall in which a horse can move around freely.
Lord Mayor’s men At the time of the Quota Acts of 1795, Lord Mayor’s men were those who entered the Navy “to relieve themselves of public disgrace, and who were sent on board by any of the city magistrates for a street frolic or a night charge.” Within a few years the term was applied to any landsman who volunteered for the Navy and was distinguished by the fashionable cut of his civilian clothing.
Lords The higher of the two bodies that formed the legislative branch of the governments of England, Scotland, and Ireland when they were separate kingdoms, and then of Great Britain.
Lord Warden Title of the Governor of the CINQUE PORTS, who was also Constable of Dover Castle.
Lorient The major merchant and naval shipbuilding center at the mouth of the rivers Scorff and Blavet on the BAY OF BISCAY in
western France, where the French East India Company (Compagnie des Indes Orientales) was based.
L’ Orient The 120-gun French flagship of Vice-Admiral de Brueys that, after dismasting and setting on fire H.M.S. Bellerophon at the Battle of the Nile in 1798, was engaged by both the Swiftsure and the Alexander. Paint buckets left on the deck of L’ Orient caught fire. The ship was engulfed in flames, and eventually her MAGAZINE exploded. Most of the crew, including de Brueys and Captain Casabianca and his ten-year-old son, perished in the horrific eruption. This is the explosion Aubrey is referring to in Post Captain (not the Orion) when he tells that he served on board the LEANDER at the NILE.
lorikeet A small, brightly plumed parrot of the MALAY Archipelago.
louis d’or or Louis A French gold coin, first issued in 1640, carrying the portrait of Louis XIII and his successors. Valued at 24 LIVRES.
Louis XVIII (1755-1824) The brother of King Louis XVI and the king of France from 1814 to 1824, Louis XVIII had his reign briefly interrupted by the return of NAPOLEON from Elba in 1815, but returned to power after Napoleon’s defeat at WATERLOO. Known as the comte de Provence, he fled France during the revolution (1791) and passed his exile on the Continent and in England. He was recognized as king by French emigres after the death of Louis XVII in 1795, and with the assistance of Charles de TALLEYRAND was placed on the throne after the allies entered Paris. Although he adopted a conciliatory policy toward the former revolutionists and granted a constitutional charter, ultra-royalists, led by his brother, the comte d’Artois (later Charles X), rose to power, and Louis, then old and infirm, allowed them to take control. The wealthy classes increased their power, curbing civil liberties, and this process intensified under Louis’s successor, Charles X.
Low Countries A political and historic term rather than a strictly geographic concept, the Low Countries are the region of Europe now comprising the Netherlands, Belgium, and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The northern parts of the Netherlands and Belgium form a low plain along the North Sea, but southern Belgium and Luxembourg are part of the Ardennes plateau.
Low Dutch The Germanic peoples of the sea coast and the Low Countries. Also, the Dutch and Flemish languages.
lower deck The deck above the ORLOP deck where seamen lived and the ship’s heaviest guns were located. Also, all the men who were not officers, those quartered on the lower deck.
lowering Frowning, sullen; gloomy, threatening weather.
loyalist One who adheres to his sovereign or constituted governmental authority in times of upheaval. More specifically, when capitalized, an American supporter of the British Crown during the American Revolution.
lubber or landlubber A derogatory term used by sailors for those unacquainted with the duties of seamen or for particularly clumsy seaman, probably deriving from “lob,” a clumsy, ignorant person.
lubber’s hole A hole in the ship’s TOP by the MAST offering an easier and less risky way to ascend or descend than by climbing the FUTTOCK SHROUDS, the route taken by seasoned sailors.
Lucatellus’s balsam An expensive softening unguent made with yellow wax, olive oil, turpentine, and DRAGON’S BLOOD or red sanders, two exotic ingredients from trees that are indigenous to the EAST INDIES.
Lucullus, Lucius Licinius (117-58 B.C.) A wealthy Roman who was a patron of the arts and was famous for his lavish banquets.
lucus a non lucendo Literally, a grove from the lack of light (Latin). This expression is used to refer to things that are the opposite of what they are billed to be. Thus, when O’Brian uses it to characterize “what Jack called the rose-garden,” the reader can be pretty sure that it was nearly devoid of roses.
Ludolphus’s palsy A form of PALSY that Maturin associates with the German physician Hiobe Ludolph (d. 1720), but no description of its special features is known.
lues venerea Syphilis (Latin).
luff Of a sail, the FORE, or WEATHER, part. In some seamanship manuals this was called the weather leech. To luff means to steer or sail more toward the direction from which the wind is blowing. “Luff!” is an order to the helmsman to put the TILLER toward the LEE side, so the ship will sail closer to the wind.
lugger A swift and weatherly craft used for coastal trading and fishing, usually with two MASTS carrying LUGSAILS. When employed for smuggling or as a PRIVATEER, primarily by the French, a third mast was often added. See also CHASSE-MAREE. See illustration, page 58.
lugsail A four-sided sail secured to a YARD that is normally two-thirds the length of the foot of the sail, so that the sail hangs obliquely.
lump A barge or LIGHTER used in dockyards; also, a load from one.
lumpers Laborers hired to load and unload a merchant ship in harbor. So called because they worked in gangs and were paid a lump sum.
lunar observation At sea, a way of calculating lunar distances—the distance between the moon and a planet or a fixed star in the moon’s path—used in finding longitude. Sometimes known as “Maskeleyne’s method” because Nevil Maskeleyne, the Astronomer Royal from 1765 to 1811, advocated it in his New Mariner’s Guide (1763).
lunarian One who studies the moon or employs the lunar method in finding longitude.
lupus Any of several skin diseases.
lurcher A petty thief, swindler, rogue; someone who loiters suspiciously; a spy.
lustra decern Ten five-year periods, or 50 years (Latin).
lustration A ceremonial purification, usually spiritual or moral, as by sacrifice or by washing with water.
lutestring A glossy fabric made of silk. A dress or ribbon of this material.
lycopod A club-moss, such as ground pine.
M
Macao A portuguese territory and port city on the south coast of China. From 1717 until the 19th century, Macao and Canton were the only ports in China open to European trade. Burial place of St. Francis Xavier and residence of the poet Camoens.
Macassar oil A hair unguent flamboyantly advertised in the early part of the 19th century by its producers, Rowland and Son, who claimed it consisted of ingredients obtained from Macassar, a district of the island Celebes. The name was subsequently given commercially to various other natural products imported from the East.
Macchiavel Anglicized form of the name of Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527), the Florentine statesman who advocated in his 1513 treatise Il principe (The Prince) the pursuit of statecraft at the expense of morality. Also, one who acts on Machiavelli’s principles; an intriguer, an unscrupulous schemer.
mace A scepter or staff of office once carried by some officials, including the judges of ADMIRALTY Courts. A spice made from the outer covering of the nutmeg, found in both the EAST and WEST INDIES.
Macedonian, H.M.S. A 38-gun fifth rate built in 1810 and taken in a one-sided battle by the more powerful U.S.S. United States (44 guns) on October 25, 1812. While the Macedonian, commanded by Captain John Surman Carden, suffered around 104 killed and wounded, the United States, Commodore Stephen Decatur, had only a dozen killed or wounded. Decatur had fought well, and his much sturdier ship had protected her crew. Along with the losses of the Guerriere (August 19, 1812) and the Java (December 29, 1812) to the U.S.S. Constitution, the capture of the Macedonian was shocking news to the British.
madder A Eurasian herbaceous climbing plant, Rubia tinctorum, cultivated in Holland and France for the red dye, alizarin, obtained from it. The root, which was occasionally used medicinally to calm overexcited patients, turns urine red.
mad-doctor A physician specializing in mental disorders.
Madeira A fortified wine, amber in color and full-bodied, produced on the Portuguese island of Madeira, in the Atlantic about 400 miles off the northwest coast of Africa. The British occupied the island for a short time in 1801 and again from 1807 to 1814.
Madras A port on the east coast of India founded by the English EAST INDIA COMPANY, which built Fort St. George there in 1639 and turned the town into one of the company’s chief outposts. During the War of Austrian Succession, Madras wa
s captured by the French but was restored to the British two years later in 1748 by the Treaty of Aixla-Chapelle. In the American Revolution, Madras was again threatened by a French force under the command of Admiral Suffren, but Admiral Sir Edward Hughes was able to fend it off until the war ended.
magazine See POWDER-ROOM.
Magellan, Ferdinand The English name for the Portuguese navigator Fernao de Magalhaes (c. 1480-1521), who orchestrated the first circumnavigation of the earth but was killed while making it. He was the first European discoverer to pass into the Pacific Ocean through the channel named in his honor, the MAGELLAN STRAITS, at the southern tip of South America. Magellan was killed in a native war on the island of Mactan in the Philippines.
Magellan jacket Hooded coat first worn on WATCH, it is said, by Captain COOK’S seamen.
Magellan Straits or Strait of Magellan A winding, 320-mile channel that connects the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans at the southern tip of South America and separates Tierra del Fuego from the mainland. Treacherous and stormy, the narrow straits were much feared by seamen, who often preferred to sail farther south around Cape Horn.
maggots Mayfly larvae were sometimes, although rarely, introduced into deep wounds in order to clean them, as the maggots ate the necrotic tissue.
Magicienne, H.M.S. A fifth rate of 32 guns that was captured from the French in 1781 and fought at San Domingo in the WEST INDIES. Burned after running aground at MAURITIUS in 1810 to avoid capture by the French.
maharaj or maharaja The title of certain Indian princes.
Mahdi In Arabic, “he who is divinely guided.” In Sunni Islam, the restorer of the faith, who will appear at the end of time to restore justice on earth and establish universal Islam. Among the Shiites, the concept of the Mahdi takes a different form (see IMAM).
Mahomet Alternative spelling of the Arabic name Mohammed or Muhammad, the founder of Islam (died 632).