DUCAL, in general, something belonging to a
duke. See DUKES.
The letters patent granted by the senate of Venice
are called ducals: so also are the letters wrote, in the
name of the senate, to foreign princes. The denomi-
nation of ducal is derived hence; that, at the begin-
ning of such patents, the name of the duke or doge
is wrote in capitals, thus, N-Di Gratia Dux Vene-
tiorum, &c. The date of ducals is usually in Latin,
but the body is in Italian. A courier was dispatched
with a ducal to the emperor, returning him thanks
for renewing the treaty of alliance (in 1716), against
the Turks, with the republic of Venice.