a ship-officer, to whom is committed the charge of all the tackles, sails, and rigging, ropes, cables, anchors, flags, pendants, &c. He is also to take care of the long-boat and its furniture, and to steer her either by himself or his mate. He calls out the several gangs and companies aboard, to the due execution of their watches, works, spells, &c. He is likewise provost-marshal, who fees and punishes all offenders sentenced by the captain, or a court-martial of the fleet.

Boatswain's mate has the peculiar command of the long boat, for the setting forth of anchors, weighing or fetching home an anchor, warping, towing, or mooring; and is to give an account of his store.

Bob, a term used for the ball of a short pendulum.

Bobartia, in botany, a genus of the triandra digynia clasps. The calyx is imbricated; and the corolla consists of a double-valved gluma. There is but one species, viz., the indica, a native of the Indies.

Bobbin, a small piece of wood turned in the form of a cylinder, with a little border jutting out at each end, bored through to receive a small iron pivot. It serves to spin with the spinning-wheel, or to wind thread, worsted, hair, cotton, silk, gold, and silver.

Bobbing, a method of fishing. See Fishing.

Bobbio, a town of the Milanese, in Italy, about twenty-eight miles south-east of Pavia; E. long. 10°, N. lat. 44° 35'.

Boca, in ichthyology. See Sparus.

Boca-chica, the entrance into the harbour of Cartagena, in South America, defended by several forts.

Boca del Drago, a strait between the island of Trinidad and New Andalusia, a province of Terra Firma. See Terra Firma.

Bocardio, among logicians, the fifth mode of the third figure of syllogisms, in which the middle proposition is an universal affirmative, and the first and last particular negatives, thus:

Bo Some sickly persons are not students; car Every sickly person is pale; do Therefore some persons are pale that are not students.

Bocconia, in botany, a genus of the dodecandra monogynia clasps. There is only one species, viz., the frutescens, a native of America.

Boce, in ichthyology. See Sparus.

Bochara, a large town of Uzbee Tartary, situated on the river Oxus, about sixty miles west of Samarand, in 65° E. long. and 40° N. lat.

Bockholt, a town of Münster, in Westphalia, situated in 6° 20' E. long. and 51° 40' N. lat.

Bock-Land, in the Saxons time, is what we now call freehold lands, held by the better sort of persons by charter or deed in writing; by which name it was distinguished from folkland, or copy-hold land, holden by the common people without writing.

Bodkin, a small instrument made of steel, bone, ivory, &c., used for making holes.

The small grofs, or twelve dozen, of bodkins pays on importation 1s. 3½d.; if of iron or steel, 4s. 8½d.; and if of brals, only 3 ½d.

Bodmin, a borough-town of Cornwall, about twenty-six miles north-east of Falmouth, in 5° 10' W. long. and 50° 32' N. lat. It sends two members to parliament, and gives the title of vicount to the earl of Radnor.

Vol. I. Numb. 25.

Bodroch, a town of Hungary, about an hundred miles south-east of Buda, and situated on the north-east shore of the Danube, in 20° 15' E. long. and 46° 15' N. lat.

Body, in physics, an extended solid substance, of itself utterly passive and inactive, indifferent either to motion or rest. See Matter, and Mechanics.

Colour of Bodies. See Optics.

Descent of Bodies. See Mechanics.

Division of Bodies. See Chemistry.

Body, with regard to animals, is used in opposition to soul, in which sense it makes the subject of anatomy.

Body, among painters, as to bear a body, a term signifying that the colours are of such a nature, as to be capable of being ground to fine, and mixing with the oil to entirely, as to seem only a very thick oil of the same colour.

Body, in the manege. A horse is chiefly said to have a good body, when he is full in the flank. If the last of the short ribs be at a considerable distance from the haunch bone, although such horses may, for a time, have pretty good bodies, yet, if they are much laboured, they will lose them; and these are properly the horses that have no flank. It is also a general rule, that a man should not buy a light-bodied horse, and one that is fiery, because he will soon destroy himself.

Body, in the art of war, a number of forces, horse and foot, united and marching under one commander.

Main Body of an army, the troops encamped in the centre between the two wings, and generally infantry: the other two bodies are the vanguard and the rear-guard; these being the three into which an army, ranged in form of battle, is divided.

Body, in matters of literature, denotes much the same with system, being a collection of every thing belonging to a particular science or art, disposed in proper order; thus, we say, a body of divinity, law, physic, &c.

Boedromia, in Grecian antiquity, a festival celebrated yearly by the Athenians in the month Boedromion; for the ceremonies of which, see Potter's Arch. Graec. b. ii. c. 20.

Boedromion, in chronology, the third month of the Athenian year, answering to the latter part of our August and beginning of September.

Boerhaavia, in botany, a genus of the monandra monogynia clasps. It has no calyx; the corolla consists of one bell shaped plaited petal; and there is but one naked seed. There are six species, all natives of the Indies.

Boeschot, a town of the Austrian Netherlands, situated in Brabant, about twelve miles north-east of Malines, in 4° 40' E. long. and 51° 5' N. lat.

Bog properly signifies a quagmire, covered with grass, but not solid enough to support the weight of the body.

Bog, in geography, a river of Poland, which, running south-east through the province of Podolia and Buziac Tartary, falls into the Euxine sea between Oczakow and the mouth of the Boristhenes.

Bog, or Bog of Gight, a small town of Scotland, near near the mouth of the river Spey, situated in 2° 23' W. long. and 57° 40' N. lat.

BOGARMITÆ. See BOGOMILI.