in sea-language, are usually an assemblage of anchors, chains, and bridles, laid athwart the bottom of a river or haven, to ride the shipping contained therein. The anchors employed on this occasion have rarely more than one fluke, which is sunk in the water near low-water mark. Two anchors being fixed in this manner in the opposite side of the river, are furnished with a chain extending across from one to the other. In the middle of the chain is a large square link, whose lower end terminates in a swivel, which turns round in the chain as about an axis, whenever the ship veers about with the change of the tide. To this swivel-link are attached the bridles, which are short pieces of cable, well served, whose upper ends are drawn into the ship at the mooring-ports, and afterwards fastened to the masts or cable-bolts. A great number of moorings of this sort are fixed in the harbours adjacent to the king's dock-yards, as Deptford, Chatham, Portsmouth, Plymouth, &c.