a great officer or magistrate, who has the government of a navy, and the hearing of all maritime causes.

Authors are divided with regard to the origin and denomination of this important officer, whom we find established in most kingdoms that border on the sea. But the most probable opinion is that of Sir Henry Spelman, who thinks, that both the name and dignity were derived from the Saracens, and, by reason of the holy wars, brought amongst us; for admiral, in the Arabian language, signifies a prince, or chief ruler, and was the ordinary title of the governors of cities, provinces, &c. and therefore they called the commander of the navy by that name, as a name of dignity and honour. And indeed there are no instances of admirals in this part of Europe before the year 1284, when Philip of France, who had attended St Lewis in the wars against the Saracens, created an admiral. Du Cange assures us, that the Sicilians were the first, and the Genoese the next, who gave the denomination of admiral to the commanders of their naval armaments; and that they took it from the Saracen or Arabic emir, a general name for every commanding officer. As for the exact time when the word was introduced among us, it is uncertain; some think it was in the reign of Edward I. Sir Henry Spelman is of opinion that it was first used in the reign of Henry III. because neither the laws of Oleron, made in 1266, nor Bracton, who wrote about that time, make any mention of it; and that the term admiral was not used in a charter in the eighth of Henry III. where he granted this office to Richard de Lacy, by these words Maritimam Anglie; but in the 56th year of the same reign, not only the historians, but the charters themselves, very frequently used the word admiral.

Anciently there were generally three or four admirals appointed in the English seas, all of them holding the office durante bene placeto; and each of them having particular limits under their charge and government; as admirals of the fleet of ships, from the mouth of the Thames, northward, southward, or westward. Besides these, there were admirals of the Cinque Ports, as in the reign of Edward III. when one William Latimer was styled admiralis quinque portuum: and we sometimes find that one person has been admiral of the fleets to the southward, northward, and westward: but the title of admiralis Anglie was not frequent till the reign of Henry IV. when the king's brother had that title given him, which in all commissions afterwards was granted to the succeeding admirals. It may be observed, that there was a title above that of admiral of England, which was, locum tenens regis super mare, the king's lieutenant general of the sea; this title we find mentioned in the reign of Richard II. Before the use of the word admiral was known, the title of custos maris was made use of. See ADMIRAL, SUPPLEMENT.

Lord High Admiral of England, in some ancient records called capitanus maritimarum, an officer of great antiquity and trust, as appears by the laws of Oleron, so denominated from the place at which they were made by Richard I. The first title of admiral of England, expressly pressly conferred upon a subject, was given by patent of Richard II. to Richard Fitz-Allen, jun. earl of Arundel and Surrey; for those who before enjoyed this office were simply termed admirals, though their jurisdiction seems as extensive, especially in the reign of Edward III. when the court of admiralty was first erected.

This great officer has the management of all maritime affairs, and the government of the royal navy, with power of decision in all maritime causes both civil and criminal: he judges of all things done upon or beyond the sea, in any part of the world; upon the sea coasts, in all ports and havens, and upon all rivers below the first bridge from the sea. By him, vice-admirals, rear-admirals, and all sea captains, are commissioned: all deputies for particular coasts, and coroners to view dead bodies found on the sea coasts, or at sea: he also appoints the judges for his court of admiralty, and may imprison, release, &c. All ports and havens are infra corpus comitatus, and the admiral hath no jurisdiction of any thing done in them. Between high and low water mark, the common law and the high admiral have jurisdiction by turns, one upon the water, and the other upon the land.

The lord admiral has power, not only over the seamen serving in his ships of war, but over all other seamen, to arrest them for the service of the state; and if any of them run away, without leave of the admiral, he hath power to make a record thereof, and certify the same to the sheriffs, mayors, bailiffs, &c. who shall cause them to be apprehended and imprisoned.

To the lord high admiral belong all penalties and amercements of all transgressions at sea, on the sea shore, in ports and havens, and all rivers below the first bridge from the sea; the goods of pirates and felons condemned or enslaved, sea wrecks, goods floating on the sea, or cast on the shore (not granted to lords of manors adjoining to the sea), and a share of lawful prizes; also all great fishes, commonly called royal fishes, except whales and sturgeons: to which add, a salary of 7000l. a-year.

In short, this is so great an office, in point of trust, honour, and profit, that it has been usually given to princes of the blood, or the most eminent persons among the nobility. We have had no high admiral for some years; the office being put in commission, or under the administration of the lords commissioners of the admiralty, who by statute have the same power and authority as the lord high admiral.

Lord High Admiral of Scotland, one of the great officers of the crown, and supreme judge in all maritime cases within that part of Britain. See Law.

Admiral also implies the commander in chief of any single fleet or squadron; or, in general, any flag-officer whatever. The commander of a fleet carries his flag at the main-top-mast head. Thus we say, admiral of the red, of the white, of the blue.

Vice-Admiral, is the commander of the second squadron, and carries his flag at the fore-top-mast head.

Rear-Admiral, is the commander of the third squadron, and carries his flag at the mizen-top-mast head.

Vice-Admiral, is also an officer appointed by the lords commissioners of the admiralty. There are several of these officers established in different parts of Great Britain, with judges and marshals under them, for executing jurisdiction within their respective limits. Their decrees, however, are not final, an appeal lying to the court of admiralty in London.

Admiral is also an appellation given to the most considerable ship of a fleet of merchantmen, or of the vessels employed in the cod fishery of Newfoundland. This last has the privilege of choosing what place he pleases on the shore to dry his fish; gives proper orders, and appoints the fishing places to those who come after him; and as long as the fishing season continues, he carries a flag on his main-mast.

Admiral, in Conchology, the English name of a species of the voluta, a shell-fish belonging to the order of vermes testacea. See Conchology Index.

Admiralty properly signifies the office of lord high admiral, whether discharged by one single person, or by joint commissioners called lords of the admiralty.

Court of Admiralty, is a sovereign court, held by the lord high admiral, or lords of the admiralty, where cognizance is taken in all maritime affairs, whether civil or criminal.—All crimes committed on the high seas, or on great rivers below the first bridge next the sea, are cognizable in this court only, and before which they must be tried by judge and jury. But in civil cases the mode is different, the decisions being all made according to the civil law. From the sentences of the admiralty judge an appeal always lay, in ordinary course, to the king in chancery, as may be collected from statute 25 Hen. VIII. c. 19. which directs the appeal from the archbishop's courts to be determined by persons named in the king's commission, "like as in case of appeal from the admiral court." And by statute 8 Eliz. c. 5. it is enacted, that upon an appeal made to the chancery, the sentence definitive of the delegates appointed by commission shall be final.

Appeals from the vice-admiralty courts in America, and our other plantations and settlements, may be brought before the courts of admiralty in England, as being a branch of the admiral's jurisdiction, though they may also be brought before the king in council. But in case of prize vessels, taken in time of war, in any part of the world, and condemned in any courts of admiralty, the appeal lies to certain commissioners of appeals consisting chiefly of the privy council. And this by virtue of divers treaties with foreign nations, by which particular courts are established in all the maritime countries of Europe for the decision of this question, Whether lawful prize or not? for this being a question between subjects of different states, it belongs entirely to the law of nations, and not to the municipal laws of either country. See a more full account of the various courts of admiralty, and of their powers and practices, under the article Admiralty in the Supplement.

Court of Admiralty, in Scotland. See Law.

Admiralty Bay, in Geography, a spacious bay with good anchorage on the west coast of Cook's straits, in the southern island of New Zealand. S. Lat. 40. 37. E. Long. 174. 54.

There is a bay of the same name on the northwest coast of America, in N. Lat. 59. 31. W. Long. 140. 18.

Admiralty Inlet, the entrance to the supposed straits of Juan de Fuca, on the west coast of New Georgia, ADO

in N. Lat. 48. 30. W. Long. 124. 15. It was visited by Captain Vancouver in 1792, who found the soil on the shores rich and fertile, well watered, and clothed with luxuriant vegetation.

Admiralty Islands, lie in about 2° 18' S. Lat. and 146° 44' E. Long. There are between 20 and 30 islands said to be scattered about here, one of which alone would make a large kingdom. Captain Carteret, who first discovered them, was prevented from touching at them, although their appearance was very inviting, on account of the condition of his ship, and of his being entirely unprovided with the articles of barter which suit an Indian trade. He describes them as clothed with a beautiful verdure of woods, lofty and luxuriant, interspersed with spots that have been cleared for plantations, groves of cocoa nut trees, and houses of the natives, who seem to be very numerous. The largest of these islands is 18 leagues long in the direction of east and west. The discoverer thinks it highly probable that these islands produce several valuable articles of trade, particularly spices, as they lie in the same climate and latitude as the Moluccas.