o a
broad-bodied thoracic fish, with a small head, and distinguished by its
large triangular dorsal and anal fins, which exceed the length of the
body. It is the _Chaetodon vespertilio_ of naturalists.

BAT AND FORAGE. A regulated allowance in money and forage to officers in
the field.

BATARDATES. Square-stemmed row-galleys.

BATARDEAU. In fortification, a dam of masonry crossing the ditch: its
top is constructed of such a form as to afford no passage along it.

BATARDELLES. Galleys less strong than the capitana, and placed on each
side of her.

BATEAU. A flat-bottomed, sharp-ended clumsy boat, used on the rivers and
lakes of Canada; some of them are large. Also a peculiar army pontoon.

BATED. A plump, full-roed fish is said to be bated.

BATELLA. A small plying-boat.

BATH. (_See_ WASHING-PLACE.) An order of knighthood instituted in 1339,
revived in 1725, and enlarged as a national reward of naval and military
merit in January, 1815. Henry IV. gave this name, because the forty-six
esquires on whom he conferred this honour at his coronation had watched
all the previous night, and then _bathed_ as typical of their pure
virtue. The order was supposed to belong to men who distinguished
themselves by valour as regards the navy, but it is now deemed an
inferior representation of court favour.

BATILLAGE. An old term for boat-hire.

BATMAN. A Turkish weight of 6 okes, or about 18 lbs. English. There is
also a smaller batman in Turkey, of about 4 lbs. 10 ozs. English. In
Persia there are also two batmans--the larger equal to 12 lbs. English,
and the other is of about half that weight. Also, a soldier assigned to
a mounted officer as groom.

BATOON, BASTON, OR BATON. A staff, truncheon, or badge of military
honour for field-marshals. A term in heraldry. Also, _batoons of St.
Paul_, the fossil spines of echini, found in Malta and elsewhere.

BAT-SWAIN. An Anglo-Saxon expression for boatswain.

BATTA. Extra allowance of pay granted to troops in India, varying
somewhat with the nature of the service they are employed upon, and
their distance from the capital of the presidency.

BATTALIA. The order of battle.

BATTALION. A force of soldiers, complete in staff and officers, of such
strength as will allow of its man[oe]uvres on the field of battle being
intimately regulated by one superior officer. The term is now proper to
infantry only, and represents from 500 to 1000 men. It is the ordinary
unit made use of in