ass for a neutral in time of war.

BILL OF HEALTH. A certificate properly authenticated by the consul, or
other proper authority at any port, that the ship comes from a place
where no contagious disorder prevails, and that none of the crew, at the
time of her departure, were infected with any such distemper. Such
constitutes a _clean_ bill of health, in contradistinction to a _foul_
bill.

BILL OF LADING. A memorandum by which the master of a ship acknowledges
the receipt of the goods specified therein, and promises to deliver
them, in like good condition, to the consignee, or his order. It differs
from a charter-party insomuch as it is given only for a single article
or more, laden amongst the sundries of a ship's cargo.

BILL OF SALE. A written document by which the property of a vessel, or
shares thereof, are transferred to a purchaser.

BILL OF SIGHT, OR OF VIEW. A warrant for a custom-house officer to
examine goods which had been shipped for foreign parts, but not sold
there.

BILL OF STORE. A kind of license, or custom-house permission, for
re-importing unsold goods from foreign ports duty free, within a
specified limit of time.

BILLOWS. The surges of the sea, or waves raised by the wind; a term more
in use among poets than seamen.

BILLS. The ends of compass or knee timber.

BILLY BOY OR BOAT. A Humber or east-coast boat, of river-barge build,
and a trysail; a bluff-bowed north-country trader, or large one-masted
vessel of burden.

BINARY SYSTEM. When two stars forming a double-star are found to revolve
about each other.

BIND. A quantity of eels, containing 10 sticks of 25 each.

BINDINGS. In ship-building, a general name for the beams, knees, clamps,
water-ways, transoms, and other connecting parts of a ship or vessel.

BINDING-STRAKES. Thick planks on the decks, in midships, between the
hatchways. Also the principal strakes of plank in a vessel, especially
the sheer-strake and wales, which are bolted to the knees and
shelf-pieces.

BING. A heap; an old north-country word for the sea-shore, and sometimes
spelled _being_.

BINGE, TO. To rinse, or bull, a cask.

BINGID. An old term for locker.

BINK. _See_ BENK.

BINN. A sort of large locker, with a lid on the top, for containing a
vessel's stores: bread-binn, sail-binn, flour-binn, &c.

BINNACLE (formerly BITTACLE). It appears evidently to be derived from
the French term _habittacle_, a small habitation, which is now used for
the same p