se of the enemies."

ALARM-POST. A place appointed for troops to assemble, in case of a
sudden alarm.

ALBACORE. A fish of the family _Scombridae_, found in shoals in the
ocean; it is about 5 or 6 feet long, with an average weight of nearly
100 lbs. when fine.

ALBANY BEEF. A name for the sturgeon of the Hudson River, where it is
taken in quantity for commerce.

ALBATROSS. A large, voracious, long-winged sea-bird, belonging to the
genus _Diomedea_; very abundant in the Southern Ocean and the Northern
Pacific, though said to be rarely met with within the tropics.

ALBION. An early name of England, from the whiteness of the eastern
coast cliffs.

ALBURNUM. The sap-wood of timber, commonly termed the slab-cuts.

ALCAID. A governor, or officer of justice, amongst the Moors, Spaniards,
and Portuguese.

ALCATRAZ. The pelican. Alcatraz Island is situated in the mouth of the
river San Francisco, in California, so named from its being covered with
these birds. Also Alcatraz on the coast of Africa, from _Pelecanus
sula_--booby. Columbus mentions the alcatraz when nearing America, and
Drayton says--

"Most like to that sharp-sighted _alcatras_,
That beats the air above the liquid glass."

ALDEBARAN. The lucida of Taurus, the well-known nautical star, popularly
called Bull's-eye.

A-LEE. The contrary of _a-weather_: the position of the helm when its
tiller is borne over to the lee-side of the ship, in order to go about
or put her head to windward.--_Hard a-lee!_ or _luff a-lee!_ is said to
the steersman to put the helm down.--_Helm's a-lee!_ the word of command
given on putting the helm down, and causing the head-sails to shake in
the wind.

ALEMAYNE. The early name for Germany.

ALERT. On the look-out, and ready for any sudden duty. Nearly synonymous
with _alarm_. _Alerto_--called frequently by Spanish sentinels.

ALEWIFE. The _Clupea alosa_, a fish of the herring kind, which appears
in the _Philosophical Transactions_ for 1678, as the _aloofe_; the
corruption therefore was a ready one.

ALEXIACUS. The appellation under which Neptune was implored to protect
the nets of the tunny fisheries from the sword-fish.

ALFERE, OR ALFEREZ [_alfier_, Fr.; _alferez_, Span.] Standard-bearer;
ensign; cornet. The old English term for ensign; it was in use in our
forces till the civil wars of Charles I.

ALFONDIZA. The custom-house at Lisbon.

ALGA. A species of millepora.

ALGAE. Sea-weeds, and the floating scum