COMMISSAIRE général de la marine ambulant, an officer whole duty resembles that of the former, but who has no particular residence, being intended to visit any one port or harbour occasionally.

COMMISSAIRE de l'artillerie de la marine, an officer who, under the orders of the intendant, has the charge of the foundery, the proof of cannon and mortars, and of all other arms, gun-powder, ammunition, instruments, and implements of war. He has also the command of the gunners, matrosses, and bombardiers, maintained in a royal port, who are divided into squads, commanded by lieutenants de marine, or lieutenants of bomb-ketches. There are two of these COMMISSAlRES généreaux, one for the western ports

ports of France, and the other for Provence, or the eastern ports.

COMMISSAIRE ordinaire de la marine, an officer whose duty it is to superintend the ordinary, the several clerks in a dock-yard, the store-keepers accounts in a port, and the outfits and return of stores of a fleet.

COMMISSAIRE ordinaire de l'artillerie de la marine, an officer who performs the duty of the COMMISSAIRE général de l'artillerie de la marine, when he is absent. He keeps the keys of the naval magazine and artillery store-rooms jointly with the garde-magasin. He has also a key of the arsenal, wherein the fire-arms are disposed according to their length and calibre; and he keeps a register of all the artillery within the warren where he resides. This register contains principally the matter and fabric of such artillery.

COMMISSION, an order given by the king to an admiral, vice-admiral, or other superior officer, to cruise against, and seize, the enemy's ships, &c.

COMPAGNE, the cabin of the steward of a row-galley.

COMPAGNIE de navires, or CONSERVE, a convoy or fleet of vessels.

COMPAGNONS, a general name for sailors, mariners, or whoever forms a part of a ship's crew.

COMPAS azimutal, an azimuth-compass.

COMPAS de carte, or COMPAS marin, a pair of compasses, used to prick a chart, or discover courses and distances thereon.

COMPAS de route, or de mer, a common sea-compass.

COMPAS de variation, an amplitude-compass.

COMPAS mort, a compass whose needle has lost its magnetical virtue.

COMPAS renversé, a hanging compass whose face is turned downwards; it is usually hung over-head in the great cabin, to shew the ship's course to the captain.

Reference Works