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FOR

FOR

with iron, used at the ends of bolts to keep them from flying outHof their holes.

FORE-MAST OF A SHIP, a large round piece of timber,placed in her fore-part, or fore-castle, and carrying the fore-sailand fore-top-sail yards. Its length is usually eight-ninths of themain-mast, and the fore-top-gallant-mast is one-half the length oft ie fore-top.

Fork-mast Men, arp those on board a ship that take in thetop sails, sling the yards, furl the sails, bowse, trice, and take theirturn at the helm, &c.

Fore-reach, in the sea-language: a ship is said to fore-reachupon another, when both sailing together, one sails better, or out-goes the other.

FORESCIIOKE, in our old authors, signifies the same withforsaken, aud is particularly used in one of our statutes for lands ortenements seised by the lord for want of services performed by histenant, and quietly held by such lord above a year and a day,w ithout any due course of law taken by the tenant for recoverythereof; here he does in presumption of law disavow or forsake allthe rights he has thereto, for which reason those lands shall becalled foreschoke.

FORE-SKIN , in anatomy. See Prepuoe.

FOREST , in geography^ a huge wood; or, a large extent ofground covered with trees. The word is formed of the I-utin/b-resta, which first occurs in the capitulars of Charlemagne , andwhich itself is derived from the German frost, signify ing the samething. Spelman derives it from the Latin Jores rcstat, by reasonforests are out of towns. Others derive joresta from feris, q. d.i'oresta, quoad sit tula stutio Jerarum, as being a sate station orabode for wild beasts. The principal forests in this country arethose of Sherwood, Windsor, the New F'orest, that of Dean, onthe north of the river Severn , and Epping Forest, in the county'of Essex . There are, beside;, several smaller forests, the total ex-tent of which, together with those just enumerated, amounts toshout 300,000 acres. The utility of forests, to a commercial na-tion, is very great; as, by the quantity of timber they afford, aconsiderable expence may be saved, w hich must otherwise be in-curred by the importation of materials for ship-building. Inde-pendently of these considerations, forests of a moderate extent area national ornament, especially if they do not occupy such landsas could be more usefully employed in agriculture. Formerly,England abounded with woods, and was celebrated for its loftyand majestic oak, which, however, of late years has becomescarce. On the contrary, various large tracts of uncultivatedground might now be advantageously planted with larch, fir, andother trees; but, as these expensive undertakings are beyond theability of private individuals, it is to be hoped that the commis-sioners of the land revenue will be able speedily to carry so patri-otic a measure into efl’ect.

Forests, inlaw, are waste grounds belonging to the king, re-plenished with all manner of beasts of chace or vem-ry, which areunder the khig’s protection, for the sake of his royal recreationand delight; aud to that end, and for preservation of the king’sgame, there are particular laws, privileges, courts, and officers, be-longing ts> the king’s forests. 1 Black. 279. Hie forest-courtsare, the courts of attachments, of regard, of swainmote, and of jus-tice-seat. The court of attachments is to be held before the ver-derers of the forest, onee in every forty days, to enquire of all of-fenders against the king’s deer, oi covert for the game, w ho maybe attached by their bodies, if found in the very act of transgres-sion, otherwise by their goods; and in this court the foresters areto bring in their attachment, or presentments of vert and venison:and the verderers are to receive the same, and to inroll them, andto certify them under their st ats, to the court of justice-seat, orswarmnote ; for this court can only inquire of, but not convict, of-fenders. Thu court of regard or survey of dogs is to be lroldenevery third year, for the lawing or expeditating of mastiffs, whichis done by cutting off the claws of the fore-feet, to prevent themfrom running after deer. No other dogs than mastiffs were per-mitted to be kept within the king’s forests, it being supposed thatthe keeping of these, and these only, was necessary for the defenceof a man’s house. 'Tire court of swainmote is to be holdcn beforethe verderers as judges, by tire stew ard of tire swainmote, thrice inevery year, the swains or freeholders within the forest composingthe jury. The jurisdii tion of this court is, to enquire into the op-pressions and grievances committed by the officers of the forest,

and to receive and try presentments certified from the court of at-tachments, against the offenders in vert and venison; and thiscourt may not only enquire, but convict also, which convictionshall be certified to the court of justice-seat, under the seals of thejury, for this court cannot proceed to judgement. The court ofjustice-seat, is the principal court; which is held before the chiefjustice in eyre, or chief itinerant judge, or his deputy, to hear anddetermine all trespasses within the forest, and all claims of fran-chises, liberties, and privileges, and all pleas and causes whatso-ever therein arising. It may also proceed to try presentmentsmade in the inferior courts of the forest, and to give judgementupon the convictions that have been made in the swainmote courts.It may be held every third year. ’This court may fine and impri-son, it being a court of record ; and a writ of error lies to the court,of king's bench. 1 Black. 289. 2 Black. 33. 3 Black. 71. Butthe forest-laws have long ago ceased to be put in execution. 1Black. 289.

Forests, Antiquity of. Forests are of such antiquity inEngland, that, excepting the New Forest in Hampshire , erectedbv William the Conqueror, and Hampton Court , erected byllenry VIII. it is said, that there is no record or history whichmakes any certain mention of their erection, though they arc men-tioned by several writers and in several statutes. Ancient histo-rians tell us, “ that New forest was raised by the destruction of22 parish-churches, and many villages, chapels, and manors, forthe space of 30 miles together, which was attended with diversjudgements on the posterity of William I. who erected it.

Forest, Bi.ack, or Schwartzwald , an extensive forest ofGermany, in Suabia, on the right side of the Rhine , consistingchiefly of mountains, which run across the greatest part of Suabia from N. to S. and from E. to AV. This forest lies chiefly betweenthe late Helvetic republic, the Rhine , and the kingdom of Wur-temberg.

Forest Towns, in geography, four towns of Germany , inSuabia, lying along the Rhine, and the confines of Switzerland ,and subject to the bouse of Austria . Their names are Ilhindield,Seckingen, Lausenburg, and Waldshut .

Fore-staff, an instrument used at sea for taking the altitudesof heavenly bodies, so called, because the observer, in using it,turns his face towards the object; in contradistinction to the back-staff, where he turns his back to the object. The fore-staff, orcross-staff, represented in Plate LXX, fig. 12, consists of a straightsquare staff, A B, graduated like a line of tangents and four crossesor vanes, F F, F. E, DI), C C, which slide thereon. The firstand shortest of these vanes, F F, is called the ten cross, or vane,and belongs to that side of the instrument w hereon the divisionsbegin at 3’’ and end at 10°. The next longer vane, E E, is calledthe thirty cross, belonging to that side where the divisions begin at20° and end at 30°, called the thirty scale. The next vane, D L',is called the sixty cross, and belongs to that side wiiere the divi-sions begin at 20° and end at 60°. The last and longest, C C,called the ninety-cross, belongs to the side whereon the divisionsbegin at 30° and end at 90°. The great use of this instrument is totake the height of the sun and stars, or the distance of two stars:and the 10, 30, 60, or 90, crosses, are to be used according as thealtitude is greater or less; that is, if the altitude be less than 10°,the ten cross is to be used; if above ten, but less than thirty, thethirty cros is to be used, &e. For altitudes greater than 30°, thisinstrument is not so convenient as a quadrant or semicircle. Toobserve an altitude by this instrument, apply the flat end of thestaff to your eye, and look at the upper end of. the cross for thecentre of the sun or star, and at the lower end lor the horizon, asrepresented in fig. 13. If you see the sky instead ol the horizon,slide the cross a little nearer the eye: and if you see the sea insteadof the horizon, slide the cross farther from the eye : and thus con-tinue moving till you see exactly the sun or star’s centre by thetop of the cross, and the horizon by the bottom thereof. Thenthe degrees and minutes, cut by the" inner edge of the cross uponthe side of the staff peculiar to the cross you use, give the altitudeof the sun or star. If the meridian altitude be wanted, continueyour observation as long ns you find the altitude increase, stillmoving the cross nearer to the eye. By subtracting the meridian-altitude thus found from 90°, you will have tlie zenith-distance.To work accurately, an allowance must be made for the heigh 1 ,of the eye above the surface of the sea, viz. for one English foot,

1 minute ; for 5 feet, 2-j; for 10 feet, 3-J ; for 20 feet, 5 J for 40