"beril" of a ship?

Joel S. Berson Berson at ATT.NET
Tue Apr 24 16:42:02 UTC 2007


What, in the 18th century, was a "beril" on a naval vessel?  To quote
Smollett:  "the knee of a fifth [sailor] was crushed in a terrible
manner between the beril and the mast".

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