"beril" of a ship?

[Charles Doyle]

Probably a BARREL(?).

--Charlie
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---- Original message ----
>Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2007 12:42:02 -0400
>From: "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
>Subject: "beril" of a ship?
>>
>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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