Hopital

sur mer, Fr. hospital-ship. A particular ve el, which is always attached to a naval armament, and is provided with the nece ary accommodations for the sick and wounded belonging to the ships of war. The same precautions (indeed greater if po ible) are indispensably nece ary to prevent the dreadful consequences of contagion, that are directed to be observed in the fumigation, . of transports. During the old government of France, hospital-ships were of a particular construction. Independently of the equipage, tackle, . belonging to every other navigable ship, these ve els were directed to have their decks extremely high, to have large port-holes, and to have the space between the decks constantly clear, so that the cots and bedding of the sick might be conveniently placed, and a constant circulation of free air be preserved.