This URL is for a dictionary and phrase book published in 1848. It is fun to browse through.
For instance, I learned that a catamaran was a name for a raft to cross a river, long before it became a fancy twin hulled racing sailboat.
Do you know what it means "To acknowledge the corn" ? You can find it here

http://www.merrycoz.org/voices/bartlett/AMER02.HTM