The United States Sanitary Commission

Commission Com*mis"sion, n. [F., fr. L. commissio. See {Commit}.] 1. The act of committing, doing, or performing; the act of perpetrating. [1913 Webster]

Every commission of sin introduces into the soul a certain degree of hardness. --South. [1913 Webster]

2. The act of intrusting; a charge; instructions as to how a trust shall be executed. [1913 Webster]

3. The duty or employment intrusted to any person or persons; a trust; a charge. [1913 Webster]

4. A formal written warrant or authority, granting certain powers or privileges and authorizing or commanding the performance of certain duties. [1913 Webster]

Let him see our commission. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

5. A certificate conferring military or naval rank and authority; as, a colonel's commission. [1913 Webster]

6. A company of persons joined in the performance of some duty or the execution of some trust; as, the interstate commerce commission. [1913 Webster]

A commission was at once appointed to examine into the matter. --Prescott. [1913 Webster]

7. (Com.) (a) The acting under authority of, or on account of, another. (b) The thing to be done as agent for another; as, I have three commissions for the city. (c) The brokerage or allowance made to a factor or agent for transacting business for another; as, a commission of ten per cent on sales. See {Del credere}. [1913 Webster]

{Commission of array}. (Eng. Hist.) See under {Array}.

{Commission of bankruptcy}, a commission appointing and empowering certain persons to examine into the facts relative to an alleged bankruptcy, and to secure the bankrupt's lands and effects for the creditors.

{Commission of lunacy}, a commission authorizing an inquiry whether a person is a lunatic or not.

{Commission merchant}, one who buys or sells goods on commission, as the agent of others, receiving a rate per cent as his compensation.

{Commission officer} or {Commissioned officer}, (Mil.), one who has a commission, in distinction from a noncommissioned or warrant officer.

{Commission of the peace}, a commission under the great seal, constituting one or more persons justices of the peace. [Eng.]

{on commission}, paid partly or completely by collecting as a commision a portion of the sales that one makes.

{out of commission}, not operating properly; out of order.

{To put a vessel into commission} (Naut.), to equip and man a government vessel, and send it out on service after it has been laid up; esp., the formal act of taking command of a vessel for service, hoisting the flag, reading the orders, etc.

{To put a vessel out of commission} (Naut.), to detach the officers and crew and retire it from active service, temporarily or permanently.

{To put the great seal into commission} or {To put the Treasury into commission}, to place it in the hands of a commissioner or commissioners during the abeyance of the ordinary administration, as between the going out of one lord keeper and the accession of another. [Eng.]

{The United States Christian Commission}, an organization among the people of the North, during the Civil War, which afforded material comforts to the Union soldiers, and performed services of a religious character in the field and in hospitals.

{The United States Sanitary Commission}, an organization formed by the people of the North to co["o]perate with and supplement the medical department of the Union armies during the Civil War.

Syn: Charge; warrant; authority; mandate; office; trust; employment. [1913 Webster]