clearing lighters

All vessels pertaining to public departments should be cleared with the utmost despatch.

Clearing
·noun The act or process of making clear. II. Clearing ·noun A tract of land cleared of wood for cu...

Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
clearing
A place or tract of land cleared of wood for cultivation; a common use of the word in America.--Webs...

Dictionary of American Words And Phrases by John Russell Bartlett.
clearing lease
n. Explained in quotation. 1846. J. L. Stokes, `Discoveries in Australia,' vol. i. c. x.p. 321: «...

Dictionary of Australasian Words Phrases and Usages by Edward E. Morris