A Letter Written to the Publisher Concerning a New Way, by an English Manufacture to Preserve the Hulls of Ships from the Worm, &c; Better for Sailing and More Cheap and Durable than Any Sheathing or Graving Hitherto Used

Alpes. A certain Capucin told me he had been upon the highest of these mountains with a Trader in Crystal, who having driven his hammer into one of these Rocks, and found it hollow and resonant, made a hole into it, and thence drew forth a substance like Talk; which to him was a sign there was Crystal. After which he made a great hole with Gunpowder, and found Rock-crystal in it. A Letter written to the Publisher concerning a New Way, by an English Manufacture to preserve the Hulls of Ships from the Worm, &c.; better for sailing, and more cheap and durable than any Sheathing or Graving hitherto used. SIR, Understanding you have the trouble to publish such new and profitable Experiments as come to your knowledge, I take the liberty to inform you of a New Invention, which hath and no doubt will be of very great benefit and advantage to the public: But the waiting for a full trial of those Experiments offered at for the worlds satisfaction, and the continuance of the late War (which is a very bad Nurse to Trade or Projects) has been the reason the Work has yet advanced no farther. Some few years since, Sr. Phil. Howard and Major Watson with great charge and industry had found out a New way by a Manufacture of our own to preserve the Hulls of Ships from the Worm, &c., which is much smoother and consequently better for sailing, and more cheap and durable than the way of Boards, Pitch, Tar, Rozin, Brimston, or any Sheathing or Graving hitherto used. The King and Parliament being satisfied, upon examination, of the great benefit that might redound hereby to his Majesty and Subjects in general; for the Inventors encouragement to make the same public were pleased, almost four years since, to grant them an Act of Parliament for the sole use of this their Invention with penalty and prohibition to all others: In prosecution whereof, Experiments have been made upon several of his Majesty's Ships, viz. The Phoenix, done three years agoe, has made two Voyages into the Straights, &c. and when she was lately taken into the Dock at Woolwich to be repaired, upon view of the Master Shipwright and others, her Sheathing was found to be in as good condition, as at first doing, and the Ship so tight during the whole time, that they were forced to heave in Water to keep her sweet. The Dreadnought, a third Rate, done in June 1671; the Henrietta, Lyon, and Mary, all three of the third Rate, and done a year and an half since, being lately layed on ground at Sheerness and Portsmouth, are found to be all in as good condition, and the sheathing to continue as firm and well as at the first doing; as the Master Builder and Assistant at Portsmouth and others have certified. Others of his Majesties Ships have been also done, no doubt with as good success as these; but these only having yet been viewed upon their coming in Mention, not the other. The Bread-rooms also of some of these and many other of his Majesties Ships have been lined within, almost in the same manner the Sheathing is without; which has proved a great preservation of the Bread, as several of the Pursers and Officers of the said Ships have certified, and by reason of its duration must be much cheaper and better than Tyn, which is so liable to rust, or any way yet used. Also the Lead itself (which is the principal thing used herein) they make so close pressed, smooth, and equal, and of what thickness or thinness desired, that great use may be made thereof about several other things relating to Shipping, &c. His Majesty and the Lords of the Admiralty have received such satisfaction from the Experiments that have been made of this New Invention upon the Ships aforesaid, that they have given express order to the Commissioners and principal Officers of the Navy to sheath all their Ships as shall require sheathing for the future, no otherwise but by the way of this New Invention: And I doubt not (all men naturally pursuing that which appears best and most profitable to them,) this Thing will in little time be understood and embraced by Merchants and others concerned, now when a happy Peace shall give liberty to trade; many very considerable persons amongst them having already acquainted themselves here-with, and declared their approbation, notwithstanding you may meet with some, whose ignorance or interest may make them rayl against it, which in the end will weigh little. Sir, If you please to oblige the World and the Persons concerned concerned in the publication hereof in your Monethly Book; I pray, dire & such as shall desire to make any use hereof or be further satisfied herein, to Mr. Thomas Raffell at the Jerkers Office in the Custome house, or to the said Mr. Raffell or Mr. Francis Dracott at Mr. Garrawayes Coffee-house, where they will be found every Tuesday and Thursday from eleven to twelve of the clock, and afterwards the same dayes in the West-India-Walk upon the Exchange. The said Mr. Raffell and Mr. Dracott being the persons employed by the Parties concerned in the management of this Work, they may receive satisfaction from them, that this way of sheathing is as cheap as the other, much more durable, and in many respects more beneficial to the Owners, both in point of charge and advantage in sayling, then any way of sheathing hitherto used. This is all at present from, Sir Westminst. this 7th. of Feb. 1674 Your very humble Servant John Bulsteel. An Account of two Books: I. MUSICA SPECULATIVA del Mengoli, Dottor dell' una & l'altra Legge, & P.P. de scienze Mechaniche nello Studio di Bologna: In Bologna 1670. in 4°. Of this Italian Treatise we could give no sooner notice, because it came but very lately to our hands, though it hath been printed three years ago. The famous Author undertakes to give in it a better account of Musick and the reasons of Songs, than has been done hitherto. And whereas among the suppositions of Musick it hath been received for an undoubted Axiom, that Consonance is made by the frequent union of two Sounds in striking the External Drum of the Ear, (for he pretends there is another Drum) at one and the same time; he affirms to have discover'd this to be utterly false, and maketh it his business to prove it in the 4th and 17th speculation of this Book. In the making of which Discovery he relates to have been assisted by taking an exact view of the Organ of Hearing itself; he and his Anatomical friends having there taken particular notice, How the three little bones are fastned to one another and to the two Drums, the External and Internal, (Anatomists having hitherto spoken but of one only,)