plan was so obvious that it has been generally introduced in His Majesty’s dock-yards, by order of the Navy Board, dated let January, 1808.
“That your Royal Highness’s memorialist, on the 28th May, 1807, proposed a plan to build round bows to ships of the line, which gives great additional strength to the ship, more convenience and comfort to the crew, and security in time of action. The superiority of this plan was so apparent that it has been generally introduced in His Majesty’s navy, by directions from the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, dated 29th May, 1811.
“That your Royal Highness’s memorialist, in the early part of the year 1800, partially introduced a plan of laying materials diagonally in His Majesty’s ship Glenmore of 36 guns; and on the 19th May, 1805, proposed a similar introduction of materials in the Kent of 74 guns, in consequence of her extraordinary defects arising from weakness, of which the Navy Board approved by their warrant dated 4th June, 1805.
“The advantages which resulted from a partial introduction of the diagonal system induced your Royal Highness’s memorialist, on the 5th February, 1810, to propose that it should be fully carried into effect in the construction and repairs of His Majesty’s ships, which has been the cause of a total change in our national bulwark, by the introduction of a diagonal trussed frame, the filling in of the spaces between the timbers, below the orlop-deck with wood and cement, a new mode of attaching the beams to the sides, laying the decks diagonally, and by omitting a considerable quantity of materials hitherto unnecessarily or injudiciously applied: the furtherance of this plan, and the bringing it to maturity by furnishing drawings, rules, regulations, and by giving active personal inspection, have been the labor of nearly nineteen years, by which the health of your Royal Highness’s memorialist has been much injured, and his domestic comforts much interfered with. – The results of this plan, generally introduced by directions of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, dated 29th October, 1812, are, economy in the construction or repairs of His Majesty’s ships, by a saving of a considerable quantity of scarce and valuable timber, and substituting old ship-timber and new timber of inferior quality and lengths in its stead, which is peculiarly applicable to the new principle, and in many instances carried to a considerable extent. – It is difficult to make any calculation of the saving to the public by the increased durability of the ships, and the saving of materials to a considerable amount, great strength (however) is obtained, and the health of their crews promoted (with regard to the latter, see Sir Gilbert Blane’s “Treatise on the Health of the Navy”). All these have been proved by the severe trials to which several of the ships have been put, which have been constructed on this principle, and the success of which induced the Royal Society, in 1818, to honor your Royal Highness’s memorialist with their gold medal. – The account of this new principle of ship-building is published in the "Transactions of the Royal Society,” in 1814 and 1818.
“That your Royal Highness’s memorialist, on the 12th April, 1812,