ment; and although timber cannot in any way he so well or so speedily prepared as in a few days when the tree is standing, yet as the principle is applicable to all timber, durable ships may he more readily built than those prone to rapid decay; and I yet hope to be the humble means of rendering that service.”
In 1812, the following correspondence took place between this officer and Viscount Melville:
“My Lord, – The late Lord Melville, when at the head of the Admiralty, having been pleased to encourage a plan I had suggested for arming cruisers in the Straits of Gibraltar, by ordering the Raven to be fitted for that service in the manner I bad proposed, fitted with circular traversing flank guns, and Chinese sculls, and appointing me to the command; which vessel having been unfortunately lost, and the circumstance attending the loss not fairly brought before the court-martial, a very harsh sentence was passed upon me; I take the liberty of enclosing to your lordship the copy of a letter from the commander-in-chief, the late Lord Nelson, to whom the misstatement was fully known; trusting that it will not be considered an unfavorable introduction of me to your lordship[1].
“The particular object of my present application is to represent to your lordship, that I had frequent confidential conversations with the late Lord Nelson on naval matters, particularly the evils which arose from the short duration of our ships of war, and the desirable object of obtaining an ample supply of more durable timber: it was intended by his lordship that I should communicate with the late Lord Melville on these points, and on the means of bringing the resources of Malabar into action; being subjects on which it is well known the active mind of that distinguished character was most ardently engaged; but as the late Lord Melville was not in office when I reached England, the intention was frustrated. The subject, however, must be admitted to be of the greatest national importance, both in point of maritime strength and finance. I have therefore been preparing a memoir, with a view of having the subject brought before parliament; but as your lordship may perhaps deem the matter deserving of previous investigation, I beg leave to state, that if proper encouragement is given, I shall be happy to lay before your lordship the most valuable and important information; having, from observation and actual experiments, ascertained a mode by which the strength of all timber may be much augmented and preserved from decay, and thereby the duration of ships much increased, which may be readily proved by the building of a frigate as a test.
“To Robert Viscount Melville, First Lord of the Admiralty.”
