for your discoveries, I should suppose you would prefer making application for an exclusive patent, or pecuniary reward.
“To Captain Layman.”
“My Lord,– I deeply lament that your lordship should not feel yourself at liberty to hold out any expectation to me of promotion and employment.
“However, as the door appears to be shut against the claims I might produce to that rank and situation which I should have preferred to any pecuniary reward; and as I am desirous of communicating my discovery for the public good, instead of reserving the benefit of it to myself, by an exclusive patent, I beg leave to represent to your lordship, that if the general outline should be considered by Government as deserving of attention, I am ready to submit all my information and experiments on the subject to the investigation of a competent committee; it being understood, that if upon investigation the principle of the plan proposed should be approved, and considered of national utility, I shall be entitled to an adequate remuneration.
“I beg leave to add, that it would be most agreeable to my feelings as the inventor, and I should hope most consistent with the public advantage, that such remuneration should be derived from my being nominated to an honorable station in the superintendance of the execution.
“To Robert Viscount Melville.”
“Sir,– I have received your letter of the 28th ult. requesting that your information respecting the improvement of timber should be submitted to the investigation of a competent committee; and I have to inform you, that the Board of Admiralty, although obliged by the readiness you have shewn to make known the details of your experiments, do not conceive that they are likely to be of that public advantage as to make it advisable to adopt the measure you suggest.
“To Captain Layman.”
“My Lord, – Although your lordship’s reception of the Plan which I had the honor to submit to you, for the improvement of timber, &c. might induce me to apprehend that any farther application on that subject may be deemed intrusive; yet having since that time demonstrated the reality of my discovery before the Board of Agriculture, and several members of both Houses of Parliament, I beg leave to enclose the result of the experiments, as recorded in the Minutes of that Board, for your lordship’s consideration, as a subject connected with the welfare of the Navy and the State:–
