Star.
London, England, 1825-10-12 00:00:00

The investigation which led to this measure he undertook at
the sucestion of the Navy Board ;—who had represented the im-
provement of Sheathing Copper as an object of the deepest interest
to the British Navy, and to shipping in genera/.
The subject was of so much importance that a Council of the
Boyal Society was requested to investigate the causes of the rapid
decay of Copper Sheathing.
Mr. Musket thinks that he has succeeded in manufacturing a
species of Copper capable, for a very lengthened period, of with-
scalding this decay :—his Patent Copper being distinguished by
uniformity of strength and durability throughout its whole texture;
sa that the partial destruction and the rapid and irregular wear, so
remarkably exhibited by Sheathing manufactured in the ordinary
manner, are thus provided against.
The following facts justify this statement.
The Navy Board supplied the Patentee with a specimen of Cop-
per from the bottom of the Batavia, a ship of war, taken from the
Dutch in the year 1798. The surface of this Sheathing was smooth
and uniform, and on comparing the centre of the sheet with the
edge which had net been in contact with the water, it was found,
that after the wear and tear of twenty-five years it had lost about
4 per Cent. This copper contained a small portion of tin. Ano-
ther specimen of Sheathing was obtained from the bottom of the
Plymouth Yacht, which was coppered in 1796. The wear of this
rapper was equally uniform With the above, and its loss was in the
course of twenty-seven years found to be only 8 per Cent, This
Ilecimen contained a portion of zinc. Thus it is evident, that
whatever the causes may be which destroy ordinary Sheathing,
th'y had comparatively little effect in the cases bete specified,
It has been by alloying copper with 'small portions of tin and
zinc, that the Patentee has succeeded in obtaining a metal deci-
dedly
superior to common copper: and since by his mode of treat-
ing it, the strength and durability of the Patent Sheathing is ren
dered unifot hi, the conclusion is justifiable, that it is calculated to
resist destruction, at least equally with the specimens above-
mentioned.
la conhrmation of this opinion, several vessels sheathed wish the
Patent Metal have returned to the River Thames from the West
Indies, aster one, two, and three voyages, and the Asia from Cal-
cutta, after line etyage, all exhibiting the copper, upon their re-
spective bottoms, as smooth and uniform in its surface, and as clean,
as when it was first put on. This appearance, it may be observed,
formed the el.it.t characteristic of the Copper upon the bottom of
the Plymouth Y.:Lt.
The Patent (2.)pper, besides, has been used at Liverpool, to a
considerable extent[, and, as far as the trial has gone, to the entire
satisfactim of the purchasers.
_ It must be otvious to the consumers of coppet, if Mr. Mushet's
Patent Copper possesses the durability of the copper of the Bata-
via or the Plymuuth Yacht, that the weight of old copper (inde-
Indent of the advantage of greater durability) taken from the
p's bottom, will more than indemnify the purchaser for the ex•
tra price per pound. In a comparative trial of common and Patent
Copper in sea water, Mr. Mushet found that the Patent lost in the
same given time 25 per Cent. less weight than the common copper.
Mushet's Patent Copper is manufactured by the house of
14etsrs. Williams, Pascoe and Wm. Grenfell and Co. Castle Bay-
nerd,Thames-street, and sold at ad. per lb. above the price of com-
n Sheathing
!I
in Copper,by them, and by Mr. Samuel Taylor, their
Li verpooi ; by Christopher Pope and Co. Bristol ; by Agent,
Benjamin Bullocke, Devonport ; and by Mr. Henry Marshall,
Newcastle.
llr. :,lushet will be glad to wait upon any Ship-owner and ex-
plain fully his reasons for belitvihn in the superiority of his ins
Proved Patent Sheathing.