CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON- STRUCTION OF FIDS, OR APPARATUS FOR STRIKING TOPMASTS AND TOPGALLANT- MASTS IN SHIPS
Year: 1826

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, Sir
ROBERT SEPPINGS, Knight, a Commissioner and Surveyor of His Majesty's
Navy, of Somerset House, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Sixth day of May, One thousand eight hundred and
twenty-six, in the seventh year of His reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Sir Robert Seppings, His
especial licence, that I, the said Sir Robert Seppings, my exors, admors, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Sir Robert Seppings, my exors, admors.
or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all His said Majesty's Colonies and
Plantations abroad, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF FIDS, OR APPARATUS FOR STRIKING TOPMASTS AND TOPGALLANT-
MASTS IN SHIPS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, obliging
me, the said Sir Robert Seppings, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to
be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully
and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I the said Sir
Robert Seppings, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in the following description thereof (that is to say):-
My Invention is for striking the topmasts and topgallantmasts of ships,
by relieving them of their fids, and also by which the rigging of ships may be
slackened or set up to a certain degree at pleasure.
The nature of my Invention is to place upon each trestletreo a metallic
plate, baving a female screw for the reception of a male screw, with convex
heads on which the fid is supported. The fid is formed and placed as usual,
with the exception of having its under side concave from end to end; this
enables it to rest securely upon the convex heads of the screws. The screws,
which are turned by short levers, are to be of sufficient length to allow them
to be always so far out of the trestletrees, that by suspending the masts of
the top ropes, and passing the male screws into the sockets or female screws,
the fid may be sufficiently relieved from the weight of the mast and stress
of the rigging as to be casily removed. These screws will also allow of the
rigging being set up or slackened.
In witness whereof, I, the said Sir Robert Seppings, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Tenth day of October, in the year of our Lord