A NEW METHOD BY FLOATS, FOR RAISING GREAT QUANTITIES OF WATER TO SUPPLY CITIES AND TOWNES TO WATER LAND AND GARDENS, FOR DRAINING MINES AND FENNY LANDS, FOR MOVING SEVERALL SORTS OF MILLWORK, FOR MOVING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELLS, AND FOR SEVERAL OTHER VSEFULL PURPOSES
Year: 1724

page_text: come greeting.
WHEREAS our trusty and welbeloved JOHN DICKINS, Esquire, hath by
his peticon humbly represented vnto vs, that he has by long study and great
expence found out and invented a machine which by an entire new method
will raise great quantities of water in a different manner than has hitherto
ben made vse of, from which the publick will reape great benefit, humbly
praying vs to grant him our Royal Letters Patents for the sole vse of his
said Invention in our dominions and plantačons for the term of fourteen
years as the law bath provided in such cases. And the Petitioner having, by
his affidavit annext to his said petition, sworne that by his own industry and
expence he hath found out "A NEW METHOD BY FLOATS, FOR RAISING GREAT
QUANTITIES OF WATER TO SUPPLY CITIES AND TOWNES TO WATER LAND AND
GARDENS, FOR DRAINING MINES AND FENNY LANDS, FOR MOVING SEVERALL SORTS OF
MILLWORK, FOR MOVING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELLS, AND FOR SEVERAL OTHER VSEFULL
PURPOSES," which method or Invention hath not hitherto been vsed, as the
Petitioner verily believed, wee are pleased to gratify the Peticoner in his
request.
KNOW YEE, THEREFORE, that wee, of our especial grace, certain
knowledge, and meer močon, have given and granted, and by these Presents
for vs, our heires and successors, do give and grant vnto the said John
Dickins, his executors, administrators, and assignes, especial lycence, full
power, sole priviledge and authority, that he, the said John Dickins, his
executors, administrators, and assignes, and every of them, by himself or

page_text: themselves, or by his or their deputy and deputies, servants and agente, or such
others as he, the said John Dickins, his executors, administrators, or assignes,
shall at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times during the term of years herein expressed, shall and lawfully may make,
vse, and exercise his said new invented machine and new method for raising
great quantities of water for the purposes aforesaid as above described, in that
part of our Kingdom of Great Britain called England, our Dominion of
Wales, Town of Berwick-vpon-Tweed, and in our Plantations in America, in
such manner as to him, the said John Dickins, his executors, administrators,
and assignes, or any of them, shall in their discretions seem meet. And that
he the said John Dickins, his executors, administrators, and assignes, shall and
lawfully may have and enioy the whole profit, benefit, comodity, and advantage
from time coming, growing, accrewing, and arising by reason of the said
Invention, for and during the terme of yeares herein mentioned, to have,
hold, exercise, and enioy the said lycence, powers, priviledges, and advantages
herein-before granted or mentioned to be granted vnto the said John Dickins,
his executors, administrators, and assignes, for and during and vnto the full
end and term of fourteen yeares from the day of the day of the date of these
Presents next and immediately ensuing and fully to be compleat and ended
according to the Statute in such case made and provided; and to the end
that the said John Dickins, his executors, administrators, and assignes, and
every of them, may have and enioy the full benefit and the sole vse and
exercise of the said Invention, according to our gracious intention herein-
before declared, wee do by these Presente, for vs, our heires and successors,
require and strictly command all and every person and persons, bodies
politick and corporate, and all other our subiects whatsoever, of what estate,
quality or degree, name or condition soever they be, in that part of our
said Kingdom of Great Britain called England, our Dominion of Wales,
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in our Plantacons in America aforesaid,
that neither they or any of them at any time during the continuance of the
said term of fourteen yeares hereby granted either directly or indirectly do
make, vse, or put in practice the said Invention so attained vnto by the
said John Dickins as aforesaid, nor in anywise counterfeit, imitate, or
resemble the same, nor shall make or cause to be made any addition thereunto
or substraction from the same, whereby to pretend himself or themselves
the inventor or inventors, devisor or devisors thereof, without the lycence
consent, or agreement of the said John Dickins, his executors, administrators
or assignes, vnder his or their hands and seales first had and obtained in
that behalfe, vpon such paines and penalties as can or may be iustly inflicted

page_text: on such offenders, for their contempt of this our royal command, and further:
to be answerable to the said John Dickins, his executors, administrators, and.
assignes, according to law, for his or their damages thereby occasioned: And'
moreover, wee do by these Presente, for vs, our heires and successors, will
and command all and singular our justices of the peace, mayors, sheriffs,
bayliffs, constables, headboroughs, and all other officers and ministers what-
soever of vs, our heires and successors, for the time being, that they, or any
of them do not nor shall at any time hereafter during the said term hereby
granted, in.. anywise molest, trouble, or hinder the said John Dickins, his
executors, administrators, or assignes, or any of them, their or any of their
deputies, servants, or agents, in or about the due and lawfull vse and exercise
of the aforesaid Invention, or anything relating thereto: Provided always, and
these our Letters Patente are and shall be vpon this condition, that if at any
time during the said term hereby granted it shall be made appear to vs, our
heires or successors, or any six or more of our or their Privy Council, that this
our grant is contrary to law, or preiudicial or inconvenient to our subiects in
general, or that the said Invention is not a new invention as to the publick
vse and exercise thereof in that said part of our Kingdome of Great Britain,
called England, our Dominion of Wales, or Town of Berwick-vpon-Tweed, or
in our Plantačons in America aforesaid, or not invented and found out by the
said John Dickins, as aforesaid, then vpon signification and declaration
thereof, to be made by vs, our heires or successors, vnder our or their signet
or privy seal, or by the Lords and others of our or their Privy Council, or any
six or more of them, vnder their hande, these our Letters Patents shall
forthwith cease, determine, and be vtterly void, to all intent and purposes,
anything herein-before contained to the contrary in anywise notwithstanding:
Provided also, that these our Letters Patents, or anything herein contained,
shall not extend or be construed to extend to give priviledge vnto the said
John Dickins, his executors, administrators, or assignes, or any of them,.
to vse or imitate any invention or work, whatsoever, which hath here-.
tofore been found out or invented by any other of our subiects whatsoever;.
and publickly vsed or exercised in that said part of our Kingdom of Great-
Britain called England, our Dominion of Wales, or Town of Berwick-vpon-
Tweed, or in our Plantations in America aforesaid, vnto whom like Letters
Patente, or priviledges have been already granted, for the sole vse, exercise,.
and benefit thereof, it being our will and pleasure that the said John
Dickins, his executors, administrators, and assignes, and all and every other
person and persons to whom like Letters Patent or priviledges have been
already granted as aforesaid, shall distinctly vse and practice their several

page_text: Invenčons by them invented and found out, according to the true intent and
meaning of the same respectivo Letters Patent and of these Presente.
Provided likewise nevertheless, and these our Letters Patents are vpon this
express condition, that if the said John Dickins, his executors or admi-
nistrators, or any person or persons which shall or may at any time or times
hereafter during the continuance of this grant have or claim any right, title,
or interest in law or equity of, in, or to the power, priviledge, and authority
of the sole vsc and benefit of the said Invention hereby granted, shall make
any transferr or assignment, or any pretended transferr or assignment of the
said liberty and priviledge, or any share or shares of the benefit or profit
thereof, or shall declare any trust thereof to or for any number of persons
exceeding the number of five, or shall open or cause to be opened any book
or books for publick subscriptions to be made by any number of persons
exceeding the number of five, in order to the raising any summ or summs of
money vnder pretence of carrying on the said liberty or priviledge hereby
granted, or shall by him or themselves, or his or their agents or servants,
receive any summ or summs of money whatsoever of any number of persons
exceeding in the whole the number of five for such or the like intents or
purposes, or shall presume to act as a corporate body, or shall divide the
benefit of these our Letters Patents or the liberty and priviledges hereby by
vs granted into any number of shares exceeding the number of five, or shall
commit or do, or procure to be committed or done, any act, matter, or thing
whatsoever during such time person shall have any right or title either in
law or equity in or to the said premisses, which will be contrary to the true
intent and meaning of a certain Act of Parliament made in the sixth year of
our reign, intituled An Act for the better securing certain Powers and
Priviledges intended to be granted by His Maiestie by Two Charters for
Assurance of Ships and Merchandizes at Sea, and for lending Money vpon
Bottomry, and for restraining several extravagant and vnwarrantable Prac-
tices therein mentioned, if these our Letters Patents had not been granted,
or in case the said power, priviledge, or authority shall at any time hereafter
become vested in or in trust for more than the number of five persons or their
representatives at any one time (reckoning executors or administrators as and
for the single person whom they represent as to such interest as they are or
shall be intituled to in right of such their testator or intestate), that then and
in any of the said cases these our Letters Patente, and all liberties, priviledges,
and advantages whatsoever hereby granted shall vtterly cease, determine, and
become void, anything herein-before contained to the contrary thereof in any-
wise notwithstanding. And, lastly, wee do by these Presents, for vs, our

page_text: heires and successors, grant vnto the said John Dickins, his executors,
administrators, and assignes, that these our Letters Patents, or the inrollment
or exemplification thereof, shall be in and by all things good, firm, valid,
sufficient, and effectuall in the law, according to the true intent and meaning
thereof, and shall be taken, construed, and adiudged in the most favourable
and beneficial sense for the best advantage of the said John Dickins, his
executors, administrators, and assignes, as well in all Courts of Record as
elsewhere, and by all and singular the officers and ministers whatsoever of
vs, our heires and successors, in that part of our said Kingdom of Great
Britain called England, our Dominion of Wales, Town of Berwick-vpon-
Tweed, and in our Plantačons in America aforesaid, and amongst all and
every the subiects of vs, our heires and successors, whatsoever and wheresoever,
notwithstanding the not full and certain describing the nature or quality of
the said Invention, or of the materials thereto conducing and belonging.
In witness, &c. Witness our selfe, at Westminster, the Twenty-sixth