A CERTAIN VESSELL WHICH BY THE STRUCTURE THEREOF CAN BRING FISH WHEREVER CAUGHT TO ANY DISTANT PLACE ALIVE AND IN HEALTH
Year: 1718

page_text: GEORGE, by the grace of God, &c., to all to whom these Presents shall
come greeting.
WHEREAS our trusty and welbeloved subiect Sir RICHARD STEELE, Knight,
hath by his peticon humbly represented vnto vs that he has for some yeares
last past turned the intention and bent of his thought and studies to the
good and service of the publick, and that he has from much search, enquiry,
and conversation among sundry artists, artificers, and persons of learning at
great expence invented "A CERTAIN VESSELL WHICH BY THE STRUCTURE THEREOF
CAN BRING FISH WHEREVER CAUGHT TO ANY DISTANT PLACE ALIVE AND IN HEALTH,"
which will greatly contribute to the generall good of all our subiects, humbly
praying vs to grant him our Royall Letters Patents for the sole vse and
benefit of his said Invention for the space of fourteen years.
KNOW YEE, that wee, being willing to give encouragement to all arts and
Inventions that may be of publick vse and benefit, of our especial grace,
certain knowled, and meer močon, have given and granted, and by these
Presente, for vs, our heires and successors, do give and grant vnto the said Sir
Richard Steele, his executors, administrators, and assignes, especial lycence,
full power, sole priviledge and authority, that he, the said Sir Richard Steele,
his executors, administrators, and assignes, and every of them, by himselfe
and themselves, or by his or their deputy or deputies, servants or agente, or
such others as he, the said Sir Richard Steele, his executors, administrators,
or assignes shall at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and

page_text: at all times hercafter during the said terme of fourteen yeares, shall and
lawfully may exercise, work, vse, and enioy the said new Invention of makeing
and vsing such vessell or vessells aforesaid, which by the structure thereof
can bring fish wherever caught to any distant place alive and in health, in
such manner as to him, the said Sir Richard Steele, his executors, adminis-
trators, and assignes, or any of them, shall in their discretions seem meet;
and that he, the said Sir Richard Steele, his executors, administrators, and
assignes, shall and may have and enioy the whole profit, benefit, comodity,
and advantage from time to time coming, growing, accruing, and ariseing by
reason of the said Invenčon; to have, hold, exercise, and enioy the said
licence, powers, priviledges, and advantages herein-before menčoned, to be
hereby granted vnto the said Sir Richard Steele, his executors, administrators,
and assignes, for and during, and vnto the full end and term of fourteen
ycares from the date of these Presente next and immediately ensuing, and fully
to be compleat and ended according to the Statute in that case made and
provided. And to the end that the said Sir Richard Steele, his executors,
administrators, and assignes, and every of them may have and enioy the full
benefit and advantage, and the sole vse and exercise of the said Invencon,
according to our gracious intention herein-before declared, wee do by these
Presents, 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 condicon
soever they be, within that part of our said Kingdom of Great Britain called
England, our Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-vpon-Tweed, that
neither they or any of them during the said terme of fourteen years, either
directly or indirectly do make, vse, exercise, or put in practice the said In-
venčon or any part of the same so attained by the said Sir Richard Steele
as aforesaid, or shall in any wise counterfeite, imitate, or resemble the same,
nor shall make or cause to be made any addition thereto or substracčon from
the same, whereby to pretend himself or themselves the inventor or inventors,
devisor or devisors thereof, without the licence, consent, or agreement of the
said Sir Richard Steele, his executors, administrators, or assignes, in writing
vnder his or their hande and seals first had and obtained in that behalfe,
vpon such paines and penalties as can or may be iustly inflicted on such
offend's for their contempt of this our royal comand; and further to be
answerable vnto the said Sir Richard Steele, his executors, administrators,
and assignes, according to law for all damages which he or they shall or may
sustain thereby And moreover wee do by these Presents, for vs, our heires
and successors, will and command all and singular our justices of the peace

page_text: mayors, sheriffs, bayliffs, constables, headboroughs, and all other officers and
ministers whatsoever, 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 any wise molest, trouble, or hinder the said Sir
Richard Steele, his executors, administrators, or assignes, or any of them, or
his, their, or any of their deputies, servants, or agents in or about the exercise
of the said Invenčon, or any thing relating thereunto: Provided always, and
these our Letters Patente are and shall be vpon this condicon, that if at any
time during the said, terme hereby granted it shall be made appear to vs, our
heires or successors, or any six or more of our or their Privy Councill, that
this our grant is contrary to law, or prejudiciall or inconvenient to our
subiects in generall, or that the said Invention is not a new invention as to
the publick vse and exercise thereof within that part of our said Kingdom
of Great Britain called England, our Dominion of Wales, and Town of
Berwick-vpon-Tweed, or not invented and found out by the said Sir Richard
Steele as aforesaid, then, vpon significačou and declaračon thereof, to be made
by vs, our heires or successors, vnder our or their signet or privy seal, or by
the Lorde 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 intente and purposes, anything herein-
before contained to the contrary in any wise notwithstanding: Provided also
that these our Letters Patents or any thing herein contained, shall not extend
or be construed to extend, to give priviledge to the said Sir Richard Steele,
his executors, administrators, or assignes, or any of them, to vse or imitate
any Invenčon or work whatsoever which hath heretofore been found out .or
invented by any other of our subiects whatsover, and publickly vsed or
enioyed within that part of our said Kingdom of Great Britain called
England, our Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-vpon-Tweed, vnto
whom like Letters Patents or priviledges have been already granted as afore-
said; our royal will and pleasure being that such other our subiects and the
said Sir Richard Steele, his executors, administrators, and assignes, shall
distinctly vse and practice their severall Inventions by them invented and
found out, according to the true intent and meaning of the same respective
Letters Patents and of these psents. And, lastly, wee do by these Presents,
for vs, our heires and successors, grant vnto the said Sir Richard Steele, his
executors, administrators, and assignes, that these our Letters Patente, or the
inrollment thereof, shall be in and by all thing good, firm, valid, and
effectual in the law, and shall be taken, construed, and adiudged in the most
favourable and beneficiall sense, and for the best advantage of the said Sir

page_text: Richard Steele, his executors, administrators, and assignes, aswell in all
Courts of Record as elsewhere, and by all and singular the officers and
ministers whatsoever, of vs, our heires and successors, within that part of our
said Kingdom of Great Britain called England, our Dominion of Wales, and
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and amongst all and every the subiects of vs,
our heirs and successors, whatsoever and wheresoever, notwithstanding the
not full and certain describing the nature and quality of the said Invencon, or
of the materialls thereto conduceing and belonging.
In witnesse, &c. Witnesse ourselfe at Westminster, the One-and-