AN INSTRUMENT FOR TAKING ALTITUDES AT SEA WITH GREATER EASE AND EXACTNESS THAN ANY EVER MADE VSE OF, TO THE GREAT IMPROVEMENT OF NAVIGACON AND BENEFIT OF OUR SUBIECT, AND ALSO A MACHINE FOR DIVING MORE PRACTICABLE AND IN GREATER DEPTS OF WATER THAN ANY OTHER YET IN VSE
Year: 1720

page_text: GEORGE, by the grace of God, &c., to all to whom these Presente shall
come greeting.
WHEREAS JACOB ROWE hath by his peticon humbly represented to vs that
with great study, labour, and expence he has invented "AN INSTRUMENT FOR
TAKING ALTITUDES AT SEA WITH GREATER EASE AND EXACTNESS THAN ANY EVER
MADE VSE OF, TO THE GREAT IMPROVEMENT OF NAVIGACON AND BENEFIT OF OUR
SUBIECT, AND ALSO A MACHINE FOR DIVING MORE PRACTICABLE AND IN GREATER
DEPTS OF WATER THAN ANY OTHER YET IN VSE," and having humbly prayed vs to
grant him him our Letters Patents for the sole making, vseing, and vnding of
the said instrument and machine, wee are pleased to gratifie him in his request.
KNOW YEE, THEREFORE, that wee, being willing to give encouragement
to all arts and invenčons which may be of publick vse and benefit of our
especial grace, certain knowledge, and mere močon, have given and granted,
and by these Presents, for vs, our heires and successors, do give and grant vnto
the said Jacob Row, his executors, administrators, and assignes, especial
lycence, full power, sole priviledge, and authority that he, the said Jacob Row,
his executors, administrators, and assignes, and every of them, by himselfe and
themselves, or by his or their deputy and deputies, servants, or agente, or such
others as he, the said Jacob Rowe, 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 yeares herein expressed,, shall and lawfully may exercise,
work, vse, and enioy, within that part of our Kingdom of Great Britain called

page_text: England, our Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-vpon-Tweed, the
said now Invenčon of an instrument of taking altitudes at sea, and of a
machine for diving, in such manner as to him, the said Jacob Rowe, his
executors, administrators, or assignes, or any of them, in their direccon shall
seem meet: And that he, the said Jacob Rowe, his executors, administrators,
and assignes, shall and may have and enioy the whole profit, benefit, comodity,
and advantage from time to time coming, growing, accrewing, and arising by
reason of the said Invenčon for and during the full term of years herein
menconed, to have, hold, exercise, and enioy the said lycence, powers,
priviledges, and advantages herein-before granted or menconed to be granted
vnto the said Jacob Rowe, his executors, administrators, and assignes, for and
during and vnto the full end and term of fourteen yeares from 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 Jacob Row, 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 Invenčon, according to our gracious intention herein-
before declared, wee do by theso 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 subiecte whatsoever, of what estate, quality or
degree, name, or condičon 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 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 Invencon
or any part of the same so attained vnto by the said Jacob Rowe as aforesaid,
nor shall in anywise counterfeit, imitate, or resemble the same, nor shall make
or cause to be made any addičon thereunto or substracčon from the same,
whereby to pretend himselfe or themselves the inventor or inventors, devisor
or devisors thereof, without the licence, consent, or agreement of the said
Jacob Row, his executors, administrators, or assignes, in writing vnder his or
their hand and seales first had and obtained in that behalf, vpon such pains
and penalties as can or may be iustly inflicted on such offendors for their
contempt of this our royal command; and further, to be answerable to the said
Jacob Row, his executors, administrators, and assignes, according to law, for
bis and their damages thereby occasioned. And moreover, wee do by these
Presents, for vs, our heires, and successors, will and command all and singular
our justices of the peace, mayors, sheriffs, bayliffs, constables, headbouroughs,
and all other officers and ministers whatsoever of vs, our heires and successors,

page_text: 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 Jacob Rowe, his executors, administrators," or.
assigns, or any of them, or his or their deputies, servante, or agente, in
or about the due and lawfull making, vse, or exercise of the aforesaid
Invenčon or anything relating thereto: Provided always, and these our
Letters Patents are and shall be vpon this condičon, that if at any time
dureing 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 Councill
that this our grant is contrary to law or preiudicial or inconvenient to
our subiecte in generall, or that the said Invention is not a new Invenčon 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 Ber-
wick-upon-Tweed aforesaid, or not invented and found out by the said Jacob
Rowe as aforesaid, then vpon significacon and declaračon thereof to be mado
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 Councill, or any six or more. of
them vnder their hande, these our Letters Patents shall forthwith cease, deter-
mine, and be vtterly void to all intents and purposes, anything herein before
contained to the contrary in anywise notwithstanding: Provided also, that
these our Letters Patents, or any thing herein contained, shall not extend or
be construed to extend to give priviledge vnto the said Jacob Rowe, his exe-
cutors, administrators, or assignes, or any of them, to vse or imitate any In-
'venčon of work whatsoever which hath heretofore been found out or ivented
by any other of our subiects whatsoever, and publickly vsed or exercised within.
that part of our Kingdom of Great Britain called England, our Dominion of
Wales, and Town of Berwick-vpon-Tweed aforesaid, vnto whom like Letters
Patents or priviledges have been already granted for the sole oxercise and
benefit thereof, it being our will and pleasure that the said Jacob Rowe, his
executors, administrators, and assignes, and all and every other person and
persons to whom like Letters Patents or priviledges have been already granted
as aforesaid, shall distinctly vse and practice their severall Invenčons by them
invented and found out, according to the true intent and meaning of the same
respective Letters Patent and of these Presents: Provided likewise, never-
theless, and these our Letters Patents are vpon this express condicon, that if
the said Jacob Row, his executors or administrators, or any person or persons
which shall or may time or times hereafter during the continuance of this
grant have or claym any right, title, or interest in law or equity of, in, or to
the power, priviledge, and authority of the sole vse and benefit of the said

page_text: Invenčon hereby granted, shall make any transffer or assignment, or any pre-
tended transfferr 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 subscripcon to be made by
any number of persons exceeding the number of five, in order to the raising
any sume or sums 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 servante, receive any sum or sums 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
comit or do or procure to be committed or done any act, matter or thing what-
soever during such time as such person or persons shall have any right or title
either in law or equity in or to the said premisses which would 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 severall extravagant and vnwarrantable practices therein men-
Coned, if these our Letters Patente 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 Patents, 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 anywise notwith-
standing. And, lastly, wee do by these Presents, for vs, our heires and suc-
cessors, grant vnto the said Jacob Rowe, his executors, administrators, and
assignes, that these our Letters Patents or the inrollment or exemplificacon
thereof shall be in and by all things good, firm, valid, sufficient, and effectual
in the law according to the true intent and meaning hereof, and shall be taken,
construed, and adiudged in the most favourable and beneficial sense for the
best advantage of the said Jacob Rowe, 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 heirs and successors, within

page_text: that part of our Kingdom of Great Britain called England, our Dominion of
Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed aforesaid, and amongst all and every
the subiects of vs, our heirs and successors whatsoever and wheresoever, not-
withstanding the not fully and certain describing the nature or quality of the
said Invenĉon, or of the materials thereto conducing and belonging.
In witness, &c. Witness ourselfe at Westminster, the Twelfth day of