NEW MARINE COLLAR AND BELT, WHICH WAS SO CONTRIVED AS EFFECTUALLY TO PRESERVE PERSONS IN THE WATER FROM SINKING OR BEING DROWNED
Year: 1764

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, JOHN
CARASS, of the Parish of Saint Luke, in the County of Middlesex, Bridle
Cutter, sends greeting.
WHEREAS by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain,
bearing date at Westminster, the Fourteenth day of November, in the fifth
year of the reign of His present Majesty, after reciting that William Walker
therein named, and the said John Carass, had by their Petition humbly
represented to His Majesty that they had by much study, labour, and appli-
cation in trying experiments, found out and invented a NEW MARINE COLLAR
AND BELT, WHICH WAS SO CONTRIVED AS EFFECTUALLY TO PRESERVE PERSONS IN
THE WATER FROM SINKING OR BEING DROWNED;" and that in regard they had
been at great trouble and expence to bring the same to perfection, they
therefore humbly prayed His said Majesty to grant to them, their executors,
administrators, and assigns, Letters Patent for the sole making and vending
their said Invention within that part of the Kingdom of Great Britain called
England, the Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, for the
term of fourteen years, according to the Statute in that case made and
provided; and that His Majesty being willing to give encouragement to all
arts and inventions which might be for the publick good, did thereby give and

page_text: grant unto the said William Walker and John Carass, their executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, especial licence, full power, sole priviledge and authority,
that they, the said William Walker and John Carass, their executors, adñiors,
and assigns, and every of them, by himself or his deputy or deputys, servants
or agents, or such others as they, the said William Walker and John Carass,
their exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with and others, from
time to time and at all times hereafter during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend their said Invention
within that part of the Kingdom of Great Britain called England, Dominion
of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as to the said
William Walker and John Carass, their executors, administrators, and assigns,
or any of them, should in their discretion should seem meet; and that they,
the said William Walker and John Carass, their exors, adñiors, and assigns,
should and might have, hold, and enjoy the profit, benefit, commodity, and
advantage from from time to time coming, growing, accruing, and arising by
reason of the said Invention, for and during the term of years in the said Letters
Patent mentioned, to have, hold, exercise, and enjoy the said licence, powers,
priviledges, and advantages therein-before granted or mentioned to be granted
unto the said William Walker and John Carass, their executors, administrators,
and assigns, for and during and unto the full end and term of fourteen years
from the date of those Presents 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 they, the said William Walker and John Carass, their
executors, adñiors, and assigns, and every of them, might have and enjoy the
full benefit and sole use and exercise of the said Invention according to the
intention of the said Letters Patent therein-before declared, His said Majesty
did require and strictly command all and every person and persons, bodies
politick and corporate, and all other subjects whatsoever, of what estate, degree,
or condition soever they be, within the said part of the Kingdom of Great
Britain called England, Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed aforesaid, that they nor any of them at any time during the continuance
of the said term of fourteen years thereby granted, either directly or indirectly,
should make or put in practice the said Invention, or any part of the same, so
attained unto by the said William Walker and John Carass as aforesaid, nor
in anywise counterfeit, imitate, or resemble the same, nor make or cause to be
made any addition thereto or substraction 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 William Walker and

page_text: John Carass, their executors, administrators, and assigns, in writing under
their hands and seals, first had and obtained in that behalf, upon such pains or
penalties as can or may be justly inflicted on such offenders for the contempt of
the said command, and further, to be answerable to the said William Walker
and John Carass, their executors, adiñors, and assigns, according to law, for
their damages thereby occasioned; in which said Letters Patent is contained
a proviso, in the words or to the effect following, viz, Provided also, that if the
said William Walker and John Carass, or one of them, shall not particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of their said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under their hands
and seals, or the hand and seal of one of them, and cause the same to be
inrolled in the High Court of Chancery within four calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent, that then the said
Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted,
shall cease, determine, and become void.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Carass, in pursuance of the said
Letters Patent and the proviso therein contained as aforesaid, do by this
present instrument in writing, under my hand and seal, describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, in manner following (that is to say) :-
:-
The said Invention consists of a piece of leather, having an hole or long slit
therein, thro' which the head of the wearer being put, the two sides of the
said hole or slit will rest on the shoulders, and from the hinder extremity of
the said hole or slit the said piece of leather is continued down the back, and
being brought through between the thighs is by a buckle at the end thereof
fastned to the other end of the said piece of leather at or about the navel, and
is loosned or tightned at the option of the wearer. To this long strip of leather
is fixed behind, at such part thereof as is correspondent to the middle of the
wearer, another strip of leather in the nature of a girdle or belt, to be buckled
round the body of the wearer at or near the navel; and on this strip of leather
are placed nearly equidistant four balls, of the diameter of five inches each or
thereabouts, made of bladders or other entrails of beasts, covered with the skins
of beasts or fishes, made proof with cement, paint, varnish, or such like com-
positions, so as to resist any injury from water. On the front of the said
girdle or belt is fixed a button, to be passed through the long strip after it has
passed between the thighs, the better to keep the said girdle or belt at rest in
its proper place about the navel of the wearer. On the front of two sides of
the said hole or slit are placed two balls of the like size and sort, so that

page_text: the same when fixed on will be about two or three inches below the collar-
Done.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Carass, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of December, and in the year
Done.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Carass, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of December, and in the year
of our Lord One thousand seven hundred and sixty four.
December, in the year above said, the aforesaid John Carass came before our
said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification,
and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stampt according to the form of the
Statute made in the sixth year of the reign of the late King and Queen
William and Mary of England, and so forth.