"A NEW-INVENTED MIXTURE OR COMPOSITION, WHICH HR CALLED NAVAL BLACK VARNISH, TO BE USED IN PAYING THE YARDS, TOPMASTS, BOWSPRITS, BENDS, BLOCKS, ANCHORS, &c. or SHIPS, INSTEAD OF TAR AND LAKP BLACK, WHICH HAD REEK GENERALLY HITHERTO USED FOR THOSE PURPOSES
Year: 1782

page_text: SAUNDERS' SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, EDMUND
SAUNDERS, of Plymouth, in the County of Devon, Merchant, sendeth greeting.
WHEREAS, in and by His Majestie's Royal Letters Patent, bearing date at
Westminster, the Second day of May last past, reciting that the said Edmund
Saunders had, by his Petition, humbly represented unto His said Majesty that
he had, after considerable trouble and expence, invented and brought to perfec-
tion "A NEW-INVENTED MIXTURE OR COMPOSITION, WHICH HR CALLED NAVAL BLACK
VARNISH, TO BE USED IN PAYING THE YARDS, TOPMASTS, BOWSPRITS, BENDS, BLOCKS,
ANCHORS, &c. or SHIPS, INSTEAD OF TAR AND LAKP BLACK, WHICH HAD REEK
GENERALLY HITHERTO USED FOR THOSE PURPOSES," and praying that His Majesty
would be graciously pleased to grant unto him, his executors, administrators,
and assigns, His Royal Letters Patent under his Great Seal of Great Britain,
for the sole use, benefit, and advantage of His said Invention, within that
part of His Kingdom of Great Britain called England, His 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, His said Majesty, of
His special grace, certain knowledge, and meer motion, did thereby for
Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto the said Edmund
Saunders, his executors, administrators, and assigns, His special license,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that he, the said Edmund
Saunders, his executors, administrators, and assigns, and every of them, by
himself and themselves, or by his and their deputy or deputies, servants or
agents, or such others as he, the said Edmund Saunders, his executors, admi-
nistrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times thereafter during the term of years therein
expressed, should and lawfully might use, exercise, and vend his said Inven-

page_text: tion within that part of His Kingdom of Great Britain called England, the
Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as
to him, the said Edmund Saunders, his executors, administrators, and assigns,
or any of them, should in his or their discretions seem meet; and that he,
the said Edmund Saunders, his executors, administrators, and assigns, should
and lawfully might have and enjoy the whole profit, benefit, commodity, and
advantage from time to time coming, growing, accruing, and arising by reason
of the said Invention, for and during the term of years therein mentioned;
to have, hold, exercise, and enjoy the said license, powers, privileges, and
advantages therein-before granted or mentioned to be granted unto the said
Edmund Saunders, his executors, administrators, and assigns, for and during
and unto the full end and term of fourteen years from the date of the said
Letters Patent next and immediately ensuing, and fully to be compleat and
ended, according to the Statute in such case made and provided; in which
said Patent it is provided, that if at any time during the said term thereby
granted, it should be made appear to His said Majesty, His heirs or
successors, or any six or more of His or Their Privy Council, that the
said grant is contrary to law, or prejudicial or inconvenient to His subjects in
general, or that the said Invention is not a new Invention as to the public
use or exercise thereof, in that said part of His Kingdom of Great Britain
called England, His Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed
aforesaid, or not invented and found out by the said Edmund Saunders, as
aforesaid; or if the said Edmund Saunders, his exors, or administrators, or any
person who should at any time thereafter during the continuance of the said
grant have or claim any interest in or to the said Invention, should make any
transfer or assignment, or any pretended transfer or assignment, of the said
liberty and privilege, or any share or shares of the benefit thereof, or should
declare any trust thereof to or for any number of persons exceeding five, or
should open any publick subscriptions to be made by any number of persons
exceeding five, in order to the carrying on the said liberty or privilege thereby
granted, or should act as a corporate body, or should divide the benefit of the
said Letters Patent into any number of shares exceeding five, or should commit
any act contrary to the true intent and meaning of a certain Act of Parlia-
ment therein particularly mentioned, or if the said Edmund Saunders should
not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of bis said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be prepared, by an instrument in writing
under his hand and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in His Majestie's
High Court of Chancery within four calendar months next immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent, that then the said Letters Patent, and all
liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, should utterly cease,

page_text: determine, and become void, anything therein-before contained to the contrary
thereof in anywise notwithstanding.
NOW KNOW YE, that the said Edmund Saunders, in pursuance of the
said Letters Patent, and the proviso therein for that purpose contained, doth
by this present Instrument in writing, under his hand and seal, declare and
specify, describe and ascertain, the nature of his said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be prepared, in manner following, that is to say:
The Method of making the Naval Black Varnish.-Take any quantity of
the finest and blackest Stockholm tar you can pick out of your stock, distil it
chemically as long as it will bear running without catching fire, which must
be carefully attended to lest you set the still-house on fire. This distillation
produces a quantity of oil and water, the latter of a very corrosive nature, and
very injurious to timber or cordage; the residuum is drawn off hot and put
into a furnace, and to this such a quantity of the above oil is put as will bring
it to the consistence of thin treacle or molassus; but here note, that the oil
should stand in fatts upon pieces of iron steep'd in it from three to six months,
the longer the better, as the air meliorates it and the iron stains it. To this
part of the composition is added what I call black barrilla, which is made
after this manner, viz.: put about two thirds tar and one third pitch into an iron
furnace, set it on fire and let it burn as long as it will; this when cold is to be
powdered and sifted, or melted, and about half a hundredweight mixt with
the mass, as to make in all about a hogshead, to which put as much ivory
black as will bring it to a fine colour, and according to the purposes for
which it is wanted in the Royal Navy, agreeable to the officer's direction. I
make it thicker or thinner by the proportion of said oil. It may be used in
all weathers without heating, with a painting brush. Note, the cask from
whence taken should always be well stirred, as the heavy parts fall to the
bottom.
In witness whereof, the said Edmund Saunders hath hereunto set his
hand and seal, the Eleventh day of June in the Twenty-second year of
the reign of His said Majesty King George the Third, and in the
year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred and eighty-two.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED that on the Thirtieth day of August, in tho
year of our Lord 1782, the aforesaid Edmund Saunders came before our said
Lord the King in His Chancery and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid,
and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stampt according to the tenor of the
Statutes made in the sixth year of the reign of the late King and Queen
W and Mary of England, and so forth, and in the seventeenth year of
the reign of His Majesty King George the Third.
Insallal the Ninth dow of Nammba in the roar of our Lord One