PREPARING MEDICATED BATHS, TO BE CONSTRUCTED ON FRAMES FOR FLOATING ON THE RIVER THAMES OR ELSEWHERE, ADAPTED TO THE CURES OF MANY DISEASES, NOT TO BE REMEDIED BY OTHER KNOWN MEANS; TOGETHER WITH FLOATS MADE OF CORK, IN FORM OF SEAMEN'S WAISTCOATS OR OTHERWISE, TO BE USED THERE OR ELSEWHERE TO PREVENT DROWNING, AS ALSO BY SEAMEN OR PERSONS USING THE SEA IN TIME OF SHIPWRECK OR OTHER ACCIDENTS ON WATER, IN A MANNER NEVER PRACTISED BY ANY OTHER PERSON OR PERSONS WHATSOEVER UNTIL THE DISCOVERY THEREOF MADE SIX YEARS AGO BY ME
Year: 1765

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
WILKINSON, of the Parish of Saint James, Westminster, in the County of
Middlesex, Doctor in Physick, send greeting.
WHEREAS I, the said John Wilkinson, did, by my Petition, humbly
represent unto His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Third,
that I had, at great labour, study, and expence, discovered methods of
"PREPARING MEDICATED BATHS, TO BE CONSTRUCTED ON FRAMES FOR FLOATING ON
THE RIVER THAMES OR ELSEWHERE, ADAPTED TO THE CURES OF MANY DISEASES,
NOT TO BE REMEDIED BY OTHER KNOWN MEANS; TOGETHER WITH FLOATS MADE OF
CORK, IN FORM OF SEAMEN'S WAISTCOATS OR OTHERWISE, TO BE USED THERE OR
ELSEWHERE TO PREVENT DROWNING, AS ALSO BY SEAMEN OR PERSONS USING THE
SEA IN TIME OF SHIPWRECK OR OTHER ACCIDENTS ON WATER, IN A MANNER
NEVER PRACTISED BY ANY OTHER PERSON OR PERSONS WHATSOEVER UNTIL THE
DISCOVERY THEREOF MADE SIX YEARS AGO BY ME;" that I, strongly beleiving
my said discoveries would be of the utmost use for restoring the health and
preserving the lives of many of His said Majesty's subjects and others, I did,
therefore, most humbly pray His Majesty that he would be graciously pleased
to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, His Royal
Letters Patent, under His Great Seal of Great Britain, for the sole right and

page_text: property in the said medicinal baths and cork floats, throughout 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, pursuant to the
Statute in that case made and provided; His said Majesty, being willing to
give encouragement to all arts and inventions which might be for the publick
good, was graciously pleased to condescend to my request, and therefore, by
His Royal Letters Patent, bearing date at Westminster, the Seventh day of
February, in the fifth year of His reign, of His especial grace, certain know-
ledge, and meer motion, for Himself, His heirs and successors, did give and
grant unto me, the said John Wilkinson; my executors, administrators, and
assigns, his especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the
said John Wilkinson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and every of
us, by myself and ourselves, or by mine and our deputy or deputies, servants
and agents, or such others as I, the said John Wilkinson, 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 make,
use, exercise, and vend my said Invention within that part of His said
Majesty's Kingdom of Great Britain called England, His Dominion of
Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as to me, the
said John Wilkinson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or any of us,
should in our discretions seem meet; and that I, the said John Wilkinson,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should and lawfully might have and
enjoy the whole profit, benefit, commodity, and advantage from time to timo
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 licence, powers, privileges, and advantages therein-before
granted or mentioned to be granted unto me, the said John Wilkinson, my
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 cases made and provided; in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso that if I, the said John Wilkinson, should not particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in His said Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within four kalendar 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, should utterly cease, determine,

page_text: and become void, anything therein-before contained to the contrary thereof
in anywise notwithstanding.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Wilkinson, do hereby describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as follows
(that is to say) :-
Floating baths are to be constructed in such a manner as to float upon
the water, that the bathers may either bath in seperate baths, or in the
river water received fresh by the current perpetually. Or these baths are
prepared with mineral or vegetable infusions, sea water, or other ingredients,
as cases may severally require.
The cork jackets, or waistcoats, or floats are to prevent being drowned, for
the use of those who bathc, or more especially for saving the lives of seamen
and others in shipwreck, as first proposed by me in my book called The
Seaman's Preservation. These jackets are made so as to be of the easiest,
most convenient, and most effectual form, by a sufficient quantity of proper
cork being cut into suitable peices for the purpose, and so sewed or fastened
by the means of or in waistcoats or jackets or otherwise as to be plyant
and easy to wear and effectual to support in a proper manner any person
or persons in the water, so that he, she, or they may not be drowned. The
pieces of cork are commonly round, oval, oblong, or square, as may be chosen ;
but when somewhat rounded they are generally most easy to the wearer, and
may have their outward edges pared off to give additional flexibility to the
jacket, and the greater their number is the smaller they will of course
severally be, and of consequence the more complyable to the motions of the
body of the wearer, as their subdivisions or bending places will become by
that means the more numerous.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Wilkinson, bave hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-fifth day of May, in the fifth year of the
reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third, by the grace of God of
Great Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith,
and in the year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred and
sixty-five

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBRED, that on the said Twenty-fifth day of May,
in the fifth year of the reign of His Majesty King Georgo the Third, the
aforesaid John Wilkinson came before our said Lord the King in His
Chancery, and acknowledged the Writing aforesaid, and every thing therein
contained, in form above said. And the said Writing was stamped according
to the Statute made in the sixth year of the reign of the late King William
and Queen Mary, and so forth.
Inrolled the said Twenty-fifth day of May, in the fifth year of the reign
of His Majesty King George the Third, 1765.