THE ART OR METHOD OF MAKING (FROM THE SAME MATERIALS AND BY PROCESSES ENTIRELY NEW) COPPERAS, VITROIL, AND DIFFERENT SORTS OF DYE OR DYING STUFF, PAINTS, AND COLOURS, AND ALSO A COMPOSITION FOR PRESERVING THE BOTTOMS OF ALL KINDS OF VESSELLS, AND ALL WOOD REQUIRED TO BE IMMERSED IN WATER, FROM WORMS, WEEDS, BARNACLES, AND EVERY OTHER FOULNESS WHICH USUALLY DOES OR MAY ADHERE. THERETO
Year: 1791

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
MURDOCK, of Redruth, in the County of Cornwall, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS I, the said William Murdock, did by my petition humbly repre-
sent to His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Third that I had,
after much labour, study, and expence, discovered "THE ART OR METHOD OF
MAKING (FROM THE SAME MATERIALS AND BY PROCESSES ENTIRELY NEW) COPPERAS,
VITROIL, AND DIFFERENT SORTS OF DYE OR DYING STUFF, PAINTS, AND COLOURS,
AND ALSO A COMPOSITION FOR PRESERVING THE BOTTOMS OF ALL KINDS OF VESSELLS,
AND ALL WOOD REQUIRED TO BE IMMERSED IN WATER, FROM WORMS, WEEDS,
BARNACLES, AND EVERY OTHER FOULNESS WHICH USUALLY DOES OR MAY ADHERE.
THERETO," which would be of great publick utility, and that in regard I was
the first and true Inventor thereof, and that the same had not been used by
any other person or persons, to the best of my knowledge and belief, 1 there-
fore most humbly prayed His said Majesty that he would be graciously pleased
to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, His Royal Letters
Patent for the sole use, benefit, and advantage of 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, for the term of

page_text: fourteen years, according to the Statute in such 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 under His Great Seal
of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster, the Second day of May, in the
thirty-first year of His reign, of His especial grace, certain knowledge, and
mere notion, for Himself, His heirs and successors, did give and grant unto
me, the said William Murdock, my excenters, administrators, and assigns,
His especial licence, full power, sole privilege, and authority, that I, the said
William Murdock, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and every of
them, by myself and themselves, or by mine or their deputy or deputies.
servants or agents, or such others as I, the said William Murdock, my executors,
administrators, 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 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 William Murdock, my executors, adminis
trators, and assigns, or any of us, should in our discretion seem meet, and that
1, the said William Murdock, my 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 mentioned,
to have, hold, exercise, and enjoy the said licence, powers, priviledges, and
advantages therein-before' granted, or mentioned to be granted, unto me, the
said William Murdock, 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 complete
and ended, according to the Statute in such case made and provided; in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that if 1, the said William Murdock,
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 one calendar month 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, and become void, anything therein-before con-
tained to the contrary thereof in anywise notwithstanding, as in and by the

page_text: said in part recited Letters Patent, relation being thereunto had, may more
fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Murdock, in compliance with
the said proviso, do hereby describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and declare that the same is to be performed in manner following
(that is to say):
To make the yellow paint and dying stuff, and for preserving ships' bottoms,
or other wood immersed in water, from worms or other foulness, take any
quantity of pyrites (commonly called in Cornwall mundick) rose out of the
carth, which pyrites or mundick contains sulphur, arsenick, and ores of zinck;
or take any minerals or ores which contain sulphur, arsenick, and ores of zink,
and put the same into a kiln, house, oven, cone, or heap, covered nearly close,
and then sett the same on fire, admitting no more air than is sufficient to
cause the said pyrites, mundick, or other minerals or ores to burn, the fume or
smoke of which must be conducted through a flew or conductor from the top,
side, or bottom of such house, kiln, oven, cone, or leap into a receiver, in
which receiver the smoke is condensed, by means of which condensation a fine
yellow powder, fit for painting, dying, and paying, and preserving ships' bottoms,
and all wood immersed in water, is produced in the receiver; or take any quantity
of ores of arsenick and sulphur called pyrites, and commonly distinguished in
Cornwall by the name or appellation of mundick, and add thereto about one-
sixth part of the orcs of zink, which, being burned and condensed in manner
before mentioned, produces a fine yellow powder, fit for painting, dying, and
paying, and preserving ships' bottoms, and all wood immersed in water, as
aforesaid; and by increasing or lessening the quantity of ores of zink added to
the pyrites, various tints in the said yellow powder will be produced, according
to the quantity of ores of zink so added to the pyrites. Or take the ores of
arsenick and sulphur, called pyrites or mundick, and burn and condense the
same, in manner as herein-before mentioned, and this will also produce an inferior
kind of yellow powder, but equally good with the before-mentioned powder,
for paying or preserving ships' bottoms, or other wood immersed in water.
And to make green vitriol or copperas, take any quantity of the remains of the
above calcined ores or minerals, after the same are burned, and wash the
same in water, and then place such water on the top or any other part of the
aforesaid kiln, house, oven, conc, or heap whilst burning, and cause the water
to evaporate by the heat of the ores or minerals then burning in the said kiln,
house, oven, cone, or heap; or cause the said water to evaporate by the heat of
the sun to a chrystalizing point, and let the same stand for twenty-four hours

page_text: or longer, and chrystals of copperas or green vitriol will thereby be pro-
duced.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Murdock, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand seven hundred and ninety-one, and in the thirty-first
year of the reign of our said Sovereign Lord George the Third, by the
graco of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defender
of the Faith, and so forth.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the said
William Murdock (being first duly stampt),
in the presence of us,
Tuo W. Fox.
W MURDOCK. (L.B.)
Inrolled the Thirtieth day of May, in the year above mentioned.