ELASTIC SPUNGE FOR SPUNGING GREAT. GUNS AND OTHER FIRE-ARMS, WHICH IS NOT LIABLE TO BE DAMAGED BY WATER OR VERMIN, AND WILL LAST CONSIDERABLY LONGER THAN ANY SPUNGE HERETOFORE CONSTRUCTED OR USED
Year: 1788

page_text: COOK'S SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME,
HENRY COOK, of Russell's Buildings, in the Parish of Saint George,
Wapping, in the County of Middlesex, Spunge Maker, sendeth.greeting.
WHEREAS His present Majesty King George the Third, by His i
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date.
at Westminster; the Twenty-sixth day of August, .in. the twenty-
eighth year of His reign, hath, for Himself, His heirs and successors,
given and granted unto the, said Henry Cook; his exors; adñiors, and
assigns, His especial licencé; full. 'power, sole privilege, and authority.
to make use, exercise, and vend, within that, part of Great Britain..
called England, Dóminion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, his new invented." ELASTIC SPUNGE FOR SPUNGING GREAT. GUNS
AND OTHER FIRE-ARMS, WHICH IS NOT LIABLE TO BE DAMAGED BY WATER OR
VERMIN, AND WILL LAST CONSIDERABLY LONGER THAN ANY SPUNGE HERETOFORE
CONSTRUCTED OR USED," together with the whole profit, benefit, commo-
Edity, and advantage from time to..time.coming, growing, accruing, and
arising by reason of the said Invention, for and during the term of.
fourteen years, according to the form of the Statute in such case made
and provided; in which said Letters Patent, amongst other things, it is
provided, that if the said Henry Cook shall not particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of his said Invention, and in what manner the-
same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under his hand

page_text: and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in the 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, any thing therein-before. contained
to the contrary thereof in anywise notwithstanding.:
NOW KNOW YE, that he, the Said Henry Cook, in pursuance of
the intention of the said Letters Patent, and in compliance with the
proviso therein contained, doth hereby declare that the nature of his
said Invention above set forth, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, is as follows:
Make a spunge head of beach or elm or any other wood or solid
substance fit for the purpose, and agreeable to the diameter of the gun
or other fire-arms for which the spunge is intended, and of a convenient
length, at the pleasure of the. maker. It must be made in a conical
form; in order that it may be taken out of the spunge, as hereafter
mentioned. A spunge head six inches in length must be about two
inches and a half in diameter at the large end, and about three eighths
of an inch less at the small end, and so on in that proportion, agreeable
to the size of the spunge head. Having made the spunge head, it must
be covered with coarse thin canvas, sewed on with thin oil'd twine, and
then the canvas covered in the following manner with coarse combed
wool or hair, or wool and hair mixed. Take thin oil'd twine, which
double, and then double the wool or hair over it, and sew it on with the
same sort of twine (single); and when sewed on let it be about an inch
and a half in length, and in thickness about ten yards to the pound.
Having thus prepared a sufficient quantity, sew it on to the canvas as
close as possible, with the same sort of twine (double), beginning at the
small end of the spunge, and after it is covered comb off the loose wool
or hair with a small iron tooth or other comb fit for the purpose, and
then cut off the ends of the wool or hair, and sheer it down with a pair
of common sheers to the size you want it; then take the. .spunge head
out of the spunge (which may be driven out with a hammer by striking
at the small end of the spunge), and with a common painting brush rub
the spunge head and the inside of the spunge well with composition
made of an equal quantity of letharge, red lead, white lead, and any

page_text: sort of glass, all powdered as fine as possible, and sifted together through
a fine wire sieve, and mixed as it is used with unboiled linseed oil to the
thickness of common paint, and then put the spunge head again into
the spunge, and drive it in with a hammer as tight as possible, by
which the composition is forced through the canvas amongst the sewing
and the wool or hair, and thereby the spunge is preserved from damage
by water or vermin. Then fasten the spunge and spunge head with
two or three small tacks about half an inch long, which drive in under
the wool or hair near the bottom of the large end of the spunge, and
rub the wood which is left bare at the mouth of the spunge, and the
sewing in sight there, with the composition. The spunges for fowling
pieces and other fire-arms less than a half pounder, the wool or hair,
when sewed on, should be about seventy yards to the pounds, and there
needs no tacks to these, as the composition will fasten them.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Cook, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-sixth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand seven hundred and eighty-eight.
Signed, sealed, and delivered (being first
duly stampt) in the presence of
THO JOHNSON,
Ely Place.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-sixth day of
September, in the year of our Lord 1788, the aforesaid Henry Cook
came before our said Lord the King, in His Chancery, and acknow-
ledged the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein
contained and specified, in form above written. And also the Specifica-
tion aforesaid was stampt according to the tenor of the Statutes made
for that purpose.
Inrolled the Twenty-sixth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand seven hundred and eighty-eight.