256 THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty were pleased
to direct that the means recommended should be carried into
execution in repairing His Majesty's ships at the several yards.
"It is intended to print such parts of your report as apply to
the preservation of Ships, in order that they may be circulated
among the Officers of the several yards, but we request you will
inform us whether you have any further observations to offer
on the subject, in order that the publication may be completed."
"To the Honourable Commissioners of His Majesty's Navy.
"Honourable Gentlemen,
"It is with great pleasure that I find by your letter of the 28th
"August that my report has met with the approbation of My Lords
"Commissioners of the Admiralty. I feel most highly gratified by
"their Lordships thanks.
"I ought not to have let so much time elapse, but have done myself
"the pleasure to reply sooner ; the delay is, however, fortunate, for
"whatever confidence I had of success, arising from a continual watch-
"fulness over the habits of Fungi for many years, yet to others I
"could not but consider it as a new subject and very convenient to have
''some sort of evidence of probable success for future encouragement,
"which, from previous experience I felt the more desirous of, as the
"concern is of so much magnitude that more hasty conclusions might
''have been liable to censure for want of that proper and favourable
"evidence that may now, I hope, be fairly admitted ; besides, I have
"had an opportunity of considering my report, of collecting my ideas
''into a regular and concise plan for operation and of making more
"numerous observations and further confirming by them what appears
''to me the simplest and most certain means of accomplishing so
"desirable an end.
"As their Lordships have been pleased to direct that the means
"I have had the honour to recommend to check the ravages of the
"Dryrot on board His Majesty's Ship the Queen Charlotte should be
"carried strictly into execution's I sincerely hope they will prove
"successful, but it must be expected that a ship which has suffered
"so much can never be rendered quite so sound as a ship built at first
"with proper materials and due precaution.
"I am not aware that I have omitted any material circumstance
''relating to that Ship and I believe that by applying the same prin-
''ciples in finishing any other Ship as your Honourable Board have
''been pleased to suggest, much may be done towards the total pre-
''vention of the rot. Should the operations I have recommended for
"the Queen Charlotte continue to be attended with the success I
"anticipated, they will give confidence, exciting more particular
"attention and becoming a powerful stimulus to further exertion.
13 I cannot but express that I am deeply sensible of the honour their Lordships have done
me in sending Sr. Wm. Rule and Mr. Knowles with my report to Plymouth, since in their
experienced hands I have the satisfaction to learn it has been successful in a case rendered
more desperate by the mistakes that had preceded my report.