ble to the importance and usefulness of my invention; but it was fome time after this, before I received the following order from the Lords of the Admiralty.

Extra.

ΝΟ

Received the 31st Oct. 1743.

NO 688.

Mr TREASURER,

2619. N N pursuance of an order from the Right 1743. Honourable the Lords Commiffioners of the Admiralty, dated 22d October 17:43, fignifying, that, whereas Mr Samuel Sutton did, fome time fince, propofe to that board an invention of his, for extracting the foul air out of fhips by fire, and letting in fresh air, an experiment of which was ordered to be made on board his Majefty's fhip the Norwich, bound to the coaft of Africa; and Captain Gregory, who commanded the faid fhip, having fince his return made a report thereof, a copy of which their Lordships fent us therewith, whereby it appears, that it does not, in all refpects, come up to the expectation, and that the ufe thereof is dangerous, and liable to accidents by fire: yet, as the faid Mr Sutton has employed a great deal of pains and time about the faid invention, for the benefit of the navy, and had encouragement from their Lordfhips fo to do; and their Lordships being defirous to give encouragement to perfons who fhall turn their thoughts to any inventions that may tend to the advantage of the navy, do thereby defire and direct us to caufe a bill of one hundred pounds to be made out to the faid Sa

muel

muel Sutton, as a reward for the lofs of time and expenses he has been at about the faid invention.

We pray you to pay unto Mr Samuel Sutton accordingly, the fum of one hundred pounds. Dated 22d Oct. 1743.

This, Sir, was all the fatisfaction I could procure from the Lords of the Admiralty, though I had, from time to time, executed their orders with the utmost fidelity, and even that, not till above two years after the trial of my first experiment on board the hulk at Deptford a fatisfaction that scarcely defrayed my expenfes. But I am perfuaded, from what has been already faid, you clearly perceive, that, as matters stood, if the ufefulness of my scheme had appeared in the most demonstrative light, I fhould, after all, have fallen fhort of a fuitable reward; and indeed this is the truth of the cafe. Dr Hales's ventilators, which were defigned to answer the fame purposes as my pipes, had, by fome means or other, got fuch an afcendant in the esteem and regard of fome leading perfons in the affairs of the navy, as, in spite of conviction itself, to admit of nothing to come in competition with them; though even that darling scheme is now out of date and exploded. Far be it from me,

VOL. II.

F f

to

to infult and triumph over a conquered adverfary: and it is needlefs, as well as cruel, to spend much time in confuting a scheme, that experience has abundantly fhewn to be abfurd and ridiculous. However, I think it incumbent on me to obferve, how much I was furprifed to find no mention made by the candid author of the Description of ventilators, of my invention: whereas he himself faw an experiment made before the royal fociety with a model of it, and heard Dr Mead's account of it read to that learned body; which account was published in the Philofophical Tranfactions fome time before the book of ventilators was printed. Upon the whole, this is a peculiar advantage attending my invention, that its beneficial influences are perpetual, without the leaft intermiffion; whereas Dr Hales fully evinces the infufficiency of any attempts to make the air in ships wholefome, by only a few hours ventilation. ." It were to be wished," (fays he, p. 41.), " that there fhould not be fo much

46

as one hour without ventilation, when the ports are "fhut." His ventilators are cumberfome machines, taking up more room than can conveniently be spared, and require many hands to work them: my pipes take up no room, but what may be very well spared, and stand in need of no manual labour at all. His ventilators have only a cafual and uncertain, but my pipes a certain and uninterrupted effect. His ventilators cannot extract the air from the well at the bottom of the fhip; but mine do this, and introduce pure and wholefome air, in the place of impure and unwholefome. His ventilators, he tells us, will keep a prifon fweet; but my pipes will fweeten even a bog-houfe, and may be conveyed miles under ground

into the deepest mines and fubterraneous cavities, with the fame fuccefs. His ventilators require much more air than my pipes, which will admit of more or less, as fhall be thought expedient. And as my scheme, in all these respects, furpaffes his; fo his is dead and buried, without any hope of a refurrection, whilft mine rifes in its reputation daily and the report of Captain Comyns, commander of the Fame privateer, which I fitted up fome months ago, and which is returned to Lifbon with his crew in health and vigour, will give fuch an ample and fatisfactory atteftation of the fafety and usefulness of my pipes, as will be fufficient to difpel the doubts and fufpicions of the most incredulous.

To conclude: the fimplicity of this machine; its eafy stowage without being cumbersome; its operation without any labour to the feamen; the small expenfe to put it in execution, and maintain it; besides its tendency to preferve the health and lives of the feamen, to keep the fhip dry, and the merchandise from damaging; are strong reafons why no fhip fhould go to fea without it. I am,

Sir, Yours, &c.

SAMUEL SUTTON.

F f 2

An

An account of Mr Sutton's invention and method of changing the air in the hold and other close parts of a ship; communicated to the royal fociety by Richard Mead, M. D. physician to his Majefty, fellow of the royal fociety, and of the royal college of physicians, London.

Read Feb. 11. 1741-2.

Tis found by daily experience, that air fhut up and confined in a clofe place, without a fucceffion and fresh fupply of it, becomes unwholesome, and unfit for the ufe of life.

This is more fenfibly fo, if any stagnating water be pent up with it.

But it grows ftill worse, if fuch an air as this is made ufe of in refpiration, that is, becomes moister and hotter, by paffing and repaffing through the lungs.

Thefe bad effects, in different degrees, according to the different manner in which air is inclosed, are obferved in many cafes; particularly in deep wells and caverns of the earth, in prifons or clofe houses, where people are fhut up with heat and naftinefs: but moft of all in large fhips, in which, with the ftench of water in the hold, many men being crouded up in clofe-quarters, all the mentioned circumftances concur in producing greater mifchief, than would follow from any of them fingle.

The reafon of thefe bad effects is this: it is that

property