Of the Submarine Bombs,
That a copper case containing from one hundred to three hundred pounds of powder, coming into contact with the bottom of a Ship of any size and explosion there taking place will completely destroy her; that the machinery attached to such Bomb is so contrived [to] as to cause explosion when the bomb strikes the Vessel, or when the Vessel strikes the bomb; or at any time desired from 4 minuets to 13 hours or, 8 days; If the Committee are not to be convinced of this without experiment and will appropriate any kind of Vessel I will blow her up with a submarine bomb to give demonstration;
When the properties of the Submarine Vessel and Bombs are demonstrated and admitted by the committe, a new succession of Ideas will of course result, it will be seen that England may draw advantages from these inventions, or they may be turned to the total destruction of the British marine; in either Case it is of importance to the British Government to have the entire command of Such engines to do with them as they may think proper;
But as these inventions are the produce of my labours for some years, I now consider them as rich gems drawn from the mines of science and which I and my friends have a right to convert to our own advantage and which I now offer for sale to the British Government; For putting the Government in full possession of all the combinations and movements of the submarine Vessel; so that any Engineer of good talents can construct one, and navigate her; also for explaining the combinations of the submarine bomb, and the modes of attack which time and experience will multiply and perfection; I [demand] require the sum of one hundred thousand pounds Sterling—;
When the Gentleman departed with these proposals it was agreed that I should go to Holland and wait his return, I did so, and staid at Amsterdam three months; contrairy winds prevented his arrival; I Abandoned the negotiation and returned to Paris where he arrived in a few weeks with the following letter from Lord Hawkesbury Hawkesbury—
Sir:
Your proposals have been considered with that attention which the merit of the invention deserves, you must well know that it would be contrairy to Established rules to grant such sums as you require, before your invention authenticated by actuel experiment in presence of persons appointed by this Government, in order that a fair opportunity may be granted of appreciating its merit and adiquacy to the end proposed; The responsibility attached to his Majesty’s Ministers in their official capacity renders it impossible for them to advance the sums which you have required; in the form pointed out by you; without exciting such public attention as must be equally unpleasant to you and His Majestys Ministers; if however you have sufficient confidence in His Majestys Government to offer them your invention, you may rely on being treated with the utmost liberality and Generosity. Though this Government and you, have every reason to be satisfied with the zeal and activity with which your friend has conducted the business, Yet a negotiation personally conducted would smoothe many difficulties, and every facility and protection you can desire shall be granted you,
And should you be disposed to accept Active employment from the British government you may rely on the most liberal treatment, proportioned to your efficient Service;—
This letter was brought in cipher; I Shortly after left Paris and arrived in London on the 28 of April 1804, On My Arrival Lord Sydmouth and Hawkesbury, were out of office and Mr. Pitt was minister To him I proposed the terms before mentioned; But Mr. Pitt and Lord Melville instead of arranging with me on the terms of my proposals; prefered making an attack on the Enemy with part of my engines; and as a fair prospect of emolument, at least equal if not superior to that which I had expected; I was to recieve 200£ a month during the time Government detained me on this business; and half the Value of all vessels of an Enemy which might be destroyed by my engines in 14 years; His Majestys Dockyard and arsenals were to furnish every necessary means to render my plan, efficient; useful to the Nation and Consequently productive to me; and on these principles a contract was entered into which is inserted in the body of the arbitration Bond,
Here read the Bond and contract;
On drawing up this contract I foresaw that Ministers might discover the bad policy of introducing the whole of my engines into practice; and therefore would not organize it nor exersise men to it so as to render it productive to me; and this has proved to be the fact; Government may be said to have abandoned this plan And it will be seen during the investigations that their true policy is to abandon it; if so, from whence are my profits to arise, what is my interest in it with this Governmt for 14 years, where is my emolument equivalent to the sum of 100 thousand pounds mentioned in the proposals? sent to Lord Hawkesbury.
Now Gentlemen I foresee before you enter into an examination of my engines and their final consequences; that you must as true friends to your country advise ministers [to] never to use them, but to conseal them if possible from the world; it will then become a consideration whether 40 thousand pounds is a reasonable equivalent to me and my friends for abandoning engines of such importance to this government to do with as they may think proper,—and for ever giving up the prospect of gain which was held out to me on coming to this country; or which the contract presented; had my plans been organized and carried into effect on System; But your powers are confined within the limits of the arbitration bonds; whatever may be your opinion you cannot exceed the sum of 40 thousand pounds. But from your report as men of science and calm delibiration; Ministers will be able to Judge of the reasonable, hopes of the proprietors of these inventions and not only of justice towards them, but of the real interest of the nation; in now finally Setteling with me for the parties concerned;
PLATE THE FIRST
PLATE THE SECOND
No Man can in Justice Say that we have not a right to make every possible profit of these inventions; And we have a right to accept Mony, or to abandon mony for fame—or raise our demands in proportion as time and new Idas develop the importance of these discoveries; But I have the pleasure to say that the gentlemen with whom I act, have never troubled me with one ungenerous or illiberal wish to raise their demands, they conceived these inventions worth at least the Value of one first rate man of war or 100 thousand pounds; and they have never deviated from this first proposal—on my part I Saw that government could not grant any sum with propriety, unless there was reasonable security given, that the proprietors would never communicate the engines to any nation or persons to the injury of the British marine; and there Is but one mode of giving such security That is to bind these proprietors by their own interest to keep the secret, I therefore Voluntarily offered that should I be entitled to the 40 thousand pounds; to receive one moiety in cash, and an annuity equal to the full value of the other moiety; which annuity is to be forfeited Should I be the means of Introducing My inventions into practice against the British marine; perhaps this is the Strongest proof a man can give of his own sense of Justice and it Should be a convincing proof of my confidence in my own power over the fate of my inventions, and the good Opinion I have of the integrity of my friends; but whatever may be done in this business in capital or annuity; the annuity must depend on my life as their names cannot appear, having so far stated facts gentlemen will deliberately consider the engines the modes of using them their ultimate consequences, the Interest of the Nation, and a reasonable compensation to the proprietors;
The first consideration will probably be the accounts, of which the following is a statement,