Dear Sir New York July 24^th 1796 I rec'd your letter of the 19^th Inst. having done my power to State to you the relative motion under water of the English Built Vessels on [undecipherable] their Shape of how I above [undecipherable] to express to you in Concern a manner [undecipherable] the former of the planks an allways upon the [undecipherable] the underwater articles are left, upon in proportion to the thickness of the plank or [undecipherable] Staff. The usual allowance [undecipherable] but to every thick the plank is [undecipherable], by that Means there is allways Sufficient Space without much running the [undecipherable]. General is very injurious to the Ship in the first place it is apt to [undecipherable] the Timbers to such a Degree [undecipherable] if not [break?] off many of them in the W[undecipherable] & besides the [undecipherable] train of the plank in the Seam, thereby depriving it of its [undecipherable] elasticity, which Subjects it to a [undecipherable] [undecipherable] in a bruised State. will be neither so [undecipherable] [119] or [undecipherable] as [undecipherable] [undecipherable], and in frequent [undecipherable], it will also cause the [undecipherable] to be [undecipherable] [undecipherable] The [undecipherable] [undecipherable] of the very best quality and as it need [undecipherable] not be full of [undecipherable], the [undecipherable] [undecipherable] got from the [undecipherable] of New [undecipherable] and [undecipherable] has not been in [undecipherable] The Common allowance of [undecipherable] [undecipherable] for [undecipherable] is [undecipherable] for every long [undecipherable] the plank is [undecipherable] expansion of the [undecipherable] [undecipherable] is [undecipherable] [undecipherable] to the [undecipherable] of the Seams. But the rule in general is as follows: to drive a double Thread of [undecipherable] [undecipherable] first [undecipherable] [undecipherable], about [undecipherable] there in a Straight [undecipherable] of [undecipherable] [undecipherable] intended to prevent [undecipherable] or [undecipherable] of any dissipation from [undecipherable], and the Seams [undecipherable] that but [undecipherable] of [undecipherable] [undecipherable] will [undecipherable] [undecipherable] that the [undecipherable] [undecipherable] is [undecipherable] well [undecipherable] [undecipherable] near by no means to [undecipherable] the Seams, [undecipherable] would prevent the Thread of [undecipherable] from [undecipherable] & [undecipherable] onto other and lastly to leave the inner [undecipherable] round [undecipherable] by a Careful [undecipherable] [undecipherable]. Close no part of the Seam may be neglected nor too full of [undecipherable]. Should it be found after [undecipherable] to [undecipherable] any [undecipherable] [undecipherable] another Thread may be drove, but it will never [undecipherable] so [undecipherable] as those [undecipherable] were drove before [undecipherable] Josiah Fox M^r Fortescue Humphreys Navy Constructor [undecipherable]