THAT The bringing on Board's above, and Paying the Plank with Stuff under a Mill'd-Lead-Sheathing, is Damageable, more Charge, and altogether Unnecessary; Plainly proved from Experience as well as Reason.  
SINCE the Shipwrights see the Mill'd-Lead Sheathing is like to go on, and that they can impose upon Merchant-Owners no longer, they are willing to play at Small-game, rather than stand out. They prevail with some to believe it necessary to sheathe a Strake or two with Board's, to fend the Ship-sides from Boats and Lyters, which, they say, will rub off the Lead-sheathing; and having obtained that, they can make bold with a Strake or two more; and, if suffered to go on, they'll bring it down to the Keel in time. They have advanced very fair for't already, the Trumbal-Galley, a Ship between 3 and 400 Tun, bound for the East-Indies in the Company's service, being this present October 1697, sheathed with Mill'd-Lead in Mr. Kirby's Dock, had a Board-sheathing (under this pretence) brought down seven Board's on the Sides, and more before and aft upon the Bows and Buttocks, where no Boat or Lyter comes; above one third of the whole Sheathing. All which, upon due consideration of what follows, will appear from Experience, Reason, and Common Sense, to be wholly unnecessary.  

I. From EXPERIENCE.  
None of those Twenty Ships of the Royal Navy that were sheathed with Mill'd-Lead (all totally up above the Wales, as high as any Sheathing goes) had any such Board-sheathing at all, only some of them had a Sheet of Copper, or two-inch Plank, nailed on in the Wake of the Anchor; and if any such Damage had happened from Boats or Lyters, we should certainly have heard of it; for this Objection (as well as rubbing off by Cables, Hawsers, lying on Ground, smallness and shortness of the Nails, etc.) was made at the beginning, which with the rest obstructed the Contract with the Navy-board, till upon Five Years Experience, on Ten Ships in that time sheathed with Milled Lead, (and that but of 2 l. or little more, to the foot, whereas this now used is full 3 l.) that Board found all these Objections proved but Surmises, which however not being capable of a Negative Answer, till Time should try the Truth thereof, they forbore entering into a Contract, till they had found upon sufficient Proof and Experience all those Objections were answered, and the Lead-sheathing fully approved of by them; as they declared in the Preamble of their Contract, which then they entered into with the Mill'd-Lead Company for 20 Years to come, that they might secure to the Crown the Benefit thereof at the terms agreed. And when Seven Years after this its Adversaries, taking advantage of the Company's Neglect and Differences amongst themselves, had (by false Suggestions that this Sheathing did in an extraordinary manner eat the Rudder-Irons) prevailed with that Navy-board to make a Report to the Lords of the Admiralty against it; and now, when Twenty Ships were sheathed therewith, they never had the Confidence to mention any of the Old Objections, (which they knew would be falsified, the Sheathing themselves, or good Evidence, being easy to have recourse to) and which certainly they would have done, if there had been any thing material, of what kind soever, to be objected against it, besides this New Whim of eating the Rudder-Irons, nothing else but barely that being complained of, or so much as mentioned in that Report, which discovered no great  that Board themselves had at that time for the Lead-sheathing, what Right soever they had formerly done it upon their Contract. And this of the Ironwork having been proved false and ridiculous, it would be very hard if its Enemies should be permitted to revive the old Objections again; this were to dance in a Circle, which would never end.   

II. From REASON.  
1. If this suggested rubbing off by Boats and Lyters were true, the Damage cannot be considerable, and the Danger nothing, whereas the Wood-sheathing is at least the same it was before, worse, and abundantly dearer; as has been shown elsewhere.  
2. No Boat or Lyter can come at it under Water; and for the Gunnel or upper parts, that may bang or rub against the Ship-sides, it must be above Water whenever it happens, and then it must be seen, and when seen, it may be presently mended, Led and Nails being always ready on board for that purpose, which however perhaps may be prevented with common Care, usual in other cases, by Fenders of Juncks, Wooden Rollers, or the like, hung over the Ship sides in Harbour.  
3. Reason would that they should rather sheathe below with Board's, where the rubbing off (they talk of) by Cables, Hawsers, and lying on Ground, is more dangerous and out of sight: But if that Fear be conquered, as Lead-sheathing the Bottom owns, methinks there should be no Difficulty of admitting it above, where the Worm eats most, (as is known it does between the Load and Light water-line) and the Lead-sheathing so certain a Security against it, which the Board's are not, but serve for a Feast only, to entertain the Worm a Voyage or two: And if the Lead-sheathing should rub off in some places, (which is not so easily done as some fancy) 'tis with little Charge easily mended, as is said, and the Sheathing still as good as at first bringing on.  
There is one thing more which the Shipwrights would fain retain, as being some 
Against paying the Sides.  profit to them, and damage to the Lead-sheathing, which is paying the Plank with Stuff under the Lead-sheathing, as they have used to do under their Wood-sheathing. This also by sufficient Experience appears to be altogether unnecessary and inconvenient, besides the Charge thereof to the Owners; as follows.  
1st. It was by the Inventors of the Mill'd-Lead-sheathing proposed at first, and afterwards practised upon all those 20 Ships that were formerly Sheathed therewith, that the Ship-sides should be well Brimmed and the Seams well Caulked with a Thread of Spun-Yarn, or Hair, laid in to fill up the Seams even with the Plank, the Bolt-heads, Braces, or other Iron work to be parcell'd, and over all to bring on the Lead, without paying with any Stuff, how thin soever, which leaves an unevenness in the Lead, by the Hammer's pressing the soft Body that lies between, in driving the Nails home; as is visible upon all those Ships that have lately been Sheathed with Lead, and is always complained of by them, but the Cause and 〈◊〉 Remedy never harkened to, upon the Shipwright's pretence, that this paying with Stuff is absolutely necessary to preserve the Plank.  
2ly. Now if it has been found by Experience, that the Plank, after hardening, by Briming at first when Lead-sheathings were brought on, have continued firm and found under those Sheathing for Seven, Eight, Ten, or Twelve Years together, without any cause of Complaint, which must have appeared at their Stripping, and been Complained of by its active Enemies, if any Damage had come to the Plank by this omission of paying, of which no Complaint was ever heard, nor ever objected at first among their other surmises, which probably they forgot then, but would have been sure to have remembered if they had found any such thing upon Stripping any Ship afterwards: But the contrary thereof was then very remarkable, that their Plank was found to be as smooth and found under their Lead-sheathings (in particular the Dreadnought's, which had been on near Twelve Years) as at first doing.  
This must certainly convince any unprejudiced Person, that this paying of the Plank under a Lead-sheathing is also altogether unnecessary as well as inconvenient and chargeable, and consequently they will lay it aside for the future.  
There is one thing lately objected that was never heard of before, viz. That the Milled Lead is of a drying nature, which lying upon a Seam above Water, dries and shrinks the Oakam, whereas the same being covered with a parcelling of Canvas, preserves the Oakam moist, and makes it last much longer, without new Caulking. And it may be true, though this proceeds from no drying quality in the Lead, more than if the Seam were covered with Copper, Tin, or any other Metal, which being exposed to the Sun and Air, will doubtless be dryer upon any thing 'tis laid than Canvas dipped in Stuff, till it be dried and the Virtue of the Pitch exhausted, which may still be laid upon such Seams, and if they see cause, may bring a piece of Sheathing-Lead over it, which must still preserve it longer. A quite contrary Quality was once objected against the Mill'd-Lead, when it was employed in the Navy, to line the Bread-Rooms, that they had discovered such dampness and moisture therein, that did corrupt and spoil the Biscuit, upon which it was discontinued, though 'tis known nothing preserves things better: And several Pursers' Certificates were produced, that their Biscuit was preserved much better and longer when their Bread-Rooms were lined with Lead than before, as has been shown already.   
October, 1697. THO. HALE.   

☞ This Paper, with some others, and the Book also about the Milled Lead for all purposes, may be had at Mr. Nelme ' s, a Bookseller over against the Royal Exchange, and at Mr. Basset ' s by Temple-bar.