§ Mr. Whitbreadreport-ed from the Committee, to whom the petition of William Henry Mallison was referred, and who were empowered to report the same, with their observations and opinion thereupon, to the House, together with the Minutes of the Evidence taken before them; That they had examined the matter of the petition; and had directed him to report the same, with several resolution thereupon, to the House; and the resolutions of the Committee were read as follows:
Resolved, "That it is the opinion of this Committee, That the application of cork, after the mode invented by Mr. Mallison, is effectual for the preservation of persons in the water; and it appears from the evidence taken, that experiments have been made as well by persons who could swim as by those who could not, in the open sea and in rough water, and by one person in particular, a good swimmer, in a situation of uncommon peril, all of which have been quite successful. 2. That the application of the invention to the crews of boats going off from ships to shore or returning in stormy weather, would be exceedingly useful, and on all dangerous services of the same nature, especially as the use of the invention cannot materially impede the action of the limbs either in rowing, walking, or making any necessary exertion on the beach, and the Committee have no doubt that in many dreadful disasters which have happened, such as fire or foundering of ships at sea, when in company with other vessels (as in the instances of the Prince George, admiral Brodrick's ship, in the seven years war, and the Queen Charlotte, not many years since in the Mediterranean), if a quantity of the Seaman's Friend, invented by Mr. Mallison, had been on board, many valu- 431 able lives would have been saved. 3. That the invention of Mr. Mallison is well deserving of public attention."
§ Ordered to lie upon the table, and be printed.