Sir: Agreeable to your request I have look'd at the Fireraffts, & turn'd my thoughts a little towards considering what combustable matter it will be necessary to charge them with. First, as to their shape it will do, But they should be raised upon three Loggs at least, and three or four pieces of Scantiling truniled across them, & the tight part of the rafft Trunil'd upon the Scantiling, & a few holes in it with canvass hose nail'd about them to vent the rain or other water that may get into them. The hose will prevent the water from flying up, which otherwise would water, with the assistance of heat, will soon sepperat, (or in other words rott) the only substance of the inflametery Matter they may be charged with, therefore, will become less inflametery, and the reason I shall offer for their being raised higher, is to have the gutters (which will be charged with a kinde of quick-match) high enough to prevent the splash of water from getting into them & the raff ts, altho it will not prevent it from burning, will retard it, & perhaps make the raffts swim too Deep or cant on one side. The materials I shall propose charging thetn with must first be dipt in boil'd turpentine ー first lay a tier of faggots supported here & there, with billots of wood to keep them from the bottom & give a free passage for the air, Then put Shingle shavings, Billots of wood & faggots alternatively, untill the Body of the Rafft is full; Then lay three false Gutters, (at equal intervals) large enough to receive with freedom them that are to be charged with quick-match. The Small gutters to be prepared in the following manner: Take several clear thrids of woostard or yarn, slack twisted together, & dip it in a compound of pounded gun-powder & salt-peter, well mixed up with Spirits of Turpentine, & then well Dryed, lay it the whole length of the gutter, over which put a wisp of Tow, oakem or straw dipt in Spirits of Turpentine & Dryed, & tack it down with a few Nails to keep them both fast ー put them by in a dry place for to be ready in a minuets warning. Now return to the rafft; after the false gutters are lay'd raise it with the same Meterials, as before, to the hight of the false gutters, over which extend along a wisp of Straw dipt in Turpentine, supported here and there with small sticks to keep it from Obstructing the passage of the small gutters, & yet to leave an easey passage for the fire to communicate itself to the Straw; Then lay several wisp of straw as before cross-ways, & some to be carred of through the Middle from the intersection of the others, in order that the whole may be on Fire by the time they get's alongside the Enemy; Then raise the remainder with ceder rails or dry sparrs nearly of the length of the rafft ー first a tier one way, kept apart by here & there a faggot, Then a tier crossways in the same manner, & so alternatively untill high enough; Then the whole should be secured together by two Small chains from one corner to the opposite, laying them in the angle of the ceder rails aforesaid, crossing each other in the Middle on the top, under them at the place of crossing put the end of a small lever, & force it round untill they are very tight, then fasten it, by which means you will secure it from being pulled to pieces by the Enemy; Then place a few Pistol barrels or Blunderboss pointed towards that part you may Judge the Enemy will come with their boats to tow them off, and in the middle put Rocket casses charged with fire balls, old Blunderbuss, Musket & Pistol barrels charged with Serpent composition. They are to be placed at a small angle (from the perpendecular) inclining towards the Enemy, that when they take fire shall continue blowing of[f] the matter they are charged with, & the straw that will be over them amongst the Ships rigging & sails ー over them raise a ridge of straw like a roof, on which scatter a quantity of powdered rosin ー Next secure it from the weather by Thatching it with rye straw, & pay it well with Turpentine as above, after that is hardned give it a coat of hot tar, which will endure the weather better than Turpentine ー when they are going to be used sprinkle them with Spirits of Turpentine, chain a number together, (two at least) the chain of sufficient length to admitt of the rafft of Each Side as fare as the fore chains of the Enemys Ship; They should be conducted apart the Ships Buoys by the Galleys, otherwise the Buoy will stop them. I think it will be highly necessary to have a few of the raffts, to be kept in some creek below the Chevee de Frizes, in order to sett them on the Enemy on the flood ー Darby, Chester, or Racoon creek, will do.

N.B. The faggots being putt but thick & laing between the rails will prevent it's forceing to close, but give sufficient room for the fire to worke on the Meterials A few wood flats or old Shalops, charged as above, to be made use of at a critical time by running them alongside the Enemy, would not be amiss. The channel of to be stopt in such a manner as to keep our Enemys out & let our Friends in, which cannot be done but by a Chain, Boom, or a Draw Bridge, at the Piers, and that to be well supported by a good Fort, the Chevee de Freezes, with which the other part of the channel is to be stopt, should be fastened together with chains or cables. Ships of War will pay very little regard to Forts unless there be something besides to stop them.

Every Fort that is built of Stone, the Stones oft to be laid in & out, not on an Edge, which only serves to make a long broad facing, unless they are broad enough to extend the whole thickness of the wall, for a few Shott will make such fine worke tumble down. And Battery, in the situation that our New Battery is, with a wall behind it, isbad, for some of the Shott that may be fired at it will act in a double capasity, by Projectile & rebounding forces, which last (rebounding from the wall) will do ten times the damage the former will. The best Battery for imediat service are those that are made of Tusicks, Sods, Clay or Earth, built brest high, & the guns mounted high enough to point any way over the Battlement ー The carriages made broad at the bottom to keep them from over-setting, & long Trails & only two Trucks.

Above all things, I would recommend Beacons to be erected at the Distance of every 12 or 15 miles, all the way to the Capes, to be set on fire when the watch at the Cape is certain there is a Fleet bound up our Bay, then the next to light his, & so on untill it is observed here, that we may not be surprized, &c. The Beacons to be Tar bbls on Poles, & the watch at each to have a glass & be constantly looking (in the day time) to the Beacons next below him.

Solders, with long fire armes, will always be able to bear down them that are armed with short ones. I would propose that the defficiency in the length of our Musket barrels should be added to the Bayonetts, so as to be equal in length with those in the British armey, if not a little longer. Look back into History & you'll finde the New improvers in the art of War has allways had the advantage of their Enemys. I look upon it as no great difficulty to take the largest Ship in the British Navy, by having one of our Merchant Ships fill'd with Boards, Scantling, or any kinde of Lumber that will float, & to be raised with it on her Deck as high as the Ship of War's quarter Deck, with a battlement on one side of an easy assent, and another vessel whose fore parts should be raised with Lumber in the hold & on Deck for a battlement, & lashed alongside the other. This last vessel to be for Men armed with Hand-granados, (Smokeballs made small) hangers, Pistols, Lances & Battle-axes & Muskets, and a guard of Rifle-men to play into the ships tops while the other boards & get's Possession of the Quarter Deck. A considerable improvement may be added, which will be of Infinett advantage in the first onset (but will take up rather much room) which is a large Copper with Forceing Pumps fixt to it, (with or without an air vessel) the valves to be made of Brass, (with rule joints.) This Copper, placed in one of the vessels filled with water & continued boiling, Men appointed to play it (as they do a Fire Engin) upon the Man of War's Decks, which will soon oblige them to quit their Quarters ー all parts of the Engin to be made of such meterials that boiling water will not desolve. Carriages may be made, on which 2, 3 or 4 small Guns may be mounted, to run down to the river or elsewhere.

I think an Engin may be made with Copper & Glass Windows, (Bulls Eys) in it properly Ballast'd, so as a man may convey himself (by the help of a compass & a Candle lighted, the first to direct him to his object, the other to let him know when he wants a supply of air,) under a Man of War's Bottom, & to take with him two or three other vessels, charged with 2 or 3 hundred wt of Gunpowder ー These vessels to have machinery Locks that may be sett to any time, & on the upper part a pair of Jaws (to go by a spring) large enough to receive a Man of War's kill, & by forcing up the vessel untill the springe flys & the Jaws lay's hold of the Kill, then to proceed with the other two unto two other Men of War, leveing one at each. Then to proceed on shore ー when the first blowes up it will be looked upon as an accident, the second will cause doubts, and the third confusion.

If any of the above hints proves of any advantage to the Publick I shall not think my time spent in vain, & if at any time in future I can be of any service to you, I shall be happy in executing it. In the Intrem,

I remain with much esteem, Your [&c.]

Philada, Janry the 16th, 1776.