207 - AN APPARENTLY UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT ON ‘BOMB-PROOF FLOATING BATTERIES’ BY SIR WILLIAM CONGREVE, INVENTOR OF THE CONGREVE ROCKET, COLONEL COMMANDANT OF THE ROYAL ARTILLERY AND COMPTROLLER OF THE ROYAL LABORATORY AT WOOLWICH

AN APPARENTLY UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT ON ‘BOMB-PROOF FLOATING BATTERIES’ BY SIR WILLIAM CONGREVE, INVENTOR OF THE CONGREVE ROCKET, COLONEL COMMANDANT OF THE ROYAL ARTILLERY AND COMPTROLLER OF THE ROYAL LABORATORY AT WOOLWICH in ink on paper watermarked from 1800-1803 over 22 pages, written recto only in a neat hand with some additional notes on facing pages, illustrated with 3 watercolour drawings and a pen and ink drawing on 3 sheets (numbered Plates 3-5), the manuscript signed and dated at the end “William Congreve | 9 th Jan. 1805”, folio, stitched buff wrappers, titled in ink on upper wrapper ( wrappers slightly chipped and dust-stained) -- 12½ x 8in. (32 x 20cm.) Provenance: Sotheby’s London: Books & Manuscripts, 16 December 1963, lot 215; Estate of the Late Clive Richards CBE. Sir William Congreve (1772-1828) proposed these bomb-proof floating batteries in response to the threat of French invasion. The floating batteries were designed to be powered by oar and were clad in iron armour, however Congreve’s concept was not constructed. In 1828 Congreve proposed an improved steam-powered, iron-armoured floating battery for, if required, forcing the Dardanelles; the controller of the navy rejected it as impracticable. Congreve also proposed a large flotilla of mortar boats to destroy the Boulogne invasion flotilla and attack enemy ports. About this time there were experiments with war rockets in several countries which led to Congreve inventing his rockets. The line in the American National Anthem: "the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air" commemorates the use of Congreve’s rockets by the British Navy against Fort McHenry in September 1814.