The fire-ship may be of any size, and need not be very good, for it is always lost in the action. To prepare a ship for this purpose, make a port-fire equal in size with those in the other ships, and place it at the stern; in every port place a larger port-fire, filled with a very strong composition, and painted in imitation of a gun, and let them all be fired at once by a leader from the slow fire, within two or three diameters of its bottom; all along both sides, on the top of the upper deck, lay star-composition about half an inch thick and one broad, which must be wetted with thin size, then primed with meal-powder, and secured from fire by pasting paper over it; in the place where you lay this composition, drive some little tacks with flat heads, to hold it fast to the deck; this must be fired just after the sham guns, and when burning will show a flame all round the ship: at the head take up the decks, and put in a tin mortar loaded with crackers, which mortar must be fired by a pipe from the end of the slow fire: the firing of this mortar will sink the ship, and make a pretty conclusion. The regulating port-fire of this ship must be lighted at the same time with the first fighting ship. Having prepared all the ships for fighting, we shall next proceed with the management of them when on the water. At one end of the pond, just under the surface of the water, fit two running blocks, at what distance you choose the ships should fight; and at the other end of the pond, opposite to each of these blocks, under the water, fix a double block; then on the land, by each of the double blocks, place two small windlasses; round one of them turn one end of a small cord, and put the other end through one of the blocks; then carry it through the single one at the opposite end of the pond, and bring it back through the double block again, and round the other windlass: to this cord, near the double block, tie as many small strings as half the number of the ships, at any distance; but these strings must not be more than two feet long each: make fast the loose end of each to a ship, just under her bowsprit; for if tied to the keel, or too near the water, it will overset the ship. Half the ships being thus prepared, near the other double block fix two more windlasses, to which fasten a cord, and to it tie the other half of the ships as before: when you fire the ships, pull in the cord with one of the windlasses, to get all the ships together; and when you have set fire to the first, turn that windlass which draws them out, and so on with the rest, till they are all out in the middle of the pond; then, by turning the other windlass, you will draw them back again; by which method you may make them change sides, and tack about backwards and forwards at pleasure. For the fire-ship fix the blocks and windlasses between the others, so that when she sails out she will be between the other ships: you must not let this ship advance till the guns at her