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24th November, 1796, was ordered to be printed by the Society, 
who passed a vote of thanks to Captain Huddart for it. A letter 
written by him to the Rev. Joseph Priestly, LL.D., F.R.S., entitled 
“An Account of Persons who could not distinguish Colours,” had 
also been, as far back as the 13th of February, 1777, communicated 
to the Society. 
In promoting the construction of the London Docks, Captain 
Huddart took an active part, as well as in the construction of the 
docks for the accommodation of the East India trade. Of both 
these undertakings he was a Director, and he had the distinguished 
honour of laying the foundation stone of the latter work. 
Captain Huddart also had the merit of devising a plan for the 
improvement of cordage. Rope-making at that time, especially the 
manufacture of ships’ cables and tackle, was of more importance 
than it is in the present iron age. He offered his invention—the 
principle of which was that every component part of the rope should 
bear its proportion of strain—to the East India Company, but they 
declined it. Subsequently Captain Huddart formed a private 
company at Limehouse, and he there personally superintended the 
construction of the requisite machinery, the whole of the designs 
of which are said to have been drawn by himself. The machinery 
is stated to have been of a very elaborate kind, and the works 
themselves to have been in their day unrivalled. It seems Captain 
Huddart had at one time described his principle to a Mr. Barnes, 
a rope-maker at Maryport, but Mr. Barnes, it appears, could not 
see his way to the adoption of it, otherwise we might have had an 
important rope manufactory in our midst. 
In 1797 Captain Huddart appears to have built another vessel 
in Mr. William Wood’s yard at Maryport. She was taken to 
London when built, and used by Captain Huddart for scientific 
experiments in connection with ship-building, in which he took a 
great interest. 
As an engineer and surveyor, Captain Huddart appears to 
have had a most distinguished reputation. A good deal of his 
advice seems to have been given gratuitously, and with the express 
object of furthering the public good. In December, 1789, he 
