244 On the Usefulness of Time- Keepers 
for the reception of time-keepers to be tried at this office, 
an advertisement be inserted in the public newspapers si- 
milar to those inserted by the Navy Office and other Boards, 
stating the intention of Government respecting the intro= 
duction of time-keepers into the service of the Navy, fixing 
a day on which such time-keepers should be received at 
the office for trial, from such time-keeper makers as are 
disposed to furnish Government with their respective time~ 
keepers. And from each maker a certificate should be de- 
livered under cover, properly sealed, containing the num- 
bers which distinguish, or are engraved on, each respective 
time-keeper, and the price at which the maker is willing 
to sell the same; which certificate should remain unopened 
until after the period fixed upon for the trial of each watch, 
which should not exceed four, nor be less than two months. 
At the end of this time the various papers containing such 
prices should be opened, and a comparison made of the 
respective merits, with the price of each time-keeper, 
whereby the maker may be informed whether his time- 
keeper will be purchased or not at the price he has affixed 
to it. That no time-keeper maker be allowed to receive 
any account of the performance of his time-keeper or 
time-keepers that he deposits at the office, till after the pe- 
riod of trial be up. And in order to save trouble, it would 
be adviseable to inform the respective time-keeper makers 
at the time of delivering their watches, when they may 
again apply for their answer, and certificate for the receipt 
of the value of such time-keepers as shal] have gone suf- 
ficiently well to be approved of and purchased by Govern- 
ment. And also that each time-keeper maker should, if” 
required, open such time-keeper as he shall dispose of 
to Government, before he receives a certificate of its being 
approved, and order given for payment. 
5. On the reception of the respective time-keepers, an 
entry should immediately be made, containing a description 
of the time-keeper or time-keepers delivered, with the 
names of the persons delivering them, and also of such 
time-keepers as are not approved of ; an entry of the time 
and name of the person to whom delivered ; or a certificate 
from the owner, sent under cover, should be received at 
the time of delivery. 
6. That when a number of time-keepers, thus tried and 
approved of, are ordered for service, the commander or 
master of such ship or ships as are furnished with them 
should give a certificate of his having such time-keeper in 
his possession, and should hold himself responsible for its 
or 
