This is to certify, that M^" John Fitch called upon WilHam Henry, Esquire, my late husband in his life time, about two years and a half since, when M"" Fitch shewed to him dra/ts and a model of a machine how to propel a boat through the water ; And further, that I have frequently heard M"" Henry applying steam as a mean to urge boats through the water by force of it, and that he haa proposed laying a model of a machine, for that purpose, before Xtm Philosophical Society long before M^ Fitch called upon him.

Witness my hand, this 12th. day of May, 1788. Test. ANN HENKY.

Jno. Jos. Henry.

Fims.

KAVIGATIOX. 1079

[N. Y. Assembly Papers.]

Philadelphia October 18th 1788. No 1

We whose names are liereunto subscribed do certify that we lave been in John Fitch's Steam boat of 60 feet in length in the River Delaware when the said boat was propelled through the water with a considerable degree of velocity regularly & uniformly \vithout any manual Labor, by the force of Steam and We are Clearly of opinion that the Rivers of America may be navigated oy the means of Steam Boats and that the present Boat would be very useful on the Western waters.

John Ewing James Huchenson

Robt Patterson T. Y. Matlack Andrew Ellicott Chas^ Pettit John Smilie J. B. Smith

David Redick Dav^ Rittenhouse

No 2

This may Certify that on the twelfth instant we the Subscribers Went in Mr John Fitch's Steam Boat, from this city to the city of Burlington twenty miles in the space of three hours and ten minutes, there being upwards of thirty passengers on Board, and that said Boat was propelled thro' the water entirely by the force of Stearn; and from our own observations we are of opinion that the discovery which Mr Fitch has mad-e may be of much service to inland Xa\ngation.