Download or read book Letter to Mons. Alphonse Le Roy, August 1785 : on Improvements in Navigation. From: Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Benjamin Franklin ... written by Benjamin Franklin and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Benjamin Franklin, writing at sea, describes many of his thoughts late in life on a variety of subjects related to the improvement of navigation. He writes about possible improvements in the design of sails; some experiments that could be tried to bear out his ideas; leaks in sailing ships; icebergs and other hazards to navigation; sea anchors; and the Gulf Stream's influence on navigating the Atlantic Ocean. Franklin begins the letter as a short response to a letter received, but then writes "the garrulity of the old man has got hold of me, and as I may never have another occasion of writing on this subject, I think I may as well now, once for all, empty my nautical budget, and give you all the thoughts that have in my various long voyages occurred to me relating to navigation."