Your letter of 29 March advised us that there was need of better provision at Chatham for ballasting ships. You propose digging a small dock and setting a wharf for laying a store of ballast, on ground marked out for that purpose by the Surveyor of the Navy. This is behind the new top[mast?] house in the marsh, to the north of the mast dock. You also propose that the mast dock gates be made 2ft deeper and wider for taking in lighters and hoys to load and unload. Your estimate of £459 for this has our approval and we direct you to have the works put in hand.