Page images
PDF
EPUB

urpose of holding a plate before the fire,) a hearth-brush or dust-brush, and toasting fork, and occasionally in combining or uniting the said brush and toasting-fork in one utensil or article. To Benjamin Agerday, of Handsworth, Staffordshire.

July 26. For certain machinery for cutting and heading of nails, and beads of all kinds and sizes, from strips or plates made of iron, copper, or any other metal capable of being rolled into plates. To Joseph Charles Dyer, of Boston, North America, now residing in Westminister, who had the above communication made to him by a certain foreigner residing

abroad.

July 26. For a method, or process, of imitating lapis lazuli, porphyry, jasper, the various kinds of marble, and all other stones usually wrought, carved, sculptured, or polished; also inlaid or Mosaic work, to be used for or in the formation or manufacture of chimney-pieces, slabs, funeral monuments, and for every other purpose to which such stones and marbles are or may be applied. To Thomas Wade, of Nelson-place, Kent-road, in the county of Surry, gent.

Aug. 2. For a variety of compositions for making a water-proof cement, mortar and stucco; the same being also applicable as durable colouring washes for buildings. To Edgar Dobbs, of the borough of Southwark, gent.

Aug. 2. For a machine for grinding or cutting malt, splitting beans, and any other kind of grain, and various other articles. To Charles Williams, of Gravel-lane, Southwark, millwright.

Aug. 2. For certain machinery for the purpose of making or manufacturing shoes and boots. To Marc Isambard Brunel, of Chelsea.

Aug. 10. For an improved mode of making ladders, which being formed of different pieces, and capable of being put together by socket joints, will be found extremely useful for the purposes of escalade, engineering, escapes from fire, erecting of buildings, and for all the other purposes for which ladders of any description are necessary. To Thomas Collins, London, warehouseman.

Aug. 14. For a magnetic toy to facilitate the teaching of children to spell, read, and cypher in any tongue, with ease to the teacher, pleasure to the children, and proportional expedition. To William Whitmore, of Dudmarton, Salop, Esq.

Aug. 25. For a method of preser ving animal food, vegetable food, and other perishable articles, a long time from perishing or becoming useless. To Peter Durand, of Hoxton-square, merchant, who received this communication from a certain foreigner residing abroad.

Sept. 7. For a machine or vessel for the safe conveyance of gunpowder, and for its preservation from injury by damp. To James Walker, of Wapping, in the county of Middlesex, ship-chandler.

Sept. 7. For further new improvements on a mill for grinding bark, and other articles. To James Weldon, of the county and city of Litchfield, engineer.

Sept. 7. For a machine for cutting or removing all the various kinds of furs which are used in hat-making, from the skins or pelts, and for cutting the said skins or pelts into strips or small pieces. To Joseph C. Dyer, of Boston, state of Massachussets, one of the United States, now resi ding in the city of Westminster, merchant, who became possessed of this invention in consequence of a commu

nication from a foreigner residing abroad.

Sept. 7. For an improved method of constructing and building locks, with a groin or gothic conic arch; also an improved form of the gates, and an improved method of opening and shutting the same. To David Mathews, of Rotherhithe, engineer.

Sept. 17. For a new mode of communicating intelligence from one apartment of a house to another, by means of machinery or apparatus, which is denominated a domestic telegraph. To Joseph Johnson, of the county of Surry, gent.

Sept. 17. For improvements in the axle-trees of carriages. To Jonathan Varty, of Liverpool, coach-maker.

Sept. 26. For a new construction of buoys for ships or vessels, and for mooring chains, or similar purposes. To Peter Brown, of Henrietta-street, Covent-garden, Middlesex, gent.

Sept. 26. For a new burner, upon an improved construction, applicable to all kinds of lamps. To Richard Seaton, of Berwick-street, Middlesex, liquor-merchant; and Thomas Rice, of Whitecross-street, Middlesex, spring roasting-jack maker.

Sept. 26. For a new mode of sheathing or covering the bottoms of ships or vessels with certain matter, or materials, so as to be a substitute for copper. To Thomas Norris, late of Manchester, cotton merchant.

Sept. 26. For a lever, by the application of which alone, or with the addition of a rack, snuffers are made to act without springs. To Samuel Hobday, of Woodstock-street, in the parish of Aston, near Birmingham, snuffer maker.

Oct. 1. For an apparatus for giving motion to machinery; part of which is also applicable to hydraulic and pneumatic purposes. To Mark Isam

bard Brunel, of Chelsea, gent., who became possessed of this apparatus from the communication made to him by a foreigner residing abroad.

Oct. 1. For an improved bell, and gun alarm. To Benjamin Milne, of Bridlington, in the county of York, collector of the customs.

Oct. 1. For certain improvements in the construction and method of using plates and presses, and for combining various species of work in the same plate for the kind of printing usually called plate-printing, designed for the objects of detecting counterfeits, for multiplying impressions, and saving labour. To Joseph C. Dyer, of Boston, state of Massachussets, one of the United States, now residing in London, merchant, who became possessed of these improvements in consequence of the communication made to him by a foreigner residing abroad.

Oct. 1. For a method of making wind instruments, commonly called military pipes, of substances never before used for that purpose. Το George Miller, of Panton-street, near the Hay-market, musical instrument maker.

Oct. 8. For an improved apparatus to machines for making fillet, sheet, and hard cards, such as are used for carding wool, cotton, flax, silk, and all substances capable of being carded. To John Towill Rutt, of Goswellstreet, in the county of Middlesex ; John Webb, of Hoxton, in the said county, and John Tretton, of the city of London, card manufacturers.

Oct. 8. For a method or plan of making an adjusting bedstead on a double frame with a four-fold method, for the relief of sick, lame, infirm, and aged persons. To Ebenezer Parker, of Highfield, in the parish of Sheffield, in the county of

York, silver-plater; and Francis Cleely, of Sheffield aforesaid, surgeons instrument manufacturer.

Oct. 8. For improvements in the construction of a plough for the cultivation of land. To John Hazledine, of Bridgenorth, in the county of Salop, engineer.

Oct. 8. For an improved method of separating the alkaline salt from the acid, as it exists in the following substances, viz. kelp, black ashes, soapers salts, spent leys, sosa natrose, rock salt, common salt, brine, sea water, caput mortuum of aqua fortis, caput mortuum of oil of vitriol, and caput mortuum of salt used by bleachers, being on a principle entirely new. To George Hodson, of Edinburgh, North Britain, ash manufacturer.

Oct. 8. For an improved method of joining pipes. To Charles Francis, of Phoenix Wharf, Nine Elms, in the parish of Battersea, Surry, temper lime-burner; and William Waters, of Princes-street, in the parish of St Mary, Lambeth, Surry, potter.

Oct. 8. For a new grand imperial aulæum, from three to 18 or 20 feet wide, without seam, and to any length or colour, for decorating the most superb or useful room, for such as drappery, curtains and fringes, chairs, sofas, tables, &c., or finished on one side only, for ornamental hangings, borders, and every other species of de

coration. To Henry Stubbs, of Piccadilly, in the county of Middlesex, blind-maker.

Oct. 8. For improvements in the manufacture of soap, for the purpose of washing with sea water, hard water, and with other waters. To Ed mund Griffith, of the city of Bistol, Esq.

Oct. 8. For a method of manufac turing all kinds of boots, shoes, and other articles. To Richard Woodman, of Hammersmith, in the county of Middlesex, boot and shoe maker.

Oct. 8. For an apparatus for wri ting. To Edward Manley, of Uffculme, in the county of Devon, clerk.

Oct. 15. For a discovery of certain vegetables, and a way of preparing the same, so that they may be usefully applied in the manufacturing of hats and bonnets, chair bottoms, and baskets, and for other articles or pur poses. To John Fraser, collector of natural history, now of Sloane-square, in the county of Middlesex.

Oct. 15. For an improved axle-tree for wheels of carriages, and also im proved wrought or cast-iron boxes, and cast-iron stocks to receive the spokes of the wheels. To John Wheatley, of Greenwich, in the county of Kent, coach-builder.

Oct. 31. For improvements in the construction of artificial legs. To Thomas Man, of Bradford, in the county of York, stuff-merchant.

N. B. Owing to the illness of the King, no patents passed the great seal in the months of November and December, 1810.

[ocr errors]

HISTORY OF THE ATMOSPHERE

FOR 1810.

In the history of the atmosphere for 1809, contained in our last volume, we mentioned in general terms the great imperfection of meteorological instruments, and the various phenomena which required to be regularly and carefully observed, before any progress could be expected in the science of Meteorology. A number of new instruments are absolutely necessary before these observations can be successfully made; and as there appears to be some disposition at present both to construct instruments, and multiply observations, we shall at present give a brief enumeration of the various instruments, and observations, which ought to be made in observatories, and other places, where regular Meteorological Journals are kept.

1. The BAROMETER, THERMOMETER, and RAIN-GUAGE, are almost universally used, and are not susceptible of much improvement. An instrument, however, is still wanting for measuring small quantities of rain. This might be done by fixing a sponge at each extremity of a balance, so that the one may be in equilibrio with the other. The one sponge being placed under a cover, and the other exposed to the air, very minute quantities of rain may be measured. The reason of employing two sponges, is

VOL. III. PART II.

to avoid the error arising from the moisture of the atmosphere. The quantity of rain which falls at different altitudes should also be carefully measured.

2. The HYGROMETER, for measuring the moisture of the air, has been brought to great perfection by Mr Leslie, though, as far as we know, it has been used only in one regular set of observations. Observers are perhaps deterred from the use of this instrument, by the necessity of wetting the bibulous paper at each observation; but Mr Leslie has contrived a method of keeping it constantly wet by capillary attraction.

3. An EVAPOROMETER, for measuring the quantity of water evaporated in a given time, has not been much used in meteorological observations, and we know of no simple instrument of this kind which can lay claim to much accuracy. Capillary attraction always prevents us from observing with exactness the different altitudes of a fluid contained in a tube or vessel. An instrument of this kind, however, has been lately proposed, though no account of it has yet been published. It possesses extreme accuracy, and is intended for various purposes in experimental philosophy, where the altitude of a variable fluid surface is required to the greatest exactness. A fine micrometer screw,

2 G

may always exceed a little the greatest blueness of the sky. A screw, carrying a small circular opening along a scale, would then indicate the blue colour of the sky at any instant.

9. The form, altitude, and colour of the clouds ought to be carefully ascertained. Mr Howard, Dr Bos

carrying a convex lens, is fixed at the mouth of the vessel which contains the fluid. The axis of the screw is kept at right angles to the surface of the fluid by means of a level; and the relation of the surface to a fixed point in the scale of the instrument, is ascertained by the position of the screw at the instant when the sur-tock, and Mr Forster, have proposed face of the lens attracts the fluid. 4. An instrument for measuring the magnitude of the drops of rain and the flakes of snow. This may be done by ascertaining with a telesof a given magnifying power, the greatest distance at which they are visible.

cope

5. An instrument for measuring the angle at which rain falls. The rain is not always inclined to the quarter of the heavens to which the wind blows. If the lower stratum of air is moving slowly in one direction, and the upper stratum with a greater velocity in the opposite direction, the rain may be inclined to the quarter of the heavens from which the lower stratum of air blows.

6. A method of measuring the density of fogs and mists. This may be done by ascertaining the distance at which objects cease to become visible.

7. ADIAPHANOMETER, for measuring the transparency of the air. An instrument of this kind has been invented and described by the celebrated M. Saussure.

8. A CYANOMETER, for measuring the blue colour of the sky. This instrument was invented by M. Saussure, who employed blue circles of paper, with different depths of colour. A much better instrument might be made, by enclosing a blue fluid between two plates of glass inclined to each other, so that the depth of colour at the places where the glasses are separated to the greatest distance,

different appellations for clouds of different forms. Some fixed nomenclature should be established.

10. The size and appearance of halos, the height of meteors, the au rora borealis, and other phenomena of a temporary kind, should be well

observed.

11. A SKOTOMETER, for measuring the approach of darkness and its intensity, has been recently constructed.

In the following Meteorological Tables, we have endeavoured to present our readers with a full and accurate account of the state of the atmosphere at Edinburgh and London during the year 1810.

The Meteorological Journal for Edinburgh, which is the most valuable and correct that has yet been made in Scotland, was kept in the house, and under the superintendance, of a philosopher of distinguished eminence, to whom the writer of the present article is indebted for the liberty of making it public. It contains the height of the barometer to the thou sandth part of an inch at nine o'clock in the morning; the state of the thermometer attached to the barometer at the same instant; the height of the mercury in the thermometer at eight o'clock in the morning, 12 o'clock noon, and 10 o'clock in the evening; the force and the direction of the wind; and the state of the weather, both in the forenoon and in the even. ing of each day.

« PreviousContinue »