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JOHN NEILSON, of the town of Linlithgow, in the county of Linlithgow, Glue-maker; for certain vegetable substances not hitherto used by tanners and leatherdressers, may be employed in tanning and colouring leather; and that certain vegetable substances, not hitherto used by dyers, may be employed in the art of dyeing. Dated June 19, 1819.

**STEPHEN BEDFORD, of Birchall-street, in Birming→ ham, Warwickshire, Iron-founder; for improvements in the preparation of iron and other metals for various pure poses, and also an improvement in the converting British iron into steel. Dated June 22, 1819. ::..

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DAVID GORDON, of Edinburgh, Esq. and EDWARD HEARD, of Brighton, Sussex, Chemist; for a portable gas lamp. Dated June 19, 1819. #76

ALEXANDER HADDEN, of Aberdeen, Scotland, Manufacturer; for an improved manufacture for carpeting. Dated June 22, 1819.

! EDWARD JORDAN, of Norwich, Engine-maker; for an improved water-wheel for draining marsh-lands, whereby water may be raised from a greater depth by a wheel of less diameter, and a large quantity of marshland drained in a shorter time than by any water-wheel now in use, and thereby great labour and expense saved.

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Specification of the Patent granted to HENRY EWBANK, of London, Merchant; for Machinery for cleansing or dressing Paddy or Rough Rice, so as to fit it for culinary Purposes. Dated February 9, 1819.

To all to whom these presents shall come, &c. Now KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I the said Henry Ewbank do hereby declare that the following statement under my hand and seal does particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said machinery, and the manner in which the said paddy or rough rice is cleansed or dressed, so as to fit it for culinary purposes. The paddy or rough rice, after having been sifted through a wire screen, adapted to the size of the grain, to separate it from dirt, sand, or other extraneous matter, is conveyed by any of the usual modes to a pair of mill-stones, for the purpose of shelling or removing the external husk or shell; stones of various diameter may be used, but those of six to seven feet, are considered by me a convenient size. From the stones the rice passes a wind-fan, to separate the chaff or outer VOL. XXXV.-SECOND SERIES. S

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husk from the shelled rice, which is next to be conveyed into a screen of wire-cloth, which may be cylindrical or polygonal, and is made to revolve upon an inclining axis. The wire-cloth of this screen is of two degrees of fineness, the finest part being at the most elevated, and is adapted to let the dust and the lower or coarser part, the shelled rice, pass through it; and such grains as may have e scaped from the stones without being shelled, will not pass through this wire-cloth at all, but be delivered at its lowest end, to be returned to the stones again. So far it will be seen that the process and machinery used bears a resemblance to the shelling of oats, and the cleansing and dressing of other grain; and I distinctly disclaim all exclusive privilege to the use of any part or parts of the foregoing or following machinery, excepting such as I shall specifically claim as new in this country, either in themselves or in their application or combination. But rice has also an internal skin or pellicle, which, although very thin, requires to be removed before it is fit for culinary use, and which is not at all touched or affected by the previous operation of the stones or screens. This internal skin or pellicle I rub off and remove, by triturating the rice prepared and shelled as above in mortars, by means of heavy pestles. For this purpose the shelled rice, as it comes from the screen after the operation of the stones, is carried to a bin or receptacle, from whence it can be let down at pleasure by means of spouts into one or more mortars, according to the extent of the work to be performed. These mortars may be formed of wood, cast-iron, or other sufficiently strong material, the bottom of their cavities being of an egg-like shape, and then soon expanding to their greatest width, with their top slightly contracted. The size of each mortar should be equal to hold about five bushels of rice, besides room

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for the pestle and for the rice to spread and rise; from about twenty-four to twenty-six inches in diameter, at the widest part, will be found a convenient size for them. The pestles working in those mortars may be constructed of wood, iron, or other convenient substance, and they may be fixed in the manner of hampers in an oil-mill, and worked by arms, wipers, or lifters, projecting from an horizontal revolving shaft; any number of pestles may be worked in so many corresponding mortars by one shaft in this way, and about fifteen mortars will be necessary for one pair of stones of the above-mentioned diameter. The striking heads or rams of the pestles, which, if the pestle be made of wood, should be covered with sheet-iron or other metal, are made to taper downwards, gradually decreasing to a diameter of about four to five inches. The striking face is made slightly convex, each pestle may weigh altogether from about two hundred and fifty to three hundred pounds, and make from forty to forty-four strokes of about three feet six inches per minute, in which case it will require from sixty to eighty minutes to triturate each five bushels, or mortar full of rice; the more rapidly the pestles move the better, on account of the heat as well as the friction they occasion. A hoop or collar of sheet-iron, or of any other convenient material, laid loose on the top of the rice in the mortar, large enough to allow the pestle to pass freely through it, and of about four inches in depth, quickens the process of trituration; a little chaff or outer husk may be put into each mortar to increase the friction. It will be observed in this process, that although the action of such pestles in mortars would effectually reduce the rice to powder, if in small quantities, and thus do injury to it; yet by the pestle having to pass through so large a quantity as five bushels extended in heighth as above,

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this pounding effect is prevented, and the grains are merely made to turn and rub against each other with great force, and thus the internal skin or pellicle is broken. and disengaged without much injury to the internal grain. The rice thus sufficiently prepared is to be `removed by hand or otherwise from the mortars (the motion of the pestles being meanwhile stopped by any of the usual and accustomed modes), and conveyed by machinery or otherwise into another screen, which may be of similar form and construction to the last, except that it is larger, and its wire-cloth is divided into three degrees of fineness; a convenient size of the screen may be about fourteen feet long, by about three feet and a half diameter. The most elevated and finest part of the screen lets out the dust, or what is generally called the flour; the next the broken or small rice, and the third or last division the shelled whole rice, the rough grains (if any) are thrown out at the lower end to be returned to the stones again. This and the preceding screen should be inclosed in a case to confine the dust. The whole rice as delivered from the last screen is conveyed by shoots, or otherwise, immediately into the upper end of what may be called the brightening or polishing machine, which may be about two feet in diameter by eight feet long, and consists of an internal and external cylinder placed immediately in a perpendicular or inclining direction. The external cylinder is a mere frame or skeleton of wood or other material, covered on the inside with very fine wire-cloth, and may be either stationary or made to revolve. The internal cylinder is covered with boarding or other convenient material, upon the outside of which is stretched sufficient sheeps-skins with the wool upon it to cover it, such being outwards; and this internal cylinder revolving with rapidity on its axis, rubs

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