of supplying water or other cleansing liquid to the central or other suitable part of the mass of sugar, or other material to be cleansed, for the purpose of dressing or cleansing, &c. as set forth. Also, the manner of dressing or cleansing sugar, or other matters susceptible of being so dressed or cleansed, viz. by passing a current of water, or other suitable cleansing liquid, into the interior of the mass, and from thence driving it through and out of the mass by centrifugal force, substantially as explained." AN IMPROVEMENT IN FRICTION MATCHES. Elisha Smith. The patentee says-" I do not claim the combining with phosphorus, or other inflammable substance, an unearthly combustible material mixed with it, or made by means of a glutinous substance (such as glue or gum arabic) to adhere to and surround and protect it from oxidation, or the absorption of moisture; neither do I claim the employment of glue, or a gelatinous liquid or substance, for the purpose of cementing the phosphorus and protecting material together; because I believe that such earthy and gelatinous materials, whether together or separate from each other, have long been employed both in this and foreign countries for such purpose. But that which I do claim consists in the employment, in the manufacture of friction matches, of combustible materials, such as pulverized dried bark, wood, or other vegetable matters substantially the same in character, instead of mineral and other substances, for the purpose of protecting the phosphorus or inflammable substance, and for giving consistency or body to the paste, as above set forth. And, particularly, I claim the using of vegetable matters (such as hemlock bark, oak bark, sumach, nut-galls, &c.) containing more or less tannin, and which, when combined with the glue or gelatinous adhesive mixture, form "tanno gelatin," or an insoluble substance, which, although almost, if not entirely proof against the absorption of moisture, will readily be consumed by fire-the whole being substantially as hereinbefore explained."

LIST OF PATENTS GRANTED FOR SCOTLAND, FROM THE 12TH TO THE 22ND OF AUGUST, 1845.

Hugh Cogan, merchant and manufacturer, of West George-street, Glasgow, for an improved method or methods for weaving in patterns or various colours or fabrics. August 20

William Newton, 66, Chancery-lane, Middlesex, civil engineer, for improvements in machinery to

be employed in the manufacturing of nails, rivets, screws, and pins. (Being a communication from abroad.) August 20.

James Ivers, of Preston, Lancaster, machine maker, for certain improvements in machinery of apparatus for preparing, roving, and slubbing cotton, wool, and other fibrous substances. August 21. William Breynton, of the Inner Temple, London, esq., for certain improvements in rotary steam-engines. Aug. 21.

William Eccles and Henry Brierly, both of the township of Walton-le-dale, Blackburn, Lancaster, for improvements in the machinery or apparatus used in spinning. August 21.

NOTES AND NOTICES.

The Smoke Nuisance at Manchester.-Several persons were lately fined 40s. each at the Manchester Borough-court, for not consuming the smoke of their steam engine furnace. It appears from report of the proceedings in the Manchester Guardian, that the question of the practicability of greatly diminishing, if not altogether extinguishing this evil, was set at rest by the evidence of Mr. Henry Houldsworth and Mr. Thomas Ogden, the chimneys of whose works have long set an example to the district. Mr. Houldsworth stated, and, as far as such matters can be proved in a court of justice, proved, that the means essential to an almost perfect combustion of smoke were by no means costly; that, in ordinary cases, they might be applied at a cost of 101. or 151.; and that the result, while it secured all that could be desired in the removal of the nuisance, was in his case attended with a saving in his consumption of fuel of not less than 18 per cent. In the three years 1838-1840, his consumption of coal was one ton per hour; in 1841 the smoke-consuming apparatus was adapted to his furnace, and in the three following years, 1842-1844, his consumption of coal was reduced to 16 8-10ths cwt. per hour. The general accuracy of these statements, impugned by Mr. Armstrong, was confirmed by Mr. Fairbairn, C.E., who stated that two simple elements only were needed to ensure the consumption of smoke-a sufficiently high temperature, and the admission to the furnace of a sufficient quantity of atmospheric air. Some attempt was made to contravene the statements of Mr. Houldsworth, on the ground that his experiments, made some time ago, were fallacious; but it was observed, that three years of practice and experience take from the trial the character of an experiment, and leaves it in the position of a well-established fact.

Fall of the Ballee Khall Suspension Bridge.-In Number 1106 we gave a description of this bridge, erected for the Indian Government, on Mr. Dredge's plan. It will be seen, from the following account of its fall, that no blame is attached to the principle. "A sad accident recently occurred a few miles from Calcutta, but fortunately without injury to life or limb. The Bally Khall Suspension Bridge, the largest ever constructed in India, just as it was completed, gave way in the middle, and fell into the creek over which it was erected. The accident is attributed to an error in judgment of the contractor, while making some necessary alterations, and does not in any degree affect the principle on which the bridge was built."-Indian paper.

INTENDING PATENTEES may be supplied gratis with Instructions, by application (post paid) to Messrs. Robertson and Co., 166, Fleet-street, by whom is kept the only COMPLETE REGISTRY OF PATENTS.

Appendix that they have given rise to two questions of considerable interest, connected with the copyright of inventions.

The first relates to Mr. Mallet's plan of storing the vacuum. Messrs. Clegg and Samuda, in the specification of their first patent, have these words, "If the trains are required to be started as frequently as possible, the engines are employed constantly exhausting the pipe; but if a longer period than is necessary to exhaust the pipe be required to elapse between starting the trains, the engines are employed IN THE INTERVAL to exhaust large vessels or reservoirs, which, when the train starts, are opened to the pipe to assist to obtain the vacuum therein, and to maintain it till the train has passed." Messrs. Clegg and Samuda say that this passage contains a complete anticipation of Mr. Mallet's plan, as disclosed in his Report, No. 1; and Mr. Pim takes the same view of the matter. Mr. Mallet, on the other hand, contends that "the sentence in the specification that proposes to use the engines to exhaust reservoirs, in the intervals between trains, under certain circumstances, was no publication of his invention for their constant and continuous use at all times, both during the intervals of trains and during their transit, or in circumstances where there were no intervals-in a word, FOR ABANDONING

ALL EXHAUSTION OF THE MAIN DI

RECTLY BY THE AIR PUMP.' We think Mr. Mallet entirely in the right, and are only surprised that a gentleman of Mr. Pim's keen penetration and strong judgment should not have instantly recognized the great difference there is between the two cases. (That Messrs. Clegg and Samuda should, as patentees, choose to confound them is natural enough.) The only idea common to the parties is that of storing up a vacuum, (which, as it happens, is new to neither;) but if the first suggestion of such a thing were to be held to comprehend and forestal all that can ever arise out of it, there would be an end to all proprietary value, in the application of scientific knowledge to useful purposes. Robert Mallet is no inventor in the sense only that James Watt is none; for both have only shown how to turn to a vast profitable account, a source of power of which all the world was previously well aware.

to the method of obtaining the vacuum by direct condensation of steam, described in Mr. Mallet's Memoir, No.

3.

The date of this Memoir, is 15th November, 1842; and that Memoir was communicated, in confidence, to Mr. Pim and certain other parties, who are not accused of having violated that confidence. For the sake of greater security, Mr. Mallet deposited with the Royal Irish Academy, on the 13th November, 1843, a sealed packet, which, on being opened in presence of the Academy, on the 20th May, 1845, was found to con tain three MSS., descriptive of Mr. Mallet's improvements in obtaining vacuum power on atmospheric railways; and these three MSS., we are led to infer, are precisely the same in substance as the three Memoirs now published. (We say "led to infer," because Mr. Mallet does not state as much in plain and distinct terms.) But, between the first date, 15th November, 1842, and the last, 20th May, 1845, Mr. James Nasmyth took out a patent for an improvement in atmospheric railways, which happens to be substantially the same with that which Mr. Mallet had taken so much pains to keep secret.*

"The method of exhaustion by direct condensation of steam has been re-invented within a year or so, by Mr. Nasmyth, of Paticroft, near Manchester, who has patented an arrangement for the purpose, (sealed Oct. 22, 1844,) which differs in no essential particular from mine as described in my Report, No. 3, and published prior to the date of his patent.”—Appendix, p. 66.

Now, on this second question, our judgment must be as decidedly against Mr. Mallet, as in the previous instance it was in his favour. We think he must, on farther reflection, see the absolute necessity of retracting the assertion that his plan was "published prior to the date of his (Mr. Nasmyth's) patent." There was no publication. On the contrary, Mr. Mallet did his utmost to prevent publication-to keep his plan secret as pledges and sealed packets could make it. For anything that the public knew of Mr. Mallet's plan on the 22nd October, 1844, when Mr. Nasmyth's patent was sealed, it was all the same as if it had never existed. Nobody had, before the date of Mr. Nasmyth's patent, "pub

For full details of this method see Mech. Mag.