as to make them water-proof. They also may be lined with silk, leather, or other material, as fancy may direct.

The process of manufacturing harps or riddles for cleansing corn or other grain, &c. consists in forming the whalebone into splits (while in a soft and flexible state, produced by heat as before described) of such grist or size as may be deemed sufficient to resist the action or pressure which may come in contact with it in the operation of riddling or cleansing corn, grain, or other things. The same method is applied in fixing the splits into harps as is usually practised in fixing those which are made wholly of wood, and filled either with splits of wood or wire.

The process of manufacturing bottoms and sides of sieves and riddles of whalebone consists in reducing the whalebone, while soft and flexible, into similar splits, as wood or wire is for making sieves and riddles; after which these splits are to be worked by plaiting, crossplaiting, intertwining, or weaving, close or open mashes or openings, so as to clean or riddle corn, grain, or other things requiring to be sifted. They may be formed or sifted like the wood or wire ones, or in any other way that may answer the purposes intended. Harps, riddles, and sieves, thus made of whalebone, will be free from every dangerous and pernicious quality, and are therefore far preferable to those made of iron, brass, or other metallic substances, the oxyds of which are very poisonous, and particles thereof may fall off, be mixed and ground along with the grain, which, when taken into the stomach, produce debility, and often death.

The process of manufacturing whalebone into girths is as follows: when the whalebone has been made soft and flexible by the means before described, while hot it is to

be

be immersed in oil, for some days, when it will be more pliant and strong than it formerly was; after which it must be cut into such breadths (while warm and pliant) as may be found necessary to render it fit for breeching or traces for horses or other animals that draw in carriages. Whalebone prepared in this manner is less liable to rot, and is more durable than leather. A plaiting or narrow webbing may also be made of the pliant slips to be used as reins or straps of leather, for harnessing horses, &c.

The process of manufacturing whalebone into backs and seats of chairs, sofas, gigs, coaches, and other carriages and things, consists in preparing the whalebone as is done for plaiting, webbing for hats, &c. and with the splits of whalebone to work a webbing according to the fancy, in like manner as has been formerly done with cane, by plaiting, twisting, intertwining, warping, weaving, and tweeling, by which various figures may be thrown upon the surface of the same, such as names, crests, coats of arms, &c. and which may be varied according to the experience and genius of the workmen` employed.

The process of manufacturing whalebone for bottoms of beds consists in warping and weaving, with splits or straps of whalebone, either in separate frames or in the original bed, stock, or frame, a webbing or cloth of whalebone, which may be varied according to fancy, and which, it is imagined, will be more elastic, more durable, and less liable to harbour vermin, or any contagious matter, than the materials hitherto used for that purpose.

The process of manufacturing whalebone into reeds for weavers, and fit for weaving linen, cotton, silks, or woollen

woollen cloth, consists in preparing the whalebone while in a pliant state to that size which will suit the coarsest or finest reed, when they are rasped, filed, and polished, so as to answer for fineness or coarseness to suit such fabric of cloth as the weaver may require. The frame of the reed is also made of whalebone; and when all these are brought to their proper size, they are then made, formed, or fashioned, as is usually performed in making weavers' reeds of wooden frames and Spanish reed splits, according to the experience and genius of the workmen employed. The frames and splits of reeds thus made of whalebone will be more durable, and less liable to rot or decay, than those hitherto made of wood, iron, steel, or other materials.

In witness, whereof, &c.

Specification of the Patent granted to SAMUEL WILLIAMSON, of Knutsford, in the County of Chester, Weaver ; for a Discovery of a certain Improvement in weaving Cotton, Linen, Silk, Woollen, Worsted, and Mohair, and each of them, and every two or more of them, by Looms. Dated December 4, 1806.

With a Plate.

To all to whom these presents shall come, &c. NOW KNOW YE, that in pursuance of, and in compliance with, the said recited proviso, I the said Samuel Williamson, do hereby declare that the nature of my said invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is as hereinafter mentioned. My invention or discovery is applicable to the lathe of a loom, which is constructed for weaving two pieces of cloth (made of

3

cotton,

cotton, linen, silk, woollen, worsted, or mohair, or any two or more of them) at the same time, and consists of the new-invented machinery which I use for impelling the shuttles from the shuttle-box, in the middle of the lathe, to the shuttle-boxes at each end of the lathe.

The drawing made in these presents contains the outlines of a common lathe, constructed for the weaving of two pieces of cloth at the same time.

Description of the particular Parts of the Drawing.

QQ, Fig. 1, (Plate XVII.) the axis upon which the lathe moves. PPP, the uprights or perpendicular parts of the lathe connecting the top of the lathe with its bottom. RRR, the bottom of the lathe. SS, the two reeds contained in the lathe. TT, the lathe-hood on that part of the lathe which holds the upper sides of the reeds in their proper position. V V, the two shuttles, one in the middle box, and the other in the end box on the right-hand side of the lathe. DCFA, are the four pickers used for picking the shuttle. LW O, are the picking-rods, upon which the above pickers respectively move, viz. the picker D moves upon the rod L, the pickers C and F move upon the rod W, and the picker A moves upon the rod O. M and N are two picking-rods, which I usually make of iron, but which may be made of any other metal which will answer the same purpose, and which I make about two inches (or the breadth of one picker) shorter than the picking-rod W. I fix the rods M and N at each end to the lathe-hood, as shewn in the drawing, leaving the rods between the points at which they are fixed at such a distance from the lathe-hood as to permit the runners E and B to move freely thereon: these rods may also be fixed to an additional cross bar, VOL. XI.-SECOND SERIES. Hhh

or

or any substance to hold them in a position near to the lathe-hood, and parallel, or nearly parallel, to the picking-rod W. E and B are two runners, which I make to slide on the two rods M and N respectively; and which I usually make of the same materials with and in the like form to the tops of common shuttle-pickers, but which may be made of other materials, and in other forms, to answer the same purpose. G K are two rods, which I usually make of wood, about three-eighth parts of an inch in diameter, but which may be made of other materials, and of other shapes, to answer the same purpose. I use the rod G for the purpose of connecting the runner E with the top of the picker F; and I use the rod K for the purpose of connecting the runner B with the side of the picker C, as shewn in the plan. The rods G K may be fastened to the pickers and runners either with strings or wire, or in any other practicable manner. The dotted lines marked U U represent strings used to connect the picker D with the runner E, and the picker A with the runner B. The dotted lines X X represent strings used to connect the runners E and B respectively with the handle H, which the weaver holds in one of his hands, and with which he is enabled to pick both the shuttles at the same time.

I confine my invention to the rods M and N, fixed, or to be fixed, as before stated, and the runners thereon, and the rods G and K, connected with such runners at one end thereof respectively, and with the pickers C and F respectively, at the other ends thereof respectively, as before described.

In witness whereof, &c.

On