dotted lines; and supposing the wind to blow upon them with too much force in this state, they will turn on their gudgeons, and raise the weights, so that the superfluous wind will pass through or between them, without exerting an irregular force upon the vanes, so as to produce an unequal velocity. In witness whereof, &c. OBSERVATIONS BY THE PATENTEE. The advantages peculiar to this new method of equalizing the motion of windmill sails will appear more striking by a comparison with the inconveniences of those heretofore used, whether those of the common sort or those that reef themselves by means of their centrifugal force. The first require the constant attention of the miller to every gale of wind that comes; and it is frequently with the greatest difficulty and danger that he can get his cloth in quickly enough to avoid the storm; which if he successfully accomplishes, it is with the loss of much time. With the second, though they save the time and trouble of stopping to reef, they are by no means void of danger, as the sails receive the whole impulse of the gale, and attain a very great velocity before they can reef themselves at all, and thereby cause a motion in the mill as unequal as the wind which turns it; besides the extra wear and tear of the machinery, which suffers very much from such unequal motion. And should a mill of either of these constructions be left standing still with all the cloth out, and be taken with a sudden gale of wind, great risk is run of losing all the sails; whereas in such case these sails of mine are perfectly safe, as there can never be more force exerted upon the sails sails in any gale than is sufficient to do the work of the mill, whether they be in motion or at rest, without ever altering their angle of weather. Another great advantage is, that when they are close reefed they do not present so much surface to the wind as those of any other construction, let them be taken in any direction whatever. In addition to the aforesaid advantages, which are péculiar to my improved sails, the ease and expedition with which they may be reefed and clothed by hand is an additional recommendation to them, especially as it requires neither judgment nor experience in the person who does it; for by taking off the weight and pulling the rope, all the sails may be close reefed in the short space of three or four seconds. I therefore submit it to the public, as a necessary and most valuable acquisition to all those whose business depends on windmills, not doubting but it will be found upon trial to be an invention of real utility, to preserve the mills, and render their motion as steady as that of watermills. I would also strongly recommend it to those gentlemen whose interest consists in having large marshes drained by windmills, to apply these patent sails to that purpose, as they might be left at work night or day perfectly safe without any one to attend them. Persons desirous of adopting this improved method of equalizing the motion of windmills will be treated with on reasonable terms, and immediate attention will be. given to any applications addressed to me, either personally or by letter. Specification Specification of the Patent granted to SAMUEL PHELPS, of Cuper's Bridge, Lambeth, in the County of Surrey, Esq.; for a Method of making Kelp, Barilla, or other vegetable or mineral Alkali by Fermentation or other Means, in Addition to Combustion. Dated June 17, 1806. To all to whom these presents shall come, &c. Now KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso I the said Samuel Phelps do hereby declare that my said invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is described in manner following; that is to say: I cut or collect kali, salicornia, sea wrack, or other plants or weeds which afford the mineral alkali; or furmitary, wormwood, heath, or other plants or weeds which afford the vegetable alkali; and after slightly drying the same, by exposure to the air, or by any other cheap and convenient means, I mix the said plants or weeds with straw, light dung, hay, or any dried plants or weeds, in order to give a greater tenacity or firmness to the mass. And I do form the same into stacks, like hay and thatch, or cover it, in order that the whole may be defended from rain, and may undergo the spontane ous chemical change called fermentation, putrefaction or rotting, or by whatever words or terms the said change may be designated and known. And when the said spontaneous change hath taken place, I do burn the mass in an open pit, or kilu, or furnace, in the usual manner, with the addition of wood, or any other fuel which shall not be of such a nature as to render the ashes impure and unfit to afford a good alkali; and towards the end of the combustion I raise the fire, so as to fuse the saline residue. Or otherwise, when the stacks have remained till very completely rotten, 1 do separate a part of the alkali by first first exposing the mass to the air to dry and become carbonated, and then separating the saline matter by lixiviation and evaporation; and, lastly, by incineration in the pit, kiln, or furnace, and the subsequent treatment as usually practised, and herein-before described as practised along with my said invention. And farther, in order that my said improved method may be more fully and completely understood, I do declare that I have ascertained, by long observation and experiments, that the product of alkali in wet seasons is much less in quantity than that which is obtained from plants of the same nature and quality without exposure to the action of rains; and that the cause of the said effect is, that the alkali doth naturally exude front the plants during exposure to the air, and is carried off from time to time by the showers that fali, so that the plant or weed becomes exhausted previous to the combustion to which it is afterwards subjected. And I do farther declare, that the fermentative or putrefactive process which takes place in the said plants or weeds, when stacked and defended from the weather ac cording to my said method, doth prevent the said waste and exhausting of the alkali; and that the whole treatment herein directed to be adopted and used, with regard to the said plants or weeds, doth favour the general action of the chemical affinities, so as to afford a greater quantity of alkali from like quantities of the said plants or weeds than is afforded by the ordinary methods of extracting, producing, or making the said alkali. In witness whereof, &c. Specification Specification of the Patent granted to WILLIAM SHOTWELL, of the City of New York, in America, now residing in London, Merchant; for certain Machines, and Improvemen's upon Machi es, for the Purpose of bleaching, washing, and cleansing Linen, and every other Article that can be done by Hand, and which are applicable to divers other Purposes. Dated April 21, 1807. With Engravings. To all to whom these presents shall come, &c. Now KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I the said William Shotwell do hereby declare that my said invention is described as follows; that is to say: I construct a wooden box of such dimensions as I may deem proper for the purpose desired; but generally I prefer to make it oblong, of about three feet and a half in length, fourteen inches wide, and about fourteen inches deep, taking care to put the same together so as to render it water-tight, but making a small hole through the bottom, near to one end, to draw off the water when done with, which hole is at other times stopped up by a bung or other contrivance. To this box I affix legs or feet, so as to raise it about three feet from the ground; and I cover it over with boards laid crosswise about four and a half inches at each end, and which I make to project outwards to any extent, and also over each side so as to form a table. The remaining open space I cover over with two flaps, excepting a space of about nine eighths of an inch; one of these flaps I hang with hinges to the outward or back side, so as to form a door to lift up, and the other is simply laid in grooves, and fastened down by VOL. XI.-SECOND SERIES. N wooden |