a fulfilment of the provisoes in each of the patents as if they had been enrolled within the time stated therein. § 7. A docquet or abstract of the said several letters patent, containing the date, and the words in which the invention is therein described, shall, within four months from the passing of this act, be enrolled in place of the specifications. § 8. In case a specification of the invention shall not be duly enrolled, in pursuance of each patent, within four months after the said term of seven years from the passing of the act, the patent shall become void. 9. A public act.

Note. Mr. Lee's invention was tried on a large scale, but did not prove successful; it was intended to prepare flax for spinning, without previous dew rotting or water rotting. The manufactory was destroyed by fire, and has not been renewed. -1813. 53 Geo. III. c. 179. of local and personal acts.

An act to ascertain the tonnage of vessels propelled by steam

power.

In taking the length of the vessel in order to calculate the tonnage, (according to a rule which is prescribed in the act,) the length of the engine room is to be deducted. No goods to be stowed in the said engine-room, except fuel for the voyage; and if any goods are so stowed, the vessel shall not be measured according to this act, but after the usual manner.

This act has been a considerable encouragement to steam navigation, as it reduced all the port and harbour charges upon steam vessels, much below what they were before.-1809. 59 Geo. III. c. 5. port and harbour charges.

A bill was brought into the House of Commons, to conceal the specifications of all inventions for which patents are granted, from public inspection, in order that the inventions might not be sent abroad. It was thrown out.

Note. It was stated by the Lord Chancellor Eldon, in the case of Koops ex parte in Chancery in 1802, that a clause to the same effect had been inserted in a bill before Parliament in 1801, on the motion of Lord Thurlow, seconded by Lord Rosslyn; but it was universally rejected, and he, Lord Eldon, thought on very proper grounds. About 1819.

A petition was presented to the House of Commons, praying for some amendments in the law relative to patents for inventions; and a bill was brought into the house for that purpose.

One of this principal provisions was to give security to the inventor, from the time of his first application for a patent, during a certain time allowed for making experiments before the date of the patent. Also to permit an invention to be assigned, and the patent to be afterwards granted to the assignee. It was thrown out on the second reading.—In 1822.

A machine was ordered to be made at public expense, uuder the direction of Charles Babbage, Esq. and according to his invention, for calculating and printing Mathematical Tables of series of numbers.—In 1825.

A petition was presented to the House of Commons, stating the defects of the present law relative to patents for inventions, and praying a revision and amendment thereof; printed in the journals of the House.-In 1829.

Mr. Samuel Crosley applied to Parliament to extend the terms of a patent for an improved gas apparatus assigned to him, but granted in 1815 to Mr. Samuel Clegg, the inventor. The bill was withdrawn after the second reading, because it was found that the standing order of the House of Lords, in 1808, would have prevented the bill being read in that House; the prolongation not being for the benefit of the original inventor.—In 1829.

An act for vesting and securing to John Stephen Langton, Esq. his executors, administrators and assigns, certain profits and emoluments, for a limited time.

This act is for extending the term of John Stephen Langton's patent of 1825, for his improved method of seasoning timber and other wood.

The patent having 10 years of its term unexpired, the passing of the bill through the House of Lords, was contrary to their standing order of 1808.

The preamble of the act recites the description of Langton's improved method of seasoning timber and other wood; and states, that whereas the said invention will be of vast importance to the public service, and of general utility, provided timber so seasoned shall prove as sound and durable as wood seasoned after the usual manner; but the ascertainment of that fact, (particularly for the purposes of ship-building) will require a very great outlay of capital, and a long period of time must elapse, before such proof can be established. In order therefore to encourage the said John Stephen Langton, his executors, administrators and assigns, to establish his invention, and in order that he may be recompensed for the same, and that the use thereof may be immediately laid open on fair and equitable terms, it is enacted, That such profits as are after stated in the act, are granted to the said John Stephen Langton, his executors, administrators and assigns, for the term of 21 years from the passing of this act, from all persons throughout His Majesty's dominions, except Ireland, who shall directly or indirectly use his said method of seasoning timber, or shall counterfeit the same. The act grants liberty to all persons to use the said method, on giving seven days notice thereof to John Stephen Langton, his executors, administrators or assigns; such

persons using the method, to pay to John Stephen Langton, monthly, during 21 years, at the rate of sixpence on every twenty shillings gross value of all timber and wood so seasoned by them during each preceding month."

The vessels used for containing timber to be seasoned according to the said method, to be closed under the lock and key of John Stephen Langton. The said John Stephen Langton to attend to see timber or wood put in and taken out of such vessels at times specified by the Act, and to be paid for such attendance at the rate of two shillings for every visit not exceeding an liour; and to pay a penalty of five pounds for every default of attendance, to the person injured thereby; the said John Stephen Langton to have access to the premises of per sons using his method, at all seasonable times. This Act not to extend to any method of seasoning timber publicly used in Great Britain before 1826, or to any other than that method which is described in the Act; nor to any timber seasoned in His Majesty' dock yards, or by the Board of Ordnance: The act to become void if 500 tons of shipping, wholly or chiefly built of timber seasoned by the recited method, have not been' launched within three years from the passing of this act.

C

The said Stephen Langton is empowered to recover the sums provided to be paid to him by this act, whenever the payment thereof is neglected for seven days after he has made lawful demand, by distress and sale of the goods and chattels of the persons neglecting so to pay him, under warrant of two or more Justices of the peace; and if such persons refuse to pay the sums due, the said John Stephen Langton is empowered to stop their practice of his said method until the payment shall be made. Appeals may be made from the decisions of the Jus tices of the peace to either of the Courts of Record at Westminster; and in case it shall be proved there that John Stephen Langton is not the first and true inventor of the "combination of the apparatus or machinery, &c. for seasoning wood, and proving when the same is seasoned, as such combination is described in the preamble of the act," then the proceedings to be quashed, or John Stephen Langton, his executors, administrators or assigns, to be nonsuited. All deeds of agreement between John Stephen Langton and other persons, relating to the benefits secured by this act to him, his executors," administrators and assigns, to be inrolled in the Court of Chancery of England or Scotland respectively. A Publle Act.

NOTICE OF NEW BOOKS.

Remarks on Canal Navigation, &c. &c. By William Fairbairn, Engineer. London, Longman and Rees: Manchester, Robert Robinson, 1831.

THE importance of great works is not to be measured by their practical utility alone, but by that which may almost be termed their moral influence, for they act as examples to produce other great works, and to urge on improvement throughout a whole country. Such for example, has been the effect in Switzerland of Bonaparte's celebrated road over the Simplon. It is not merely that it has made an easy communication for travellers and merchandise, to pass from the interior of France into the very heart of Italy, but it is, that by making traffic more easy, it has increased and spread it; by drawing the greatest portion towards its own province, it has compelled other provinces to make roads, and to follow up the course of improvement, that they might not dwindle into insignificance. Such is also the effect, that the brilliant success of the Manchester and Liverpool railway is beginning now to have in this country, and universal and rapid as our system of communication is already, it bids fair to make it still more universal and rapid.

Until lately railways were almost confined to coal districts, and to that species of traffic which required only moderate speed. So long, therefore, they did not invade

the province of canals and canal proprietors, feeling no dread of diminution in their profits, had no motive to improve their own system of conveyance. But now it appears, that railroad conveyance has far wider limits of applicability; how far that may extend, it is yet premature to pronounce. But the impulse is given, and will be followed up, and the owners of canal property begin now to feel it time to awake from their long rest, and exert themselves to the utmost, to improve their means of conveyance, and meet the growing competition of railroads.

When Mr. Lymington first tried his steam-boat on the Forth and Clyde canal in 1802, it was opposed by some of the proprietors of the canal, under the idea that the undulation of the water produced by the motion of the paddle-wheels would injure the banks of the canal. That dread has continued up to this time, and has been one bar to the introduction of steam boats on canals.

The object of Mr. Fairbairn's publication is to shew, by the results of some experiments, of which he gives an account, the practicability of using steam boats with stern paddles on canals, without injury to the banks, and further to shew, by calculations, the superior economy of steam to horse power for canal conveyance.

The attention of Mr. Fairbairn was directed particularly to this subject in January, 1830, by Mr. Grahame of Glasgow ;

"Who had then (says Mr. Fairbairn) so far succeeded in drawing the attention of the managers of the Forth and Clyde canal, and of the Union canal, to the superior advantage of steam power, that the committee of each of these companies had contracted for the construction of a steam boat, to ply on their respective canals in that branch of business, which appears most favourable for the introduction of steam power in each."