system, and have at times applied what means they could to counteract the evils arising from those defects, but their means have been ineffectual; and householders have been obliged to submit to their risques with no other consolation but that of thinking, that though the plan of watching was bad, it was better than none. In attentively considering the plan, the defects seem to reduce themselves to the following heads: 1st. The too long intervals which watchmen take between their going their rounds; by which it appears that considering any individual house, that house has not the benefit of actual watching more than ten minutes through the whole night.

2dly. The watchman's call of the hours: - from which no service arises to any but to the depredators of the night, as is obvious to any one who reflects, that of the many hundred house-breakings and street-robberies committed in London in the year, how few of the depredators are detected or taken by the watchmen themselves; from no fault perhaps of these last, but because the thieves have taken advantage of the watchman's repose in his box, and what is more, of the notice which he gives, by vociferation, of his distance or approach, by which they hasten or delay their attack, or carry off their plunder accordingly.

3dly. The uncertainty of the watchman's doing his duty-who, either from intoxication, drowsiness, or indolence, or induced by the badness of the night, may miss his rounds without detection.

4thly. The use of the lanthorn, which answers no purpose but that of adding to the signal of the watchman's approach.

And, lastly, the use of the watch-box; which answers no end but that of promoting drowsiness, and perhaps

disease,

disease, from the chills which are increased by inaction in a cold damp house.

The instrument called The Watchman's Noctuary, or Labourer's Regulator, offers a remedy for these defects. By one of such being placed at each end of a watchman's round, it will be ascertained how the man continued his movements through the night, to a nicety of ten minutes, at any period of the watch: and the slightest irregularity or omission will be visible the next morning to the inspector or constable, whose office it shall be to open the machine. The test of regular and well-sustained vigilance is given by the watchman's dropping a token as he passes, every half hour, quarter, or half quarter, into a receiver or cell; each half hour or quarter presenting its own cell to receive the same, and each cell, like time itself, irrecoverable when passed. No trick or fraud on the watchman's part can counteract the movement of the horizontal wheel formed of these cells, and completing a revolution once in twelve hours. He has no command over it, and each cell (as it moves under the receiver) will be a kind of speaking witness of his diligence and fidelity in going his rounds, answering the next morning to the exact periods he either was or ought to have been there.

By this means the calls of the watchmen, which were only instituted for the purpose of his giving notice of being on his duty, will be superseded; and a considerable expense of animal exertion will be saved to the individual, which might better be converted into that of going his round twice where he now only goes once. Warnings to the nightly thief of timely attack or retreat will likewise be taken away; and, if instead of an open the watchman was to carry a dark lanthorn, the robber would have no security whatever in calculating the moment of

his depredation, and might be detected in the very outset of his attack, as the slightest sound would alarm the watchman walking in silence, and not drowning distant noise by that of his own voice.

Of the objections to this new mode of ameliorating the watching of cities, the only one seems to be the expense of the time-pieces; and considering the number which the larger parishes will have occasion for, this expence will be important *; but let it be considered that it will not amount to more than three pence in the pound of a rate on houses, and that the first will be the sole expense-probably to be saved by diminishing the number of patroles to one half (or less) of what they now are. But trifling indeed will be the expense when compared with the losses sustained by the public in depredations, which, according to a late work on the police of the metropolis, amounts to two millions and upwards.

The best situation for these machines will be at each end of a watchman's round; perhaps certain rounds will require three. They ought to stand in a convenient recess in the street, secured by rivetings of iron, or let into a wall, or placed on a strong bracket within the iron railing of an area; and if the dial plates were suffered to appear, would be useful in the day as well as in the night. As an eight-day clock it would require no attention to its movement but once a week, and the morning inspector might attend to the slight duty of winding it up.

The annual expense of keeping it in repair is too trifling to be taken notice of.

* It is presumed that each time-piece will amount to not less than

twelve guineas, and each round will require two.

VOL. III.-SECOND SERIES.

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Specification

Specification of the Patent granted to JOSEPH JACOBS, the Parish of St. Anne's, Soho, in the County of Middlesex, Coach-maker; for a new Metal Box for the Axletrees of Wheel Carriages, Mills, Engines, and other Machines. Dated January 20, 1803.

To

With a Plate.

O all to whom these presents shall come, &c. Now KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I the said Joseph Jacob do hereby describe and ascertain the nature of my said invention of a new metal box for the axletrees of wheel carriages, mills, engines, and other machines, as follows: A bar or plate of steel, half an inch thick, more or less, is welded on a similar bar or plate of iron, an inch thick, more or less: the iron and steel being so united, is then passed between the rollers of a flatting-mill till reduced to the thickness required. The metal thus prepared is made into boxes of all descriptions, for the above-mentioned purposes, with the steel side inwards. The form or shape of axletreeboxes vary, but the ends of all being alike except in their dimensions.

The end-view of a steel-plated box is shewn in the margin hereof (see Plate VIII.) A, B, Fig. 1, represents the ends of the steel-plated axletree-box, the white border bounded by the circular lines n, o, describes the inside of the surface of steel and the dark border. An, the outer surface of the iron. The box may wholly be made of steel, though the inner surface only, which is the wearing part of the box, being steel, is sufficient for every purpose, and upon the whole the best.

In witness whereof, &c.

Specification