revolution, by means of the vibration of the bell-crank lever, will allow the mould to pass under the detents, and proceed forward with the table.

The pin 17, then escaping the end of the bell-crank lever, the detent rod will fall to its former position, and the hook or detent will prevent the mould being carried backwards by the return of the feeding-table. The next evolution takes the finished article and mould another step, and so on until after it has passed the last detent, which will thus convey the mould into the hands of the finishing operator.

The patentee claims, firstly, rolling or preparing the ordinary bats of clay, by passing them through rollers or cylinders, instead of forming them by hand, as now commonly done in the potteries; and secondly, the arrangement and construction of machinery or apparatus, for the purpose of shaping or forming articles of earthenware or porcelain clays, by means of a "profile," used in combination with a revolving mould, or vice versa; and also in combination with self-acting feeding and delivering apparatus, impelled or driven by steam or other power.—[Inrolled at the Rolls Chapel Office, July, 1840.]

Specification drawn by Messrs. Newton and Berry.

To SAMUEL SALISBURY EAGLES, of Liverpool, in the county of Lancaster, engineer, for certain improvements in obtaining motive power.-[Sealed 2nd June, 1840.] THESE improvements in obtaining motive power consist in a certain construction and arrangement of machinery, applicable to propelling vessels afloat on seas, rivers, and canals; a part of which machinery is also applicable to propelling carriages on railways, and on common roads, and also for driving machinery in general.

The particular features of the invention may be considered as divisible into two distinct heads: First, a mode of propelling vessels on water, by means of reciprocating pistons, acting in open horizontal cylinders placed in the stern of the vessel, below the surface of the water, such pistons being actuated by atmospheric steam-engines, working horizontally, and at every stroke forcing back the volume of water out of its cylinder, in order that, by the resistance of the water, the vessel shall be impelled in the opposite direction; and secondly, a mode of communicating the impelling power, exerted by the reciprocating action. of a pair of atmospheric steam-engines to a rotary shaft, without the intervention of cranks.

In Plate VIII., fig. 1, represents the improved machinery, in horizontal section, supposed to be constructed in a ship or other vessel. a, b, are steam cylinders, open at one end to the atmosphere; c, d, are pistons, properly packed, so as to fit steam-tight within the cylinders, from which pistons, rods e, f, extend; and at their reverse ends are connected to other pistons g, h, working water-tight in cylinders i, k, which last mentioned cylinders are open at both ends, their inner ends to the atmosphere, their outer ends to the water. This horizontal section is taken below the level of the water, in which the vessel is supposed to be floating.

On the inner edges of the piston rods e, f, racks are formed, which take into a toothed horizontal wheel l, for the purpose of assisting the reciprocating action of the pistons; that is, when one of the piston rods is moving forward, the racks and toothed wheel may facilitate the retrograde movement of the other piston rod, and vice versa.

Steam, by any of the ordinary means, is to be let into the cylinder a, behind the piston c, the expansive force of which, will project the piston c, towards the open end of

the cylinder. When that has taken place, the induction valve of the cylinder will be shut by the ordinary means, and the eduction valve opened, by which the steam is drawn off, leaving the interior of the cylinder a, behind the piston, in a state of partial vacuum. The pressure of the atmosphere through the open end of the cylinder, then acting against the face of the piston, will force it back again towards the closed end of the cylinder, and on a fresh supply of steam being inducted behind the piston, the piston will be projected forward as before. This is the ordinary operation of an atmospheric steam-engine; and when two cylinders are employed in conjunction, as in the present instance, the opening of the induction valve in one, will cause the eduction of the other to be closed, and hence, the piston c, and d, in the two cylinders a, and b, will be made to move to and fro reciprocally.

The mouths or outer ends of the other cylinders i, and k, being open, the water will flow freely into them, and occupy the interiors of those cylinders up to the faces of the pistons

g, and h; but when, by the reciprocating action of the pistons c, and d, produced as above described, the rods e, and ƒ, are moved forward, the piston g, or h, will be projected outward, and displace the volume of water from the cylinder. In this way, by the resistance of the water against the face of each piston, a force will be obtained which will impel the vessel in an opposite direction.

The horizontal wheel 7, is mounted loosely upon a vertical axle, and enabled to turn freely, so that as the piston rod e, moves in one direction, its teeth taking into the wheel, will cause that wheel to revolve, and to drive the rod f, in the opposite direction, so that the advance of the steam piston c, its rod e, and the propelling piston g, will aid the retrograde movement of the steam piston d, and its rod ƒ, and propelling piston h.

In applying a part of this machinery to the propelling of carriages on railways, and on common roads, or for the driving of machinery in general, the arrangement shewn in the horizontal view, fig. 1, is adopted, with the exception of the pistons g, and h, and the cylinder i, and k, and the addition of a pair of toothed sectors, working vertically, mounted upon a horizontal shaft, through which the impelling power is to be communicated, for driving the running wheels of a carriage, or the main driving wheel of any other kind of machinery.

This modification of the invention will be further illustrated by the sectional elevation at fig. 2;—one of the two steam cylinders, as above described, is shewn at b, and its position at d. The shafts e, and ƒ, in this modification, have racks or teeth formed on their upper surface, as well as upon their inner edges; and the two vertical segment racks m, and o, both take into these racks on the faces of the piston rods, and work loosely upon a horizontal axle or shaft n, which shaft turns freely in plummer blocks upon standards fixed at the sides of the machinery. P,

The reciprocating action of the steam piston c, and d, and their rods e, and f, as before described, give a reciprocating rotary motion to the wheel 7, and this reciprocating rotary motion of the wheel l, through the teeth upon its face, actuates the two segment racks m, and o, causing them to oscillate as the steam pistons move to and fro.

To each of the segment racks, a spring click r, is attached, which takes into a ratchet s, affixed to the horizontal shaft n. Hence, it will be perceived, that as the segment rack moves in one direction, the click will take hold of the ratchet, and drive the shaft round with it; but as it moves in the opposite direction, the spring click will slide over the ratchet, without acting upon the shaft. As the two segment racks move simultaneously, in opposite directions,

one of the clicks is inoperative upon its ratchet; but the other click is then driving the other ratchet, and with it the shaft n. It will now be seen, that by the reciprocating movements given to the steam pistons c, d, their rods e, f, and the wheel 1, will be actuated, and cause the segment racks m, and o, and their clicks r, r, to act upon the ratchet, and give such movements as will produce, in the shaft n, a continuous rotary motion, which rotary motion may be communicated to the running wheels of locomotive carriages, or be applied to the actuating of other machinery.-[Inrolled in the Petty Bag Office, December,

TO PETER FAIRBAIRN, of Leeds, in the county of York, engineer, and WILLIAM SUTTILL, of the town of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, flax spinner, for certain improvements in drawing flax, hemp, wool, silk, and other fibrous substances.—[Sealed 26th January, 1841.]

THESE improvements in drawing flax, hemp, wool, silk, and other fibrous substances, consist in certain novel constructions and arrangements of the parts of a machine for preparing these fibrous materials, and bringing them into the state of sliver, ready for the further process of drawing and roving; by means of which improved machinery, the long fibres of the material are broken into shorter lengths, and the short fibres drawn straight, so as to produce nearly an equality in the staple or lengths of the fibres throughout the sliver; and at the same time the tow, floss silk, noils of wool, or other loose short fibres in the ends of each several strick or hand-full of the material, is drawn out of