gether by wooden curbs FF, to which they are screwed. a a is the feeding board upon which the corn is placed to enter the machine. The end of this board is fixed very near to the four vanes, or beaters, bb bb; as these revolve rapidly they strike the heads of the corn upwards, with such a jerk as to beat out all the corn from those ears which they meet fairly; but if any escape they are drawn in, together with the straw, and rubbed round by the beaters against the inside of the ribbed drum, or cylinder, F, so as to open the ears and let out the corn though the ears come in any position whatever. At H

grating, upon which the beaters deliver the corn, chaff, and straw altogether; the two former fall through upon the ground at X, and the latter slides down on the grate; the corn is afterwards to be dressed in a winnowing machine, which separates the light and heavy corn from the chaff. The curbs F are fixed by screws, which can be adjusted so as to bring the cylinder nearer, or farther from, the beaters, to adapt the machine for thrashing different kinds of grain, for it is evident that large corn, as peas, beans, &c., must require more space to rub them in than the smaller grain, as wheat and barley. L, Fig. 1, is one of the uprights of the frame which supports the bearing for the axis B of the cogwheel; and M is an oblique brace, which strengthens the frame, N is the stage on which the man who feeds the machine stands.

VOL. XX.-SECOND SERIES.

Ff Method

Method for constructing Sash Windows, so as to be cleaned repaired without the necessity of an Person going on the outside of the House.

By G. MARSHALL, Cecil Court, St. Martin's Lane.

With an Engraving.

From the TRANSACTIONS of the SOCIETY for the Encou-
ragement of ARTS, MANUFACTURES, and COMMERCE.

Fifteen Guineas were voted to Mr. MARSHALL for this
Invention.

IN
consequence of the numerous accidents which occur
from cleaning and painting the outside of windows, I
beg leave to submit to the inspection of the Society &
model of a sash-window, which if it meets their approba-
tion and becomes generally adopted will, I think, save
the life of many a fellow-creature, because the present
mode of cleaning or painting the outside of windows is
generally done by persons leaning out of the window, or
getting upon a plank, or some other convenience made
for the purpose, and projecting on the outside of the
house; hence, from carelessness and inattention, many
fatal accidents have occurred, and the services of many
persons lost to their families and the public. One in-
stance of this kind happened about three weeks ago to a
man who was standing on a board cleaning the outside
of a window, when the board giving way, as frequently
happens, the man was precipitated, and impaled upon
the spikes of the iron pales which inclosed the area be-
low, from whence he was conveyed to the hospital with
no hopes of recovery. This unhappy man, I was in-
formed

formed, had a large family depending upon him for subsistence. I was so shocked with the circumstance, that I was not easy till I had made a model which I thought would be the means of preventing similar accidents. This model I beg leave to lay before the Society, and if it should be so fortunate as to meet with their encouragement, I will receive any donation from them with thankfulness, and have no doubt that it will be found to possess many advantages. In appearance it resembles a common sash, and the upper or lower sheet may be moved up and down in a similar manner; besides which, by pushing two small springs back in the upper sheet, and at the same time pulling the sash inwards, you may turn the outside of the sash towards you, into the room, so that it may be easily painted, glazed, or cleaned by person standing within the room, without the necessity of removing the slips or beadings, by doing which, in the common mode, the glass is frequently broken and the beads lost, left loose, or mismatched, and a consider. able expense incurred. By turning the lower sash of my invention in an horizontal or inclining direction, you can ́ look into the street without being wet in rainy weather, or the rain driving into the room and damaging the furniture. Old windows may be altered to act upon this principle, at an expense of twelve shillings per window; and new sashes and frames may be thus made for only six shillings more than the common price.

REFERENCE TO THE ENGRAVING.

A A, (Plate IX. Fig. 3.) represents the window-frame; B B the lower, and CC the upper sash: the frame A A is fitted with grooves, weights, and pulleys, in the usual

manner; the fillets on the sash which enter the grooves are not made in the same piece with the sash-frame, but fastened thereto by pivots about the middle of the sash; upon these pivots the sash can be turned as at CC, so as to get at the outside without disturbing the fillets or grooves; when the sash is placed vertical, as B B, two. spring-catches at a a shoot into and take hold of the sliding fillets, so that in this state the sash slides up or down in the usual manner, but can be immediately released, and turned inside out by pushing back the springs, and at the same time pulling the sash inwards; this turns the outside towards the room, so that the sash may easily be painted, glazed, or cleaned on the outside by a person within the room, without removing the beads which confine the sash to slide up and down vertically; in the common way these beads are frequently broken or misplaced, and cause considerable trouble by being always loose. By inclining the sash on its pivots, the highest point being within the room, the window may be left open in the most severe rain without danger of any entering the room, and a person may look out into the street without being wet.

Observations

Observations on the Causes that first occasioned the Bending of the Axles of Wheel Carriages; stating the Progress of the principal Improvements in the Construction of Wheels; and how the Bending of the Axis, has introduced in succession, the Splay of the Wheels, the Dishing of the Spokes, and the conical Rim; and, generally, pointing out the Reasons that rendered the Bending of the Axle advantageous in former Times, and very unfavourable under the present Circumstances of the Roads: and that the Change of System arises from the Change of those Circumstances, not from any difference of Opinion from an cient Authority. By Mr. CUMMING, of Pentonville.

1.

With Plates.

From the COMMUNICATIONS of the BOARD of

AGRICULTURE.

IT is well known that all the roads of this country were at first only foot paths, and afterwards became bridle ways; and that for very many years, all the interhal traffic was carried on with pack-horses. And the roads receiving little or no repairs, they remained for some ages so deep and narrow, that they had in many places more the appearance of ditches, than of roads.

2. And it was absolutely necessary that under such circumstances, all carriages that attempted to travel these roads, should have their wheels so close to each other, as to come within those tracks. But the advantages of wheel carriages becoming every day more evident, and the distance of the wheels thus limited, ingenuity was fully engaged in devising the best means of enlarging the bodies of wheel carriages, so as to render them in some degree fit for the purposes of commerce on the same narrow roads.

3. The