The patentee claims, firstly, the cut of wood blocks, above set forth, for paving purposes*.

Secondly. The incrustation of five sides, as above set forth.

Thirdly. The right of employing the peculiar cut of blocks of wood, combined with incrustation, as above explained, for wood pavements.-[Inrolled in the Inrolment Office, May, 1842.]

TO HERBERT READ WILLIAMS, of the city of Gloucester, surgeon, for improvements in trusses and surgical bandages. [Sealed 21st February, 1839.]

IN Plate II., fig. 1, is a front view of an improved truss, with centre regulating plate, loops, and swivels. a, a, is the pad-plate, made of thin metal, elliptically arched on its upper side, its edge being turned down about one-eighth of an inch to receive the pad; b, b, is the centre regulatingplate, carrying the pivots or studs c, c, on which the metal loops d, d, swivel; and to these loops, the ends e, e, of the belt, which passes round the body, are attached. The regulating plate has an octagonal opening in its centre, which fits on the oblong head of a projection called the plinth, (riveted on the top of the pad-plate,) and is secured by the screw f, the octagonal form of the opening in the regulating-plate, rendering the pad capable of being adjusted to any required inclination on the square head of the plinth. g, g, is a metal loop, that slides on the top of the screw ƒ, and to it the perineum-strap h, is attached, by which the pad is held in its place, the other end of the strap being passed round the thigh, and attached to the belt on either side of the hip. A single or double elliptic spring may be placed between the regulating-plate and the pad-plate, to equalize the pressure.

• For this form of block, Mr. Harvey previously obtained a patent.-See Vol. XVIII., p. 11, of our present Series.

Fig. 2, is a military prophylactic belt, convertible into a double or single truss. i, i, are portions of the belt, with regulating-plate b, b, and loops d, d, attached by a plinth and screw to the pad j, j;-k, k, are the prophylactic plates, padded and lined with silk, and secured to the belt by the screws 1, 1. The belt can, at any time, be converted into a single or double truss, by inserting a truss-pad, with or without springs, under the plates k, k, and securing it by

a screw.

Fig. 3, is a front view of an abdominal shield. m, m, are two thin springs, curved inwards to the proper form of the abdomen, and riveted to the surface of the shield n, n, which is padded tightly, and lined with silk or other soft material. o, o, is an elliptic spring, secured across the shield by the studs p, p; to which spring the regulatingplate and belt are attached by the plinth q. A pad may be inserted under either or both of the points r, r, and worn with the usual thigh-strap.

Fig. 4, is a front view of a gentleman's hunting-belt. This belt passes over the abdomen, round each hip to the back, and the ends being inserted through loops or rings on a back-pad, are brought forward and fastened by the buckless, s.—t, t, are two thin springs, stitched into the substance of the belt, and curved inwards to the form of the abdomen. If required as a truss, pads are placed under the points u, u, and secured by screws.

A suspensary belt for ladies, is shewn in the specification, constructed in a similar manner to the gentleman's hunting-belt.

Fig. 5, is a front view of a utero-abdominal shield. v, v, are two springs, fastened on the shield w, w, and curved inwards to the required form; x, x, is an elliptical spring, by which the pressure on the abdomen is equalized, the regulating-plate, loops, and belt, being fastened on the plinth y;-, is the perineum-spring, made of plated metal, which carries, at its extremity, the pad a, and is secured on the shield by the screw b. This screw can be passed through any of the three holes in the upper part of the spring, in order to adjust its height.

In the upper part of the spring ≈, is a hinge c, which allows the lower part to be drawn forward when required, the lower part being secured, when the spring has been adjusted, by means of the turning-nut d, passing through a slot in the spring. A perineum-strap may be used instead of the spring ≈, if preferred; the ends of the strap, in that case, after passing through rings on a back-pad, being fastened on the studs or buttons e, e.

The patentee claims the modes of constructing and applying the various parts of the apparatus to pads, and the means by which the straps or bandages are connected thereto; also the modes of arranging the different constructions of shields shewn in the drawings, and the means of attaching the straps or bandages thereto.—[Inrolled in the Inrolment Office, August, 1839.]

TO HENRY NEEDHAM SCROPE SHRAPNEL, of Gosport, in the county of Hants, Gent., for improvements in corkscrews. [Sealed 26th September, 1839.]

THE first part of this invention consists in the peculiar construction of corkscrew, shewn in Plate II. a, is the framing of the corkscrew, the lower part of which is provided with the pieces of leather b, b, to secure the neck of the bottle more firmly, and to prevent any accident happening to the hands of the person who is drawing the cork, in the event of the bottle bursting. c, is the ordinary worm of the corkscrew, having on the upper part of it the screw d, which passes through a female screw, in the lower part of the handle e, and terminates in a square head, which enters a recess in the handle, when the latter is in its closed position, as shewn in the drawing. The upper part of the handle e, is attached to the lower part by the hinge ƒ, in order that it may be thrown back, and thus offer a greater leverage for turning the corkscrew.

To extract a cork with this instrument, the mode of proceeding is as follows:-The corkscrew being placed over

the bottle, the worm c, is inserted into the cork, by turning the handle e, the upper part of which is then thrown back, and turned round in the same direction as before, by means of the stud or projection g,—thus causing the screw d, to rise, and draw the cork out of the bottle.

The second improvement consists in the application of spikes to the under-side of the plate, which, in many constructions of corkscrews, rests upon the neck of the bottle, when the worm of the corkscrew has entered the cork.

The plate, in this instance, is allowed to turn freely on the stem of the corkscrew, and is enclosed in a small cap, fixed firmly on the stem. On the inside of the upper part of this cap, a series of inclined notches is formed.-The spikes are forced into the cork by the descent of the cap, caused by the entrance of the worm of the corkscrew into the cork; and when nearly the whole of the worm is inserted, a small bolt, which projects through the plate, is forced, by the near approach of the plate to the cork, into contact with one of the inclined notches, and thus the plate and cap are locked together. The cork being now forced round, by the continued turning of the corkscrew, will be loosened, and can be readily withdrawn from the bottle; its withdrawal will be facilitated, if the neck of the bottle is made with a female screw formed therein.

The patentee claims, Firstly.-The mode, herein described, of applying the handle e, and the screw d.

Secondly. The mode of applying the spikes to corkscrews, herein described.-[Inrolled in the Inrolment Office, March, 1840.]

To JOSEPH CROSFIELD, of Warrington, in the county of Lancaster, soap manufacturer, for certain improvements in the manufacture of plate glass.-[Sealed 25th March, 1840.]

THESE improvements in the manufacture of plate-glass consist, firstly, in a more economical application of fuel, for the purpose of fluxing the raw materials, or cullet, of which

it is composed; this is effected by performing such operation in a reverberatory furnace, or in a furnace similar to those used for the smelting of copper or other metallic ores, or for re-melting cast-iron. The glass, as it is fluxed, is then made to flow into a clay pot, such as is commonly used for fluxing glass.

The reverberatory furnaces may be used in connection with the ordinary glass-house furnaces, or may be constructed so as to have a separate furnace for each pot; and this method of fluxing the materials may be applied either to a fixed or moveable melting pot.

Secondly. With reference to those machines which are commonly employed for grinding plate-glass, the improvements consist in placing four grinding benches or stones, at right angles to each other, the rummers or upper frames of which are all put into motion at the same time, by one crank moving the fly-frame, instead of having two grinding benches or stones, placed opposite to each other, as has hitherto been the practice; and the bottom or bed-stone is made to move upon a railway, by placing it upon wheels; the advantage thus gained, is, moving it backwards and forwards, either by manual labour or by mechanical means, and thus avoiding the necessity of changing the position of the top-frame or rummer, when glasses of a large size are to be ground.

Thirdly. With reference to those machines which are commonly employed for polishing plate-glass, the improvements consist in adding one, two, or more additional polishing-bars to the number hitherto used on each polishingbench or frame; but the preference is given to four, rather than more or less, as hereafter particularly described. The advantages hereby gained, are the finishing a larger quantity of glass, in the same time, than can be done with the same number of polishing-benches, having only two polishing-bars. The traverse motion being necessarily shortened, the plates of glass sooner attain the required increase of temperature, by the friction being more rapidly applied to every part.

In Plate I., fig. 1, represents a longitudinal section,