multiply or reduce the speed of the propeller, as might be found necessary, under different circumstances, but that, he was aware would, in very large steamers, be difficult of attainment. Sir Charles Napier agreed with Mr. Miller, with regard to the disadvantages of the deep immersion of the paddles, particularly those of war steamers, where wheels were constantly plunged too deeply when they had their full armament and fuel on board. For fifteen years past, he had urged upon the Government the necessity of paying more attention to the construction of their war steamers; for in his opinion, there was not one really good steamer in the service, and he thought the 'Retribution,' which was the last vessel finished, was not any improvement upon its predecessors. He objected particularly to the present construction of direct-acting engines, by which the working parts were exposed to injury from shot. He thought, that all the upper parts of the engines, and the naves of the paddle-wheels, should be made of wrought iron, as in the case of being struck by shot, less serious injury would ensue, than when they were made of cast iron. He would suggest also, whether it would not be possible to have tanks near the paddle-boxes, to be filled with water as the fuel was reduced in weight, and thus to keep the vessel at an uniform draught, so that the power of the engines could be always advantageously employed. Captain Hosken said, in reference to the points suggested by Sir Charles Napier, experience had shown that any thing cumbersome about paddle-wheels was bad for sea purposes; any machinery about them was difficult to be kept in order, and if the paddle-wheels were made to reef, when they were exposed to a heavy gale or sea, they would assuredly lose a large portion of their paddle-floats. The suggestion of a contrivance to fill water about the paddleboxes, in proportion to the fuel consumed, so as to keep an uniform dip of float-board, appeared not only objectionable, but it amounted almost to an impossibility. It was scarcely possible, even if desirable, to find space for 500 tons of water, in a steam ship, that might take that quantity of fuel as her sea stock, and doing so, would keep the ship in a long voyage continually groaning under a heavy burthen. He agreed with Sir Charles Napier, as to the desirableness of an uniform dip of the paddle-board, if it could be obtained, but if it was only to be arrived at by always carrying a heavy weight, it was better to continue the present plan, of starting deep and arriving light. Mr. Guppy said, in answer to questions from members, that, at present, he believed the average speed obtained by vessels with screw-propellers, was below that of paddle-wheel steamers. A new screw of larger diameter and greater area of palms, was being made for the ‘Great Britain,' with a view to increasing the speed. It should not be forgotten, in the discussion, that a distinctive feature of iron vessels, was their stiffness, and he conceived, they were better calculated to withstand the shock of heavy seas, than wooden vessels were. Four chains, weighing together about 7 tons, were employed for communicating the power from the upper drum, upon the main shaft, to the lower drum upon the shaft of the propeller. They worked smoothly and without noise, and at present had not shown any tendency to wear, or to lengthen. From the form of the link, he conceived, that the chains would only lengthen on the slack side, under any circumstances, and this would not affect their working, as the projecting ends of the links would, on the driving side, always fall into the recesses prepared for them, so that these recesses must be much worn before the chains would ride out of their proper direction upon the drums. Mr. R. Stephenson observed, that the chains very nearly resembled those used in the early locomotive engines, and which were discarded, on account of their lengthening so much, as to render them useless. It was true, that the links of the locomotive chains were much smaller, there were many more traversing pins, and the speed at which they travelled was probably greater than the large driving chains of the Great Britain,' which would, therefore, be less liable to injury than those he had mentioned. LIST OF REGISTRATIONS EFFECTED UNDER THE ACT FOR PROTECTING NEW AND ORIGINAL DESIGNS FOR ARTICLES OF UTILITY. 1845. Nov. 26. John Dent, William Dent, and Jeremiah Macklin Allcroft, of the city of Worcester, and of 97, Woodstreet, Cheapside, London, for a stud or fastening for gloves and other articles of dress, 28. Callistus Augustus Godde de Liancourt, of No. 16, South Audley-street, Grosvenor-square, and Richard Childs, of No. 18, Queen Ann-street, Cavendish-square, for the Parisian button. 29. George Stacey, of Uxbridge, Middlesex, for improvements in chaff-cutters, whereby the various lengths Nov. 1. of hay, straw, and other fodder, are adjusted for cutting. 29. George Ee Frere, of Edinburgh, and Benjamin Tucker Dec. 1. Robert Spencely, of Ely, for a double-action pump. 3. Joseph Rock Cooper, of No. 24, Legge-street, Birming- 5. John Finning, of No. 35, Collier-street, Pentonville, for an instrument for describing curves. 5. Galt & Son, of High-street, Portsmouth, for a wireframe washing-stand. 8. R. Garrett & Son, of Leiston Works, Saxmundham, Suffolk, for an improved barley aveler or humelling machine. 9. John Hawkins, of Green-lane, Walsall, for an improved bit. 9. Thomas Varty, Educational Depository, York House, Strand, for the serial tablet-frame. 10. Stephen Marlin, of Leven, near Beverley, in the county of York, for an improved horse-hoe. 10. James Lancaster, of Birmingham, for a spectacle-frame. 11. Tyler & Pace, of Cornhill and Hackney, for a perforated metal shade. 15. Charles Frederick Darwall, of Walsall, for the cornubella. 16. James Chesterman, of Ecclesall New-road, and John Bottom, of No. 6, St. Phillip's-road, both of the town of Sheffield, for a case for tape-measures. 16. William Godfrey Robinson, of No. 13, Stuckley-terrace, Hampstead-road, for the vertical meter. 17. Brookes Hugh Bullock, of No. 2, Chester-street, Grosvenor-place, in the county of Middlesex, for a distance measurer, for maps, charts, &c. 18. John Keyse, of No. 27, Crosby-row, Walworth-road, for an improved swimming apparatus. 458 Disclaimers and Amendments. Dec. 19. Draper & Hooker, of Basingstoke, for an improved carriage. 20. Richard Millard, of No. 12, Craven-street, Strand, London, for a portable recumbent and easy chair. 20. William Godfrey Robinson, of No. 13, Stuckley-terrace, Hampstead-road, for the vertiaximmeter, certain additions to the prismatic compass, for the purpose of combining with that instrument the principle of the vertical meter, by which vertical angles are approximately measured without the aid of a stand or artificial horizon. 22. Boyd & Harmer, of Spital-square, for a vapour-bath. 26. James Gisborne, of Suffolk-street, Birmingham, for improved wind-ways and valves for cornopeans and other valved instruments. List of Disclaimers OF PARTS OF INVENTIONS AND Amendments MADE UNDER LORD BROUGHAM'S ACT. Disclaimer entered to part of the Title of Letters Patent, granted to Frederick Rosenborg, of Kingston-upon-Hull, gentleman, for certain improvements in machinery for cutting and shaping wood and other materials into various forms or figures, and also for cleaning and smoothing the surfaces of the same forms or figures; bearing date the 15th April, 1845,-filed the 19th November, 1845. Disclaimer and memorandum of alteration entered by the Assignees of the Letters Patent, granted to John Frederick William Hempel, of Oranienburg, in the kingdom of Prussia, but then of Clapham, in the county of Surrey, officer of engineers, and Henry Blundell, in the county of York, paint and color manufacturer, for an improved method of operating upon certain vegetable and animal substances, in the process of manufacturing candles therefrom. Dated the 15th September, in the seventh year of the reign of His late Majesty, King William the Fourth.-Filed 18th November, 1845. Disclaimer entered by Edmund Morewood, late of Highgate, in the county of Middlesex, gentleman, but now of Steel-yard Wharf, in the city of London, Gent., to part of the Title and Specification of Letters Patent, granted to him for an improved mode of preserving iron and other metals from oxidation or rust; bearing date the 27th day of August, in the fifth year of the reign of Queen Victoria.—Filed 12th December, 1845. List of Patents Granted for SCOTLAND, subsequent to November 22nd, 1845. To Robert Hazard, of Clifton, near Bristol, confectioner, for improvements in apparatus for heating public and private buildings. Sealed 26th November. Edward Augustus King, of Warwick-street, London, for improvements in obtaining light by electricity,-being a foreign communication.-Sealed 26th November. Richard Archibald Brooman, of Fleet street, London, for certain improvements in weaving machinery,-being a foreign communication.-Sealed 26th November. Henry Clark, of Red Cross-street, Cripplegate, London, oilmerchant, and George Roberts, of Wells-street, Cripplegate, miner, for certain improvements in the construction of lamps, and in the preparation of materials to be employed for producing illumination.-Sealed 1st December. Richard Archibald Brooman, of Fleet-street, London, for certain improvements in dyeing,-being a foreign communication.Sealed 1st December. Henry Buckworth Powell, of Pennington-house, Southampton, for certain improvements in carriages to be used on rail and other roads.-Sealed 1st December. William Corscaden Thompson, of Liverpool, master mariner, for certain improvements in machinery or apparatus for propelling vessels on water,-being a communication from abroad. -Sealed 2nd December. |