ordinary gun lock, and substituting other parts for similar purposes, as well as arranging the mechanism in a different way to that of any machine or lock heretofore made for the discharge of fire-arms.

Plate II. fig. 1, is a section of a gun or fowling-piece, cut lengthwise through the stock and the barrel. This gun is intended to be discharged by means of percussion, but the improved construction of the lock will apply also to flint gun-locks; a, is the barrel with what is called a patent breach; b, the nipple, through which the fire from the percussion passes to the charge; c c, is the false breech through which an aperture is made for the cock, d, to work in. The cock, d, and the tumbler, e, are in one piece; fis the main spring attached to the under side of the false breech, and connected to the tumbler by, a swivel. The force of this spring acts upwards, and causes the cock when released from the seat to fall upon the nipple with great force. The sear and trigger, g, are in one piece; h, is the sear-spring, which keeps the sear and trigger up to their proper bearing.

This improved lock, though shewn only as applied to a single-barrelled gun, may be adapted also to a doublebarrelled gun, in which all the parts will require to be separate. The patentee says, "though I have described the entire construction of a gun-lock, and the form of all its pieces, yet I wish it to be understood that I do not claim all those parts as new, having used some of them before; but I claim as new the form of the piece constituting the sear and trigger. I also claim as new the attachment of the main-spring to the false breech; and lastly, I claim the new arrangement of the parts constituting a lock or machine for the discharge of fire-arms, upon a more simple construction than any other gun-lock hitherto employed for that purpose."

Inrolled, November, 1825.

To the REV. JOHN SOMERVILLE, A.M. Minister of the Parish of Currie, in the County of Edinburgh, for having invented, devised, and discovered a Method or Methods applicable to Fowling-Pieces, or other FireArms, by which Method or Methods all accidental discharge of the said Fowling-Pieces or other Fire-Arms will be completely prevented.

[Sealed 4th November, 1824.]

THERE are several modes proposed in this specification of preventing the accidental discharge of fire-arms, all of which consist in the adaptation of a bolt or stop in different ways to the lock of the gun, for the purpose of confining either the main spring or the trigger, which bolt or stop is to be released by the left hand of the sportsman, when the piece is presented from shoulder.

In Plate II. fig. 2, is a perspective view of part of a gun, with a lever, a, extending along the side of the stock. One extremity of this lever passes through a hole in the lock plate, and arrests the main spring so as to prevent it from acting until pressed upon at the other extremity by the left hand, when the main spring being released, allows the piece to be discharged, by pulling the trigger as usual. If this contrivance is adapted to double barreled guns, there is to be a lever of the same kind applied to the lock on each side.

Another mode of effecting the same object is shewn at fig. 3, where a sliding bolt, a, passes under the trigger plate, and, by locking into a notch at b, on the front side of the trigger, renders the trigger immoveable, until the left hand of the 'sportsman, on bringing the piece to the shoulder, draws back the sliding bolt which confined

the trigger, and thereby allows the piece to be dis charged.

A third method of locking, very much like the last, is by making the sliding bolt move a staple, c, which locks into a notch in the back part of the trigger. A fourth is by means of a peg upon the swivel, under the end of the main spring, which prevented the swivel from moving until by the shifting of the slider, a hole, d, is opened in the guard plate for the peg to pass through. The fifth contrivance is a staple locking behind the trigger, which is released by pressing with the fingers of the left hand against a knob or button, a, that passes through a hole in the guard, which moves a curved lever lying within the guard, and thereby unlocks the trigger. The sixth plan is nearly the same, excepting that the curved lever is on the outside of the guard.

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There are several other modifications of the same contrivances, and the patentee sums up the whole by saying, that he begs distinctly to state, that he lays no claim to the principle of locking guns by detants, stops, or catches worked solely by the left hand, as this has been in use for some time past, but he claims as his particular invention the principle of locking and unlocking guns, or preventing their accidental discharge by the left hand, so that both hands are absolutely necessary to work the gun in the field."

[Inrolled January, 1825.]

To JOHN CROSLEY, of Cottage Lane, City Road, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for his invention of

a contrivance for better insuring the egress of Smoke and rarefied Air in certain situations.

[Sealed 4th November, 1824 ]

THE leading object of this invention appears to be the construction of a chimney-pot, that shall freely discharge its smoke under all states of the wind and weather. The top of the chimney-pot is covered by a cap, and the exit passages are in the sides, through contorted channels, formed by shields, for the purpose of breaking the force of the wind.

In Plate I. fig. 6, is an external view of the chimney-pot; and fig. 7, is a section of the same, shewing the forms of the passages through which the smoke passes. The caps or shields are supported by rods, leaving the parts between open, for the free discharge of the smoke; their forms being such as will effectually guard the wind from entering in whatever direction it blows.

Inrolled May, 1825.]

To JOHN CHARLES CHRISTOPHER RADDATZ, of Salisbury Square, Fleet-street, in the City of London, Merchant, in consequence of a Communication made to him by Ernst Alban, of Rostock, in the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburgh Schwerin, Doctor of Medicine, for his Invention of Certain Improvements on or connected with Steam Engines.

[Sealed 14th May, 1825.]

THESE improvements consist in a peculiar mode of generating steam, which is to be effected by immersing a