scribed my improvements in the means or process of dissolving or separating the particles of caoutchouc or India rubber from each other, and preparing it for various purposes, I desire it to be understood that I claim, as my discovery or invention, the use or application of ammonia to effect the solution or separation in the manner herein described."-[Inrolled in the Rolls Chapel Office, August, 1836.]

TO MILES BERRY, of the Office for Patents, Chancerylane, in the county of Middlesex, engineer and mechanical draftsman, for new or improved apparatus or mechanism for marking down or registering the notes played on the keys of piano-fortes, organs, or such other keyed musical instruments, being a communication from a foreigner residing abroad.-[Sealed 12th April, 1836.]

THIS is a piece of mechanism to be attached to a pianoforte, or other keyed musical instrument, by means of which every note produced by the depressions of the keys of the instrument as they are severally touched, will be marked upon a roll of paper placed upon a barrel below; and the barrel carrying the roll of paper, being made to revolve slowly by means of clock-work, (in accordance with the time of the subject played,) the marks left upon the roll of paper will be in such positions, and at such distances apart, as will clearly indicate not only every note which has been struck by the finger, but also the respective lengths of such notes; thereby affording the means of perfectly transcribing or translating the whole subject played into the proper forms of notes and musical passages as commonly ex

pressed upon paper. By the use of this apparatus appended to a piano-forte or organ, it is intended that any extemporary subject played upon the instrument shall be preserved and recorded upon the roll so as to be copied in the ordinary musical characters.

By way of illustrating the construction of this apparatus, the Patentee has referred to the mechanism of an ordinary bird organ or hand barrel organ, in which pegs, upon a rotary barrel, act upon levers which open the apertures of the organ pipes, and thereby produce the sounds: this apparatus being of the same sort of construction, but reversed in its action; that is, whilst the pegs on the barrel in the former act upon the levers or keys of the instrument, the levers or keys in this apparatus act upon the barrel; or to explain this more clearly, the under part of each key, when it is depressed, strikes the end of a compound lever, and causes a point, as that of a pencil, to press upon the surface of the roll of paper, and thereby produce a mark upon the paper in a situation as to the width of the roll, corresponding with the particular key struck; and as the roll is progressively moving forward, the length of the mark will indicate the length of the note.

Plate V., fig. 1, represents one of the compound levers detached from the instrument; fig. 2, shows a series of these compound levers connected, or, as it would appear, attached under the key-board of a piano-forte : about one half only of the front of the piano, and consequently of the apparatus, being exhibited; fig. 3, is a section taken transversely through the middle of the piano-forte, in which the apparatus is represented in profile.

The ordinary keys of the instrument are shown at a, a, a; the inner side of each of which keys when

One end of

depressed acts upon an upright pin b, connected by a joint to one of the compound levers c, d, e, the lower end of this lever carrying a pencil or point intended to operate upon the surface of the paper extended over the barrel or roller f. Fig. 3, shows, in section, the roller g, upon which the roll of paper is in the first instance wound in one long sheet. This roller turns upon its axle, supported by arms. the roll of paper is passed upwards as at i, i, over what may be called the bed roller or barrel f, and is thence conducted to the receiving roller k, to which the end of the paper is made fast. The bed roller or barrel h, being coated with soft leather, in order that the pencil or point, when pressed down upon the sheet of paper, may take effect.

The axle of the barrel h, is connected to spring clockwork, or what is called a going barrel l, and being thus made to revolve, carries the sheet of paper forward with it. The axle of the roller k, is mounted in lever arms, which are held up by springs, and, consequently, the periphery of this roller is kept in contact with that of the bed roller or barrel f, and is turned by it through the friction of the two surfaces.

The construction of the apparatus being now explained, it will be perceived that on the performer depressing any one of the keys a, the particular set of levers b, c, d, e, connected with that key, will be immediately acted upon and no others, and the point at the lower end of the operating lever e, being by that means forced down upon the paper extended over the barrel, a mark will be traced upon the paper answering to the note struck; at the same time the paper, with the barrel moving onward, the length of the mark made upon the paper will be in proportion to the length of

time the note is held by the performer, which will thereby show the proper length of the note struck, that is, whether it was a crotchet, a quaver, or note of any other length.

The Patentee next describes, at considerable length, the mode by which the marked roll of paper may be read off, which is, in the first instance, by drawing red lines at the several octaves down the whole length of the sheet of paper, and then marking the bars by lines drawn across the sheet, corresponding to the extent through which the barrel turned in one bar. This explanation, however, which necessarily involves a considerable detail, need not be repeated here, as its general features will be obvious to every reader who is but slightly acquainted with music and the art of writing it. [Inrolled in the Rolls Chapel Office, October, 1836.]

TO BENJAMIN COOK and JAMES COOK, of Birmingham, brass-founders, for their invention of certain improvements in beds and mattresses.-[Sealed 31st January, 1835.]

THIS invention consists in making the framework of the bed, or, we should rather say, the bedstead, of iron, and of constructing it in such a manner that it may, with the mattress, be folded up into a small compass, and thereby rendered portable. This framing has drawers beneath, and pockets inserted in the mattress, for the purpose of holding any articles that may be desired, such perhaps, as the bed linen and blankets.

Plate V., fig. 4, represents a plan or horizontal view of the framing of the bedstead without the mattress ;

a, a, and b, b, forming the side rails, and c, and d, the head and foot rails; e, and ƒ, are rails for the purpose of connecting the side rails a, a, and b, b, together, so that it will be perceived that the bedstead is formed or constructed of two distinct oblong framings, connected together at g, by hinge joints, for the purpose of folding up when it may be necessary so to do.

Stumps h, h, are placed at each corner of the bed, for the purpose of keeping the mattress steady, and also for supporting the bedpost, which screw on to the tops of the said stumps. The mattress also consists of two parts, as will be seen by reference to fig. 5, which represents a side elevation of the bedstead with the mattress upon it: i, i, is the sacking or webbing, which must be sewed on to the side and end rails, or attached to them in any other convenient manner, which will be readily understood by any upholsterer.

The Patentees observe, that head rails may be applied to the bedstead for hanging the curtains and tester; and that they may also be jointed, in order to fold up when required. The drawers are placed under the mattress, and made to slide between the legs of the bedstead; and the "pockets" are made in the under part of the mattress, and are opened and closed much in the same manner as the pockets of portmanteaus.

In conclusion, the Patentees state, that they do not intend to claim any of the parts separately, nor do they confine their claim of invention to constructing the framing of the bedstead with one joint only, as represented in the drawing, as it is evident that more joints may be advantageously employed; but, that they claim the arrangement herein set forth, in which the framing of the bedstead is made to constitute a framing for the mattress. [Inrolled in the Inrolment Office, July, 1835.]