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keep the two plates about 3-8ths distant from each other. There is a slide 2 on the top of the upper plate, similar to, and for the same use, as the eccentric chuck-slide. The wheel 3 is fixed on the face of the puppet (any size or number of teeth); 4 is a wheel that works in fig. 3, and carries fig. 5 on the same spindle, but fig. 5 works between the plates, as does fig. 6, which works in it; fig. 7 works in fig. 6, and carries the wheel fig. 8 on the same spindle in the front of the upper plate, and works in the large wheel fig. 9, to which the work is fixed. The line in the centre, fig. 10, is the screw in the under plate to screw the chuck to the mandril of the lathe. Fig. 11 is a large screw in the centre of the wheel fig. 9, for fixing the work to the wheels. Nos. 3, 4, 8, 9, may be of any size or number of teeth. The slides 12

and 13 are for the purpose of bringing the different size wheels to work together.

Sir,-As you have been kind enough to insert my idea of a life-preserver (see p. 135), I send you a sketch of the small tube therein mentioned.

Fig. 1. A is a tube one inch in length, tapering one quarter to one-fifth of an inch; B, a raised rim to prevent its slipping in when fastened. The dotted line shows the size and shape of the bore. The tube to be made of bone, ebony, ivory, or brass, as may be convenient.

Fig. 2. A is a brass bar, firmly secured to the stopper B, the dark part of which shows a washer of liquored leather; C, a brass nut with which to tighten the stopper when the bag is inflated.

Fig. 3 shows the face of the nut, hav

ing four holes in it to allow an entrance to the air.

Fig. 4 shows the whole complete, with A a knob to keep the nut on.

I am, Sir, &c.

CAMPO-BELLO.

NEWTONIAN THEORY OF THE TIDES.

Sir,-I have no wish to take any active part in the controversy on Mr. Macintosh's Electrical Theory of the Universe; my only motive is to correct a mistake which your correspondent Ursa Major has fallen into. He says (No. 666, p. 93), "For example, what can appear inore plausible than the theory of the two tides when explained upon electrical principles? The paradox of the tides has always formed a most formidable objection to the doctrine of universal gravitation, to which even La Place himself could never devise a satisfactory auswer," &c. I should like to know what part of La Place's works Ursa Major alludes to. He will find nothing of the kind in the Mechanique Celeste, for in both the 1st and 4th books of that work, when treating of the motion of fluids and the tides, La Place has there demonstrated, that when the sun and moon cause the ocean to swell to places under them, there is also a high tide at the same time in that part of the ocean that is diametrically opposite; and all this he has done in strict accordance with the principles of universal gravitation. But La Place was not the first who made this discovery. Newton himself, although he left the lunar theory, and consequently the theory of the tides, in an unfinished state, has still traced the grand outlines of the lunar theory and that of the tides in the 3d book of the Principia. The Academy of Sciences at Paris selected this difficult part of physical astronomy, namely, the theory of the tides, for investigation in 1740. Among the great competitors who contended for the prize, the successful ones were Euler, Maclaurin, and Daniel Bernoulli. The masterly investigation which our countryman, Maclaurin, gave of this difficult problem may be seen in his "Treatise of Fluxions." Since that pe riod every writer of eminence in physical astronom

York-buildings, New-road, July 24, 1836.

KINCLAVEN.

THE NEW PATENT LAW AMENDMENT

BILL.

Sir, It is again attempted, it seems, to twist the crooked Patent Law into some conformity with justice. Mr. Mackinnon has undertaken the task; but, I fear, is likely to endure the disappointment of those who begin their business at the wrong end. Until the fundamental principle of the patent law is changed, I conceive there cannot be either security to inventors, justice to the public, or permanence in the law.

Several of the proposed enactments are entitled to the credit of diminishing expense and delay. To render Letters Patent for England valid over Scotland and Ireland also, on simply enrolling additional specifications for those kingdoms -to reduce the stamp-duties to 21.-to substitute temporarily the signature of either of the Chief Justices for the King's signature-and to give protection to the inventor from the date of his petitionare useful alterations in the practice of the system, if its principle is to remain unchanged; but much more than this ought to be accomplished-and might be, were the fundamental error, that a patent confers a privilege, exploded, which it must be before the law can rest long in any one attempted state.

It is a misfortune, and not a small one, that patents for inventions have de scended historically as arbitrary grants of privilege. While inventions were yet rare, and monopolies granted by Royal favour were yet common, the most convenient, perhaps the only practicable, mode to the inventor of securing the fruits of his labour was to beg a monopoly of his invention; the essential right of the inventor was thus lost sight of in the appearance of privilege-and the error has not been entirely discarded to this day. The almost annual attempts at amending the pr are only so

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many trials to make the theory of privi lege, and its consequent practice, fit the universal feeling of right; but the crooked billet offers no face that will fit.

From this theory of privilege arises the necessity of affixing the signature of his Majesty to Letters Patent; and to obviate the inconvenience of delay in ob. taining it, the Bill proposes to substitute temporarily the signature of one of the Chief Justices; but if the granting of a patent be not the conferring of a privi lege, but the defining and registering of a right, what need is there of the signature of his Majesty, or his Majesty's substitute at all, more than to a thousand other documents? The authentication of the record, under proper regulations, by a competent public officer appointed for that business, would answer the purpose far more effectually, more cheaply, and with much less irregularity and delay.

The cumbrous machinery by which the present law is worked, is not further affected by the Bill. But to what pure pose can it be, that patents for inventions are submitted to the Attorney-General ?

a gentleman of a class, perhaps, of all others disqualified by the nature of their studies from judging of their merits,an officer, perhaps, of all others unable, from the multiplicity and importance of his engagements, and his uncertain tenure of office, to give them the necessary at tention. It is easy to see how this prac tice has arisen out of the aforesaid theory f privilege; but is it not equally clear that, to do the needful justice, patents for inventions must be separated from other patents, and a separate department established for their supervision? Ought not the whole property in inven tion, whether in literature, in science, in the fine arts, or in manufactures, to be placed under the protection of a separate tribunal, constituted with a view to this special duty?

In his zeal for the interests of patentees, Mr. Mackinnon seems to have forgotten that there are other parties who have rights too, or he surely could not have proposed the 8th and following clauses, by which, under a Judge's war rant, granted on an ex-parte hearing to a suspecting patentee, any designated workshop, &c. may be searched for infringements. Now wherever any inven tion is in progress, in customary privacy, there are always abundant and usually

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very inaccurate reports of its purpose; and however different the real object of the inventor, it is certainly never difficult to muster circumstances enough to countenance a suspicion that piracy is intended. But is it not a monstrous injustice to the new inventor, that his workshops should be ransacked and his plans exposed upon a real or pretended suspicion of piracy? and all this without warning, without opportunity of disprov ing the suspicion, without guarantee of secrecy, without right of action, without limitation, without remedy? It certainly would not be difficult to find those, who having bought up most of the patents in a manufacture, would be in condition, as soon as this Bill has passed, to rummage the workshops of half the trade. As for remedy by action at law, what is that to a needy, struggling, though clever, inventor, especially if opposed, as he probably would be, to the Leviathan of his trade? A little inquiry into the usual progress and actual state of any of our great manufactures, would convince Mr. Mackinnon that in its present form this part of his plan would work most grievous wrong.

While piracy of an invention is undoubtedly robbery, and ought to be pursued, whether by search or otherwise, with the same vigour as theft, there is an important difference to be noted between the search for stolen goods and that for infringement. In the former case, if property is carried away under pretence of search, the fact is easily proved, and redress readily obtained,the restoration of the goods sets the main matter right; but in the latter the property, consisting merely in the know. ledge of the processes carried on, may be, and in most cases would be, stolen by means of this search obtained on suspicion, and carried away and used without redress to the robbed inventor, and not unfrequently to the barring of his just patent right;-things cannot be placed on their former footing. Before Mr. Mackinnon procures the passing of these clauses, he ought, by every consideration of justice, to devise some mode of preventing this abuse: no subsequent remedy can apply. Let him do so, and then the search he proposes is but a righteous hunting out of thieves and receivers. More, perhaps, is to be expected from the inculcation of the maxim,

that he who infringes is a thief, and ought to be scorned as such, than from any positive enactment, useful as it may be.

The most novel feature of the new Bill is a proposal to establish a register for designs; the property in which is thus to be secured for twelve months on payment of ten pounds. This may be a step towards something better; but a protection for twelve months! and a fee of ten pounds! Of what utility can so charge, able a regulation for so short a protection be to the manufacturer of stoves, of stamped brass goods, of cottons, of lace, of shawls, or of any thing inade by wholesale? His patterns are indeed now stolen from him in the face of day; and whatever may have been the cost or talent by which they have been produced, some unscrupulous neighbour impudently appropriates the profits. Need enough is there, of remedy to wrong, and impolicy like this, as the evidence already given in your pages amply testifies, and Mr. Mackinnon deserves thanks for even attempting to root out this crying injustice. But of all the designs offered to the public, many fail, and the manufacturer frequently cannot tell beforehand which will hit the public taste and which will not; yet he must register all, and pay upon all, or be robbed of those, and those only, which succeed. Few manufacturers, if any, can stand an expense like this; to them it will be useless in its present form, though it may be of advantage to the higher arts; and if it do not entirely break down from its obvious failure in practice at first (which is far from impossible), it may prove the imperfect beginning of a better system.

Sufficient attention has not, I conceive, been paid to the principle by which the duration of patents ought to be regulated. In cases where there is no possibility of the same thing being done over again independently by another person (as, for instance, the writing of a book), there seems to be justice, and therefore good policy (for justice is always conducive of good policy in the long run), in making the proprietorship perpetual. But the period should be shortened in proportion to the probability of independent reproduction by others. There might be some difficulty in applying the principle accurately to every case; but surely some approximation may be devised

nearer to the right than the present single term for all patents, even when the eventual doubling of it and the new term for designs are taken into account.

It cannot but be regretted, that this important subject should be left to wearied midnight legislation. It is true, great interests may be maintained upon the progress in invention already made, but the rapidity and the character of the future progress of society, will be materially affected by the degree of safety afforded to property in invention. It is not a subject to be dealt with by starts, at hazard, or with limited views, and ought not to be left to share the neglect of minor crotchets and temporary schemes. Those who are intrusted by the community with high powers for the maintenance of justice, will have but sorrily fulfilled the trust they have undertaken, till all classes of those who labour intellectually shall rest in secure possession of the fruits; nor will they better have promoted in this respect the good of the community in general.

Whatever is the principle adopted as the basis of the Patent Laws, or may be the regulations by which that principle is worked out, the circumstances of the case require at the hands of the Government this important step:-the publication of a classified list of all the patents for inventions which have ever been granted, with a concise account of the peculiarity of each invention, to be continued by annual appendices, decenially re-arranged, and, perhaps, incorporated. A measure like this, accompanied by others of a similar spirit, would do much now, and all that could be wished in time, towards pointing out what of art and science is still appropriated, what has passed into the public domain, and what is the safe remaining field for industry and talent. The poor, but invaluable inventor, would not then complain that he had spent his strength on that which some unknown musty roll in the Record-office forbade him to touch; and ingenuity, honest and successful,would trust with cheerfulness and confidence to the law finding it to be in verity a protection and not a trap. The patent rolls would thus become the registry of all that is valuable in invention, and interesting in our social progress. But till this is done, it seems likely that the increasing pile of specifications will only serve

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to conceal what inventors and the public ought to know, to render difficult of attainment the justice they rightfully require, and to give greater scope and more effectual defence to chicanery and wrong.

Thanking you for the courtesy you have shown my former communications, I am, Sir,

Yours very respectfully,
J. CHAPMAN.

July 27, 1836,

STEAM NAVIGATION TO INDIA.

A petition of the Native and European inhabitants of Bombay, was presented to the House of Commons on the 27th inst., setting forth, that the petitioners, long and deeply impressed with the importance of establishing a rapid communication between India and England, have exerted themselves for several years past to promote what appeared to them to be the most feasible plan which has been proposed for that purposeThat the experiments which have hitherto been made, under the immediate auspices of the Bombay Government, have, as the House must be aware, been attended with complete success, and the possibility of keeping up a frequent and regular intercourse between the two countries, by means of steam-vessels, has been fully proved-That, as no such undertaking can be expected to succeed, in a country circumstanced as this is, unless the powerful support of Government be extended to it, at least, for a considerable time to come, the petitioners have been much gratified to learn that the subject had been brought under the consideration of the House; and that the Committee appointed to inquire into it had declared, by their Report of the 14th of July, 1834, that it was expedient that measures should be immediately taken for the regular establishment of steam communication by the Red Sea-That, after such a declaration, the petitioners deem it unnecessary to insist upon the importance of expediting, in every possi ble way, the accomplishment of the plans which have been suggested for the above purpose; yet with the prospect, which becomes daily more apparent, of a vast increase in the trade between the two countries, they may be permitted briefly to advert to a few of the many great ad'.