MECHANICS AND USEFUL ARTS. 95 



'* And having now described the nature of our said invention, 

 and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that 

 we claim as our improvements in preserving fresh meat, poultry, 

 game, and fish, — 



"First, the employment of bisulphites of soda and potash, sub- 

 stantially in manner hereinbefore described. 



" Second, the process hereinbefore described, whatever the anti- 

 sei^tic salt employed . 



" Third, the employment of an alkaline salt, together with car- 

 bonic acid, or the substances producing the same, sulphurous acid 

 and carbonate or bicarbonate of soda or potash, acting in manner 

 hereinbefore described. 



" And we claim as our improvement in the vessels employed in 

 preserving fresh meat, poultry, game, and fish, by any of the 

 methods hereinbefore described, the lining of the same with mat- 

 ting, wickervvoi'k, or other like suitable material, to protect the 

 substance being preserved from contact with the vessels." 



ON PAPEK FROM COEN FIBRE. 



Chevalier Von Welsbach, Director of the Imperial Printing and 

 Paper-Making Establishments at Vienna, Austria, has brought the 

 process of paper-making from corn fibre to gi'eat perfection. It is 

 claimed that the paper thus made is stronger than cotton or linen 

 paper of the same weight ; that in hardness and fineness of grain 

 it exceeds the best hand-made English drawing-paper ; that it is 

 more durable than any other paper, and is not, like parchment, 

 subject to be destroyed by insects, thus rendering it peculiarly 

 valuable for documents, records, etc. ; that it is unsurpassed for 

 ti'acing-pajjer, and can be made extremely transj^arent, and is 

 siDccially adapted for photography. It is also claimed that all 

 papei'S ordinarily made from cotton and linen rags can just as well 

 be made from this material ; that it can be easily converted into 

 the finest writing and printing paper, and almost as advantage- 

 ously into superior stout wrapping-paper. It readily receives any 

 tint of color. 



GELATINE FEOM MARINE PLANTS. 



M. Natalis Rondot made to the Society for the Encouragement of 

 National Industry, at Paris, a communication on the subject of the 

 marine plants from which the Chinese procure gelatine, either as an 

 article of food or for use in the arts. The subject seems to demand 

 attention from us, both as a means of reducing the jirice of a valu- 

 able article of diet, and as a means of introducing cheaj^er substi- 

 tutes for materials of which the large consumption in the arts is 

 raising the price seriously. The same families of plants inhabit 

 our coast, and doubtless gelatine, as delicate in flavor, and as 

 sti'ong, could be easily and cheaply prepared from them. 



