548 
To ALEXANDER Gorpvon, and David 
Gorpvon, of Edinburgh; for certain 
Improvements and Additions in the 
Construction of Lamps, and of Compo- 
sitions and Materials to be burned in the 
Lamps, and which may also be burned 
in other Lamps.—Jan. 14, 1822. 
The improvements and additions in 
the construction of lamps are intended 
for the purpose of burning alcohol or 
spirits of wine; the liquer obtained from 
wood, commonly called naphtha or 
spirit of wood; the essential oils or 
compositions of the above-mentioned 
spirits; with such of the essential oils 
as are most easily soluble therein, and 
generally for the burning of all com- 
bustible fluids which are inflammable 
at a low temperature, and which do 
not require a combustible wick to raise 
their temperature to a point at which 
inflammation would take place, or to 
continue their inflammation. The im- 
provements consist in employing 
wicks, made cf metal or glass, instead 
of cotton. or thread, or any substance 
usually termed’ combustible ; and for 
that purpose they prefer platina, gold, 
silver, copper, or glass, spun or drawn 
into very fine threads or capillary 
tubes, collected inio a bundle, and 
surrounded by a piece of metal-wire 
gauze, or by a piece of fine metal- 
wire bound round then in a spiral 
direction ; or the wicks may be formed 
of metal-wire or tubes, or spun glass, 
in any way, and in any desirable 
shape, so that the effect of capillary 
attraction may be preserved sufli- 
ciently to raise or draw up the com- 
bustible fluid to the situation where it 
is io be inflamed. The wicks thus 
constructed, are ixserted through a 
pipe or.tube in the manner of commen 
lamps with cotton wicks: they reconi- 
mend that the top of the wick or 
‘wicks be covered by a cap when the 
lamp is not in use, to prevent the eva- 
poration of the combusiible fluid, and 
toprevent dust from settling on the 
wick. As the substances intended to 
be burned in the said lamps are 
extremely volatile and inflammable, 
they recommend that the orifice from 
whence the lamp is to be filled with the 
fluid may be situated at the greatest 
convenient distance from the wick or 
wicks. They further recommend that 
an air-hole may also be formed at the 
greatest convenient distance from the 
wick or wicks; both of these orifices 
to be closely stopped when the lamp 
is notinuse. They usually haye a cap 
: 4 
New Patents and Mechanical Inventions. 
[Jan. ly 
which screws down to a shoulder to 
close the orifice from whence the lamp 
is filled, and pierce an air-hole at the 
second or third thread of the male 
serew, by which means the said air- 
hole can be uncovered, by unscrewing 
the cap two of three turns, and without 
taking off the cap altogether, except 
when the lamp is to be supplied with 
inflammable fluid. 
The compositions and materials to 
be burned in the lamps, and whichmay 
also be burned in other lamps, are 
composed of alcohol or spirits of wine, 
with an admixture of certain essen- 
tial oils, as for instance, eil of juniper, 
camphor, the essential oil of tar, and 
such other of the essential oils as are 
most soluble in alcohol, the relative 
proportions of the two fluids or mate- 
rials being regulated according to the 
description of lamp for burning the 
same, cr to the use for which it may 
be intended; neverthcless, the relative 
proportions of the fluids or materials 
above mentioned, they should recom- 
mend to be five, six, or seven parts of 
alcohol to one of essential oil; but 
these proportions may be varied ac- 
cording as circumstances may require, 
such as the strength of the aleohol-or 
the use that is intended with the lamp. 
Alcohol! by itself is nearly pure hydro- 
gen, so that, when burning, it gives only 
a pale blue light; the essential oils 
when burning give much light; but, 
unless they are carefully burned in 
Jamps peculiarly constructed, they 
produce much smoke, and would be 
apt to leave a considerable deposition 
of carbonaceous matter upon the wicks, 
whilst the composition described 
above will be found to give considera- 
ble light, without any sensible smoke, 
and Icaving little or no deposit upon 
the wicks. Another of the composi- 
tions to burnin lamps is made with the 
fluid herein. before mentioned, usually 
called naphtha or spirit of wood, and 
which fluid they combine with the es- 
sential oils in about the same propor- 
tions as above mentioucd for the essen- 
tial oils with aleohol. 
The patentees conceives that their 
improved lamps, with incombustible 
wicks, will be found economical, and 
have many adyantages over spivrit- 
lamps as hitherto constructed, from the 
durability of the wick and the equabi- 
lity of the flame; nearly the same ad- 
vantages will be found in the lamps 
when burning the essential oils, pro- 
vided the lamps are constructed, be- 
sides 
