1825.] 
At the University of Kasan, Prince 
Galitzin, before resigning his office, as 
superintendant of theology, to M.!’Ami- 
ral Chichkoff, presented the university 
£600, for the purpose of purchasing 
the necessary books, &c. for the study 
of the Oriental languages. 
SWITZERLAND. 
Baden.—M. de Gimbernat has erected 
some gaseous baths, extracted from the 
mineral waters for which this place is so 
Patents for Mechanical and Chemical Inventions. 
55 
celebrated. The chemical nature of this 
singular gas has not, as yet, been ascer- 
tained; but its salutary effects have been 
universally felt. The patients are shut up 
from all communication with the atmo- 
spheric air; and, though it has been 
taken for upwards of half an hour at a 
time, not the least inconvenience has 
been felt; on the contrary, the most 
indefinable pleasing sensations are de- 
scribed,—similar to the operations of 
the laughing-gas. 
PATENTS FOR 
MECHANICAL AND CHEMICAL 
INVENTIONS. 
—[<—_— 
To Joseen Avspen, of Leeds, Yorkshire, for 
Improved Artificial Stone, or Portland 
Cement.—21st October 1824. 
5 Rae principle of this invention consists 
in intimately incorporating equal pro- 
portions of calcareous and of argillaceous 
earths, by means of repeated pulverization, 
and by calcination, to drive off the carbonic 
gas and the water, which the mixture con- 
tains; in order that, when water is applied 
to temper the cement, immediately previous 
to using it, the water so added may com- 
bine, and cause the lapidification of the mass. 
The patentee (whose name, in some of 
the Patent Lists, is called Aspdin) directs, 
to take a given weight of limestone in fine 
powder, either the dust, or the dried and 
pounded sludge of roads mended with lime- 
stone, or else produced from the pounding 
and grinding of the stone, after being cal- 
cined, to soften it: and toincorporate this 
powdered limestone, very intimately with 
an equal weight of good clay, by adding 
water, and grinding the whole together into 
fine sludge. This fluid mixture is to be 
placed in a shallow vessel, and either ex- 
posed to the sun, or else to the heat of flues 
or steam-pipes underneath, until it is be- 
come quite dry: it is then to be broken 
into small lumps, and calcined or burnt in 
a kiln, just as lime is usually treated. The 
mixture thus prepared, is now to be pounded, 
and ground-down into an impalpable pow- 
der, and carefully kept dry, until wanted for 
use. Similar modes and precautions are to 
be taken in using this Portland Cement, as 
with the well-known Roman Cement, pre- 
pared from natural clay-balls, or ludus; for 
which, many years ago, Mr. Parker had a 
patent. See Report, 2d S. xviii. p. 332; 
and our 57th yol., p. 77. 
To Joun Borpveau, of Lime-street, London, 
Sor the discovery, communicated from abroad, 
of a Mucilaginous, Thickening Matter, to 
be used in printing or colouring Linen, 
Cotton, Woollen or other Cloths, instead of 
the Thickening Matters now in use. — 
29th April 1823. 
Tue principle of this invention consists 
-in employing the flour of the seeds of the 
carob-tree, the carobier of the French, or 
the Saint-John’s-bread tree (ceratonia siliqua 
of Linneus, whose pods, or else the separated 
seeds, may be imported from the Levant 
and other places), as a substitute for the 
flour or starch of wheat, or for gum Senegal, 
by the calico-printers and others. Such 
carob-seeds, being first divested of their 
closely-adhering and useless thick skins, or 
husks (which form about one-tenth of the 
weight of the seed), by macerating the seed 
in a corrosive acid, until the carbonized 
husk will separate from the seed. 
The carob fruit, or pods, should be fully 
ripe at the time of gathering from the tree, 
and should be well dried; and after the 
seeds are separated, by thrashing or other 
means, they should be steeped for a short 
time in water, and well washed, or other 
means should be taken for clearing them 
from the remains of the pulp or flesh, with 
which the unripe pod had been filled ; after 
which, the seed should, if necessary, be 
carefully dried and preserved, until the ope- 
ration of separating the husks is commenced, 
by. steeping the seed for about six hours in 
sulphuric or some other acid, until the 
husks are become so carbonized, that, on 
first washing a few of them in water, the 
thumb and finger can rub off the coaly husk. 
The acid should then be drawn off from the 
seed, and water be added, and stirred and 
drawn off successively, until the remaining 
acid is removed. The seeds are then either 
to be continued, and stirred, in fresh por- 
tions of water, until the softened husks are 
entirely removed, and then to be dried; or 
else, so soon as the acid is removed, the 
seeds should be dried: and in this state, 
the carbonated husks are to be removed, by 
rubbing them in cloths, shaking them in 
sacks or sieves, or by some other known 
method. . The cleansed and naked, dry, 
seeds, are then to be pounded or ground 
down into fine flour, by any of the methods 
in use. 
In using the carob flour, in making thick- 
ening stuff, it will be necessary to keep the 
same in a boiling state, for the space of 30 
to 40 minutes, according to the heat of the 
fire 
