1825.] 
its eighth annual session, on the J5th of 
June last. Dr. Koehler (perpetual secre- 
tary) read the report of the society, &c. 
Dr. Lichtenstein gave a dissertation on the 
physical state of the peasantry, and pro- 
posed several methods for its melioration, 
™M. Watson (pastor) read an essay on the 
mythology of the Lithuanians, at the be- 
ginning of the 15th century. This people 
worshipped serpents, and an enormous 
hammer, which, according to them, released 
the sun from his periodical eaptivity. 
The fine achromatic telescope, at the 
Patents for Mechanical and Chemical Invenitons. 
153 
observatory of the University at Derpal, in 
Livonia, was made in England. Frauen- 
hofer, of Munich, has constructed an opti- 
cal instrument (a refractor) still more curi- 
ous. The cylinder is of wood, thirteen 
feet and a half long; its diameter nine 
inches; and, when placed on its base, the 
objective end is seventeen feet above the 
ground. The instrument weighs about thirty 
quintals ; yet, notwithstanding, the cylinder 
moves so lightly, that the pressure of a 
finger is sufficient to put it in the direction 
required. 
PATENTS FOR MECHANICAL AND CHEMICAL 
INVENTIONS. 
— 
To RicHarp Evans, of Bread-street, Lon- 
don, for improved Apparatus, Machinery 
and Processes, for the Roasting or Prepar- 
ing of Coffee, and other Vegetable Sub- 
stances; and for other useful purposes. 
—28th February 1824. 
HE principle of this invention consists 
in driving-off the aqueous component 
parts of the seeds or matters to be roasted, 
and retaining their oleaginous parts. For 
accomplishing this, the patentee constructs 
a square furnace of brick, a few feet in 
height, with upright sides, and open at top, 
furnished, in its lower part, with grate- 
bars, ash-pit, and fire and ash-pit doors ; 
the latter with registers, to regulate the 
fierceness of the fire. ‘The top of the fur- 
nace should be coped with a cast-iron frame, 
having, on its two opposite sides, semicir- 
cular grooves or bearings provided, in which 
the projecting axles of the roasting-drum 
may revolve. By the side of this furnace, 
but detached therefrom, two similar bear- 
ings are provided, on the tops of posts fixed 
in the ground ; to which latter situation the 
drum and its contents can be removed, by 
means of a crane, whose divided chain 
hooks on to the ends of the drum’s axles, 
when the roasting operation being com- 
pleted, that of cooling the roasted products 
Is intended to commence. 
On the top of the furnace coping, there 
fits a moveable square cover or hood, of 
plate-iron, of such dimensions as to enclose 
the drum, and leave proper space, around 
its upper part, for the flame and heated air 
to circulate, from similar spaces below, 
within the walls of the furnace, and from 
whence the smoke can pass off, by a chim- 
ney-pipe fixed in the top of this cover: by 
means of the crane, it may be contrived, 
that whenever the drum is to be placed in 
the furnace, or to be removed therefrom, 
the cover above described can be drawn 
up, and, by means of hooks, remain sus- 
pended out of the way, until again required 
to be lowered, for enclosing the drum. in 
the furnace: or the same thing may be 
accomplished, by making the cover. turn.on 
4 
hinges, in the bottom of one of its sides, 
affixed to the coping. 
The drum is composed of plate-iron, and 
has affixed around, within its two ends, 
sloping ledges of plate-iron, calculated to 
shoot the seeds, or other matters being 
roasted, into the central part of the drum’s 
circumference, over the fire, as they fall 
down from the upper part of the drum, 
owing to the same revolving on its axles. 
Besides a close-shutting door, through 
which the seeds can be introduced and 
withdrawn, the drum is furnished, not with 
a solid axle passing through it, but with 
hollow flanched axles, rivetted outside it, on 
to the opposite ends of the drum. These 
hollow axles of the drum, being provided 
with close-fitting covers to their ends, ex- 
cept at such times when, through one of 
them, a hollow cylinder of plate-iron, pierced 
with a very great number of fire-holes, is 
introduced,-and projects, within the drum, 
about two-thirds of its length; or when, at 
the other end, a trial-spoon is introduced, 
to catch and bring out some of the seeds, 
or other matters which are being roasted, 
in order to examine the state of the pvo- 
cess. Upon the outer end of one of the 
drum’s hollow axles, there may be fixed a 
toothed pinion, or else a rigger, and, by 
means of wheels, or of endless straps, moved 
by a steam-engine, the drum may be made, 
slowly and uniformly, to revolve on its axles, 
whilst placed in the furnace ; and, on the 
other outer end, a winch-handle is to be 
affixed, by means of which a workman can 
turn the drum round, during the process of 
cooling the roasted products. In operating 
on a stnall scale, the winch-handle may 
answer every purpose of turning the drum, 
and the pinion, wheels, &c. may be dis- 
pensed with. 
In using this apparatus, the drum, rest- 
ing in the bearings of the cooling-place, is 
to be charged with a proper quantity of 
raw coffee, or other granular or cut vege- 
table substances; the fire is to be lighted, 
and brought to a proper degree of fierce- 
ness; the cover is then to be removed, and 
x 2 ' the 
