APPENDIX TO CHRONICLE. 



289 



be benefited in a peculiar way. 

 Mr. Lacy iiad invented a machine 

 for making French lace of the 

 most beautiful texture ; and if 

 the benefit of his invention were 

 secured to him, by enabling him 

 to lodge the specification under 

 certain restrictions, this country 

 would be enabled to rival the 

 French in the sale of that article 

 in the continental markets. At 

 present, the French by having 

 the materials and labour at a 

 much chea])er rate, could afford 

 to undersell us considerably in 

 that very important branch of 

 their manufactures ; but if this 

 jKitent were granted, the saving 

 with respect to labour would be 

 more tlian equal to the difference 

 in price of the materials. This 

 was the principal object for wish- 

 ing to keep the specification se- 

 cret ; for there was reason to ap- 

 prehend, that if the particular de- 

 scription of the invention should 

 be enrolled within the usual pe- 

 rimi, copies thereof would be ob- 

 tained by foreign ;»gents, and 

 transmitted to foreign countries, 

 the inhabitants of which would 

 have the benefit of making use 

 of the invention before his Ma- 

 jesty's subjects could by law make 

 use of the same ; which would 

 not only prevent the patentee 

 from deriving the full advantage 

 which he has reason to expect, 

 but might also tend to diminish 

 the benefit which the lace-manu- 

 factures of this country might 

 otherwise derive therefrom. 'J'his 

 was the ground upon which the 

 legislature had thought jiroper to 

 grant an act of parliament (.53d 

 Geo. 3. cap. 179.) to Mr. Lee, 

 for securing his invention of pre- 

 pftrin^ hemp and A&x. By a pro« 

 V»t. LVIII. 



viso in the letters- patent, which 

 were granted for the term of 14 

 years, that gentleman was allowed 

 to keep his specification secret for 

 15 months from the date thereof; 

 and, with a view to secure the 

 benefits of his inv«ition to this 

 country, the act directed, that in- 

 stead of causing the particular 

 description of the invention to be 

 enrolled according to the said 

 proviso, he should deliver to the 

 Lord Chancellor, within 15 

 months from the date of the 

 letters-patent, a particular de- 

 scription or specification of the 

 nature of his invention, and in 

 what manner the same was to be 

 performed, by writing under his 

 hand and seal ; which specifica- 

 tion, together with an affidavit 

 made before a Master in Chan- 

 cery, that it fully, completely, 

 and accurately defined and de- 

 scribed the whole and every part 

 of such invention and discovery, 

 and the metliod of using and em- 

 ploying the same for the uses 

 and purposes therein set forth, 

 should be enclosed in a cover 

 under the seal of the Lord Chan- 

 cellor, and lodged in the office of 

 one of the Masters in Chancery, 

 to be nominated successively, 

 from time to time, as occasion 

 might require. The second clause 

 of the act declared, that the said 

 piicket should not be lemoved 

 from the custody of the Master in 

 Chancery on any account or pre- 

 tence whatever, except by order 

 of the Lord Chancellor, who 

 should have power to call for and 

 have the same whenever there 

 shoidd be occasion to have re- 

 course thereto, either on account 

 of application Ijeing made for 

 patents for other discoveriea .of 

 U iivrentioni. 



