290 ANNUAL REGISTER, ]8l6. 



inventions, which there might be 

 reason to apprehend, might be of 

 a nature similar to the said in- 

 vention, or on account of any 

 trial at law respecting the same, 

 or in any other case in which it 

 might be judged by the Lord 

 Chancellor necessary or proper 

 to inspect the same ; in all which 

 cases the seal of the said packet 

 might be broken by the Lord 

 Chancellor : and after such use 

 should have been made of the 

 said specification as occasion 

 should require, the same should 

 be again sealed up, and deposited 

 with a master in Chancery, as 

 before directed. And by the fifth 

 clause it was enacted, that the 

 said packet, so to be deposited, 

 should be kept and remain sealed 

 and unopened (except as afore- 

 said) until the expiration of the 

 term of seven years from the 

 passing of the act, at which time 

 the specification should be enrol- 

 led in the manner directed by the 

 proviso contained in the letters- 

 patent, there to be and remain 

 public for the benefit of all his 

 Majesty's subjects. These were 

 the particulai" privileges which 

 the legislature had given to Mr. 

 Lee, for the puipose of securing 

 the benefits of his invention to 

 this country ; and as Mr. Lacy 

 had made an aflSdavit that he in- 

 tended to apply for a similai' act 

 of parliament, the learned Coun- 

 sel hoped that his Lordship would 

 not withhold the great seal from 

 the patent. 



The Lord Chancellor said, that 

 he could not puc the great seal to 

 a patent which gave the party 

 fifteen months to make out his 

 specification. In the present reign 

 about SOjCNX) patents had been 



granted, and this indulgence was 

 extended only in two or three of 

 them. Where the letters-patent 

 were for an invention to be used 

 in England, Scotland, and Ire- 

 land, the usual period for enrol- 

 ling the specification was six 

 months : but where they were 

 confined to England only, three 

 or four months was the given 

 time. Mr. Lee's case was a very 

 peculiar one : it was for securing 

 to the state, in a time of war, the 

 benefit of a most impoi'tant dis- 

 covery. If Mr. Lacy could make 

 out that the state was to be be- 

 nefited by his invention in any 

 peculiar way, as in the case of 

 preparing hemp and flax, it might 

 be doubtful whether he might 

 not have a secret specification. 

 His lordship was of opinion, how- 

 ever, that the legislature would 

 pause a long time before they 

 passed such an act in future ; 

 and he thought he might vent«re 

 to say, that if Mr. Lacy were to 

 apply for such an act he would 

 not procure it. The gentleman 

 had said, that if this specification 

 were not kept secret the French 

 might copy it ; but his lordship 

 could not establish a new prin- 

 ciple merely to prevent the French 

 from smuggling, neither could 

 he put the great seal to a patent 

 without seeing the specification, 

 for it might turn out not to be 

 worth a farthing, and then public 

 genius would be discouraged 

 merely for the benefit of the pa- 

 tentee. Many cases of this nature 

 had occurred. The patent could 

 not pass without the responsi- 

 bility of the great seal ; and if 

 his Lordship could bring himself 

 to pass it, he might be called 

 upon to give an account in par- 



liaraftDt 



