fj^l. ON THE IMPROVEMENT OF CHEMICAL ARTS. IG3 

 chemifts ; every member of which committee fhall take 

 an oath not to divulge any of the fecreus fubroittcd to 

 him as a judge in this cafe, farther than he fhall be 

 permitted to do by the dilVoverer, or the manufacElur- 

 ers on whofe joint account he a£ts. 



When this committee had made the neceffary expe- 

 riments to afcertain the fafts fubmitted to their cognis- 

 ance, and had judged of the importance of each, in re- 

 gard to their employers, and had afcertained the pre- 

 mium they thought proper to affign to each, they ought, 

 before they came to any final determination, to fend a 

 fealed note to each candidate, mentioning the precife 

 fum they were willing to bellow on him for the difco- 



very If, after this, the candidate made no objection, 



it fhould be underftood, that he acquiefced, and aclu- 

 ally fold his difcovery to the afl'ociation for the fum 

 mentioned, making oath, at the fame time, that he had 

 not communicated it to any other perfon, nor Ihould 

 communicate it, without the permiffion of the aflbcia- 

 tion. But if the difcoverer was diflatisfied with the 

 fum offered, it fliould be in his power to retain his 

 fecret, to withdraw it from that affociation, and to dif- 

 pofe of it, to the beft account he could, to any other. 



Could a committee be found, who would a£l, in this 

 cafe, with candour and liberality, the alTociates would 

 thus obtain a great number of important new procelfes, 

 every year, which they could retain among themfelves 

 for a certain time ; — and v^hich would, of eourfe, enable 

 them to fell their goods, at foreign markets, cheaper 

 than others. Thefe fecrets, no doubt, would in time 

 take air : But the new ones, that this aflbciated body 

 of artifts would always be in pofleffion of, would give 

 them a perpetual advantage over all their competitors. 



This method, I think preferable to patents for 

 the difcoverer 5, — as it would be lefs expenlive, lets 

 troublefome, and the returns more immediate. It 

 would be greatly preferable to patents, in refpeft to the 

 ajjociated manufa6iur(rs, as thev would be freed from 



