41 S THE SCIENTIFIC PAPERS OF 



name. One question which presented itself was whether the 

 hydraulic compressor applied to a field-gun was a complication. 

 It was, unquestionably an additional part ; but he did not think 

 that eveiy additional part to a machine meant a complication. If 

 by the addition of 1 cwt. 1 ton could be saved without subjecting 

 any portion of the material to a greater strain, that really meant 

 simplification ; an effect was produced with less weight of 

 machinery. The hydraulic cylinder with a single piston was an 

 extremely simple mechanism. No valves were connected with it ; 

 there was nothing that could possibly take harm ; and he believed 

 that Colonel Shakspear would have found that a gun of that 

 description would not come to any harm from the rough usage to 

 which he had alluded ; and after it had fallen would have been 

 more readily put on its wheels again than the older form. The 

 author's proposal was a move essentially in the right direction 

 the lightening the material of the field-gun and he thought it 

 was done without complication, if complication meant liability to 

 get out of order. 



In the adjourned discussion 



" ON THE PATENT LAW AMENDMENT BILL," 



DE. C. W. SIEMENS, F.R.S.,* said, on listening to the dis- 

 cussion, he had been reminded of a fable of antiquity which he 

 had learnt in his youth, to the effect that Jupiter, at one time 

 when there were a few people in the world, thought that as he 

 had heard a good deal of grumbling about the weather, he would 

 give them the option of fixing their own weather ; and, accord- 

 ingly all the craftsmen met together, the agriculturist, the grazier, 

 the miller, and the potter, in order to debate what weather would 

 suit them best. He need hardly say what was the result of the 

 meeting they all thoroughly disagreed. The potter thought it 

 was outrageous to have a shower nearly every day, which suited 



* Excerpt Journal of the Society of Arts, Vol. XXX. pp. 115-117. 



