V. 



FALLACIES WITH THE LEVER, 

 i. The Angular Crank. 



A PUBLIC benefactor, whose claim on the 

 gratitude of the community has not been fully 

 recognised, is the inventor and patentee. For 

 many years now he has been repairing in 

 thousands and thousands per annum to the 

 neighbourhood of Chancery Lane, with his 

 contribution to the public funds of i 

 for a provisional specification, and 3 

 more for a complete specification. Sometimes 

 he makes further donations, as fee for enlarge- 

 ment of time for completing, fee for amend- 

 ment of specification, fee for lodging objection 

 to other people's patents, and other special 

 fees under thirty or forty different headings. 

 If a patent survives four years, 5 more has 

 to be paid to keep it alive a fifth year, 6 more 

 for the sixth year, and so on till 14 is re- 

 quired for the fourteenth year. These pay- 

 ments, however, beyond the first 4, are fre- 

 quently not made, unless the patentee be 

 encouraged by the receipt of royalties. No 

 such taint of self-interest attaches to the original 



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