DISCOVERY 



1C3 



... to the great honor and renowne of those 

 princes in whose domynions they are, and that 

 our cittie of London, being chiefe and principall 

 in this our Kingdome of England there hath 

 never been made or taken any true or perfecte 

 descripcon, but false and meane drought cutt out 

 in wood, and soe dispersed abroade, to the great 

 disparagement and disgrace of soe famous and 

 worthie a state : 



The closing of a sentence with a colon is only one 

 of the more obvious curiosities of punctuation to be 

 foimd in these early patent specifications. 



In the same year, John Jasper Wolfen and John 

 Miller were granted a patent (No. 4) for protecting 

 armour and arms from " rust or canker." 



A certayne oyle or composicon of oyles where- 

 with to keepe Armors and Armes from Rust, 

 Canker or the like Meanes of perishing or decay 

 farre exceedinge the ordinary wayes or Meanes 

 nowe or heretofore Vsed in that behalfe : 



This patent, it seems, could more fairly be described 

 as a wide monopoly, for not only are the terms delight- 

 fully vague, but the patentees could collect 40s. on 

 each quart of oil used that infringed their rights. 

 They were legally entitled to search any premises 

 suspected of harbouring such oil, provided that they 

 were accompanied by a constable. And all these 

 rights cost only 40s. per year. It seems that the 

 two Johns are the spiritual fathers of the panacea 

 mongers who infest commerce to-day. They made 

 their claims but said nothing concerning the composi- 

 tion of their product. 



John Jasper Wolfen did, however, patent an inven- 

 tion later on (No. 40), which, though last of the 

 patents in the file, is far from being the least important. 

 It refers to : 



... a Newe invencon for the making and 

 pparing of ctaine Stuff and Skynns to hould out 

 \\'ette and Rayne. . . . 



In the specification of what is probably the father 

 of the raincoat appear these words : 



... a commodity which he affirmeth is very 

 likely to be of verie good vse and benefitt to the 

 comonwelth. . . . 



Wolfen must surely have had a grievance against 

 " Wettc and Rayne." 



Another gentleman whose thoughts took the same 

 line was one William Bale, " Gouldsmith of London '' 

 (No. 32). He patented 



. . . certen compounded stuffs and waters 

 called or known by the Name of Cement or 

 Dressing for Shippes. to preserven them from 

 being burned owing to a fight at sea allso to 

 protect their hulls from Sea-worme and Bar- 

 neacle. . . . 



We are still looking, in 1923, for the perfect anti- 

 foiiling dressing for ships' hulls. Patent No. 5 is of 

 interest for the following naive personal reference 

 which it contains : 



... to Thomas Murraye Esquire, secretarie to 

 our deare sonne Prince Charles. . . . 



The first truly mechanical invention — if one excepts 

 an invention for raising water and ploughing land 

 without oxen or horses (the patentees do not say 

 how !) — was patented by John Dickson (No. 16 — 

 1619). It was a " Backstall or Back frame" for 

 bedridden invalids. The specification informs us that 

 Mr. Dickson noticed that persons who lie in bed for 

 any length of time are liable to suffer from " dis- 

 temper." The invention was presumed to overcome 

 this. 



Only one other really important invention is to be 

 found in this file. It was granted to Edward Knappe 

 in 1625 (No. 31). He patented a most revolutionary 

 type of coach and harness. The vehicle was to have 

 a variable track, so that the wheels could be set apart 

 at the distance most suitable to whatever road was 

 being traversed. Even if Knappe had refrained from 

 making any reference to the vile surfaces of some of 

 the roads of his day, the mere existence of the patent 

 is surely sufficient testimony to their condition. The 

 body of Knappe 's coach was slung between springs, 

 and possessed an apparatus whereby the driver could 

 stop the rear wheels from rotating without leaving 

 his seat. The inventor made wide claims for his 

 vehicle, but when one considers that this may have 

 been the first design including both springing and a 

 proper braking system, they do not seem to be imduly 

 exaggerated. 



Two thoughts arise when one has finished reading 

 the red file. Firstly, why is it that modern manu- 

 facturers do not name any of their models after those 

 obscure inventors who, maybe, are the true founders 

 of their several industries ? And, secondly, what 

 would Knappe, Wolfen, and the others think of tanks 

 and submarines, of aeroplanes and wireless ? 



Curiosities of Science 



Twice a year the Royal Society holds what are known, 

 rather quaintly, as Conversaziones. On these occasions 

 distinguished workers in many varied fields attend to 

 give demonstrations of some striking example of their 

 recent discoveries or inventions, for the benefit of the 

 ine.xpert. 



.\t the Conversazione held on May 16 at Burlington 

 House there were in all tliirty-seven different e-xhibits. 

 They were for the most part admirably selected— and 

 the selection of a subject capable of simple demonstration. 



