AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 597 



mode of ventilation, namely, by letting in the warm air at the level of the 

 floor at one side of the room, and ktting off the foul air through a venti- 

 lating flue or flues at the other side, so that the warm air may ascend first 

 and afterwards descend. Thus the purest air is found at the top of the 

 room, and as it loses its temperature it descends until it finally escapes into 

 the atmosphere through the ventilating flues. The room, then, is nothint^ 

 more than an enlargement of the hot air flue. He gave some interesting 

 statistics and experimental results which cannot be explained without illus- 

 trations. 



Having resolved to contirxue the subjects " Ventilation and Iron Build- 

 ings," the Association adjourned. 



Polytechnic Association op the American Institute, 



April l^th, 1860. 



Professor Mason, Chairman. Benjamin Garvey, Secretary pro tem, 



Mr. Fisher presented the committee's report on the amendment of the 

 Patent Laws : 



*'The comittee appointed to consider the bill before Congress* to amend 

 the Patent Laws and to report whether it may be expedient for the Ameri- 

 can Institute to consider any points that may appear susceptible of further 

 amendment, have carefully examined the bill, and respectfully report, 



'* That they cordially approve the section which authorizes the Commis- 

 sioner of Patents to dispense with models, when, in his opinion, it can be 

 done without disadvantage to the public ; and the .section which provides 

 for the compulsory attendance of witnesses in cases of interference, and 

 that which provides for a uniform rate of fees for citizens and aliens, and 

 also the section which provides for a reduction of fees on filing caveats. 



" lu respect to section ten, which would narrow the field of evidence of 

 priority of invention, your committee believe that further amendment, or 

 the canceling of this section, is desirable. 



" Your committee believe that a careful consideration of the improved 

 systems of publication of England and France, will indicate a means of 

 informing inventors, so as to prevent many of the interferences and rejec- 

 tions that now occur, under our present system of incomplete reports. The 

 Astor Librai-y has a set of printed specifications of English patents, from 

 1617 to i85S, presented by the British Government. Each patent is illus- 

 trated by one or more plates, sixteen by twenty-two inches. Some have 

 three double-plates. These publications have all been made within a few 

 years. There are indexes in separate volumes — a set of alphabetical, 

 ^chronological and subjectr-matter indexes is published evei-y year. The 

 engravings are clear, and, with the sjvocifications, which are printed in full, 

 thoy will enable a good workman to construct the inventions, or an intelli- 

 gent inventor to see whether his own device was similar. These books set 

 in a row, side- by side, would' reach two hundred feet or more. 



" T3icre arc also about 120 volum.es, quarto, of Brevets (T Indentions — 

 i)ut the engravings are not so complete as those of the English office. 



