142 



NATURE 



[Dec. 24, 1874 



inevitably be blown down." The speaker no doubt had 

 before his mind an imperfect recollection of the discussion 

 which followed the reading of Mr. (now Sir Digby) Wyatt's 

 paper on the first Great Exhibition building at the Institute 

 of Civil Engineers in January 185 1, when one "wise 

 man," the present Astronomer Royal, objected to so 

 purely rectangular a structure of iron, and insisted on the 

 necessity for adding diagonal braces, giving at the time a 

 full demonstration of his views. The question was one 

 of Elementary Mechanics, which should have been better 

 understood than it seems to have been. The "wise 

 man " was right, as is proved by the adoption of his sug- 

 gestion in the construction of the Crystal Palace ; and his 

 dictum, so far from retarding or preventing its erection, 

 has probably saved that and similar structures from a 

 hideous catastrophe. This is an instance of a wrongly 

 applied illustration telling strongly against the argument 

 it was intended to enforce. The power of rejecting 

 patents is one, however, which, we fully admit, if con- 

 ceded at all, should have its limitations, and should be 

 exercised exceptionally rather than generally. But the 

 staff which, under the American system, exercises this 

 power, as some think too freely, is still indispensable for 

 other purposes, as pointed out by Mr. Bramwell in his 

 concluding address. They should, as a matter of duty, 

 be ready and able to afford to inventors the fullest infor- 

 mation, and should render them all reasonable assistance 

 in steering clear of those shoals which must surround 

 any patenting system. They should do this, not merely 

 out of kindness to ignorant though ingenious inventors, 

 but on behalf of the community, whose interest it is that a 

 really useful improvement should be introduced in the 

 most perfect possible shape. They should also revise 

 specifications, which, often in ignorance, and sometimes 

 from motives of questionable honesty, vaguely, imper- 

 fectly, or inconecily set forth the invention. They would 

 also sit with the judges on the trial of patent cases, afford- 

 ing that technical and scientific knowledge of the matters 

 at issue in which it is admitted that both the Bar and the 

 Bench are deficient. 



In the consideration ot this most important question, 

 one of the u^es of a well- organised patent system has 

 hitherto been too little noticed— namely, that it may be 

 made, both directly and indirectly, a powerful instrument 

 of public instruction. A body of highly quahfied respon- 

 sible men, eminent in diflerent departments of science 

 and technology, acting in concert, and having at their 

 command the resources and influences of a great depart- 

 ment lounded specially for introducing material improve- 

 ments, including a complete collection of all the machines 

 and appliances ol manufacturing industry, and all the 

 instruments and apparatus used in both abstract and 

 applied science, wtiich they should explain in pubUc 

 lectures, could not lail to disseminate widely that peculiar 

 class of knowledge which it is found so difficult to engralt 

 on any ordinary educational system. 



Nor is this the only important point that entirely 

 escaped notice in the recent discussion. The present 

 constitution itself of the Patent Office was not challenged. 

 It seemed to be considered that this having been, not 

 very long ago, settled by a Committee of the House of 

 Commons and an Act ot Parliament, must be taken for 

 granted as inevitable and unassailable. But filty com- 



mittees and acts of the Legislature should not suffice to 

 preserve a constitution so inherently bad. What is it? 

 The Patent Office is governed by four commissioners, the 

 Lord Chancellor, the Attorney-General and the Solicitor- 

 General for the time being, and the Master of the Rolls. 

 Of these four, not one is presumably qualified by special 

 knowledge, and three out of the four are liable to change 

 frequently with changes of the Ministry. Nor is it even 

 expected that any one of the four can or will give a 

 moment of his time to Patent Office duties. The late 

 Lord Chancellor candidly avowed to a deputation of the 

 Society of Arts that he had never once entered the Patent 

 Museum. The Master of the Rolls presides over perhaps 

 the hardest worked court in the kingdom. And the two 

 law officers, besides their duties as advisers to the Crown, 

 arc ei.cumbered with their still more exacting duties to 

 themselves as barristers in large practice. Notoriously 

 and avowedly these four high legal functionaries leave the 

 Patent Office to the care of its clerical staff. Should so 

 monstrous an abuse be suffered to continue? Is it 

 possible that, whilst it continues, necessary reforms will 

 be introduced and efficient administration maintained ? 

 Nothing is more obstructive and more demoralising than 

 a sham — and no worse or more glaring sham than this 

 exists at the present day in a country in which shams are 

 not ^very few or very retiring. The remedy is perfectly 

 obvious. The Patent Oflice should be under a Minister 

 of the Crown, directly responsible to the nation through 

 Parliament for its good government. The Society of 

 Arts have been for some time most properly urging that 

 the Patent Museum, considerably expanded, should be 

 placed under a Minister, with other i\luseums. Surely 

 they cannot contemplate such a disruption of the whole 

 system as would be perpetrated by placing the Museum 

 under one authority, and the office to which it is an 

 adjunct under another. We trust therefore they will 

 insist that the whole system should be ministerially 

 governed. For the present we abstain from indicating 

 the particular Minister who should have charge o'f this 

 and similar institutions, not because the appropriate 

 arrangement is at ail doubtlul, but because our space to- 

 day does not admit of our delineating it with the necessary 

 fulness. 



In conclusion, we hope that the unanimity in the late 

 debate and in the press, in favour of retaining Patent 

 Laws, will silence efi'ectually the feeble cry for their abo- 

 lition which from time to time contrives to make itself 

 heard. No one can now, at any rate, be considered 

 qualified to raise that question who has not read this 

 discussion, and especially Mr. Bramwell's two closely 

 reasoned masterly addresses. 



LIVINGSTONE'S "LAST JOURNALS" 

 The Last Journals of David Livingstone in Central 

 Africa, from 1865 to his Death. Continued by a 

 Narrative of his last moments and sufferings, obtained 

 from his faithful servants, Chuma and Susi. By 

 Horace Waller, F.R.G.S., Rector of Twywell, North- 

 ampton. In two vols. With portrait, maps, and illus- 

 trations. (London : John Murray, 1874.) 

 THE opinion which we expressed of Dr. Livingstone's 

 character and of the value of his work, when the 

 sad tidmgs of his death reached this country last spring, 



