7^' New Patents. [Jan. 



Article XII. 

 JVew Patents, 



1. Louis Honotie Henry Germain Constant, of 

 Blandfoid-street, Portmao-square, in the parish of St. Mary- 

 le-boiie, aod county of Middlesex^ for a method of refining 

 sugar.'. Dated Ftbmary 27, 



Mr. CoLsranr'-j, method consists in-makieg a very pure syrup,, 

 and makiijg it pass slowly t'nrough the raw or loaf sugar to be 

 refjDed. According to hmi^ it drives before it the molasses, or 

 coloured syrup, and takes its place. The pure syrup is made by 

 <3i5Solving raw sugar in water, heating the solution, mixing it 

 wit!» live pounds of fmely-powdered charcoal for every huDdred 

 weight of sugar* adding the usual proportion of blood, bringing 

 the syrup to boil, stopping the heat by means of a metal plate 

 drawn liiider the boiler, and then skimming oiF the albumen and 

 charcoal which collects on the surface. We have only to observe, 

 thut this process of Mr. ConstaiTt's is not quite new. Something 

 very similar was pro|)osed by Sir Humphry Davy, in one of his 

 lectures, several years ago : and about a year ago Mr. Edward 

 Howard suggested a similar method in the evening paper called 

 the Star, and likewise in the Pbik)sophicd Magazine. 



2. Fkedbrick Albert Winsor, of Shooter's-hili, in the 

 county of Kent, Esq. for a method of employing raw and re- 

 fined tiiigars in the composition of sundry articles of merchandize 

 in great demand, vv'here it has not heretofore been used. Dated 

 December 4, 1811. 



Mr. Winsor's proposal is to mix together three parts of gun- 

 powder, and one part of well triturated sugar. The mixture, 

 he says, will have the force of four parts of gunpowder. We 

 are very raucfi disposed to doubt this conclusion. It is true, as 

 Mr. Winsor says, that sugar is a very combustible substance : 

 but it is not capable, like gunpowder, of supporting its own 

 combustion, if Mr. Winsor chuses to try the experiment of 

 substituting sugar for gunpowder in a fowling-piece, he v/iW find 

 it quite inefficacious. Yet it contains as much oxygen as the same 

 weight of saltpetre does. The fault of gunpowder is, that it 

 contains too mm'h coiiibo'^tible matter already. It would be 

 made stronger by 01:11 hjisbing tlie proportion of charcoal which 

 it contains. We have no doubt that the addition of sugar will, 

 in reality, dimioish the force of gunpowder, by making it burn 

 more slowly than it otfrerwise would. 



Sugar, indeed, would coostitote an useful article in fire-works. 

 But we have no doubt, from the appearances which we have seen 

 in tire, works, that sugar has been used in them from time imine-^ 

 Jiioriai, 



