January i, 1892.] 
THE TROPICAL At3RlCt>LTUni8T, 
became known to the public in Ceylon sup- 
plant the " Standard." Yes. We did not bell any 
more "Standards" when this beoamo known. There 
was really only one " Standard " sold in England f')r 
Ceylon, We uevrr had any enquiries for the "Standard" 
when the " Excelsior " became known. Ever since I 
took out this patent I have hiid the exclusive use 
of the invention. In 1885 I considered that my privi- 
lege was interfered with by Mr. Ksrr againifc whom 
I brought an action for infringing ray patcue in Cf^ylon 
and I suooeeded iu f o far and after that action he 
never interfered with my patent. Since that it has 
not been interfered with to any greit extent. The 
defendants' machine is kuowu as Brown's triple 
action roller, and I have seen that machine in action on 
Bearwell estate in Lindula, ou Henfold in Dikoya, 
and on the Great Western estate. I produce 
tlie model, I swear that the model bufore me 
is a substantially faithful copy of the " Standard." 
The differance between the model whioh I produce 
of the " Excelsior " and that which the detendants 
produce is that iu the latter the spindle is plain and 
in the former the spindle is screw cut. In the model 
produced by the defeuJ..ut3 also the bow is fastened 
to that outer casting, which is aocording to the 
specification of patent, and in my model here it is 
fastened to the web of the jacket. Will you explain 
where the triple action roller infrioges jour arrange- 
ment of transmitting motion to the cap through the 
surrounding jacket Will you explain to the Judge 
in what respect the defendants' maohine oom- 
plaioed of infringes the " Excelsior"? In respect that 
the driving mechanism is coupled to the jacket 
direct. It is on that point that I oomplaiu. The 
results flowing from that arrangement are the same in 
the defendants' machine as in the " Bxcelaior." There is 
free vertical movement of the cap as in the " Excel- 
sior," the only differerenoe being that the manipulation 
is by a lever instead of a screw and nut as in my 
model and in actual practice. In the specification it is 
worked by a pulley and chain for whioh I have sub- 
stitated the meobaDical equivalent of a screw and nut. 
Another result of adopting my arrangement is that one 
is able to feed tha tea underneath in the triple action 
roller just as in my mjchiue; also the lower edge of 
the jacket comes down to tha lower table but does not 
rest on it. The carriage of the jacket is just free of 
the lower table. These results flow from naturally 
from my arrangement. Without that arrrfngemout they 
cannot be produced; the productiou of these results 
required the invention of that arrangement. If yon 
pass a pencil throu;;h the jacket of the triple action 
roller and place a sheet of paper on the lower table a 
true circle will be produced just as in my machine. 
I proluoe in evidence a certified copy of the letters 
patent, a certified copy of the specifioation. 
This concluded the evidence; and as was mentioned 
yesterday the furthsr heating of the case was 
adjourned till 28th January. Mr. Browne stated that 
hia cross-examination of Mr. Jackson might last about: 
three hours and Mr- Withers said that he had throe 
or four scioulific witnesses and formal evideaoa that 
the maohine was used. Mr. Browne laughingly re- 
marked that this waa a case that was going to the 
Privy Uouuoil in the end. 
(To he coiUinucd.) 
BOTANY OF THE EMIN RELIEF 
EXPEDITION. 
T!io botanical exploration of Tropical Africa leaves 
so much to dciiro that it was somewhat disappoint- 
ing to fiud that Mr. Stanley brought nolhin;} buck 
which would RivB any idea of the nature of the dense 
forostn which he traversed. The conditions under which 
auch an oxpoiiitiou i.>< uocessarily executed make natural- 
history oollectinc extremely (litHcHlt. Travellern how- 
ever, often suppose that bocausa thtv cannot' make 
extensive ooUoctioua they can do uothmg to add to 
our knowledge. Yet to till a small portfolio with 
woll-Kolctud and BiKnificant specimen.s is not a very 
diflioult mutter, And tlioao inny often furnish the 
basis of UBofiil and important oouolusiona aa to the 
general nature of the flora. Sir Joseph Hooker was 
able to give the first account of the vigetation of 
Kilimaijj^ro from a small parcel of plants collected 
by a misaionary, the Rev. Mr. New, who was sup- 
plied for the purpose by Sir John Kirk, with '"a 
bundle of old Guardians." An officer of the Ashanti 
Expedition brought from Comasai the fruit of what 
proved to be a new species of Duboscia. And quite 
litely Lord Lamingtou sent to Kew a small parcel of 
plants collected by himself in an expedition through 
the Shan States, wliioh C3ntained good epeoimeus 
of an interesting plant only known previously from 
imperfect materi-*! collected by Grifiilh. It has now 
been worked out and figured in the Kew " Icooea 
Plantarum." 
Not is it so difficult aa it might be Bupposed 
to do even more than thia. And I am not sure 
that a little careful and iutelligent plant-collecting 
would not be a healthy and useful distraction to the 
tedium and strain of an arduous journey. Nothing 
could probably exceed the difficulties under which 
Jo eph Thomson travelled in Masailand ; yet ho 
managed, notwithstanding, to get together a toler- 
ably extensive and most valuable botanical collection. 
Upon this Sir Joseph Hojker was able to base 
the first attempt at a rational theory of the geo- 
graphical relations of the higli-level flora of Esatern 
Equatorial Africa. Nothing, again, could be more ad- 
mirable than the collections made by Brigade-Surgeon 
Aitchison when attached to the Kuram Field Force 
under 8ir Frederick Roberts in Afghanistan. And the 
Government of India has now arranged — and it is an 
indication of the sympathy for science which auimateo 
ita members — tliat, as part of the organization of the 
Botanical Survey of India, a botanist shall for the fu- 
ture be attached to all frontier expeditions. 
Major Jephson,* who acoompartied Mr. Stanley, seem?, 
howeifer to have had hia eyes about him. A corre- 
spondent has sent me a copy of the October number 
of the Mai/jiower, a small monthly horticultural perio- 
dical published in New York, whioh coataina (pp. 155, 
156) Q short paper by him on the " Plants of the Dork 
African Wilderness." Thia seems to me worth putting 
on record in the pages of Nature, where it will be at 
least more accessible for future reference. At my 
request, Mr. Baker, the Keeper of the New Herbarium, 
has had the paper aunotaleJ with such critical com- 
ments as were possible. 
To Major Jephaon's paper Mr. Stanley has prefixed 
a brief introduction, which adds ^nothing of impor- 
tance. He remarks : — 
" In this branch of science I fancy we were all but 
amateurs, and considering what very little time any of 
us could devote from the engrossing business of march- 
ing, and seeking for food to sustain life, Mr. Jepheoa 
.shows what might have been done by him had circum- 
stances been more favourable." 
Thia is, however, erring a little on the aide of mo- 
I'.esty. As I have already shown, amateurs can do 
very useful work without much difficulty, if they are 
content to do only a little, but to do that little care- 
fully. Some further observations are open to more 
serious criticism : — 
" Africa is yet too young and too crude for the scien- 
tific botanist. We have only been pioneers to stake 
the highway to make ready for those who shall come 
alter us. When the rails have been laid iu pairs of iron 
lines across the swamp and desert, and the engined 
boat oleiives the red bosoma of the great rivers, and 
furrows the dead green face of the iresh-water seas, 
then the tender-nurtured botaaiat, conveyed from point 
to point without danger to his valuable life, may be 
trusted, with hia enthusiasm and devotion, to bring to 
us results worthy cf science and the age. Of those 
who have given ua au insight into tho botanic treasures 
of tho African world, Sohivernfuth (sic) ia by far the 
best; but he h^s also laboured under such diaadvautsgas 
and diflcomforta that ho was not able to do for 
Equafcorinl Africa a tenth part of what Botes did for 
tho Amszon." 
* Mr, Jephson is not a military man : he was aCeyloa 
planter not long ago, -Ed. T. A, 
