IS 12.] Patents latdy EiirollecL 
distai>ces from eacli other as to leave a 
small space between the line, drawn 
across the said wheel, where the knife 
falls off from the end of one of the said 
Cutters at the centre ; and that where it 
meets the opposite or side end of the 
next knife in succession. It will be 
readily seen, that, as the edges of the 
cutters and knife are brought into con¬ 
tact by the revolution of the drum-wheel, 
they will form acute angles with each 
other; and, being at the same time press¬ 
ed together by the action of the springs 
•against the knife, they will cut the skins, 
on the same principle that the blades of 
sheers act iii cutting. The feeding rol¬ 
lers are of sufficient length to extend 
across the end of the machine, and are 
confined in their proper situation by up¬ 
right plates, in which are grooves, open 
at the tops, wherein the ends or pivots 
of the said rollers are fitted ; so.that they 
will turn round freely, and mjt admit of 
any side-way motion, and so as to permit 
them to be taken out at pleasure. The 
rollers are connected by cogs or wheel- 
work, so as to revolve together, and they 
are put in motion by means of wheel 
work, which is constructed to produce 
about one revolution of the feeding-rol¬ 
lers, while the drum-wheel revolves seven 
times. 
The skin intended to have the fur cut, 
©r removed therefrom, tnust have one 
end of it placed betw'een tlie said feed¬ 
ing rollers; and, the drum-wheel being 
made to revolve, the skin will be ad¬ 
vanced towards the drum-wheel, so that 
its end will be carried just over the edge 
of the straiglit knife, w'here the cutters 
will meet it, and take off sucl) part of the 
skin as shall have advanced beyond the 
edge of the said knife, aiid at tiie same 
time the fur will be left on the back side 
of the knife, as the skin is thus cut off, 
and carried away from it by the action 
of the cutters against the straight knife. 
It will be seen, that, as the motion of the 
feeding-rollers is very slow, compared 
with that of the wheel in which the cut¬ 
ters are placed, the skin will have ad¬ 
vanced forward hut little on the edge of 
the knife, at each of the successive cut¬ 
tings thereof, whereby the skin will be 
cut into small strips, and these strips will 
be allowed to fall and pass off from the 
machine under the drum-wheel; and that 
the fur in the mean time, which is thus 
retained on the back-side of the knife, 
will be made to proceed downward, be¬ 
tween the knife and rollers; under these 
foliers it may b© received by any suitable 
conductor, and carried off front the ma¬ 
chine nearly in the same state in which 
it was disposed on the skins. 
MR. JOHN FRAZEr’s (sLOANE STREET^ ' 
cnELsEA),_/(;r a discovery of cert,ain ve- 
getahlesy and a way of preparing the 
samCf to he 7nanufactured into hatSf 
ho7inets, chair-hot toms, baskets, ^c. 
The patentee collects the branches of 
the different species of the palm tribe of 
plants, growing spontaneously on the con¬ 
tinent, and islands of North and South 
America, and in other parts beyond seas, 
but more particularly in tropical cli” 
mates. He suspends these, so collected^ 
in the air in the shade, in order that they 
may be bleached and dried, and in this 
state they are transported to the place of 
manufacture. They are prepared for 
use by cutting off, more or less, the outer 
extremities, where tlie leaves taper and 
are thinnest, and from the inner extremi¬ 
ties, where the material is most stiff and 
rigid. He then divides them into longi¬ 
tudinal slips with a knife or knives, they 
then are sorted and separated according 
to the uses for which the different kinds 
are intended. In some cases they are 
washed with soap and water; and in 
others they are bleached by exposure to 
the fumes of burning sulphur, and, in 
other cases, they are dyetl by the usual 
processes. Among the different species 
of the above-named plants, the areca and 
corypha are the most generally useful, 
and to be preferred: and the middle por¬ 
tion of the branches is better than that 
which is produced by the extremities. 
These slips, so prepared and selected, 
may be usefully employed in the manu¬ 
facture of hats, chair-bottoms, baskets, 
and for other articles and purposes, hy 
platting, weaving, or intertwining, the 
satne, with or without the addition or in¬ 
termixture of silk, wool, cotton, or other 
fibrous materials. The strength and 
flexibility of the vegetables so prepared, 
render them capable of being employed 
in platting, which could not be attempt¬ 
ed with the materials heretofore used for 
those purposes. 
MR. WILLIAM PUXDy’s (CAMDEN TOWn)j 
/or an improvement on stringed instru-^ 
■merits. 
Mr. Bundy assumes that, to produce 
tl'3 most powerful sound by the vibiation 
of strings, it is necessary the materials 
such strings are conaposed of, should be 
of the greatest specinTr grawty and eiasrh 
city ; therefore the strings of piaiio*fortes, 
