1821.] . [ 57 j 
NEW PATENTS AND MECHANICAL INVENTIONS. 
Reported % Charles Blunt, Draughtsman of Machinery, and London Agent to Patentees 
and the Authors of Inventions who desire to secure them by Patent. 
A N exhibition, called walking on 
water , has been exhibited by Mr. 
Kent, at Glasgow. The apparatus 
is represented in the engraving ; where 
a b c are three hollow tin cases of the 
form of an oblong hemisplieroid, con¬ 
nected together by three iron bars, at 
the meeting of which is a seat for the 
exhibitor. These cases, filled with air, 
are of such magnitude that they can 
easily support his weight, and as a b 
and a c are about ten feet, and b c about 
eight feet, he floats very steadily upon 
the water. The feet of the exhibitor 
rest on stirrups, and he attaches to 
his shoes, by leather belts, two paddles, 
d e, which turn on a joint when he 
brings his foot forward to take the 
stroke, and keep a vertical position 
when he draws it back against the re¬ 
sisting water: by the alternate action of 
his feet, he is thus enabled to advance 
at the rate of five miles an hour. 
To George Vizard, of Dursley.for a 
new Process or Method of Dressing 
and Polishing goods of IFoollen ma¬ 
nufacture . 
The Patentee proposes to introduce 
the substance called pumice-stone, as 
a substitute for teasals or wire-cards, 
in the dressing, smoothing and polish¬ 
ing operations of the woollen manufac¬ 
ture. Ilis organization of the improve¬ 
ment consists in a box or case of wood, 
about sixteen inches in length, four in 
width, and two deep, on which pieces of 
pumice-stone are fastened by glue or 
water proof cement. He renders this 
arrangement of the material used, level 
on its upper surface or working face, 
by rasping, and allows the piece to pro¬ 
ject above the sides of the tray about 
half an inch. 
These sets of stones thus prepared, 
are attached to the cylinder, gigmill 
Monthly Mag. No. 357. 
and other arrangements used for dress¬ 
ing woollen cloths; and the patentee 
reserves by his specification, the usual 
right of choice of materials for his 
cases or bokes, and the mode of fasten¬ 
ing or securing the pieces of pumice- 
stone. 
To Roger Arnold, of Chi gw elL 
Essex, for an Improved Expansion 
Balance for Chronometers, 
This balance, is composed of a bar com¬ 
pounded of steel and brass, a bar of 
steel which has a smaller bar or strip of 
brass attached in its whole length to 
the steel bar by melting. At the ex¬ 
tremities of the compound bar are 
weights, which are adjustible as to 
their distance from the centre or 
point on which the balance oscillates 
in the plane of oscillation. Near the 
extremities of the compound bar, but 
a small distance within the extreme 
length, are also other weights adjustible 
on arms projecting downwards at right 
angles to the plane of oscillation. The 
weights adjustible in the plane of oscil¬ 
lation, regulate the mean rate of the 
balance, those adjustible at right angles 
to that plane, afford the regulation for 
temperature. The action of the balance 
is conceived by supposing the two sets 
of weights described, to be so adjusted 
that the balance shall beat mean time, 
at a given temperature. Now under 
any increase of that temperature, the 
brass portion of the compound bar be¬ 
ing of quicker expansion than the steel 
bar on which it is attached, is elongated 
and bends itself and the steel bar with 
it in a curve, which is convex on the 
upper side of the balance, and which 
therefore will bring the arms and 
weights which project from the under 
side of the balance inwards and nearer 
to the centre or oscillation, and the 
tendency to a slower vibration from the 
expansion of the balance by the in¬ 
creased temperature will be compen¬ 
sated by the radius of the arc of vibra¬ 
tion being thus shortened. If on the 
other hand the temperature decreases, 
the brass portion of the bar will con¬ 
tract, causing the whole to bend in a 
curve, concave on its upper side, and 
so producing the divergence of the same 
projecting arms and weights, in which 
case although the compound bar is con¬ 
tracted, the radius of the arc of oscilla¬ 
tion is increased,the oscillation becomes 
H slower 
