whether made or composed entirely of Wool, Silk, Cotton, or other Materials of which Cloth or Velvet is made, or of any Mixture or Mixtures thereof respectively; and also for the purpose of shaving Pelts or Skins.

[Sealed July 31, 1823.]

THE improvements above-mentioned consist principally in the adaptation of a pair of saw-blades in place of the usual cutting knives, or cutting cylinders, employed in shearing and cropping machinery. These saws are mounted in frames, the upper one being actuated by means of a wheel, with an uneven surface, which gives it a small but rapid alternating lateral motion, and causes the teeth of the saws to perform as a series of small shears or scissors. The teeth of the lower blade raises and holds up small portions of the pile, fur, or wool, of the material submitted to its operation, while the sliding of the upper blade causes it to be cut or cropped off.

The particular construction of this apparatus, and the mode of actuating it, (as far as regards the present patent), will be seen in Plate XII. figs. 5, 6, 7. Fig. 5, is a front view of the shearing machine, part of the standards being removed. Fig. 6 is a top view of the same; and fig. 7 is a cross section (the respective letters referring to the same parts of the apparatus in each of the views), a a and bb, are two long cylindrical rollers between which the skin or cloth intended to be shorn is passed, being distended and held securely by rollers or other convenient means, not shewn in the figures. On the top of the upper roller a, the saws or cutting blades cc, are made to press, which will be best seen in the section fig. 7.

The edges of the two saws are partially shewn on a scale equal to their real size, in figs. 8, 9, and 10. Fig. 8, is the inner side of the blade with a bevelled edge; fig. 9, shews the outer side of the blade, the teeth being about 1-8th of an inch long. The two blades are set at an angle, as seen in fig. 10, the lower one being firmly fixed to the frame as at d, the upper one sliding laterally upon the lower. The blades are held in their angular positions by means of wedges and a series of screw bolts passed through small slots in the upper blade, by which means the bevelled edges of the saws act smoothly against each other.

A skin or piece of cloth intended to be shorn, is introduced between the rollers a and b, as seen at e, e, fig. 7; the edges of the cutters c, are then let down upon the skin or cloth, resting upon the upper roller a. Rotatory motion is now given to the rollers by means of the winch, or handle f. This motion is proposed to be communicated from the shaft of f, to the rollers through the train of wheels, as seen in fig. 5 and 6, (the particular combination of this train is not however claimed as part of the invention); the large toothed-wheei g, actuates a pinion h, on the shaft i, carrying the fly-wheel k, and also the tappet, or zig-zag wheel 7. A bevel, or mitre-wheel m, (also on this shaft) actuates another mitre-wheel n, on the vertical shaft of which is an endless screw. This endless screw takes into and turns the toothed-wheel o, which by means of a pinion p, upon its shaft, actuates the roller b. At the reverse end of the roller b, a small toothed-wheel takes into another toothed-wheel upon the axle of the roller a, and thus the two rollers a and b, revolve together simultaneously, drawing the cloth or skin, progressively under the cutters.

The lower saw-blade fixed to the frame as before said, may be called the ledger blade, the upper one is the cutting blade which has an alternating motion sideways. The manner of actuating this cutter is as follows; the back edge of the blade c, is strengthened by a bar s, s, which is elongated through the frame of the machine, as. seen at fig. 6. In this elongated part, a notch is formed at r, for the edge of the tappet or zig-zag wheel l, to work in, and as the zig-zag wheel revolves, its irregular surface works against the sides of the notch, and causes the upper' saw to perform a rapid alternating lateral motion, which produces the cutting operation; the length of the cut being regulated by a shifting piece which widens or narrows the notch as may be required; by these means the fur or pile on the surface of the skin, or cloth intended to be cropped or shorn, being met by the teeth of the under cutter, it is raised and kept up, while the lateral movement of the upper cutter as above described, crops, or shears the fur or pile from the skin, or cloth, as the rollers conduct it forward.

The specification concludes by saying "I have herein described so much of the machinery as I conceive to be sufficient to render its construction and operation perfectly evident, but I wish it to be understood that I do not claim all the parts herein exhibited either individually or collectively, as the invention consists simply in the peculiar kind of cutters described above, and the mode of communicating the lateral alternating motion to the upper cutter by the zig-zag wheel, so as to effect the operation of cutting."

[Inrolled January, 1824.]

To JOHN WHITE, of the New Road, in the Parish of St. Mary-le-bone, in the County of Middlesex, Architect, for his new invented Floating Breakwater.

[Sealed 15th January, 1824.]

THIS floating breakwater is formed by a series of square frames of timber, connected together, and made secure by mooring chains or cables attached to anchors, or blocks. They are ranged in angular or curved lines, so as to produce a sea-wall or jetty, within which a considerable area is formed for the reception of ships and other vessels, where they may ride protected from the breaking of the sea or surf.

Plate XIII. exhibits the contrivance. Fig. 1. is a horizontal view of one of the square frames formed by several pieces of timber bolted together. Fig. 2, is an edge view or section from A to B. Fig. 3, is a section from C to D. The most buoyant wood is preferred and that least likely to decay in salt water; Quebec yellow pine is considered to be most appropriate for the purpose. The logs of wood for constructing the frames are to be square, or nearly so, from eighteen to twenty inches through, and from thirty to fifty feet long; if the logs happen to be somewhat irregular in their form, they can be notched and fitted together so as to admit of being properly bolted with iron or copper bolts, made out of two-and-a-half inch bars, or rods, which are to be passed through the logs, and well headed and secured by nuts. Straps of iron one-and-a-half inch thick and three-and-a-half or four inches wide, are to be employed for bracing the ends of the logs to make them secure, but these dimensions may be varied according to circumstances. The patentee, however, prefers laying down a greater number of the

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