Descript ion o f a L i f e Boat . 409

modes, however, of ballasting the boa h may be preferred by the dif- ferent commanders of ships. The inventor names this for the infor- mation of such as may feel desirous of having it.

JExplmzation of the other inventions adverted to in. Capt. Pigot~8 ]~eporl.

TACKI,F~ F A L L BLOCK.

Fig. 1. ~ ~ .:~). Fig. 1, is a view of the "tackle

fall block," the object of which is to enable the crew to disengage the boat from the stern, or from both head and stern tackle falls in an

~d) instant, with such precision and certainty, as to remove the greatest part of the danger~ connected with despatching a boat in a hurry, or in bad weather, a is the hook, the end of which rests firmly on the frame of the block b; c is the fork which keeps the hook from turn- ing round at the joint d; e,f , are two legs, the fof'mer joined to the fork c, the latter to the pin of the

~),J V block g, and are united together by a rule joint ahh. While in their present straight position, they keep the fork~ c, from liberating the hook

• a; but on the handle, i, being pull- ed, the legs e, f, form an angle like

the dotted lines in fig. 4, when the fork releases the end of t~e hook~ which instantaneously disengages the boat.

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VOL. VII I . - -No. 6 . - -D~o~Bmt , 1851. 5~

41o De~'cription of a Life Boat.

Figs. ~ and $ are different views of the "sheet liberatorP This simple apparatus ell~ctually removes the necessity of employiqg men to stand by the sheets, when under a press of salt in boats in squally weather, and when their services may be much needed at the oars. I t is no uncmnmon thing to hear of [)oats being ibund upset, with their sheets belayed. The inventor belonged to a frigate whose cutter was discovered in this situation; not one of the crew~ consisting of an officer and thirteen men, escaped ! all met with a waterygrave. The liberator is fixed to the inside of the boat nearly in the position of fig. 3. The single part of the sheet is rove through the aperture j , and belayed forward. ShoukI a sudden gust of wind take the sail, touch the lever k, and the shieve l turns round, relieving the boat, by releasing the bight of the sheet, without the (!anger of letting it fly. Although tbeshieve turns freely, it is pre~e~ated from coming offthe spindle by a small nut. Wh~le in the position of fig. ~, the end or'the spindle, m, rests in the socket, n, of the plate, the ears, o, of which, prevent the short end of the lever from being lifted up by the flapping of the sail.

BOAT'S GRIPES I.IBERATOI'.

Fig,. 4a

f - - J

P

Fig. 4, is a representation of the "boa t ' s ~;t'ipes liberator. ~ The plate p, is to be screwed or bolted t% and by. the edge of the mizen channels. The gripes being all Of one piece, a thimble is to be seized into the middle or bight: this thimble'is to be placed over the hook q, the end of which res~.s firmly on a stud cast in the plate p, to which the fork r, is bolted at s. The fork being kept in its perpen- dicular position by the two legs, t and u, as in i~g. 1, it prevents the hook from turning round, until by pulling the handle v, it is permit- ted so to do. The two e~atls of the gripes are passed from the chan- nels under the boat, brought up over the outer gunwale, and are set ap by laniards as usual. I t is evident that by casting off the bi-~ht or standing part, the boat is lowe,-ed down from under the gril~S, and will clear herself should they be foul of the gunwale; whereas, by castling off the laniards~ she is [owel'ed down upon the gripes, and

On "the Novelt?/ and Util i ty o f a Patent. 411

is sure of being turned bottom upwards, should their being entangled pass unobserved.

3"o prevent corrosion no irma is used. [ Rep. Pat. Inv.

Remarks on the Novelty and Utility required in an Invention, to be lhe &&ject of a Patent~ in L'ngland.--To the Editor of the London Journal of ~qrts.

S,i~,~It is a generally received doctrine that an invention, to be the subject of a Patent, must he new and useful, but it is not so well understood what constitutes novelty and Utility, and how far either or both must exist.

Mr. Holroyd, "in Ins" law of Patents, p. 19, says, " whether, an, invention be new and useful is a question of fact proper ['or a jury.

~' But it ,nay be safely laid down that whatever be the naturfi of an invention, whether the merit of it rests on discovery, or on im- provement, novelty and utility must exist in a material degree."

Now inventions do not always ctmlain novelty and utility in equal portions; but i,a some, novelty is predominant, in others, utility; in some the novelty is very great, the utility trifling, in others the novelty is just discernible, and the useful effect very great. And though it is very certain that the sum of the two must be consider- able, yet it is not easy to say where the sufficiency of each begins. That can only be ascertained by examination of the ease upon record, where the sufficiency of novelty and utility of invention, has been brought into question.

In some cases where Patents have been supported, the novelty of the inventions has been trilling, and the merit of the Patents, on the strength of which they were supported, was their great utility. For instance, in tIuddart 's Patent for rope machinery, the novelty per se was only trifling~ (see Davis's I~atent cases, p. ~65.)

But however trifling it might be, it had a very important effect, for by virtue of it, Captain Huddart made better cables and cordage, than had been made befi)re, anti the Patent was supported.

"Azain, in Daniell's Patent of 18~24, the invention was plunging cloth'~ made in the comnmn way, into hot water, after it had been dressed ; this would seem a very small amount of novelty, or inven- tion, but its ett~ct was to produce a great improvement in the cloth; and assuming it not. to have been practised before, the Patent was held g~)od, and J. Fussell who used steam instead of hot water, fbr the same purpose, was held an infringer, and his Patent repeale, d. (See Appendix to the Repm't of the Committee 0 f Patents, p. ~11, the King against Fussell.)

Again, in Brunton's Patent, for improvements in ships' anchor.~. and windlasses, and chain cables or moorings. The diflhrence between Brunton's chain cables and Captain Brown's (who had pre- ceded him) was a trifle. Captain Brown made his cables with twist- ed links, a wrought iron stay being fixed across the middle of the