LITERARY NOTICES, &c. THAT elegant work the Horticultural Repository, containing Delineations, according to nature, of the best varieties of English Fruit, by Mr. G. BROOKSHAW, is announced for completion in the present autumn. Ten Parts are already published. It is expected that the whole work will make about twenty-six. Fine Arts in India.—Among the fine Arts of India its architectural monuments, erected when its Mohamedan conquerors were in the zenith of their power, deserve especial mention: and of these the TAUJ of AGRA is one of the most splendid. Of this many exquisitely beautiful and accurate drawings have been made. But the Tauj has, beside its size, a character of beautiful simplicity, both in unity of its design, and the purity and richness of materials, which it is utterly impossible to represent in a drawing. A model of this majestic pile, in ivory, on a scale of three inches to ten feet, was begun at Delhi, by the late Capt. Fordyce, but has been chiefly execnted and completed by Capt. G. Hutchinson. This splendid and accurate work of art has arrived at Calcutta, previous to its being sent to England, where it will take the lead of all similar works, and be considered, as it is, the very first and most beautiful model of architectural skill, as well as of the skill, taste, and patient labour of those who have done themselves and their country honour by such work. The forming of this model occupied a period of twelve years, about the same time as that in which the original was constructed. Travels through the Holy Land and Egypt, illustrated with engravings, are preparing for the press, by W. R. WILSON, Esq. The chef d'œuvre of Rubens, the celebrated Chapeau de Paille, has recently been sold at Antwerp, for the immense sum of 76,000 francs, or 31918. 13s. 4d. sterling! It was purchased by Mr. Smith, of London; it is supposed, for the Marquis of Stafford's gallery. Sir W. Congreve's Patent for destroy ing Whales.—It appears that, in February, 1772, "a trial was made, under the inspection of a committee of the Society of Arts, opposite the Orchard House, near Blackwall, by discharging a harpoon at an artificial fore-part of a whale, constructed with hoops, canvas, &c. from a swivel gun, at the distance of forty yards. The first charge was only with half an ounce of powder, which proved too weak to throw the instrument home. The next proof was with an ounce charge, which carried the harpoon effectually through the work, which, in a real whale, must have done the intended execution." In what, therefore, does the originality of Sir W.'s patent consist? A work on mineralogy is about to be published in Germany, by Professor Mons, of Freyberg. It will contain the terminology, the rules of the constructions of Mr. Moh's system, and the nomenclature, the characteristic and the descriptive part of natural history. The whole will be comprised in two volumes, 8vo. with plates. An English translation will appear at the same time, made under the inspection of the author, by Mr. Haidinger. Dispatch in Printing.-The new novel, the Fortunes of Nigel, upwards of 500 pages, duodecimo, was put to press in New York on Thursday morning, completed the next day, and ready for sale on Saturday morning, at eight o'clock, by the different booksellers. New York Post, July 18. France. The Coquille, commanded by Lieut. Duperry, sailed from Toulon on the 11th of August, on a voyage of discovery round the world. She will proceed first to the Cape of Good Hope; thence she visits the western part of New Holland, and then the great Archipelago of Asia; and return to France by doubling Cape Horn. She is fitted up with every necessary and convenience for so long and arduous a voyage. Interesting results may be expected from this undertaking. ERRATUM.-At page 127 of the present uumber, in line 3 from the bottom, for wood plates read wood into plates. London JOURNAL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. No. XXII. Recent Patents. To the HON. WILLIAM ERSKINE COCHRANE, of Somerset Street, Portman Square, London, for certain Improvements in the Construction of Lamps, whereby they are rendered capable of burning concrete Oils, Animal Fat, and other similar inflammable Substances. THE chief design in these improved lamps is to burn tallow instead of oil; the tallow being made fluid by means of metallic bars or rods, which conduct the heat from the flame of the lamp through the metal down to the tallow in the reservoir. Plate IX. fig. 1, represents the section of a lamp constructed according to the improved principle, so as to be capable of burning concrete oil or tallow. This lamp is similar in form to those called Sinumbra or French lamps, where the reservoir is made in the form of a hoop surrounding the burner, but so as to obstruct the rays of light as little as possible. Fig. 2, shews a section of another form of lamp with its parts arranged so as to burn concrete oil or tallow; this form is denominated the fountain lamp, having its reservoir above the level of the flame, so as to furnish a regular supply of oil, or other inflammable matter, to the wick, as fast as it is consumed. Fig. 3, exhibits a section of another sort of lamp, with the improvements for burning tallow; this may be considered as one branch of a circle of burners, as a chandelier. The particular construction of these improved lamps will be seen by the following description. Fig. 1, a, is the circular wick, or cotton burner, commonly called an argand wick, which is contained in a circular channel between two tubes, leaving the space formed by the inner tube for a current of air to pass through the middle of the wick to supply the flame, as shewn by the arrow. The cotton may be raised or depressed by turning the small handle projecting from the burners; b, b, are sectional parts of the ring, or hoop reservoir, which contains the tallow; c, c, is the tube or channel crossing from the circular reservoir, through which, by the small apertures, d, d, the tallow passes to the burner. The melted fat is to be poured into the reservoir through the hole, e; but as the height of the channel, or tube, c, c, is greater than that of the circular reservoir, a small space will be left above the tallow, which is intended to be filled with lamp-oil through the aperture, f; which oil, by flowing to the wick, enables the cotton to burn for a few minutes on first lighting the lamp: g, g, are two bent bars of metal, which, by passing over the flame of the lamp, become heated. This heat is thence conducted through the metal bars to a circular rod passing round the reservoir, which circular rod is shewn in sections at the ends, h, h, and thus becoming heated by means of the conducting bars, g, g, causes the tallow to melt immediately after the lamp is lighted; and the tallow, or other inflammable matter, being thus brought to a fluid state, flows through the tubes, c, c, to the burner, as long as any remains in the reservoir. The external wick-tube has a conical enlargement, i, i, formed upon it at the part where the tube, c, joins it; this is intended to contain a quantity of tallow, which, being very near the flame, soon becomes melted, and supplies the burner until the whole of the tallow in the reservoir is melted. The upper part of the lamp is surrounded by a ground glass, as usual, which rests upon the external surface of the circular reservoir. In fig. 2, the fountain-lamp, (the same letters as before,) refer to the parts which have a similar object, or operation; a, a, are the cotton-burners; b, the fountain, or reservoir of an oval form, containing the tallow or concrete oil; c, the tubes which conduct the oleaginous matter to the burners; d, d, are sliders, or sluices, by which the admission of the melted fat to the burners is regulated. The supply of oil for the purpose of first lighting the wick is introduced by the tube, f, whence it flows through a valve, at bottom, round between the double case of the reservoir into the tubes, c, c, and over the congealed tallow to the burner; g, g, are the metallic conductors, the tops of which become heated by standing over the flame, and being inserted in tubes, on the sides of the reservoir, conduct the heat down to the bottom, and there convert the tallow into a fluid. The tallow is proposed to be introduced into this fountainlamp in a hard lump, by taking off the bottom of the reservoir, which is, accordingly, made so as to be capable of removal. Fig. 3, shews the mode of applying the metallic conductor to a circle of lamps suspended as a chandelier; a, is the wick; b, the reservoir; c, the tube, or passage for conducting the flow of tallow to the wick; f, the aperture for introducing the small portion of oil for lighting the lamp; g, the metal bar, or rod, for conducting the heat down to the circular rod, h, inserted in the tallow reservoir, in order to render it fluid by a communication of its heat. The specification concludes as follows:-" Having described the manner of carrying my improvements into effect, it remains for me to state what I consider as constituting my invention. I confine my claim to the mode of rendering and keeping concrete oils, tallow, or other similar inflammable substance in a fluid state, in lamps of every description, by means of metallic conductors, applied in such manner as to conduct or transmit a sufficient degree of heat from the flame of the lamp to concrete oil, tallow, or other similar inflammable substance contained in the reservoir of supply, so as to effect a regular flow of inflammable matter to the wick, in order to maintain the flame of the lamp. I also claim the apparatus described for supplying the wicks with a small quantity of fluid oil, for the purpose of lighting the lamp, and keeping it burning a sufficient length of time to operate upon the metallic conductor for the object before mentioned. All other parts, described in the specification, are only introduced to explain the application of my invention to lamps of various descriptions. The form and proportions of the parts may be varied at the discretion of the workman.” Inrolled, August, 1822. |