* William Dobson, of St. Clement's Danes, Middlesex, hardwareman; for machinery for the purpose of chasing away flies and venomous insects. Dated November 25,

Marc Isambard Brunel, of Gerrard-street, Soko, Middlesex, gent.; for trimmings or borders of muslin, lawn, or cambric. Dated No

vember 27.

James Roberts, of Portsea, Hants, mechanic; and Edward Brine, of the same place, coppersmith; for machinery for the purpose of dragging or locking the wheels of carriages of every description, and for instantaneously disengaging the horses therefrom. Dated November 29.

Alexander Ross, of Bishopsgatestreet, London, perfumer; for gentlemen's peruques or wigs. Dated November 29.

Daniel Craanor, a native of Holland, but now of the city of London, merchant; for a method of making verdigris in lumps or powder, with ingredients the produce of Great Britain, which will not only answer every purpose of foreign verdigris, but can be used as a water colour upon paper, &c. Dated November 30.

William Beer, of Ely-place, in the city of London, medical professor and dealer in medicine; for a medicine, and method of administering the sanie, for the more effectually and expeditiously curing the gout, rheumatism, &c. Dated December 9.

John Barnett, of Birmingham, Warwickshire, toy-maker; and Joseph Barnett, of the borough of Warwick, in the said county, cutler; for a new and improved method of making parasols and umbrellas. Dated December 21.

Matthew Wyatt, of Queen Ann. street East, Middlesex, esq.; for a fire-grate upon an improved construction. Dated December 21.

Thomas Saint, of the city of Bristol, engineer; for a method of increasing the effect of steam en gines, and saving fuel in the working thereof. Dated December 21.

Jolin Lewell, of Gresse-street, Rathbone-place, Middlesex, stovemaker; for a register stove upon improved principles. Dated December 21.

John Scott, and James Clarkson, of Lower-street, Islington, brickmakers; William Tatham, of Staples-ina-buildings, Holborn, esq.; and Samuel Mellish, of Holborncourt, Grays'-inn, gent.; for new invented articles, which they have denominated "Tatham's Clumps,” for the purpose of constructing water pipes, sewers, tunnels, wells, conduits, reservoirs, or other circular walls, shells, or buildings. Dated December 21.

Michael Billingsley, of Birkinshaw, Yorkshire, engineer; for an instrument, engine, or machine, to be worked by steam, water, of horses, for the purpose of boring cylinders, &c. Dated December 22.

ployed in preparing the paste, and increasing the beauty of the decorations. The ware itself is not of equal fineness with the French and Saxon; though its workmanship, and ornaments, are far superior, The paintings are, in general, rich, and well executed; and the gilding and burnishing exceedingly beautis ful.

The body of the semi-vitreous ware, called porcelain, is fine white clay, combined with different proportions of fluxing matter. The best kind is absolutely infusible, and takes for its glaze a vitreous substance, without a particle of lead: when the paste is duly prepared, by grinding, and other operations, it is consigned to the workman, whose dexterity produces a variety of beautiful forms, from the shapeless mass delivered into his hands. Round, vessels are usually made by a man called a thrower, who works them on a circular block, which moves horizontally on a vertical spindle, From him they pass to the lathe, and are reduced to their proper thickness and form at the end of an horizontal spindle. Afterwards they are finished, and handled, if necessary, by other persons, and are then conveyed to a stove, where they remain till the moisture is entirely evaporated, when they become fit for baking. Oval vessels, such as tureens, teapots, &c. assume their form through being pressed into moulds of plaster, or gypsum, by hand. The saggars, or cases, in which the articles are burnt, are various in shape and dimensions, as best regards convenience. These are set in the kiln, or oven, one upon the other, and when piled up nearly to the top, have somewhat the appearance of piles of cheese. When

the kiln is full, it is carefully closed, and the ware baked, by the adinission of heat through horizontal and vertical flues: this is the first baking; and the porcelain in this state. is vulgarly called biscuit. It is then dipped in glaze of about the consist ence of crean, and carried to the glaze kiln, where it is again baked, but in a less intense degree of heat than before.

The ware is now delivered to the painters, who, with colours prepared from mineral bodies, ornainent it with landscapes or figures, according to the required patterns. After this process, it is again conveyed to the kiln, and the colours vitrified, in order to fix and give them a proper degree of lustre. Every coat, or layer of colouring, requires a fresh burning: once or twice is sufficient for the ornaments of the common porcelain, but the more elaborate decorations render it necessary for the colours to be laid on, and undergo the action of fire several times, before they obtain their full effect and beauty. This completes the process of those articles that have no gold in their pattern; but where this addition is wanted, they are penciled with a mixture of oil and gold dissolved, or thrown down, by quicksilver, aided by heat; and once more committed to the kiln. Here the gold reassumes solidity, but comes out with a dull surface, which is quickly rendered brilliant by rubbing with blood stones, and other polishing substances. The procelain is now ready for use; but it should be observed, that the latter part of the process requires considerable care, as the gold, when not sufficiently burnt, will separate in thin flakes; and when over fired, will not receive a proper

a proper polish. The highest finish ed ware in this manufactory is frequently returned to the enamel kiln, where the colours are fluxed six or seven times the best only is here finished for sale.

The making of biscuit figures, or white ware, is peculiar to this manufactory; and the pieces them selves are supposed to be equal in beauty and delicacy to any others of a similar kind made in Europe. Here the lathe is of no use, the figures being all cast in moulds of plaster or gypsum, into which the materials are poured, having previously been reduced to a liquid of the consistence and appearance of thick cream. The water contained in the mixture is quickly absorbed by the plaster, and the paste becomes sufficiently hard and tenacious to part freely from the mould. The various parts of the figures, as the head, arms, legs, &c. are cast in separate moulds, and, when dried and repaired, are joined by a paste of the same kind, but thinner than the former. The articles are then sent to the kiln, and, after undergoing a regular and continued heat, come out extremely white and delicate.

This manufactory, though of five times the extent of the original building, is insufficient for the number of workmen now wanted; as the attention paid by the proprietors to the improvement and qualities of the porcelain has been deservedly rewarded by a very considerable increase of business. Additional buildings are erecting; and a variety of alterations are projected, which, if executed according to the comprehensive plan on which they are proposed, will render this manufacture not only a source of great individual emolument, but likewise occasion it

to become an object of national im portance. A steam engine is now preparing; several new glaze and biscuit kilns have been erected; and many other improvements are making, to accelerate the production, and increase the durability and beauty of the ware. The manufactory, when the proposed buildings are completed, will occupy an area equal to 6000 square yards, and afford sufficient room for the employment of between 300 and 400 workmen ; the front alone will extend nearly 170 feet.

The original silk mill, erected by Mr. Crochet, and now called the Old Shop, was afterwards converted into a cotton factory, but is at present in the occupation of Messrs. Brown and son, who employ it for cutting and polishing marble, and manufacturing the Derbyshire fluor spar, or blue John, and gypsum, into a variety of beautiful ornaments, as urns, vases, columns, obelisks, &c. The machinery applied to execute these purposes is of very ingenious construction; and the lathes are so contrived, by the assistance of a reverse motion, that they can readily be made to revolve either slower or faster, as the design or quality of the substance under manufacture may require. They may likewise be stopped at pleasure, without impeding the motion of any other part of the works.

When the blue John is to be made into a vase, or any other ornamental form that renders the use of the lathe necessary, it is carved, with a mallet and chissel, into a rude resemblance of the object intended to be produced, and being afterwards strongly cemented to a plug or chock, is screwed upon the lathe. A slow motion is then given to the work:

and

treated on blights, and so many different theories have been offered to the public, that the subject may appear to many to have been already sufficienty investigated. The society, however, entertained a contrary opinion; and having expressed a wish to receive further information, I avail myself of this opportunity to lay before them some remarks, which I have at different times made during several years of Lather close attention to the subject. What are usually termed blights, in the vague and extensive signification of that word, appear to me to originate from three distinct causes : from insects, from parasitical plants, and from unfavourable seasons.

The destructive effects of the aphis on wall trees are so well known, to every gardener, as scarcely to require description. The leaves curl up, the fruits drop off, and the progress of vegetation is almost totally suspended. Much ill-applied labour is often used by the gardener to destory these insects, though they are not very tenacious of life. Another more extensive, but less fatal disease in plants, the honey dew, is produced by this insect (as described by the abbé Boissier de Sauvages). It has, however, been contended, that the honey dew is not produced by the aphis, but that it is a morbid exudation from the plant; at least, that there are two kinds of it; be cause the leaves are often covered with honey on trees where the aphis is not found, and because the aphis is sometimes found without the honey dew. But to this it may be objected, that honey, not being a volatile substance, will remain on the leaves till it is washed off by the rain; and, when moistened by the dew, will have the appearance

of a recent exudation; and that the aphis certainly does not afford honey at any period of its existence. I have frequently placed plates of glass and of talc under the leaves of fruit trees, on which different species of the aphis abounded, and I have found these substances to be in a few hours covered with honey; and I have at other times distinctly seen the honey fall from the under sides of the leaves, where these insect abound, by the following means: Having placed a small branch, containing a numerous colony of insects, in the window of my study, where the sun shone strongly upon it, I closed the shutters so as to exclude all the light, but that which fell directly on the branch. In this situation the descending drops of honey became extremely visible by refraction, and appeared evidently to be emitted from the insect with considerable force. Each drop contained many minute white points, which I considered as the eggs of the aphis; but, as I knew that the modes of generation in this singular insect had much engaged the attention of naturalists, I did not examine with sufficient attention to decide that point. This species of insect appears to require a previous disposition in the tree to receive it; and its first attacks may thence be considered as symptomatic of a previous ill habit in the tree: for I have found that trees which have lately been transplanted, have totally escaped its attacks, when every other tree, of the same kind of fruit, growing in the same situation, has been nearly destroyed. And I can assert, from many experiments, that if every peach and nectarine tree was to be dug up once in every five or six years, and to be replanted with

some