James Tremeere, of Lamb's-Conduit-paffage, Middlefex, carpenter; for a method of working barges and other veffels. Dated October 5.

William Bullock, of Portlandftreet, Soho, Middlefex, cabinetmaker; for a fastening to be applied to falhes or dining-tables. Dated October 8.

Samuel Miller, of Clevelandftreet, St. Pancras, Middlefex, engraver; for a machine or procefs for manufacturing materials for the better fecuring walls and roofs of houses from lateral preffure, and the inclemency of the weather, by which procefs the buildings will be built of better materials, and rendered more durable. Dated October 13.

William Symington, of Kinnard, Stirling hire, engineer; for a mode of conftructing team-engines, and applying their power to the purpofe of producing a rotary and other motions without the interpofition of a lover or beam. Dated October 14. Thomas Fryer, of Raftrick, near Halifax, Yorkshire; for a method of manufacturing and finishing goods from cotton, cotton and woollen, cotton and filk, cotton and linen, or cotton and mohair, in fuch manner as to make the fame appear as if covered with ermine or fur, and in imitation thereof. Dated October 30.

Richard Brayhay, of Liverpool, Lancafhire, gent.; and. William McMahon, of the fame place, gent, ; for a machine for the purpose of gaining an increased fpeed and power to all mechanical operations by land and water. Dated October 30. John Walker, of Tufton-ftreet, in the parish of St. John, Weftminfter, Middlesex, accoutrement-maker; and Godfrey Alphy, of the fame place, painter; for a method

of making and manufacturing men's hats and caps, and rendering them perfectly water-proof; as alfo all kinds of leather, cotton, linen, filk, ftuffs, paftebeard, and other manufactures and fabflances, for the purpofe of being worked up into fhoes, boots, women's hats and bonnets, and other wearing apparel, and to be used on all occafions where a power of repelling wet or moisture may be required. Dated November 5,

William Jackfon, of Eafing would, Yorkhire, gent.; for a machine or drill to be fixed to a plough-beam for drilling or fowing turnips. Dated November 3.

David Stewart, of Woodlands, in the parish of Greenwich, Kent, gardener; for a method of ventila ting dwelling-houfes, theatres, hofpitals, and other buildings; and alfo of ventilating, heating, and conftructing of every kind of buil dings for forwarding or preferving trees, plants, flirubs, flowers, fruits, roots, and vegetables, on an improved principle; thereby reducing the confumption of fuel, fimplifying the mode of management, and rendering more certain the production of fruit and flowers. Dated No vember 3.

Francis Brewin, of Bermondley, Surrey, tanner; for a new improved method of tanning. Dated November 3.

John Conrad Becker, of Princesstreet, Soho, Middlefex, musical inftrument-maker; for improvements in mufical-inftruments, chiefly applicable to harps and piano-fortes. Dated November 7.

Antonius Bemetzrieder, of Chelfea, Middlesex, master of arts; and Robert Scott, John Scott, and Alexander Scott, of Margaret-fireet,

Cavendif

Cavendif-fquare, Middlefex, mufical-inftrument makers; for a method of making piano-fortes, entire ly new, both in principle, confiruation, and fhape. Dated November 10.

Archibald Thompfon, of ThreeKings-court, Lonibard-freet, in the city of London, engineer; for machinery for the purpofe of fpinning rope-yarn or fail-cloth-yarn, and for laying or making ropes and other cordage. Dated Novem

ber 10.

Stephen Hooper, of Walworth, in the parish of St. Mary, Newington, Surrey, gent.; for machines, or machinery for the purpofe of cleaning haibours, rivers, &c. Dated November 10.

William Robinfon, of Effex-ftreet, in the parish of St. Clement Danes, Middlefex, peruke-maker; for a method of making perukes and fcalps. Dated November 10.

John Stevenfon, of Manchefter. Lancashire, tobacconift; for a method of ftoving and drying tobacco, and the preparation of fuffs.

Dated November 10.

Robert Dickinfon, of Long-Acre, Middlefex, gent.; for improvements in the conftruction of, and additions to, the faddles, harnefs, and other gear, neceflary or ufeful for the employ of hories and other animals. Dated November 10.

Haac Sandford, late of Hartford, in North America, gent.; but at prefent refiding in the parish of St. Pancras, Middlefex; for a machine for cropping or fhearing of woollen, cotton, linen, filk, and all other cloths made with nap, that require to be cropped or feared. Dated

November 14.

Chefter Gould, of Red LionAreet, Clerkenwell, Middleies; mer

chant; for an apparatus or artificial horizon, to be attached to, and ufed with, the quadrant or fextant, for the purpofe of taking the altitudes of celeftial and other objects, either on land or water, without the af fiftance of the natural horizon. Dated November 17.

Jofeph Bramah, of Pimlico, Middlefex, engineer; for improvements in the conftruction of fieam-engines and boilers, and for the purpose of generating team and other purposes. Dated November 28.

George Hall, of the Strand, Middlefex, goldfmith; for a method of making elaftic faftenings for shoes, &c. Dated November 28.

Edward Riley, of the lordship of Myton, in the county of the town of Kingston-upon-Hull, organ-builder, and pianoforte-maker; for moveable keys for piano-fortes, organs, and other inftruments. Dated November 28.

Naphtaly Hart, of Pimlico, Middlefex, gent.; for an inftrument or goniometer which will measure or lay down angles to minutes, from the fmalleft radiufes to any extent, draw circles to any radius, draw and meafare all kinds of right-lined figures made ufe of in geometry, trigonometry, and navigation, with an accuracy and difpatch hitherto not known, which inftrument he calls the "Hartefian Goniometer," and a clamp applicable thereto, and to other useful purposes; and alfo a new fufpenfor and orbicular cafter, applicable to maritime and other purpofes. Dated December 3.

James Boaz, manufacturer in Glafgow; for a new and improved method of communicating thoughts, information, and intelligence, to and from different places, at a dif tance from each other, by means of

figns, by lights, and otherwife. - Dated December 3.

Lawrence Collin, of King-street, Portman-fquare, St. Mary-le-bone, Middlefex, and James Butters, of Wigmore-ftreet, Cavendish-fquare, in the fame parish, turner; for a machine for faving perfons, though ignorant of the art of fwimming, from drowning, which they propofe to call a "Collinette.' Dated December 3.

Charles Grierfon, of New Bendftreet, in the parish of St. George; Hanover-fquare, Middlefex, gunmaker; for a breech and lock for fingle and double-barrel guns, piftols, and other fire-arms, on a new and improved principle. Dated December 19

Account of Experiments in cultivating Ricc. By the Right Hon. Sir JoJeph Banks, Bart. K.B. and P. R. S. In a Letter to the Prefident of the Board of Agriculture. From the Communications to the Board of Agriculture.

As

April 15, 1799. SI conceive the introduction of new efculent vegetables, a matter of material importance to the agricultural interefts of this country, and that even an unfucceftal experiment on this fubject may be, though not perhaps fitting for publication, a proper document to be lodged in the archives of the board of agriculture, I take the liberty of fubinitting the following remarks to your lordship's better judgement.

The dry or mountain rice, which I received last year from the board of agriculture, for trial, had been procured at fome confiderable ex

penfe by fir John Murray, from the neighbourhood of Serinagur, a city. in India, fituated at the foot of mount Imaus, where fnow lies till late in the fpring; and where the climate has been fuppofed to refemble that of England, fufficiently to make it probable, that the vegetable productions of the one, would equally fucceed in the other country; I confider it as a duty owing to the patriotic exertions of fir John, to give your lordship and the board, fome, account of the refult of the trial of it, made by me at Spring-Grove, near Hounslow, in Middlesex.

It was not till near the end of May, when the famples, being of fix forts, were delivered out by the board, and they were fown immediately, on the 21ft day of that month, on fix fmall beds in a garden, under the fhelter of a pale, in a fouth expo

fure.

The grains were fown very thin, in order that the progrefs of their vegetation might be better noted; in a very few days they appeared above ground. The feafon being warm, with a moderate fupply of rain, it was feldom neceflary to water them; however, when they appeared to flap, which generally hap pened after three or four dry days had taken place, they were well fprinkled with a watering pot.

In less than a month they had grown feveral inches high; each fort had acquired an appearance very different from the reft; fome were pale green, and had broader blades; fome were deeper coloured, and narrower in the blade; and one fort had a brown hue on the whole plant; and the bafes of the leaves in this kind were nearly black.

During the month of Auguft, they tillowed much more than I have ob

ferred

ferved any other corn to do; fo much fo, that although they had been fown very thin, they became a denfe compact bed of plants; the blades in fome of the kinds ftanding as clofe or clofer to each other, than the thickest fown barley ever does..

At the clofe of the month, the blades were from a foot to eighteen inches high; the plants continued to tillow, each root having by this time produced from ten to twenty offsets, but no fympton of a rifing fem was at all obfervable.

In the middle of September, they had full continued to tillow, and the blades to lengthen, fo that fome of them were at least two feet long. As the frofts of the autumn were nearly now approaching, it became an object of fome importance to examing the ftate in which the plants really were, in order to afcertain the probability of their having produced ears, or poffibly of their having ripened corn, if they had been fown a month or two earlier. The moft careful infpection was therefore made by diffection, but no traces could be found of the rudiment of a joint beginning to form itfelfon the crown of the root, or of the embrio of the glumes of the ear, which in all kinds of corn are firft difcernible in that part.

About this period I wastaken ill, and obliged to defift from obferving their future progrefs; but a froft foon after followed, which cut the blade down to the earth, and at once deftroyed all hopes of thefe kinds of rice producing grain in our climate: the quantity of the blade was however to uncommonly great, that it is not impoffible it might be advantageous to low it as food for cattle, for a very large proportion of flock

7

might certainly be maintained upon an acre of it

Before the froft fet in, I had ordered a tuft of each kind of the rice to be tranfplanted into a pot, and placed in a hot-boufe, in order, if poffible, to afcertain the natural pe riod of this grain; whether, like winter corn, it requires eight or nine months to come to perfection, or, like our Lent corn, arrives at the fame period in five or fix; but all of these died, notwithstanding great altention was paid to them: fome feed however, which I had given to Afr. Lambert, fucceeded better ; it was fown in his bot-house in the mouth of June, where it throve well, but did not produce ears till near Chrifimas, a period of feven months; from whence as it is not probable the grain would have ripened in lefs than two months from the time when the ear appeared, it is eafy to deduce, that in the neighbourhood of Serinagur, thefe kinds of rice are either fown as winter corn, or the climate there, is far better fuited to promote the quick progrefs of vegetation, than ours is. It was, when it produced ears, about three feet and a half high, and fome of the ftems had five joints, including the radical one: had it been in a more fuitable climate, it would certainly have grown taller, for the flowers dropped off without producing feed.

In the courfe of this fpring I have forwarded a few feeds, which were left from fir John Murray's importation, to Portugal; if they fucceed, I fhall probably hear of it; and in that cafe, if your lordship feels interested in the fubject, I fhall certainly do myfelf the honour of communicating fuch information concerning them, as I am able to obtain.