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SHULDHAM'S PATENT REVOLVING MASTS.

2, Brunswick Cottage, Lewisham Road, near Deptford, Feb. 25, 1827.

Sir, I request the favour of your inserting in your valuable Magazine a short description of a coasting brig rigged on my system of revolving masts, and also my Patent Prospectus, describing the good qualities of the plan, which I am ready to prove to any person residing in the metropolis, who may be desirous of satisfying himself of the correctness of my statement, and shall be happy (on application to me by letter) to exhibit the sailing of the boat to those, who, approving of the theoretical principle of the plan, are desirous of witnessing practical proofs.

I am, Sir,

Your obedient Servant, MOLYNEUX SHULDHAM, Lieut. R. N.

Patentee's Prospectus.

The principal novelty of this invention consists in the masts revolving, the advantages of which are as follow:

I. In tacking, the sails work of themselves, by the power of the wind, so that whatever may be the description of rig applied to the revolving mast, it is in the power of the helmsman alone, without any aid whatever, to put the vessel about.

II. Jibbing the sails may be dispensed with, as in any rig applied to the revolving mast, the after leech of the sails can be brought round from the wind instead of to the wind, and thus all danger of upsetting or carrying away masts or booms avoided.

III. In square rigged vessels there would be no danger of being taken aback, as the sails would point themselves head to the wind, similarly to a weather vane.

IV. On any point of sailing, the sails may by their position receive the fullest or the least effect of the wind's power; therefore in many cases, as in chase, for instance, in squally weather, making and shortening sail would be unnecessary, and the danger of upsetting by sudden squalls be greatly diminished.

V. The sails can be immediately

backed, and stern way quickly given to the vessel in whatever direction she can sail head foremost; this is an important property, as in the event of running aground on an ebb tide, she can be immediately backed off: she would also escape many dangers, such as getting on shore, running foul of vessels, &c.

VI. The sails are so nicely balanced with respect to the force of the wind acting upon them, that but little manual labour is required to trim them; the strain on the boom sheet of a cutter, for

instance, having a single part, not being greater than that of the common rig having six or seven parts; thus manual labour or time, or both conjointly, may be saved in that proportion of difference.

VII. The evil of a bowsprit dipping in the water when a vessel plunges in abead sea avoided.

VIII. The ill effect of the weight of a boom over the lee side nearly done away with, as there is almost as much weight of boom over to windward as a counterpoise to the weight to leeward.

IX. The centre of the propelling power is brought more amidship, enabling a "fore and aft" rigged vessel to be so constructed as to sail more on an even keel, to the benefit of her sailing and working.

X. The sails of a square rigged vessel would stand much better in consequence of all the goring being in the fore leech, and a straight cloth in the after leech; and also by their being, as it were, fixtures to the masts, and moving with them instead of round them.

XI. In square rigged vessels the position of the yards is in the direction of the vessel's length, or "fore and aft," instead of that of her breadth, or "athwartships; consequently, in riding at anchor they in their natural position hold the least wind, whilst those of the common rig hold the greatest.

XII. In tacking square rigged vessels, the sails are not required to be backed round to the wind, presenting at one time to the wind's power their whole area of surface, and then doing their utmost to give the vessel stern way; but on the contrary, they have during the greatest part of the tacking evolution, their least area of surface presented to the wind; such a wide difference on that head would cause the revolving masted vessel to 'shoot considerably more in stays.'

XIII. In tacking a two-masted revolver, she can be so readily assisted by altering the position of her sails, that she will even stay without the help of a

rudder; of great moment in case of having lost it.

XIV. In tacking, she will stay without the help of the turning power of the sails, by the action of the rudder alone, when the sails are allowed to point themselves to the wind, and to do the least harm to the vessel's way.

XV. In tacking a two-masted revolver, she will, with the joint efforts of the rudder and sails, stay quicker and with more certainty than any other vesssel of similar dimensions, tonnage, and loading, rigged on any other plan.

XVI. In case of the necessity of shifting a mast from one vessel to another, or of taking masts out to enable vessels to be towed with greater facility in inland navigations, a revolving mast can be hoisted out without the necessity of unrigging or deranging a single rope, or unbending the sails. The above convenience is earnestly recommended in a pamphlet recently published by Mr. Thorold, Civil Engineer, entitled 'An Enquiry into the Means of making Norwich a Port.'

A great saving in the wear and tear of running rigging; as, for instance, in a square-rigged vessel, all the braces, bowlings, and working tacks and sheets, would be dispensed with, and only two working tackles required in their stead.

XVIII. In the event of a pyramidal sheer-mast being used instead of masts and rigging (for either of the two may be adopted on the revolving principle), the wear and decay of the standing rigging would be avoided.

XIX. In small vessels, manual labour and time is saved by the method of reefing and furling the sails.

XX. A revolving masted vessel might be worked below, requiring only one man on deck to look out and give directions. This quality may be of use in vessels navigating in high latitudes, instead of the necessity of working ropes covered with icicles; and lastly, so much manual labour is saved in every evolution of the sails, that with the aid of a little mechanical power, in purchasing the anchor, a vessel might certainly be navigated with less hands; a reduction of one in five would not be saying too much.

The disadvantages to be placed against the many advantages above stated, are but trifling. The only one of any moment is the room that the revolving base or bases would occupy on the deck; which objection certainly renders the whole system inadmissible to vessels of war, and vessels with light cargoes, car

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rying lumber on their decks; but for coasters in general, such a loss of room, when compared to the numerous advan tages to be derived from the plan, would be of no consequence, particularly as there would be sufficient space left for the hatchways, for working the cables, and for the stowage of the boats; more space on deck for a vessel worked with few hands is not wanted.

The great changes which this method makes in the manufacture and of the materials of mast and rigging, renders it impossible for me to give an explanation of the different parts within the limits of a Prospectus. I shall therefore only observe, that I propose masts of every description hitherto known to answer on the revolving principle for open boats, decked boats, and small craft in general, vessels employed in inland navigations, coasting vessels, and those navigating intricate channels on rivers in any part of the world. The masts are variously supported according to the tonnage of vessels. In open boats, a flat revolving mast without rigging will answer. For decked boats or small vessels, a wooden or iron pivot supports the whole strain. In larger vessels, rollers are affixed to the circumference of the revolving base, and working between two circular sweeps or rings (which are firmly secured to the gunwales and deck), support the whole of the strain in every direction."

Description of a Coasting Brig with

Revolving Masts.

The prefixed fig. 1 represents a brig rigged on my proposed plan: the quadrangular pyramidal masts and top-masts are all in one, when spars can be procured of sufficient length. They are very materially strengthened by strong braces, (see fig. 2), to which the lower yards are slung, and also by horizontal sheers (see fig. 3), which give the longitudinal support to the sails, unaided by sheets or guys. I, however, propose working them with tackles in "turning to windward," and by machinery when "sailing large;" the masts are equally supported, whether the sails are full or aback; the revolving base for their support is the breadth of the vessel, and at the extremity of the arms are affixed rollers, which work between two rings or sweeps that are firmly bolted to the gunwales and deck-beams, so that the weather sheer-masts are withheld in their pull, and the lee ones resisted in their push. It will be seen that the bowsprit is dispensed with, together with the jib, staysails, and fore and aft mainsail.

In

order to give the required area of effective sanvas, the sails are square, and the required proportion of head-sail is obtained by making the foremast the tallest" mast of the two, precisely the reverse of the old plan, a quantity of non-effective canvas is saved, together with the running rigging, viz. braces, bowlines, and working tacks and sheets-in all about thirty ropes, and those subject to the most wear and tear. The sails are reefed, set, and taken in on the old plan.

PATENT LAWS.

LETTERS VI. AND VII. Sir,-Should the following observations and suggestions meet your approbation, you will oblige the writer by giving them a place in your widely-circulating and useful publication.

It is a wise, just, and salutary principle of the excellent laws and constitution of these realms, that not only every individual, but the family of that individual, under certain restrictions, has the first right to the pecuniary benefit arising from his or her industry, ingenuity, or talents, of whatever description they may be, provided they tend not in their application to the moral or physical injury of others. And this is evidently a principle which must be acknowledged at all times to operate on the human mind as the most powerful stimulus to exertion in the production of whatever in art, science, or literature, or the still more generally useful, though bumble inventions of mechanical genius, it may be turned to, or capable of.

However, it will be found that the practical application of this excellent principle in detail is not as yet by our laws rendered capable of extending an equally fostering influence over the fruits of ingenuity and the offspring of genius, in all their various parts. For instance, the author, compiler, or publisher of every literary production, from the mightiest efforts of human intellect, industry, and learning, to the most insignificant halfpenny ballad that is sung through the streets, has his exclusive property in his work, whatever it may be, so it is not of an

immoral nature, completely secured to him by merely entering it at Stationers'-hall, the doing which is, I believe, attended with little or no expense; while a poor, honest, 'industrious, and hard-working mechanic, with a large family to support by his labours, if he were to invent a piece of mechanism ever so ingenious and so useful, unless he could command and afford to lay out, on the credit of hope's uncertain promise, the vast sum it would require to take out a patent, would run the almost inevitable risk of having the property and benefit of his invention, monopolized by some unprincipled poacher, who, seeing its value, had sufficient wealth to procure a patent, and a sufficient stock of moral turpitude to enable him to prefer his own interest to the juster claim,— nay, the absolute right of poor, honest, unprotected genius.

It is true that the power of giving mechanical genius and industry an exclusive property in its own inventions, is an ancient prerogative of the Crown; and one, perhaps, which has seldom or never been abused. And it is as true that it would be extremely difficult to point out a complete remedy for the evil to which these observations are mainly intended to direct the consideration of your readers in general, but more especially the members of the legislature. But, I believe, there is not a question of doubt, but that our gracious and patriotic Monarch, would not only forego this part of his prerogative with pleasure, if the remedy were once struck out, and the great benefit of the change to an invaluable portion of his subjects laid before him, but that he would generously, by his influence, stimulate the other branches of the legislature to speed the enactment of any measure likely to produce the desired effect.

Doubtless many minds of deep research and unquestionable talent, will be, turned to the consideration of a subject which appears of some importance to the interests of society. It is not, therefore, as supposing my

Two and Sixpence.