The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-09 00:00:00

CONTINENTAL PATENTS.

The French law and practice for, securing inventions
by patents, is, on the whole, well settled and understood
in the country ; patents issuing of course when the
terms of the law are duly complied with. But it is
doubtful to me, whether any other country in Europe,
except England and France, has any settled rules or
unvarying law of patent right. Several years since I insti-
tuted inquiries on this subjcct in Turin, and had some in-
tercourse with an ex-judge on the srbject ; also in Milan,
where I found Austria granted all privileges, and-
in Florence. The Austrian practice in this, as in many
other matters, governs that of the following states, viz.,
Lombardy, Sardinia, Tusqany Modern, Parma, &c.,
Lucca, Two Sicilies, and (if the Pope grant patent rights
for anything else except for nobility and keeping houses
of ill-fame, which is doubtful) Rome also. Austrian

Patents cover Transylvania, liungary, Austria Proper,
Gallicia, Moravia, Bohemia, Styria, Dalmatia, Elyria,
Tyrol, Lombardy, and Venice. The continual petty
piracies and infringements that occur, and all dubious
points on patent r gists, must be discussed and settled
at Vienna, for the above Austrian States. The
mode of application set-ms to be universally through
the Minister of the Interior, with full specifications,
plans, and drawings. He refers these to the Council
of C,mmerce, and they to the Chamber of Merchants,
who report, generally after seeing the thing so far at
work as to lead to the idea that it is feasible, should
the expense not be great or the machinery complicated
or difficult, in which case this is dispensed with, and
more minute inquiries are instituted. On this chamber
forwarding reports, the Minister of the Interior (and if
revenue is effected the Minister of Finance) aevise and
the Sovereign decides. If in favour of the applicant,
the term is generally 15 years, and one year is given to
get to work fairly, which must be certified by competent
judges, and a responsible person is appointed, both cis to
knoecle.lge of the invention and pecuniary means to
carry it into the desired operation, whose name, with a
titular or short description of the object of the patent,

is inserted in the State Gazette, as a reference for
examination, and as authorised to grant licenses. The
favour of a principal member of the Commercial Cham-
ber is always desirable; also the Minister of Commerce
must be interested; and the usual plan is to get the Sove-
reign to see, approve, and protect the invention, both
personally and puldicly. After all, patents have been
generally almost useless in these states, as to increasing
manufactures, or securing profit to the inventors. They
are looked upon with great suspicion and aversion, as,
in most cases, tending to decrease manual labour, and
lower the value and profit of existing machinery and
capital in the trades upon which they operate. Thus in-
vasion is winked at, and if legally and, successfully at-
tacked, onl) vlightly fined. To obtain increased protection,
or time for operation, or indeed any other security or
favour, requires ministerial aid and royal sanction, and
' therefore is dreadfully slow and expensive. There is
also a peculiar feature in the practice of patenting in
these s:ates. It is not only a privilege to use solely a
certain improvement, but often a monopoly to perform
a certain well-known ancient operation (possibly in a
superior, or supposed superior manner) to the exclusion
of the performance of it in the old manner, and even
sometimes all other parties are prohibited from entering
into the business be,ides the patentees and their licen-
tiates. In the exhibition at Milan, in 1825, of the
Lombardo Venetian manufactures, which filled four
large apartments, there were but three patented arti-
cles, viz., a machine for corking bottles—a new clog
with springs—and a new loom for weaving tapestries.
These imperfect remarks, founded on limited experience,
may be concluded by quoting an observation of the
Chevalier Aldini, nephew of the celebrated Galonici, a
man of letters and science, with whom I had agreeable
intercourse at Milan, " That patent rights are but of
little value, unless granted by a liberal government, and
to operate where extensive commerce prevails." Adding
my owe opinion that they are often an injury to trade,
and seldom profitable to the patentee. In ordinary cases
a man will gain more by working an invention quietly,
than through the pretended secu:ity of a patent, thereby
inviting and instructing imitators, through the publicity
given under these patent laws.—Correspondent of the
Aottinyham Review.

GUN COTTON, Tow, AND SAWDUST.-011 Wed-
nesday afternoon we had the pleasure of witnessing at
lAdyWell Quarry several experiments with these explo-
sive compounds, the result of which, we think, fully
warrants the opinion that, as agents for Wasting pur-
poses, they are likely, in a great measure, soon to
supersede common gunpowder. The first experiment
was on an immense mass of granite, into which a two-
inch bore had been made. The rock was charged with
about 22 ounces of gun cotton, as prepared by Mr.
Campbell, druggist, Argyle-street, and on being fired
the result was most surprising, nearly 70 tons of the
metal being brought down by the shock. To have
effected a similar result with gunpowder, we are in-
formed, would have requir. d 181bs. or 201bs. weight.
The superiority of this preparation for blasting was fur-
ther illustrated in the smoothness of the faces of the
pieces of rock which had been separated. A smaller
quantity of the gun tow was next tried •upon a square
piece of stone, about one ten weight. The bore which
was a little one, was made in the centre of the metal,
and the effect of the blast was so equal as to divide the
stone into four parts, all of which were as smooth on the
surface which ,had been operated upon as if wrought
with the chisel. Mr. Campbell superintended the expe-
riments, and the effects were such as even to surprise
the workmen marketed with the quarry.--Glasgow
Cowlick.