A NEW METHOD OF REFINING SUGARS
Year: 1812

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LOUIS
HONORE HENRY GERMAIN CONSTANT, of Blandford Street, Portman Square, in
the Parish of Saint Mary-le-bone and County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS I, the said Louis Honore Henry Germain Constant, did, by
my Petition, humbly represent to His present most Excellent Majesty King
George the Third that I had, by much study, application, and expense, con-
trived, invented, and brought to perfection "A NEW METHOD OF REFINING
SUGARS," and that in regard I was the first and sole inventor thereof, and that
the same had never been practised by any other person or persons whom-
soever, to the best of my knowledge and belief, I humbly prayed His said
Majesty to grant unto me, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, His Royal Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland for the sole use, benefit, and advantage of my said Invention, within
that part of His said Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain called
England, His Dominion of Wales, Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in
His Colonies and Plantations abroad, for the term of fourteen years, according
to the Statute in that case made and provided; and His said Majesty, being
willing to give encouragement to all arts and Inventions that might be for the
public good, was graciously pleased to condescend to my request, and therefore,
by His Royal Letters Patent, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-seventh
day of February, in the fifty-second year of His reign, of His special grace, cer-
tain knowledge, and mere motion, did give and grant unto me, the said Louis
Honore Henry Germain Constant, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, His special
licence, full power, sole priviledge and authority, that I, the said Louis Honore

page_text: Henry Germain Constant, my exors, admors, and assigns, and every of us, by
myself or themselves, or by mine or our deputy or deputies, servants or agents,
or such others as I, the said Louis Honore Henry Germain Constant, my
exors, admors, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times thereafter during the term of years therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend my said
Invention within that part of His Majesty's said United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland called England, His Dominion of Wales, and Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in His Colonies and Plantations abroad, in
such manner as to me, the said Louis Honore Henry Germain Constant, my
exors, adñiors, and assigns, or any of us, should in our discretion seem meet;
and that I, the said Louis Honore Henry Germain Constant, ny exors,
admors, and assigns, should, and lawfully might have and enjoy the whole
profit, benefit, commodity, and advantage from time to time coming, growing,
accruing, and arising by reason of the said Invention, for and during the term
of years therein mentioned; to have, hold, exercise, and enjoy the said licence,
powers, privileges, and advantages therein-before granted or mentioned to be
granted unto me, the said Louis Honore Henry Germain Constant, my exors,
adñiors, and assigns, for and during and unto the full end and term of fourteen
years from the date of the said Presents next and immediately ensuing, and
fully to be complete and ended, according to the Statute in such case made
and provided; in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that if I,
the said Louis Honore Henry Germain Constant, should not particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in His said Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said Letters Patent, that then the said Letters Patent, and all liberties
and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, should utterly cease, determine,
and become void, anything therein-before contained to the contrary thereof
in any wise notwithstanding, as in and by the said Letters Patent, relation
being thereunto had, may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Louis Honore Henry Germain Constant, do hereby declare that the nature of
my said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed,
are particularly described and ascertained as follows, that is to say:_
Firstly, I do prepare the charcoal of wood by washing the same with water,
which clears it of some impurities, supposed to be of a smoky or oily naturo;
and I do then grossly powder the same along with a little water, by means of

page_text: a mill or otherwise; and I do then grind the same very finely, with the
addition of a considerable quantity of water, by means of a mustard mill or
other similar well-known machinery or apparatus for grinding or levigating;
and in this finely-powdered state I do carefully wash the said charcoal, and
draw off, decant, or separate the greatest part of the water, by means of a
filter or strainer or otherwise; and I do form the said charcoal, while in the
consistence of a paste, into masses of any convenient size for keeping, but in
preference about the size of a large cheese; and I do dry the same in the sun,
or by a moderate temperature; after which the same may be kept for use in
casks or other fit packages. And,
Secondly, for clarifying or refining muscovado or other clayed or soft
sugars, I do charge my boiler with a sufficient quantity of water, or of water
containing sugar; and after heating the same to a considerable degree, I do
add the sugar intended to be clarified or refined, taking care by due stirring or
agitation to prevent its burning to the bottom of the vessel; and so soon as
the sugar so added hath been entirely dissolved, I examine the specific gravity
of the solution by the floating instrument called the hydrameter, or by other
well-known means, and I do, by a due addition of more sugar or more water,
as the case may require, bring the solution to that specific gravity which shall
or may be best adapted to the process of clarifying or refining, as is herein-
after set forth and declared; and in order the more speedily and precisely to
determine and express the specific gravities of such solution of sugar as from
time to time I may have occasion to make, I do construct, use, and apply an
hydrometer, made by preference of glass with a bulb or ball, having a loaded
part beneath and a cylindrical stem above; and I do make the said stem of
such dimensions as to admit of forty equal divisions or degrees, to be marked
thereon, of such magnitude, with regard to the intervals or parts of the
stem between each several division or degree, and the division or degree next
and immediately contiguous or adjacent thereto, that every one of the said
intervals or parts shall respectively be equal in bulk to one two hundred and
twenty-sixth part of the bulk of the whole immersed part of the said hydro-
meter when floated in pure water; and I do so adjust my counterpoise, and
do só number the said divisions or degrees, that the uppermost stroke or mark
of division shall be numbered 0, and shall coincide with the surface of pure
water, when the instrument shall be suffered to float therein, and that the
stroke next following beneath the said uppermost stroke shall be numbered 1.
and shall coincide in like manner with the surface of an heavier flued than
water, and the next lower stroke beneath the last-mentioned stroke shall be
numbered 2, and that the successive strokes shall be regularly numbered 3, 4;

page_text: 5, 6, and so forth as far as 40. And I do declare, that whereas the principle
and method of constructing hydrometers or floating instruments are well
known, and the forms and relations of the parts thereof are susceptible of
great variation, I have described the hydrometer I make use of, not because
or in consequence of any supposition that the same is or may be the only
instrument which can or may be used in my said method, but because the
same is preferred by me, and my descriptions herein set forth as to the
expression of specific gravities are adapted thereto, and that I do accordingly
consider it to be unnecessary for me to give any more particular instructions
concerning the same. And further, that in the clarifying or refining of soft
sugars, in case the same be of ordinary or coarse quality, I bring the boiling
syrup to the strength or specific gravity of twenty-eight degrees of my hydro-
meter; or in case the sugar be of good quality, I bring the boiling syrup to
thirty degrees; or in case the sugar be clayed or white, I bring it to thirty-two
degrees. And I do declare, that the utility and advantage of regulating the
specific gravity of the syrups as aforesaid do arise from the consideration that
in case the syrups were too thick or heavy the clarifying by means of the
prepared charcoal, as herein-after directed, would prove less efficacious,
and that in case the syrup was too thin or light it would be needful to
evaporate for a longer time than otherwise, and the said continuance of eva-
poration would more or less injure the colour and beauty of the sugar when
clarified. And further, that as soon as the syrup shall have been made and
brought to the proper specific gravity as aforesaid, I do add to the boiling fluid
a quantity of charcoal, prepared and pulverized as herein-before directed, to
the amount of from five to ten pounds of charcoal for every hundredweight
of sugar which shall or may have been so dissolved in the water in the boiler;
and that I do take care to use a greater quantity of charcoal for coarser sugars
than for such as may be finer, and that in this particular the operator cannot
fail to succeed, although his judgment and knowledge with regard to the
quantities of prepared charcoal to be used with the different qualities of sugar
will necessarily improve by practice, and it is not possible by written in-
structions to point out such smaller variations in the processes as will by such
practice be so indicated. And further, that I do stir up and mix well together
the said charcoal and the syrup, and thereupon I do allow the same to repose
for a short time, and then do urge the fire in order to make the syrup boil up
as speedily as possible, and that when the same shall have risen by ebullition
and arrived nearly to the point of boiling over, I pour in the usual finings of
white of eggs or blood, or other albuminous material, and do well and effectually
mix and agitate the same, after which I again cause the syrup to rise by

page_text: ebullition, in order that the coagulated albumen may rise in the form of skum
only, with the charcoal and the impurities of the sugar, and upon this event
having taken place I allow the whole to remain at rest in a very gentle heat,
and that so soon as the charcoal has accurately risen to the surface I skim off
the same, and when no more charcoal appears to remain I do carefully filter
the
syrup; and moreover, that so soon as the quantity of muscovado or other
soft sugar intended to be clarified shall have been treated as aforesaid, I collect
all the charcoal obtained from the skimmings, and do add thereto a sufficient
quantity of water to allow the same to be well heated with continual stirring,
to prevent its catching or burning to the bottom; and after the same has risen
by boiling I do put out the fire, and throw the charcoal upon the filter, to
separate the weak syrup; and when this last has been separated I wash the
charcoal in pure water made boiling hot in the boiler, and I do make use of
this water in the subsequent processes of solution and clarifying of sugars. And
I do further declare, that in case it should from any cause or circumstance be
inconvenient to wash the charcoal immediately after filtration, no change will
take place by firmentation or otherwise during the space of one month, if the
same should be kept so long.
And I do further declare, that as part of my said Invention or method I
have constructed and do use a furnace for heating, boiling, and evaporating
syrups, in which I do not only avail myself of doors and registers to the grate,
chimney, and ash hole, as used in other works for regulating, damping, or
extinguishing the fire; but I do in particular, and as a peculiar and important
part of my said Invention, construct and use a plate of metal or other fit
material, which can be slided or moved in and out of the fire-place, or
otherwise changed as to the situation thereof, by motion upon bearers or
slides, or rollers or trucks, or wheels, or other similar supports, or upon a joint
or axis, or pin, so that the same plate shall, when requisite and needful, be
suddenly interposed between the bottom of the boiler and the fire or burning
fuel, and shall immediately suspend or prevent the effect of the heat upon the
contents of the said boiler; and in like manner, by a contrary or a different
motion, shall at pleasure be withdrawn or restored to the former or original
position or situation thereof, and shall again inmediately allow the fire or
burning fuel to exert its action against the bottom of the said boiler, and upon
the contents thereof, as before. And I do further declare, that the chief
advantage of that part of my said method which consists in the use of the
said improvements in furnaces are described as follows; namely, that whereas,
notwithstanding the care and attention which may be bestowed in separating
the charcoal by skimming and filtering, as herein-before described, a minute

page_text: proportion of charcoal in extremely fine particles will nevertheless become
perceptible during the subsequent evaporation of the clarified syrup which
will rise to the surface. Now, as soon as the whole thereof shall be observed
to have so arisen, I do check the action of my fire by means of the doors or
registers, and of the plate before mentioned; and when the syrup shall have
become tranquil, and remained so for a few minutes, I do skim off the char-
coal and every other impurity which may have escaped the filter. And further,
that whereas by the draining of the sugars, or in the subsequent refining or
bleaching by clarifying or otherwise, the syrups which flow out must unavoid-
ably remain in the pots for a considerable time, and a certain degree of
fermentation or spontaneous change is found to take place during such interval
of time, by means of which a white skim of considerable acedity and offensive.
smell is produced, which cannot in the ordinary process of evaporation be
sufficiently or effectually evaporated; now, in my said method, so soon as the
first boiling up hath taken place, by means of which the said white aced and
offensive matter arises to the surface, I do check my fire and the effect thereof
as aforesaid, and do suffer the syrup to become and remain tranquil for a
minute or two, and I do then skim off all the white acid and offensive matter.
and such other impurities (if any) as may appear upon the surface of the
syrup, and by this means the syrup is prevented from shewing any other signs
of effervescence, and the grain of the sugar is rendered more beautiful, and the
sugar finer, and of much more clear, delicate, and agreeable flavour than when
refined in the common way. And further, that whereas in the ordinary
process of evaporating syrups it has been found expedient and necessary, when-
ever the fluid rises suddenly so as to endanger the boiling over, to throw in a
piece of butter or grease, which has the effect of checking the boiling, but is
injurious to crystallization, and also to the flavour and smell of the sugar; now
I do in my said method intirely avoid the said inconvenience, and do check
the boiling whenever the same may be required by means of the doors and
registers, and more. especially of the plate, as herein-before described and
directed. And,
Thirdly, with regard to the refining of sugars in lumps, pieces, or loaves,
instead of the old method of clarifying, I do effect and perform the same by
gradual percolation of my purified syrup cold through the said sugars in
order to clear out the coloured syrup or molasses which occupies the inter-
stices between the crystals of the sugar at the first formation thereof; and I do
declare that it is of importance that the syrup made use of for the percolation
should be of a proper strength or specific gravity, because a syrup of too great
strength or specific gravity would not flow with the best advantage, and a

page_text: syrup of little strength or specific gravity would dissolve a part of the crystals
themselves, and thereby make cavities in the mass of sugar through which the
syrup would principally run, and the sugar would not only be rendered of an
uncertain and irregular texture or appearance, but would likewise be impeded
or prevented from obtaining the required degree of purification. And further,
I do declare that the casconades and other white sugars the cold syrup for
percolation must have a strength of thirty-eight degrees, and that if the sugar
be close-grained the syrup must be of the strength of thirty-seven degrees
and a quarter to thirty-seven degrees and an half, but that if the sugar be
light and open-grained the syrup must be used at thirty-eight degrees. And
further, that when the loaves of sugar are to be refined or bleached, the upper
part of the loaf, commonly called the fountain, must be taken off, as usual,
with a knife or other fit instrument, until the sugar appears solid and firm, and
the same then turned upside down in and along with its pot or mould, and
after an hour, more or less, according to the quality of the sugar, I strike or
tap the same upon the block, in order to separate the loaf from its mould, and
do close the aperture which is at the point of the mould with a piece or plug
of rag, and thereafter I do replace the loaf (still in its pot or mould) with
the point downwards as fairly upright as possible, and do suffer the syrup
(naturally inclosed therein) by that means to return to the point of the loaf,
and do afterwards pour on a due quantity of my white purified syrup, which I
take care to have more or less in quantity and even purity according to the
nature of the sugar loaf to be refined, that is to say, if the sugar be already
very fine I add only a small quantity of the whitest syrup, but if the sugar be
yellower I use a larger quantity of syrup, which may be of an inferior quality,
as herein-after mentioned, and at the expiration of from twenty-four to forty-
eight hours, accordingly as the sugar may have been more or less fine at first,
I do take out the plug of rag, and suffer the yellow or dark-coloured syrup to
flow out, at the same time that it becomes replaced by the white syrup, and
the sugar is thereby rendered either perfectly fine or greatly improved,
according to the description of sugar and the process made use of. And I do
further declare, that it is practicable by my said method to bleach and refine all
sugars, without being obliged to turn or agitate them, or to put in a plug, as
before described; but that in this case there would be danger of spots and
irregularity of colour in such sugar loaves near the point as might have been
originally of a dark colour, and also that the flowing out of the first syrup
might render the loaf porous, and allow the white syrup to. pass readily
through the larger passages or pores, instead of performing its office of driving
the yellow syrup before it, and completely refining the sugar, as was intended to

page_text: be done. And further, that I do use and apply the syrup which shall or may
have been used in the purifying by percolation of white sugars of good quality
to purify in like manner the lumps or masses of sugar which shall or may
have been obtained in the first instance from my syrups which have been
purified by means of prepared charcoal in the boiler, as before directed and
And further, that I do use and apply the syrups which shall or
may have been used in the purifying by percolation of the sugars royal, or
sugars of the finest quality, to purify in like manner very good common sugars;
and that the syrup obtained from the last-mentioned percolation may in like
manner be used in purifying the said lumps, so that the same syrup may be
employed in three operations, and afterwards without further preparation may
be boiled to be manufactured into lumps. And lastly, that, in the act or
operation of filtering of the syrup herein-before mentioned and directed to be
performed, I do find it very convenient to support the filter or filtering cloth
upon or within a basket expressly made of a convenient size and figure for
that purpose. and that I do place the filter so supported upon certain bars or
supports fixed across a suitable trough or vessel having a pipe and cock from
the lower part thereof for the purpose and intention of keeping the first
runnings (which are less clear) from the subsequent clear runnings, and of
returning the said first runnings again to the filter, as is usual to be done in
operations of this or the like nature.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set and affixed my hand and seal, the
First of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred