CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS FOR DEPRIVING VEGETABLE JUICES AND FERMENTED AND DISTILLED LIQUIDS OF THEIR ACID QUALITIES, ALSO OF THEIR COLOURING MATTER AND ESSENTIAL OILS
Year: 1833

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
COOPER DOUGLAS, of Great Ormond Street, in the County of Middlesex,
Esquire, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty William the Fourth did, by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of that part of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland called England, bearing date at Westminster,
the Twenty-first day of November, in the fourth year of His reign, give
and grant unto me, the said John Cooper Douglas, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said John Cooper Douglas, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, during the term of years therein mentioned, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS FOR
DEPRIVING VEGETABLE JUICES AND FERMENTED AND DISTILLED LIQUIDS OF THEIR
ACID QUALITIES, ALSO OF THEIR COLOURING MATTER AND ESSENTIAL OILS;" in
which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso that I, the said John
Cooper Douglas, shall cause a particular description of 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, to be enrolled in His Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, reference being thereunto
had, may more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Cooper Douglas, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be known and performed, is
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following description
thereof, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention consists,―
First, in absorbing the acids and essential oils of such juices and liquors as
aforesaid by filtering them through vegetable charcoal prepared as herein-after
explained.
Secondly, in afterwards depriving of colouring matter such juices and liquors
as aforesaid by submitting them to the joint action of animal charcoal and
sulphuric acid. And,
Lastly, in afterwards submitting the said juices and liquors to the action of
gypsum by filtering them through a filter of that substance.
And in further compliance with the said proviso, I, the said John Cooper
Douglas, do hereby describe the manner in which my said Invention is to be
performed by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawing annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is

page_text: to two feet square. When this is done my second process begins, which is as
follows:-I take about a gallon of pulverised animal charcoal for about every
thirty-two gallons of syrup, and not exceeding one per cent. of concentrated sul-
phuric acid; and with these ingredients used together, and well stirred through
the liquor, I disengage the colouring matter and other impurities, and the sul-
phuric acid which remains in the liquid I precipitate with lime in the usual
manner. This done, I subject the liquor to my third process, which is merely
causing it to percolate or filter through a bed or filter of finely powdered
gypsum about four inches thick by one to two feet square, the absorbent
properties of which gypsum complete the purification of the liquor.
Now whereas it is evident that such vegetable charcoal as I have herein-
before described as used in my first process, may be made by burning wood in
a proper furnace, that it will reduce it at once to the state that I require
without its being first made into ordinary vegetable charcoal; but I have
thought that the best mode of proceeding was to take ordinary vegetable
charcoal and purify it, as herein-before described. And whereas as different
juices or liquors will of course require different proportions of the said
purified vegetable charcoal, and of the said animal charcoal and sulphuric
acid, no general rule can be laid down; but the object of using these ingre-
dients having been explained, experienced practitioners in the different
branches of manufacture to which my said Invention is applicable will find no
difficulty in ascertaining the proportions necessary for their particular purpose;
but whereas I claim as my Invention,―
Firstly, the use of vegetable charcoal purified as aforesaid for the purpose
of absorbing the acids and essential oils of such juices and liquors as
aforesaid.
Secondly, the use of animal charcoal and sulphuric acid together for the
purpose of cleansing such juices and liquors as aforesaid and depriving them of
their colouring matter; and,
Lastly, the use of gypsum as a filter and absorbent for the more perfect
purification of such juices and liquors as aforesaid.
And such my Invention being, to the best of my knowledge and belief,
entirely new, and never before used within that part of His said Majesty's
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, His said
Dominion of Wales, or Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, I do hereby declare
this to be my Specification of the same, and that I do verily believe this my
said Specification doth comply in all respects fully and without reserve or
disguise with the proviso in the said herein-before in part recited Letters

page_text: Patent contained, wherefore I do hereby claim to maintain exclusive right
and privilege to iny said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Cooper Douglas, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-four.
Inrolled the Twenty-first day of May, One thousand eight hundred and
thirty-four.