IMPROVEMENTS IN CIGARS, CIGARETTES, AND CHEROOTS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Palmer Surgey, of Hackney, in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CIGARS,
CIGARETTES, AND CHEROOTS."
Sealed the 22nd December 1854, and dated the 25th September 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Palmer Surgey
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th September 1854.
I, WILLIAM PALMER SURGEY, of Hackney, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "INPROVE-
MENTS IN CIGARS, CIGARETTES, AND CHEROOTS," to be as follows:-
The improvements consist in affixing or applying to the lighing end of each
cigar, cigarette, or cheroot a portion of matter, mixture, or composition capable
of being ignited by friction or other pressure, and in such manner that the
matter, mixture, or composition will for the time form a component part of
the cigar, cigarette, or cheroot, whereby the same may be lighted without the
necessity for the application of other separate lighting means. I do not confine
myself to any particular matter, mixture, or composition, but use any matter,
mixture, or composition suitable to be employed in the production of fusces,
vestas, or other instantaneous lights or igniters, and the matter, mixture, or
composition employed I apply to the end of the cigar, cigarette, or cheroot
when dry and hard by gum or other suitable adhesive, which I prefer to be
tlrickened by nitrate of potash or saltpetre; or the matter, composition, or
mixture may be applied (by dipping or otherwise) to the ends of the cigars,
cigarettes, or cheroots when such matter, composition, or mixture is in a
semi-fluid or pasty state; but this may be varied.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Palmer Surgey in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 24th March 1855.
.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
PALMER SURGEY, of Hackney, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, send
greeting.
C
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Palmer Surgey, Her special licence that I, the said William
Palmer Surgey, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said William Palmer Surgey, my executors, administrators, and assigns.
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CIGARS, CIGARETTES, AND CHEROOTS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Palmer Surgey, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Palmer Surgey, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof (that is to say) :-
The improvements consist in affixing or applying to the lighting end of each
cigar, cigarette, or cheroot a portion of matter, mixture, or composition capable
of being ignited by friction or other pressure, and in such manner that the
matter, mixture, or composition will for the time form a component part of
the cigar, cigarette, or cheroot, whereby the same may be lighted without the
necessity for the application of other separate lighting means. I do not confine
myself to any particular matter, mixture, or composition, but use any matter,
mixture, or composition suitable to be employed in the production of fusees,
vestas, or other instantaneous lights or igniters; and the matter, mixture, or
composition employed I apply to the end of the cigar, cigarette, or cheroot

page_text: when dry and hard by gum or other suitable adhesive, which I prefer to be
thickened by nitrate of potash or saltpetre; or the matter, composition, or
mixture may be applied (by dipping or otherwise) to the ends of the cigars,
cigarettes, or cheroots when such matter, composition, or mixture is in a
semifluid or pasty state; but this may be varied.
But that the nature of the Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me.
I first
prepare the ends to be lighted of the cigars, cigarettes, or cheroots by dipping
such ends in a solution of gum or glue, or other suitable adhesive, by which
the adhesion of the ignitable matter to the ends of the cigars, cigarettes, or
cheroots will be better secured. I find also that the application of such matters
has a tendency to prevent the ignitable mixture from having any unpleasant
effect upon the cigar, cigarette, or cheroot, as also to strengthen that part of
the cigar, cigarette, or cheroot, and prevent its opening by the friction applied.
I thicken the adhesive with a small quantity. of nitrate of potash (salupetre),
which I prefer to be previously heated, in order to liberate the water combined
with it; and in some cases also I have added a small quantity of finely powdered
charcoal, and when desired to give flavour to the mixture I have also added a
small quantity of cascarilla bark or other flavouring matter.
Having prepared the ends of the cigars, cigarettes, or cheroots by the
application thereto of such or other suitable combustible adhesive, I allow them
to get well dry, and then I apply the ignitable composition, either in a dry or
semi-fluid or pasty state; and I would here repeat, that I do not confine myself
to any particular composition, but use any such as are employed when pre-
paring splints as lucifers or fusees, or vestas, or other instantaneous lights.
But one which I have found to answer the purpose well consists of glue, three
pounds; phosphorous, twenty-four ounces, melted and mixed together; and to
which I add, in powder, well mixed together, nitrate of potash, eight ounces;
resin, six ounces; Venetian red or other colouring matter, to give colour to the
composition, one and a quarter pounds; glass, half pound; whiting, one and a
half pounds.
When the ignitable composition is to be applied in the dry state, I again
moisten the end of the cigar, cigarette, or cheroot by the application of a small
quantity of such adhesive matter sufficient to retain the iguitable composition.
When the ignitable composition is to be applied in a semi-fluid or pasty state,
I having first prepared the ends of the cigars, cigarettes, or cheroots, as above
stated, I simply dip those ends in the composition, so as to take up the desired
quantity, or apply the same by means of a piece of wood or other suitable
instrument. In any case I only apply such quantity of the ignitable com-

page_text: position as will when dry be sufficient, upon the application of friction, as when
lighting "lucifers," "fusees," "vestas," or other instantaneous lights, to produce
the desired ignition to the cigars, cigarettes, or cheroots.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the means I
pursue in carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that I am
aware splints of wood or other matter with combustible and ignitable com-
position applied thereto have been inserted into the ends of cigars, and then by
the application of friction to such combustible composition the cigars have been
ignited; but such combustible compositions were formed separately, and were
capable of being ignited separately, for the purpose of lighting; and, to the best
of my belief, such application has been found objectionable, from the trouble
occasioned in effecting the insertion of the wood or other matter to which the
combustible composition was applied, and by the injury to the cigar by breaking
the end of it in effecting such insertion. I do not therefore claim for the
application of such composition to the ends of cigars, cigarettes, or cheroots in
the form of separate instruments to be applied when formed into igniters, as
my Invention consists in applying the composition so as to form the igniter on
to and as a part of the cigar, cigarette, or cheroot, whereby such ignitable
matter, mixture, or composition becomes a component part of such cigars,
cigarettes, or cheroots to be ignited by the simple application of friction, as
when lighting "fusees," "vestas," "lucifer" matches, and other such instan-
taneous lights, as explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Palmer Surgey, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
WILLIAM PALMER SURGEY. (L.S.).
Witness,
WILLIAM BROOKES,
78, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agent.