CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS BY WHICH THE NAMES OF STREETS AND OTHER INSCRIPTIONS WILL BE RENDERED MORE DURABLE AND CONSPICUOUS
Year: 1826

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PETER
MACKAY, of Great Union Street, Borough Road, in the County of Surrey,
Gentleman, send grecting.
WHEREAS I, the said Peter Mackay, in consequence of a communication,
made to me by a certain foreigner residing abroad, am in possession of an.
Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS BY WHICH THE NAMES OF STREETS AND
OTHER INSCRIPTIONS WILL BE RENDERED MORE DURABLE AND CONSPICUOUS ;" and,
whereas His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Thirteenth day of December, in the seventh year of His
reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the.
said Peter Mackay, His especial licence, that I, the said Peter Mackay, my
exors, adiñiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Peter Mackay, my
exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no. others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, the said Invention of certain
improvements by which the names of streets and other inscriptions will be
rendered more durable and conspicuous; in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso, obliging me, the said Peter Mackay, by an instrument in.
writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of

page_text: Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being there-
unto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Peter Mackay, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention to consist
in the application of enamel on the glass to the purposes of inscriptions which
are to be exposed to the weather, such as the names of streets and firms, and
notices of the situation of fire-plugs, and the letters on signs and guide posts.
And in further compliance with the said proviso, I, the said Peter Mackay, do
hereby describe the manner in which the said Invention is to be performed by
the following description thereof (that is to say):
.
I take a piece of ordinary window glass, or glass of even an inferior descrip-
tion, and carefully clean it from dirt and grease, then paint a letter or word on
the glass with liquid white enamel, ground for use in the ordinary manner;
the mode I have generally adopted as the most ready for getting a well-
shaped letter is that of placing a brass cut letter as a model under the glass,
which shews through, and then painting over it. In order to form the letter
perfectly, as the enamel is apt to run, the parts which have overrun the line
must be removed with a fine pointed pencil, stick, or any point of that kind,
and then wiped off the glass with a clean rag, the glass with the letter or work
so made out upon it is then put into an ordinary enameller's furnace. and
brought to the heat that will fuse the enamel, the fire is then taken off and the
glass is allowed to cool in the furnace, and when removed is ready to be applied
for some of the purposes of the said Invention as follows; that is to say :-I
black over the back of. the glass 'with varnish or paint, and having carefully
bedded it in any suitable composition (I have preferred Hamlin's patent mastic),
I set it in a cast-iron or other frame, when it will be fit for use, and it will be
found that no effect will be produced by the weather on the letter or word so
formed, however. exposed the situation may be in which it is placed. It should
here. be observed that any colored enamel may be used, and that I sometimes
perform the said Invention by covering any portion of the glass with the liquid
enamel: and then picking out the letters; by which means the ground becomes
enamel and the letters glass, which answers the same purpose. Now, whereas,
letters have often been formed with arid in enamel on glass heretofore, but
whereas. I claim as the said Invention the application of letters so formed, as
herein-before described, to the purposes of all out-door inscriptions which are
exposed to the action of the sun, air, and weather, and such 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

page_text: called England, His said Dominion of Wales, or Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, I do hereby claim this to be my Specification of the same, and that I
do very 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 Patent contained, wherefore I hereby claim to maintain
exclusive right and privilege to the said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Peter Mackay, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Thirteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and twenty-seven.