CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SOAP, WHICH WILL BE PARTICULARLY APPLICABLE TO THE FELTING OR FULLING OF WOOLLEN CLOTHS
Year: 1836

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
Cox, of the City of Bristol, of the firm of Harding, Cox, and Shaw, Soap
Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Royal Letters Petent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster, the Twenty-second day of March, in the sixth year of
His reign, and in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
thirty-six, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Cox, His especial license, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said John Cox, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said John Cox, my executors, administrators,
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, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SOAP, WHICH WILL BE PARTICULARLY APPLICABLE TO THE
FELTING OR FULLING OF WOOLLEN CLOTHS;" in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso, obliging me, the said John Cox, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the
nature of my 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
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Cox, 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 in and by the following description thereof (that is to say):-
:-
My improvements in the manufacture of soap consist in the use or applica-
tion thereto of animal gall or bile, either in the rough state, as it is collected
from the gall or bile bladders or bags of different animals, or after it has been
refined, clarified, or purified, whereby such improved soap so manufactured
and combined or mixed with the said animal gall or bile, will have greater
purifying, cleansing, or scouring properties than soap of the ordinary kind,
and will therefore be more particularly applicable to the felting or fulling of
woollen cloths or other woven fabrics or stuffs, or in the cleaning, purifying,
or scouring of wool or worsted yarns or goods, or in the cleaning, washing,
or scouring of any other kind of articles, where grease, oily matters, dirt, or
other impurities are to be removed; and which improved soap is also applicable
to all the ordinary purposes of common soap.
And in order that my improvements may be better understood, I shall more
particularly describe the process of mixing or combining the same with the
ordinary ingredients of soap, and state such quantities as I have found to
answer the purpose; but I do not mean or intend to confine myself to the
precise quantities or operation herein stated, as the same may be varied to
suit different kinds or qualities of soap used for different purposes (that is
to say)-
On the second operation of making soap, that is, the boiling of the
materials or ingredients, I put into the copper containing the materials or
goods (as the oily or fatty matters and soda or leys) the animal gall or bile, in
the proportion of about one part of gall or bile to ten parts of the other
materials or goods, and treat or operate upon them by boiling and agitating,
in the usual manner of making or manufacturing soap, until the process is
completed, when the soap is put or run off into frames, moulds, or other S
receptacles as in common; or the animal bile or gall may be mixed with the
oily or fatty matters or the soda or leys, previous to their being put into the
boiling copper.
And I would here remark, that I am aware that animal gall or bile has
been heretofore used in the process of scouring and cleansing woollen and other 3
goods, and for various other purposes, the bile or gall being put into the water
and used with or without soap in the ordinary process of washing; but in this
manner of using the gall, if kept for some time, it corrupts or putrifics, and is
exceedingly disagreeable to the smell; and further, when wanted, gall cannot

page_text: at all times be readily obtained, whereas this improved soap will be an article
of commerce, and at all times be ready for use, and contain the proper
quantity of animal gall or bile required for different purposes. And further,
I am aware that animal bile or gall has of itself been called a soap, I there-
fore particularly wish it to be understood that do I not mean or intend to
claim as my Invention the application or use of animal gall or bile when
unmixed or uncombined with the ingredients of soap; but I claim as my
Invention, secured to me by the above in part recited Letters Patent,―
Firstly, the application and use of animal gall or bile in the manufacture
of soap, when it is in the rough state or as it is collected or comes from
the gall bladders or bags of different animals.
And, secondly, after the said animal gall or bile has been purified, filtered,
or prepared, as is commonly done for artists' use, the said gall or bile being
commixed and combined with the compounds or ingredients of soap, and boiled
or made up therewith in the ordinary process of soap making, the soap thus
made and containing the said animal gall or bile being a manufactured article
of commerce, and fit for all uses where soap is necessary, the rough bile or
gall may be combined with the coarser kinds of soap, as those used in the
felting or fulling of woollen goods, cleausing wool, or other such purposes,
and the refined or purified gall or bile combined with the finer kinds of soap,
and in such proportions as may be found desirable.