IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS TO BE. APPLIED TO ANY KIND OF FIRE-ARMS OR DEFENSIVE INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1803

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JAMES STURMAN SEARLES, of Little Alie Street, in the Parish of
Saint Mary, Whitechapel, in the County of Middlesex, Gun Maker,
send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the
Third, by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster,
the Third day of December, in the forty-fourth year of His reign, did.
give and grant unto me, the said James Sturman Searles, my exors,.
adiiors, and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said James Sturman Searles, my exors, adiñiors,.
and assigns, by myself and then selves, or by my or their deputy or
deputies, servants or agents, or such others as I, the said James
Sturman Searles, my exors, adñiors, or 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 express'd, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend my "IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS TO BE.
APPLIED TO ANY KIND OF FIRE-ARMS OR DEFENSIVE INSTRUMENTS," within.
that part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called
England, the Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
in such manner as to me, the said James Sturman Searles, my exors,

page_text: adiñors, and assigns, or any of us, should in our discretion seem meet;
in which said Letters Patent is. contained a proviso that if I, the said
James Sturman Searles, 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 scal, and
cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within one calendar month 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, deter-
mine, and become void, anything therein-before contained to the contrary
thereof in anywise notwithstanding, as in and by the said Letters Patent.
relation being thereunto had, may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that T, the said James Sturman Searles, in pur-
suance of and in compliance with the said proviso, do hereby describe and
ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and declare the same is to be
performed in mariner following (that is to say):
A, B; Figure 1, represents the side view of a rifle gun. C, is two
holes made across the sides of the stock to make fast the breech'D,
which is let into the stock by a groove which is made through the head
of the stock Cand-across the said breech D, so as to draw both sides
together and to inake the breech fast. E, is the front of the lock of-the
said rifle gun. F, isa sier placed in the breast of the cock, and turns
round on a pin 'fix't in the plate. G, is also a sier placed under the cock,
and is turned round on a pin placed in the said plate likewise. H, is a
trigger plate attached to the stock under the lock. I, is a lever. J, is also
a lever. K, is a piece of iron attached to the 'two levers I, and J, which
levers are both turned round on the trigger plate H, near the center of
I, and J. The drawing of the piece of iron towards the but end turns
the lever I, which is placed in the sier F, and likewise turns the lever J,
against tlie sier G, which discharges the lock K.
Figure 2, represents a 'side view of a barrel and stock. "M, is a
rod made to put through the center of the stock from the but end up
to the pipes N, and fixed on the barrel or stock. A screw is put through
the pipe or pipes and through. the rod malso, by which means the
barrel, stock, and rod draw together. The barrel and stock are made'
to part in the same manner as the joint of a flute, and leaves the"

page_text: breech end O, behind. The. barrel being pulled back; the end of the
rod M on the but is catched by means of a spring when jointed to the;
breech end O, which makes the barrel secure when jointed.
P, Q, Figure 3, represents the front view of a gun lock. R, is a
hole made through the plate. S, is a sier with a double nose, and is
placed through the hole R, in the plate; a screw is put through the,
bridle of the lock and through the sier S, which is screw'd into a
plate attached to the front of the lock so as to admit of the sier S, to;
be free to turn on the tumbler, which will at the same time catch hold:
of the cock also. T, is a holo on the bottom of the lock plate. V,,
is an iron pin which works through the hole T, which pin V works,
through across the stock; and on the side piece side a lever U; is
fixt to the iron pin V, so as to draw it back from the hole T, which
admits of the cock W to pass, which cock W rests on the pin V. X,
is the top jaw, made flat to receive the thumb so as to act as a lever to.
draw the cock W, up. Y, is the hammer spring which presses on the
heel of the hammer to secure the powder. Z, is a piece of iron at the
back, placed across the fore end of the plate to keep the hammer spring
to the piece of iron Z, which is by means of a screw at top. a, N° 1,.
is a sier with solid pivots to be attached to a gun lock. b, c, N° 2,
represents the top strap of a pistol. d, is a piece of iron screwed on the
top by a pin which turns sideways. c, is a spring. f. is the end of the
piece of iron d. g, h, N° 3, is a side piece side of a pistol, on which ir
is a lever, placed with a pin against the end of the piece of iron f, in
No 2, which is turn'd by lever P, fixt on under the strap of the pistol
so as to discharge the lock, which at the same time throws the piece of
iron f, sideways from under the bearer of the cock, and admits of a free.
passage to the hammer. j, k, No 4, is the same action of b, c, N° 2;
and g, h, No 3, only to the reverse. l, m, No 5, is commonly called a
jaw and lever, placed on the top of thic cock of a gun to hold the flint;
n, is also a lever, made to extend across the lock so as to catch the:
second cock, which may be placed abreast of each other so as to draw
both cocks up at one time.
o, Figure 4, represents a brass plate to be attached under the lock:
plate or frame of any lock; p, is a piece of iron placed on with a pin;
7, is a lever; r, is a trigger plate hole; s, is the trigger. Trigger s, is

page_text: placed as usual in the trigger plate hole r. The lever, is laid across
the notch t, of the triggers, when in the trigger plate hole r. Trigger
8, being pulled as usual, turns the lever g, which causes the piece of
iron p, to turn sideways round a pin, the end of the piece of iron p
resting in a notch cut in the piece of iron , which throws the piece
of iron v, backward and forward, which works so as to coinc under the
forc part of the cock of the lock, and by that means it keeps the cock at
a proper distance from the hammer without the assistance of a second
bent. , No 6, is the trigger of a gui lock. w, N° 7, is a trigger blade.
x, No 8, is a piece of iron in which a screw is put through the center;
and the piece of iron a, is fixt to the frame of the trigger plate y
behind the joint where the two triggers u, and w, are placed, which
works through the slit made in the front view of letter, and the pull-
ing the trigger ut, as usual throws the said trigger u, up to discharge
the lock, and by pushing it back towards the muzzle it turns up to the
trigger blade w, and discharges the other lock which might be attached
to a double gun.
A, Figure 5, is a piece of iron attached to the socket of a bayonet.
B, is a lever placed across the socket on the piece of iron A, which
turns backward and forward by means of a spring at the back of the
piece of iron A. C, is a spring attached to the barrel of a gun. D,
and E, are two pieces of iron made fast on the barrel of a gun, by
which the spring C, is placed so as to catch the rim of the bayonet
socket, which is released by lever B. F, N° 9, represents the fore
end of a lock plate, hammer, and spring, which slides backward and
forward across the pan to secure the powder. G, and H, are two
pieces of iron to be fixed on a gun barrel to hold the rod and sword.
I, No 10, represents a bayonet which slides backward and forward by
means of a piece of iron fixed on a barrel, and is catched at each end
by a spring and lever fixed in hole J. K, N° 11, and L, No 12,
represent a side view of two pistols; those two pistols may be attached
abreast of each other, so as to admit of a sword blade to pass down the
middle to the top front of the handle, and may both be made to cock
by the lever l, m, No 5, at one time, and discharged by means of a
lever fixed under and across the lower part of the pistols. M, N° 13,
is an iron catch with a joint and spring, to be fixed on the side piece

page_text: side of a pistol; it opens and shuts to receive a sword blade, and is dis-
charged when fixt on the top of the handle by means of a lever under
and across the stock. N, N° 14, is a piece of iron to be attached to
the side of the pistol L, No 12, to receive a sword blade. R, Nº 15,
is a sword handle made solid, and a groove is made on one side to
receive a spring S, and hollow on the other to eclipse a barrel. A
ferrule is fixt on the top of the handle and through the blade of the
sword to come over the end of the barrel, being slid down to the piece
of iron H, on the barrel, and is catched by the spring which lays in the
groove of the handle and made tight; it is discharged by the lever fixt
in the spring on the handle. T, No 16, is the figure of a ball with a
tail fixt in it, made to calliper, to be fixed from a gun barrel. V,
No 17, represents a harpoon to spear fish; is made of wire twisted and
braz'd together, solid at each end W and X, and tin'd afterwards to
support each other. Y, No 18, is a piece of iron put through the nib
of a lock, and turns round a pin to bolt the hammer.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Sturman Searles, have here-
unto set my hand and scal, this Second day of January, One
thousand eight hundred and four.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Second day of January,
in the year of our Lord 1804, the aforesaid James Sturman Searles
came before our said Lord the King, in His Chancery, and acknow-
ledged the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein
contained and specified, in form above written. And also the Specifi-
cation aforesaid was stampt according to the tenor of the Statutes
made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Second day of January, in the year of our Lord Onc