A NEW METHOD OF RAISING THE SUPPLY OF OIL IN LAMPS
Year: 1787

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PETER
KEIR, of Edinburgh, in Scotland, Mathematical Instrument Maker, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, by the
grace of God of Great Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defender of the
Faith, and so forth, by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great
Britain, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-ninth day of January, in
the twenty-seventh year of His reign, reciting that whereas I, the said Peter
Keir, had, by my Petition, humbly represented unto His said Majesty that
I had, after great study, labor, and expence, invented and brought to per-
fection "A NEW METHOD OF RAISING THE SUPPLY OF OIL IN LAMPS;" that I am
the first and true Inventor thereof, and that the same was not known to or
used by any other person or persons to the best of my knowledge and belief;
His said Majesty did, of His special grace, certain knowledge, and meer motion,
for Himself, His heirs and successors, by the said Letters Patent give and grant
unto me, the said Peter Kier, my executors, administrators, and assigns, His
Majesty's especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority) that I, the
said Peter Keir, my executors, administrators, or assigns, by myself and them-
selves, or by mine and their deputy or deputies, servants or agents, or such
others as I, the said Peter Kier, my exors, adññors, or ass, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term of years therein expressed, [should and lawfully might make,

page_text: use, exercise, and vend my said Invention within that part of His Kingdom
of Great Britain called England, His Dominion of Wales, and Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as to me, the said Peter Keir, my
a executors, admors, or assigns, or such others as I, th*
my executors,
administrators, 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
expressed,] should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend my said
Invention within that part of Great Britain called England, His Dominion
of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as to me, the
said Peter Kier, my executors, admors, and assigns, or any of them, should
in mine or their discretion seem meet, and that I, the said Peter Kier, my
executors, administratörs, and assigns, should and lawfully might have and
enjoy the whole profit, benefit, commodity, and advantage from time to time
coming, growing, accruing, and arising by reason of the said Invention, for
and during the term of years therein mentioned, to have, hold, exercise, and
enjoy the said licence, powers, priviledges, and advantages therein-before
granted or mentioned to be granted unto me, the said Peter Keir, my execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, for and during and unto the full end and term
of fourteen years from the date of the said Letters Patent next and imme-
diately ensuing, and fully to be compleat and ended, according to the Statute
in such case made and provided; in which said Letters Patent is contained
a provisoe that if I, the said Peter Keir, 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 seal, 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 those His
said Letters Patent, that then those His said Majesty's Letters Patent, and
all libertys and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, should utterly cease,
determine, and become void, anything therein-before contained to the con-
trary thereof in anywise notwithstanding, as by the said Letters Patent, relation
being thereunto had, may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Peter Keir, in pursuance of the said
provisoe in the said Letters Patent contained, do hereby describe and ascertain
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, as follows, that is to say :-
My method of raising the supply of oil in lamps is, by the application and
use of another fluid whose specifick gravity is greater than of the oil used,
communicating with each other by means of certain receivers, pipes, tubes,
vessels, or conductors, herein-after described, so constructed, formed, and

page_text: placed, that a sufficient quantity of a heavier fluid may, by its weight, be
brought to act upan and press upwards a column of oil of any altitude to
which the oil may be required to be raised, for the purpose of gradually
feeding and supplying the lamp with oil for consumption, and by such action
and pressure upwards may support, elevate, and raise the column of oil to
the required altitude, and which will be effected by making the perpendicular
altitude of a column of the heavier fluid bear the same proportion to the
perpendicular altitude of the required column of oil as the specific gravity
of the oil bears to the specific gravity of the fluid, and by continuing the pipe,
tube, vessel, or conductor in which the fluid is contained below the lower
surface of the column of oil, which will also be the surface of contact between
the two fluids when in equilibrium, the weight of the fluid will be brought
to act on the lower surface of the oil and support the column, by which
means not only the lamp will be supplied with the purest particles of the oil
from the upper surface, but also the flame will be greatly elevated above the
body of the vessel containing the fluid, and be supplied from a contracted
surface of oil, and thereby diffuse a more extended light, with a considerable
diminution of shade. The continuance of the supply of oil to the lamp for
any time required is effected by means of two vessels or receivers of similar
dimensions, one of which I call the upper receiver, intended to contain, the
heavier fluid, and communicating with the other, which I call the lower
receiver, by means of a pipe, tube, vessel, or conductor, through which the
heavier fluid is made to pass into the lower receiver, and to fill the lower
parts of that receiver. The lower receiver being closed on all sides, except as
to the apertures for the tubes or conducters, may be made to contain any
quantity of oil,sufficient for the supply of the lamp for the time being, which
must be raised by means of a pipe, tube, vessel, or conductor fixed to the
upper part of the lower receiver, and extending above the upper receiver in
any convenient direction to the height. to which the oil is required to be raised
for the purpose of such supply; and the upper receiver, being open at the
top for the admission of air, must be likewise made to contain a sufficient
quantity of fluid for the purpose of gradually raising the oil out of the
other receiver through the said pipe, tube, vessel, or conductor, placed in the
lower receiver, and communicating with the burner for the supply of the
lamp. The pressure upwards of the heavier fluid upon the lower surface of
the column of oil being in proportion to the weight of the perpendicular
column, it is evident, that the larger, the superficies of those receivers is made
with a given altitude,, the greater will be their contents and the longer will

page_text: the lamps be continued to be supplied with oil. The upper part of the pipe
tube, vessel, or conductor, made for the passage of the oil to the flame, may
be made suitable to any kind of burner required to be used, and may be
applied as well to such lamps as have an internal and external current of
air, as to common lamps. The vessels being thus constructed, a quantity of
the heavier fluid must be first poured in, sufficient to support the oil that is
intended to be used at the height required, and the oil and fluid in equilibrium.
The surface of the contact of the oil and fluid shall be within the lower
receiver, and above the mouth or opening of the tube, pipe, vessel, or con-
ductor through which the fluid passes from the upper or lower receiver, which
will prevent the ascent of the oil through that tube; the fluid then poured
in will descend to the lowest of the vessels, after which the oil may be poured
in at the upper end of the pipe, tube, vessel, or conductor, near the burner,
which descending through that tube, pipe, vessel, or conductor will come into
contact with the fluid, and continually press by its weight upon the upper
surface of the fluid, and thereby impel the fluid back throught the lower
pipe, tube, vessel, or conductor into the upper receiver, untill the oil and
fluid are in equilibrium, whereby the upper surface of the oil will be raised
above the upper surface of the fluid, in the inverse proportions of their specific
gravities, and the oil being prevented from ascending through the lower con-
ductor into the upper receiver by the weight of the fluid, will remain in the
upper tube, pipe, vessel, or conductor, and the higher parts of the lower
receiver, so that during the burning of the lamp and the gradual consumption
of oil, and the consequent decrease on the lower surface of the oil will be
diminished, so that the oil will no longer be repelled or drawn up to the
flame, that continuance evidently depending uppon the descent of the fluid
in the upper reservoir, and which descent will be accellerated or retarded by
the less or greater quantity of fluid contained in a given perpendicular height
of the upper receiver. The fluid to be made use of may be a solution of
salts in water, or any other fluid specifically heavier than the oil used, accord-
ing to the heighth required to raise the oil above the upper surface of the
heavier fluid, and of such a quality that it will not easily incorporate with
the oil, nor injure the materials of which the vessels or lamps are to be made.
The vessels may be made of tin, brass, copper, silver, glass, porcelaine, and
various other materials, and in various forms, shapes, and constructions
adapted to the various lamps to which this Invention may be applied. The
same Invention may be applied to raise a supply of oil in lamps with various
branches or burners, by constructing the vessels in such manner that the

page_text: lunin of the heavier fluid may support various columns of oil, according to
e number of branches or burners.
In witness whereof, I, the said Peter Keir, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of February, One thousand seven
hundred and eighty-seven, and in the twenty-seventh year of the
reign of our said Sovereign Lord George the Third, by the grace
of God of Great Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defender of the
Faith, and so forth.
Inrolled this Twenty-seventh day of February, in the year above
mentioned.