AN INVENTION WHEREBY A REQUISITE QUANTITY OF AIR WOULD INTRODUCE ITSELF INTO ANY VESSEL CONTAINING FLUIDS OR A SUPERABUNDANT QUANTITY OF AIR THEREIN DISCHARGE ITSELF SO AS TO PRESERVE THE FLUID IN A CONSTANT STATE FOR USE, NOTWITHSTANDING A DIMINUTION OF ITS QUANTITY, AND PREVENT ITS BEING FLAT OR DEAD BY AN IMPROPER COMMUNICATION WITH THE EXTERNAL AIR OR THE BURSTING OF THE VESSEL BY THE EXPANSION OF ITS CON- TENTS, AS FREQUENTLY EXPERIENCED BY PERSONS CONSERVING LIQUORS, PARTICULARLY WHEN FERMENTING
Year: 1802

page_text: TO ALL PERSONS TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME,
THOMAS BARNETT, of East Street, Lambeth, in the County of Surrey, Mathe-
matical Instrument Maker, sends greeting.
WHEREAS by His Majesty's Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of
Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster, the Sixth day of November now
last past, after reciting that the said Thomas Barnett had, by his Petition,
humbly represented unto His Majesty that he had, after much trouble, labour,
and expence, discovered "AN INVENTION WHEREBY A REQUISITE QUANTITY OF AIR
WOULD INTRODUCE ITSELF INTO ANY VESSEL CONTAINING FLUIDS OR A SUPERABUNDANT
QUANTITY OF AIR THEREIN DISCHARGE ITSELF SO AS TO PRESERVE THE FLUID IN A
CONSTANT STATE FOR USE, NOTWITHSTANDING A DIMINUTION OF ITS QUANTITY, AND
PREVENT ITS BEING FLAT OR DEAD BY AN IMPROPER COMMUNICATION WITH THE
EXTERNAL AIR OR THE BURSTING OF THE VESSEL BY THE EXPANSION OF ITS CON-
TENTS, AS FREQUENTLY EXPERIENCED BY PERSONS CONSERVING LIQUORS, PARTICULARLY
WHEN FERMENTING," that he was the first and true Inventor thereof, and that
the same had never been made or used by any other person or persons, to the
best of his knowledge and belief; and therefore praying that His Majesty
would be graciously pleased to grant unto him, his executors, administrators,
and assigns, His Royal Letters Patent, for the sole use, benefit, and advantage
of his said Invention within that part of His Dominion called England, His
Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, for the term of
fourteen years, according to the Statute, in that case made and provided;
His Majesty was graciously pleased, for Himself, His heirs and successors,
to give and grant unto the said Thomas Barnett, his executors, administrators,
and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that

page_text: he the said Thomas Barnett, his executors, administrators, and assigns, and
every of them, by himself and themselves, and by his and their deputy or
deputies, servants or agents, or such others as he, the said Thomas Barnett,
his 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 his said Invention within that part of His Majesty's United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland called England, His Dominion of Wales, and Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as to him, the said Thomas Barnett,
his executors, adñiors, and assigns, or any of them, should in his or their
discretion seem meet, and that he, the said Thomas Barnett, his executors,
administrators, and assigns, should and lawfully might have and enjoy the
whole profit, benefit, commodity, and advantage from time to time accruing
and arising by reason of the said Invention, for the term of years therein;
to hold, exercise, and enjoy the said licence, powers, privileges, and advantages
unto the said Thomas Barnett, his executors, administrators, and assigns, for
the term of fourteen years from the date of the said Letters Patent, according
to the Statute in such cases made and provided; in which said Letters Patent
is contained a proviso that if the said Thomas Barnett should not particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of his said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, by an instrument in writing under his hand
and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within one calendar month next ensuing the date of the said Letters
Patent, that then the same Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages what-
sever thereby granted, should utterly cease, determine, and become void, as
by the said Letters Patent, reference being thereto had, will more fully appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in pursuance of the proviso herein-before mentioned
to be contained in the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, I, the said
Thomas Barnett, do hereby declare that my said Invention is described in
the Plan hereunto annexed, and in the particulars herein-after set forth, that
is to say:-
It consists of a tube, which may be made of glass, earthenware, brass,.
copper, or any metal or material of which a tube can be formed, which tube
resembles in shape in the upper part an inverted syphon, into which is to be
inserted such a quantity of quicksilver or other fluid as will fill up the diameter
thereof. At the curve or circular bottom of the instrument, the long leg
or branch of which is to be inserted into the vent hole, bung hole, or
aperture in the upper part of the cask or vessel, which hole or apperture
should be so closed as totally to prevent any air from passing into or out of

page_text: the cask or vessel excepting through the tube, th
be, that by every alteration either of the quan
cask or vessel, or its state, the quicksilver or
fluid in the tube will be operated upon, and will
vibrate or be forced towards the enlarged part of
either of the branches of that part of the tube
denominated herein an inverted syphon, and
marked A and B in the delineation thereof, as the
case may be, so as to permit a sufficient quantity
of air to introduce itself into the cask or vessel,
or to emit itself therefrom, as occasion may
require, inmediately after which the quicksilver
or fluid will resume its situation, operating in
principle as a perpetual stopper, valve, or regu-
lator, by which properties the Invention possesses
the advantage of adjusting the atmosphere within
the cask or vessel, preserving thereby the liquor
in a constant state for use, and preventing its
becoming dead or flat, notwithstanding a dimi-
nution of its quantity, and also of preventing its
bursting the cask or vessel during its fermen-
tation, which it must inevitably do when the cask
or vessel is closed with the common vent peg,
and which, if taken out to prevent this incon-
venience, and not reinserted the instant ferm
circulation of the atmospherick air on the surface
it to become dead and flat and unfit for use, both
or regulator in question is calculated effectually to
In witness whereof the said Thomas Ba
scribed and set his hand and seal, the S
the forty-third year of the reign of our S
Third, by the grace of God of the United
and Ireland King, Defender of the Fai
Lord One thousand eight hundred and two

page_text: JN° SPRANGER.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Sixth day of December,
in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid Thomas. Barnett came before
our Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of
the Statute in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the same Sixth day of December, in the year above written.