AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
Year: 1818

page_text: HILLS AND HADDOCK'S SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
HILLS, of Bromley, in the County of Middlesex, Merchant, and URIAH
HADDOCK, late of the City Terrace, City Road, in the County of Middlesex,
and now of Saville Place, Mile End Road, in the said County of Middlesex,
Chemist, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present Majesty King George the Third, in and by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Nineteenth day of
May last, for Himself, His heirs and successors, did give and grant unto us,
the said Thomas Hills aud Uriah Haddock, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, His special licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that we,
the said Thomas Hills and Uriah Haddock, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, and every of them, by ourselves, or by our deputy or deputies,
servants or agents, or such others as we, the said Thomas Hills and Uriah
Haddock, our 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, exercise,
and vend our Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF

page_text: SULPHURIC ACID within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed; in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso obliging
us, the said Thomas Hills and Uriah Haddock, or one of us, by an instru-
ment in writing under our hands and scals, or under the hand and seal of onc
of us, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, and 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 recited Letters Patent, as
in and by the same, reference being therefo had, will more fully appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
Thomas Hills and Uriah Haddock, do hereby describe and ascertain the
nature of our said Invention by the following description thereof (that is
to say):-
From the well-known fact that in the common method of manufacturing
sulphuric acid a very imperfect combustion of sulphur is effected, and, in con-
sequence thereof, a considerable portion of the product of that combustion,
instead of becoming condensed sulphuric acid, evaporates, and is wholly lost,
and the residuum of the articles employed become of little or no value to the
manufacturer; and also upon the discovery which we have made, that sul-
phuric acid can be manufactured from metallic and other sulphurets, or any
other substance or substances in which sulphur is contained in a state of
chemical union, and the residuums of such sulphurets or other substances be
converted into articles of valuable consideration in commerce, we have esta-
blished and adopted the following operations, videlicit :-
In the first instance, we do employ one or more vessel or vessels for the
purpose of combustion, and another or others for the purpose of effecting the
condensation into sulphuric acid.
Secondly, we do ignite metallic or other sulphurets, or any other substances
in which sulphur is contained in a state of chemical union, in one or more
vessel or vessels, for the purpose of combustion, in such manner that there be
a sufficient supply of atmospheric air, or other imponderable substance or sub-
stances containing oxygen, capable of being extracted by sulphur or sulphurous
vapour passing through and in contact with the ignited matter in the combus-
tion vessel or vessels, so as to cause such an entire and complete combustion
that very little, if any, sulphurous acid gas shall be produced, the number
and capacity of vessels used, either for the purpose of combustion or conden-
sation, being according to the quantum of article in manufacture from time
to time; and during the condensation we do occasionally convey steam, in con-
junction with atmospheric air, or other imponderable substance or substances,

page_text: containing oxygen as aforesaid, into the condensing vessel or vessels, and
thereby assist in securing a more perfect condensation into sulphuric acid than
by any other means hitherto in practice.
Having thus specified the general principle of our Invention, we do now
proceed to make known the several manipulations, and other parts of our
process, in such manner as to be comprehended by any competent workman
or other person or persons acquainted with the general course and nature of
chemical operations, videlicet :-
To effect the combustion, we employ a furnace or furnaces in which we
have one or more vessels or cavities so placed that the fire may act upon them
and make them sufficiently hot to assist in causing such an entire and com-
plete combustion of the combustible matter within them that very little, if
any, sulphurous acid gas is produced. The vessel or vessels employed for the
combustion are either metal, earthen, or any other substance that will bear
the heat required to aid and assist the causing such entire and complete
combustion of such combustible matter, and which vessel or vessels shall be
capable of withstanding the action of sulphuric or other gas produced, and
the number and capacity of them are to be varied according to the
capacity of the receiving vessel or vessels into which the gas is con-
veyed for condensation. The receiving vessel or vessels are connected
with the combustion vessel or vessels by pipes, passages, or other medium
properly constructed for the conveyance of the gas and atmospheric air, or
other substance or substances containing oxygen, as aforesaid, into the con-
densing vessel or vessels. The opening or openings in the combustion vessel
or vessels at which sulphurets, or other substances in which sulphur is con-
tained as aforesaid arc introduced, are so constructed as to be kept closed or
open, as occasion may require, during the operation of combustion; and our
process is, after putting the charge of sulphurets, or other substances in which
sulphur is contained as aforesaid, into the combustion vessel or vessels, to
leave open either wholly or in part the aperture or apertures by which such
charge was inserted, in order that the atmospheric air, or other substance or
substances containing oxygen as aforesaid, may enter and mix itself with the
materials, and assist in the combustion of them, and, by passing with the p
into the receiving vessel or vessels, accelerate and aid the condensation; and
such aperture or apertures we continue either wholly or in part open,
until any reaction or escape of gas commences, and at that time we close
such aperture or apertures; and during the operation we do occasion-
ally convey steam into the condensing vessel or vessels in conjunction with
atmospheric air or other imponderable substance or substances containing
gas

page_text: oxygen as aforesaid; and finally, we do leave the condensation of the gas to
take place.
In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands and seals, the
Seventeenth day of November, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighteen.
Inrolled the same Seventeenth day of November, in the year above
written.