A CERTAIN COMPOSITION TO BE USED AS THE GROUNDWORK IN THE MAKING OF PAINTED FLOOR CLOTHS, DEVOID OF ALL SIZE, GLEW, OR ANY OTHER INGREDIENT NOW USED IN THE GROUNDWORK OF PAINTED FLOOR CLOTHS, AND THAT I HAD LIKEWISE INVENTED A CERTAIN MILL, ENGINE, OR MACHINE, TO BE USED IN APPLYING SUCH COMPOSITION UPON THE CLOTHS INTENDED FOR FLOOR CLOTHS; T,, OCCASIONED THEZE OREW USED IN THE GROUNDWORK OF SUCH CLOTHS TO SWELL, GROW SOFT, AND BY MEANS THEREOF PEEL OR SCALE OFF, SO THAT THE COTH BECAME BARE, VOID OF PAINT AND SOON RENDERED UNSERVICEABLE
Year: 1763

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, NATHAN
SMITH, of Fenchurch Street, in the City of London, Painter, Stainer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS I, the said Nathan Smith, did, by my Petition, humbly repre-
sent unto His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, that
I had, with great trouble, labour, application, and at a considerable expence,
invented "A CERTAIN COMPOSITION TO BE USED AS THE GROUNDWORK IN THE
MAKING OF PAINTED FLOOR CLOTHS, DEVOID OF ALL SIZE, GLEW, OR ANY OTHER
INGREDIENT NOW USED IN THE GROUNDWORK OF PAINTED FLOOR CLOTHS, AND THAT I
HAD LIKEWISE INVENTED A CERTAIN MILL, ENGINE, OR MACHINE, TO BE USED IN
APPLYING SUCH COMPOSITION UPON THE CLOTHS INTENDED FOR FLOOR CLOTHS; THAT
THE COMPOSITION THENTOFORE USED AS THE GROUNDWORK OF PAINTED FLOOR
CLOTHS WAS OF SUCH A NATURE THAT IT PREVENTED THE PAINT LAID UPON SUCH
GROUNDWORK FROM SINKING INTO OR UNITING WITH SUCH CLOTH; THAT THE DAMPS
PROM WATER USED IN CLEARING PAINTED FLOOR CLOTHS, AS THEN MADE IN COMMON,
OCCASIONED THE SIZE OR GLEW USED IN THE GROUNDWORK OF SUCH CLOTHS TO
SWELL, GROW SOFT, AND BY MEANS THEREOF PEEL OR SCALE OFF, SO THAT THE COTH
BECAME BARE, VOID OF PAINT, AND SOON RENDERED UNSERVICEABLE;" that I most
humbly conceived the composition then used as the groundwrok of painted
floor cloths was very prejudicial to the wear of such cloths, and I, having
inade several experiments on the effect of my said new-invented composition,

page_text: found that the same, being used as the groundwork in the making of painted
floor cloths, and laid on such cloths by the help of the said new-invented mill,
engine, or machine, would render painted floor cloths made with such composi-
tion much more beautiful and far superior in quality to any theretofore made
with the common composition, by reason that my new-invented composition, and
the oil and colour used in painting floor cloths, sink into the cloth, unite
together, and become as it were one solid body; consequently, when floor cloths
are made with such new-invented composition, they cannot either peel or
scale off, either by the use of water in cleaning such floor cloths, or by the
heat of the fire in the rooms where they are laid. I therefore conceived that
to have painted floor cloths made with such my said new-invented composition
would be of great utility and general good of the publick; and I, the said
Nathan Smith, relying on His said Majesty's Royal will to give encouragement
to all arts and inventions which tend to the publick good, did therefore most
humbly pray His said Majesty that he would be graciously pleased to grant
unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, His Royal Letters Patent
under His Great Seal of Great Britain for the sole use of my said new-
invented composition, and mill, engine, or machine, and for the making, selling,
and vending painted floor cloths made with such new-invented composition,
within that part of Great Britain called England, the Dominion of Wales,
and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, for the term of fourteen years; His said
Majesty, being willing to give encouragement to all arts and inventions which
may be for the publick good, did, by His Royal Letters Patent, bearing date at
Westminster, the Fifteenth day of March, in the third year of His reign, of
His especial grace, certain knowledge, and meer motion, give and grant unto
me, the said Nathan Smith, my executors, administrators, and assigns, His
especial licence, full power, sole priviledge and authority, that I, the said Nathan
Smith, my executors, adñors, and assigns, and every of us, by myself and our-
selves, or by mine and our deputy or deputies, servants or agents, or such
others as I, the said Nathan Smith, 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 law-
fully might make, use, exercise, and vend my said Inventions, within that part
of His said Majesty's Kingdom of Great Britain called England, His
Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as
to me, the said Nathan Smith, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
any of us, should, in our discretions, seem meet, and that I, the said Nathan
Smith, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should and lawfully might
have and enjoy the whole proffit, benefit, commodity, and advantage from

page_text: time to time coming, growing, accruing, and arising by reason of the said
Inventions, for and during the terni of years therein mentioned, to have, hold,
exercise, and enjoy the said licence, powers, privileges and advantages, therein-
before granted or mentioned to be granted unto me, the said Nathan Smith,
my executors, 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 immediately ensuing, and fully to be compleat and ended according to the
Statute in such case made and provided; in which said Letters Patent is con-
tained a proviso, that if I, the said Nathan Smith, should not particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of my said Inventions, and in what manner
the same are to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, and cause the saine to be inrolled in His said Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within four kalendar months 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,
determine, and become void, anything therein-before contained to the contrary
thereof in anywise notwithstanding, as in and by the said recited Letters
Patent, relation being thereunto had, may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Nathan Smith, in compliance with
the said proviso, do hereby describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Inventions, and the manner in which same are to be performed, in manner
and form following, that is to say:-
The composition is made of rosin, pitch, and Spanish brown, of each an
equal quantity, adding thereto bees wax and linseed oyle, the quantity of which is
varied according to the season of the year; and with respect to the aforesaid
mill, engine, or machine, the construction thereof is as follows:-In a
square wooden frame, laid levil with the surface of the ground, are fixed, first,
two strong upright posts, made steady by three spurs to each post. These posts
principally support the whole machine, and between which posts the wheel-
work of the machine is placed, and to put the whole machine in motion there
is fixed without the aforesaid wooden frame, at a convenient distance and
level with the surface of the aforesaid frame, a horizontal wheel with a crank
handle rising perpendicular to a convenient heighth, that it may be turned by
hand; in which said wheel there is a groove to adınit of a wheel band, which
band being put into the said groove and into the groove of another horizontal
wheel placed in the said frame, and both those horizontal wheels being turned
by means of the aforesaid crank or handle, give motion to the whole machine
in manner following:-The spindle of the last-mentioned horizontal wheel
placed in the said frame being perpendicular near the top thereof, there is a

page_text: worm or screw which turns a perpendicular worm or screw wheel that has
thirty-six teeth, on the spindle of which wheel there is another wheel or pinion
with sixteen teeth; those teeth communicate with and give motion to another
perpendicular wheel placed over them with fifty-eight teeth; which last-men-
tioned wheel is fixed at one end of its own axis, at the other 'end of which
axis there are nine coggs, which coggs communicate with and turn another
perpendicular wheel placed over them with fifty-two teeth, over this wheel, and
upon the before-mentioned two strong upright posts, is fixed or laid horizon-
tally a roller, which may be made of wood or metal and of any length at
pleasure, at one end of which roller are fifteen cogs, which coggs fall into the
teeth of the last-mentioned wheel, and that wheel gives motion to and turns the
roller; upon this roller is laid a large hollow iron roller of equal length with
the under one, fixed in an iron frame, the motion of the under roller gives
motion to and turns the hollow iron roller, the frame of which lies horizontal,
and the back part thereof is fixed by screws and nuts into a strong wooden
beam, which beam has gudgeons to give liberty to the hallow iron roller to be
raised or lowered as occasion may require. In the front of the said iron
frame, and to each corner thereof, is fixed a triangular iron rod, at the top of
which rod there is an iron chain fixed to the middle of a beam placed over
the iron roller, one end of which said beam is fixed in a timber mortis, and
the end of the beam makes the tenant, through which goes an iron pin, which
gives liberty to the other end of the beam hung by pulleys to rise and fall,
the rising or falling of which beam raises or lowers the aforesaid hallow
iron roller, and the same is either raised or lowered by means of two blocks
and six pulleys placed or fastened to and at the said other end of the said
beam, through which pulleys there runs a rope, the end of which rope is
fastned to a leaver, one end of which leaver is fastned by an iron pin in an
upright post; the other end of the leaver when the hollow roller is raised or
suspended is confined by a ketch, and by this means the hollow iron roller,
notwithstanding its weight, is most easily and expeditiously raised and lowered;
within the iron roller, and upon the axletree thereof, is placed an iron pan, in
which pan is kept a fire, so as to give the hollow iron roller a proper degree
of heat for spreading or forcing the composition into the cloths intended for
floor cloths; above the iron roller is fixed a copper cylinder upon a small iron
frame fastened to the frame of the hollow roller, which cylinder hangs on
gudgeons, and is of length equal to the iron roller. In this cylinder is put
the composition, which, by means of another fire placed in a pan fixed under
the cylinder, is melted, and falls upon the hollow iron roller while in motion
through a slit in the cylinder the whole length thereof, and is spread upon the

page_text: roller by a brush fixed before the said slit the length of the cylinder. The
whole of the machine before described being in motion, and the iron roller
made properly hot, the cloth intended for floor cloths passes between the two
rollers before mentioned, in order to receive the composition in manner follow-
ing: First there is a strong oblong wooden frame, fourteen feet in length and
six feet broad, but may be made longer at pleasure, and broader as occasion
may require, according to the length of the two rollers before described.
This frame stands upon the iron axletrees of four wheels, of diameter sufficient
to raise the upper edge of the frame to the heighth of the top or surface of
the under roller, and which said frame is here called a carriage. The wheels
run in groves and are fixed on the iron axletrees, which are square in the
wheels and rivetted thereto to make them more solid and steady; the wheels
and axletrees turn round together and at a convenient distance form the
wheels; the axletrees are made round where the feet of the carriage are fixed,
and there the axletrees work in metal boxes fixed in the said feet for the con-
venience of keeping the carriage upright and always in the same position when
the wheels turn round. To the outside of each side of the carriage, and at a
convenient distance from each side, are fixed two wooden rollers as long as the
carriage will admit; they hang on or are supported by gudgeons; at one end
of each roller is fixed a rotchet and click; the cloth intended for floor cloths,
being first rolled upon one of these side rollers, is from thence strained tight
across the carriage, and one edge of the cloth being placed close to the hollow
iron roller, is, by the motion of this roller and of the under roller, drawn between
them, and the carriage thereby gradually moved, until the whole breadth
of the cloth hath passed between the rollers; and the composition being kept
continually falling upon the hollow iron roller while properly hot and regu-
larly spread thereon by the aforesaid brush, is by the hollow iron roller laid
upon the cloth, and by reason of the weight of the hollow iron roller and by
its heat from the fire within, the composition is pressed and sunk into or
squeezed through the cloth. Or the composition may be laid upon the cloth in
another manuer, as follows, that is to say:-The composition when first made is
hard, and being reduced to a fine powder and mixed with water in a
large wooden trough, and the cloth intended for floor cloths being put
therein and thoroughly wet or soaked, and afterwards drawn between
5 two brushes fixed to each edge of the trough, the whole length thereof,
to take off any rough or superfluous parts of the composition, and to
lay or spread the same on the cloth equal and regular; and the compo-
sition being in this manner laid upon the cloth, and the cloth, after it is dry,
passed between the said two rollers in manner herein-before described, the

page_text: composition is, as aforesaid, by reason of the weight of the hollow iron roller,
and by its heat from the fire within, forced, pressed, sunk into, or squeezed
through the cloth, and from the nature of the composition, and of the oyle and
colour used in painting floor cloths, they unite together and become one solid
body. The breadth of the cloth having thus once passed between the rollers
the hollow iron roller is raised, and that part of the cloth which hath so passed
between the rollers is immediately moved upon the other side roller of the
carriage, opposite to that roller upon which the cloth was first rolled, so that
by this micans of rolling that part of the cloth which hath passed between the
rollers upon one side roller of the carriage, while the other side roller on which
the cloth was first rolled is let loose, there is a continual supply of fresh cloth
passing between the two rollers to force the composition into the same until
the whole length of the cloth be finished in order to be painted.
In witness whereof, I, the said Nathan Smith, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Fifteenth day of June, in the third year of the reign of
our Sovereign Lord George the Third, by the grace of God, of Great
Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, and so
forth, and in the year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred and
sixty-three.
W. CRESER,
JN° PERRY.
AND BE IT REMEMBRED, that on the Fifteenth day of June, in the
third year of the reign of His Majesty King George the Third, the said
Nathan Smith came before our said Lord the King in His Chancery, and
acknowleged the Writing aforesaid, and every matter and thing therein
contained, in form above said. And the said Writing was stamped according
to the Statute made in the sixth year of the reign of the late King William
and Queen Mary, and so forth.
Inrolled the Sixteenth day of June, in the third year of the reign of His
Majesty King George the Third, 1763.