ed EOLIAN ORGAN OR BARREL ORGAN, WITH A SELF-ACTING SWELL
Year: 1814

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
LONGHURST, of No. 4, Elizabeth Street, Hackney Road, in the Parish of Saint
Matthew, Bethnal Green, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanist, do send
greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George, the Third, upon
the humble Petition of me, the said James, Longhurst, was graciously pleased
to grant unto me, the said James Longhurst, His Royal Letters Patent under
the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster, the First
day of November, in the fifty-fifth year of His reign, whereby His said
Majesty did give and grant unto me, the said James Longhurst, my exors,
admors, and assigns, His special licence, full power, sole priviledge and
authority, that I, the said James Longhurst, my exors, adiñors and assigns,
and every of them, during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my new-invented EOLIAN ORGAN OR
BARREL ORGAN, WITH A SELF-ACTING SWELL;" in which Letters Patent is con-
tained a proviso obliging me, the said James Longhurst, under my hand
and seal; to cause a particular description of the nature of my said Inven-
tion, 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 said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within two calendar months
next and immédiately after the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in

page_text: and by the same (relation being thereunto had) may more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Longhurst, do hereby declare that my said Invention, and the way or
manner in which the same is to be carried into effect, are fully described in
the following Specification or Statement, reference being had to the Drawing
or Figure placed in the margin hereof, that is to say:-
By any simple mechanism I so connect that part of the apparatus or
appendages of a barrel organ, commonly called the swell, with the barrel (on
which the tunes are marked, set, or placed in the usual way), that the swell
may receive the required action from the mere revolution of the barrel on its
axis, the degree of cresendo and diminuendo required for the different parts or
portions of any particular tune being regulated and adjusted to the will of the
composer (or other person) by means of a plate of brass or other metal (or
even of wood, but I prefer metal,) suited to that tune, attached to the end of
the barrel, and revolving with it. The edge of the said plate (which I call
the swell plate, being formed into protruding and into depressed or hollow
portions, or, in other words, having its different parts made more or less
eccentric in relation to the barrel to which it is attached, elevates or depresses,
by its revolution with the barrel, a lever connected with the swell, which swell
is thereby made to shut or open according to the degree of protrusion or of
depression given to the different parts or portions of the said swell plate from
which the said lever receives motion. The said lever is attached to any part
of the framing that may be found convenient, but I generally attach it to the
key frame; and for the purpose of preventing any rubbing or scraping noise,
and at the same time to lessen friction, I generally attach to that end of the
said lever which comes over the edge of the swell plate and receives action
from it a small friction roller. What I have said respecting any one parti-
ticular tune applies to every tune on the same barrel; that is to say, for each
tune there is a swell plate having its edge formed into protruding and
depressed portions in succession, suited to the cresendo and diminuendo
intended to be produced. The plane of each swell plate is at right angles to
the axis of the barrel, and the different swell plates are placed at such a
distance from each other that when the barrel is shifted from one tune to
another the corresponding swell plate of the fresh tune comes precisely into
its proper place under the friction roller of the lever (a substitute for all the
swell plates of one barrel might be formed in one piece, but I prefer a
distinct plate for each tune). The means by which the rise or fall of the end
of the lever may be made to open or shut the swell are so well known to every

page_text: competent mechanic, and may be so much varied at the will of the workman,
that to describe any of them is unnecessary; but as it is of importance that the
method or contrivance by which the lever itself receives action or is put in
motion should be well understood by such persons as may, after the expiration
of my said term, wish to avail themselves of my said Invention, I have, on the
margin hereof, exhibited such a Drawing or Figure of the swell plate, the lever,
and its friction roller, as will, with the above description, make them perfectly
understand the nature of my said Invention.
a, a, a, represents the swell plate, made fast to the end of the barrel; b, c, is
the friction roller; c, d, the lever; e, the fulcrum of the lever; d, f, an
upright rod connected in any suitable manner with the swell of the organ.
When any protruding part of the eccentric edge of the swell plate is by the
revolving of the barrel brought under the friction roller c, it is manifest that
the friction roller will be elevated, and (the fulcrum e remaining stationary)
the other end d of the lever will be depressed, and the rod d, f, (attached to
the swell by any suitable mechanical contrivance) will descend, opening the
swell; and, on the contrary, when the revolution of the barrel shall have
brought a depressed or indented portion of the edge of the swell plate under
the friction roller, then it is equally manifest that the aforesaid effect will be
reversed, that is to say, the friction roller with that end of the lever will
descend, and the other end d of the lever will be elevated, and so also the rod
d, f, closing the swell. It will appear obvious from the Drawing and the fore-
going description that the degree of opening and shutting of the swell, and
its gradually progressive or more or less abrupt action, depend entirely on the
degree of eccentricity given to the different parts of the edge of the swell
plate, which in every case should be adapted to the tune. I need hardly add,
that any good workman will easily perceive that the diameter of the swell
plate may be a little more or less than that of the barrel, and that the friction
roller (that is the lever) may be placed below the swell plate, or behind it, or
in any other part of the circumference, should such a change of situation for
any reason appear desirable; and also that the lever, when the friction roller is
acted on by a protruding portion of the edge of the swell plate, may be made
to close instead of opening the swell of the organ, and vice versa, it being only
necessary that he adapt the connecting mechanism accordingly.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Longhurst, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Seventh day of December, One thousand eight
hundred and fourteen.
JAS LONGHURST. (L.S.)

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Seventh day of December, in
the year of our Lord 1814, the aforesaid James Longhurst came before our
said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowleged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stampt according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.