AN ENGINE OR MACHINE, WHEREBY, AT ONE VIEW, WITHOUT OPENING THE BUNG OR GIVING VENT TO THE WINE OR ANY OTHER LIQUOR CONTAINED IN ANY OTHER CASK, MAY BE KNOWN THE EXACT ENCREASE OF DECREASE THEREOF, AND WILL LIKEWISE SERVE FOR OTHER VSES AND PURPOSES
Year: 1733

page_text: GEORGE THE SECOND, by the grace of God, &c., to all to whom these
presents shall come, greeting.
WHEREAS ROBERT PARKER, Merchant, hath, by his petition, humbly
represented vnto vs that he, with great study, labour, and expence, hath
invented "AN ENGINE OR MACHINE, WHEREBY, AT ONE VIEW, WITHOUT OPENING
THE BUNG OR GIVING VENT TO THE WINE OR ANY OTHER LIQUOR CONTAINED IN ANY
OTHER CASK, MAY BE KNOWN THE EXACT ENCREASE OF DECREASE THEREOF, AND WILL
LIKEWISE SERVE FOR OTHER VSES AND PURPOSES;" that the petitioner humbly
apprehends that this his new-invented engine or machine will be of great
service both to our officers of excise and customes in their gauging of liquors,
as well as satisfaction to the merchants, vintners, and others our subiects
dealing therein, and having humbly prayed vs to grant to him the sole vse of
his said new-invented engine or machine for the term of fourteen years,
according to the statute in such case made and provided; wee, being willing
to give encouragement to all arts and inventions that may be for the
publick benefit, are graciously pleased to gratify him in his request.
KNOW YEE THEREFORE, that wee, of our especial grace, certain know-
ledge, and meer močon, have given and granted, and by these presents, for
vs, our heires and successors, do give and grant, vnto the said Robert Parker,
his executors, administrators, and assignes, our especial licence, full power, sole
priviledge and authority, that he, the said Robert Parker, his executors,
administrators, and assigns, and every of them, by himself and themselves, or
by his and their deputy or deputies, servants, or agents, or such others as

page_text: he, the said Robert Parker, his executors, administrators, or assignes, shall at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times hereafter,
during the term of yeares herein expressed, shall and lawfully may make, vse,
exercise, and vend his said new-invented engine or machine, whereby at
one view, without opening the bung or giving vent to the wine or any other
liquor contained in any cask, may be known the exact encrease or decrease
thereof, and will likewise serve for other vses and purposes, as aforesaid,
in such manner as to him, the said Robert Parker, his executors, adminis-
trators, or assignes, or any of them, shall in their discretions seem meet;
and that he, the said Robert Parker, his executors, administrators, and
assignes, shall and lawfully may have and enioy the whole profit, benefit,
comodity, and advantage from time to time comeing, growing, accrueing, and
arising by reason of the said Invenĉon, for and during the term of years
herein mentioned, to have, hold, exercise, and enioy the said lycences, powers,
priviledges, and advantages herein-before granted, or mentioned to be granted,
vnto the said Robert Parker, his executors, administrators, and assignes, for and
during and vnto the full end and term of fourteen years from the date of
these presents next and imediately ensueing, and fully to be compleat and
ended, according to the statute in such case made and provided. And to the
end that the said Robert Parker, his executors, administrators, and assignes,
and every of them, may have and enioy the full benefit and the sole vse
and exercise of the said Invenčon, according to our gracious intention
berein-before declared, wee do by these presents, for vs, our heirs and
successors, require and strictly comand all and every person and persons,
bodies politick and corporate, and all other our subiects whatsoever, of
what estate, quality, degree, name, or condičon soever they be, within
that said part of our kingdom of Great Britain called England, our
dominion of Wales, and town of Berwick-vpon-Tweed aforesaid, that neither
they or any of them, at any time during the continuance of the said
term of fourteen years thereby granted, either directly or indirectly, do make,
vse, or put in practice the said Invention, or any part of the same, so
attained vnto by the said Robert Parker as aforesaid, uor in anywise coun-
terfeit, imitate, or resemble the same, nor shall make, or cause to be made,
any addičon thereunto or substraction from the same, whereby to pretend
himself or themselves the inventor or inventors, devisor or devisors, thereof,
without the licence, consent, or agreement of the said Robert Parker, his
executors, administrators, or assignes, in writing vnder his or their hands
and seals, first had and obtained in that behalf, vpon such pains and penal-
ties as can or may be iustly inflicted on such offenders for their contempt

page_text: of this our royal comand, and further to be answerable to the said Robert
Parker, his executors, administrators, and assigns, according to law, for his
and their damages thereby occasioned. And moreover, wee do by these
presents, for vs, our heirs and successors, will and comand all and singular
the justices of the peace, mayors, sheriffes, bayliffs, constables, headboroughs,
and all other officers and ministers whatsoever of vs, our heirs and successors,
for the time being, that they or any of them do not, or shall at any time
hereafter during the said term hereby granted, in anywise molest, trouble,
or hinder the said Robert Parker, his executors, administrators, or assigns, or
any of them, or his or their deputies, servants, or agents, in or about the
due and lawful use or exercise of the aforesaid Invention, or anything relating
thereto. Provided always, and these our Letters Patent are and shall be vpon
this express condičon, that if at any time during the said term hereby granted
it shall be made appear to vs, our heires or successors, or any six or more of
our or their Privy Council, that this our grant is contrary to law, or preiu-
dicial or inconvenient to our subiects in general, or that the said Invencon
is not a new invenčon as to the publick vse and exercise thereof in that said
part of our kingdom of Great Britain called England, our dominion of Wales,
or town of Berwick-vpon-Tweed aforesaid, or not invented and found out
by the said Robert Parker as aforesaid, then, vpon signification or declaračon
thereof, to be made by vs, our heirs or successors, vnder our or their signet
or privy seal, or by the lords and others of our or their Privy Council, or any
six or more of them, vnder their hands, these our Letters Patents shall forth-
with cease, determine, and be vtterly void to all intents and purposes, any-
thing herein-before contained to the contrary thereof in anywise notwith-
standing. Provided also, that these our Letters Patents, or anything herein
contained, shall not extend, or be construed to extend, to give priviledge
vnto the said Robert Parker, his executors, administrators, or assigns, or any
of them, to vse or imitate any invenčon or work whatsoever which hath been
heretofore invented and found out or invented by any other of our subiects what-
soever, and publickly vsed or exercised in that said part of our kingdom of
Great Britain called England, our dominion of Wales, or town of Berwick-
vpon-Tweed aforesaid, vnto whom like Letters Patents or priviledges have
been already granted for the sole vse, exercise, and benefit thereof, it being
our will and pleasure that the said Robert Parker, his executors, administrators,
and assignes, and all and every other person and persons to whom like
Letters Patents or priviledges have been already granted as aforesaid, shall
distinctly vse and practice their several invenčons by them invented and
found out, according to the true intent and meaning of the same respective

page_text: Letters Patents and of these presents. Provided likewise, nevertheless, and
these our Letters Patents aro vpon this express condičon, that if the said
Robert Parker, his executors or administrators, or any person or persons which
shall or may, at any time or times hereafter during the continuance of this
grant, have or claim any right, title, or interest, in law or equity, of, in, or
to the power, priviledge, and authority of the sole vse and benefit of the said
Invenčon hereby granted, shall make any transferr or assignment, or any
pretended transferr or assignment, of the said liberty and priviledge, or any
share or shares of the benefit or profit thereof, or shall declare any trust
thereof to or for any number of persons exceeding the number of five, or
shall open, or cause to be opened, any book or books for publick subscriptions,
to be made by any number of persons exceeding the number of five, in order
to the raising any sume or sumes of money vnder pretence of carrying on the
said liberty or priviledge hereby granted, or shall, by him or themselves, or his
or their agents or servants, receive any sume or sumes of money whatsoever
of any number of persons exceeding in the whole the number of five, for such
or the like intents or purposes, or shall presume to act as a corporate body,
or shall divide the benefit of these our Letters Patents, or the liberty or
priviledges hereby by vs granted, into any number of shares exceeding the
number of five, or shall comitt or do, or procure to be comitted or done,
any act, matter, or thing whatsoever during such time as such person or
persons shall have any right or title, either in law or equity, in or to the
said premisses, which would be contrary to the true intent and meaning of a
certain Act of Parliament made in the sixth year of the reign of our late
Royal Father King George the First, intituled (an Act for the better
securing certain powers and priviledges intended to be granted by His
Maiestie by two charters for assurance of ships and merchandizes at sea,
and for lending money vpon bottomry, and for restraining several extrava-
gant and vnwarrantable practices therein mentioned), if these our Letters
Patents had not been granted, or in case the said power, priviledge, or
authority shall at any time hereafter become vested in or in trust for more
than the number of five persons, or their representatives, at any one time
(reckoning executors or administrators as and for the single person whom
they represent as to such interest as they are or shall be intituled to in right of
such their testator or intestate), that then and in any of the said cases, these
our Letters Patents, and all liberties, priviledges, and advantages whatsoever
hereby granted, shall vtterly cease, determine, and become void, anything
herein-before contained to the contrary thereof in anywise notwithstanding.
And, lastly, wee do by these presents, for vs, our heires and successors,

page_text: grant vnto the said Robert Parker, his executors, administrators, and assignes,
that these our Letters Patents, or the inrollment or exemplificaĉon thereof,
shall be in and by all things good, firm, valid, sufficient, and effectuall in
the law, according to the true intent and meaning thereof, and shall be taken,
construed, and adiudged in the most favourable and beneficial sence for the
best advantage of the said Robert Parker, his executors, administrators, and
assignes, as well in all our courts of record as elsewhere, and by all and
singular the officers and ministers whatsoever of vs, our heires and successors,
in that part of our said kingdom of Great Britain called England, our domi-
nion of Wales, and town of Berwick-vpon-Tweed aforesaid, and amongst all
and every the subiects of vs, our heirs and successors, whatsoever and where-
soever, notwithstanding the not full and certain describing the nature or
quality of the said Invenčon, or of the materialls thereto conducing and
belonging.