A COMPOSITION FOR AND CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU- FACTURING ALL KINDS OF UMBRELLA AND PARASOL FURNITURE
Year: 1811

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
DAVIS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Umbrella and Parasol
Furniture Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third did,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Fourteenth day
of March, in the fifty-first year of His reign, give and grant unto me, the
said Robert Davis, my exors, admors, and assigns, His especial licence that
I, the said Robert Davis, my exors, adñors, and assigns, during the term of
years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my
Invention of "A COMPOSITION FOR AND CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURING ALL KINDS OF UMBRELLA AND PARASOL FURNITURE;" in which said
Letters Patent there is contained a proviso obliging me, the said Robert
Davis, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to cause a
particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be enrolled in His Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within two calendar months after the date of the said recited
Letters Patent, as in 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
Robert Davis, do hereby describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as follows (that
is to say):

page_text: The runners, ferules, spring top ferules, parasol runners, sliding pipes,
ferules and tubes for spring top ferules, tubes, and balls, and tubes for ivory
hooks, shell tops, parasol and umbrella tips, or any other ornaments made use
of for umbrella and parasol furniture, are made in the same way as the usual
umbrella and parasol furniture, but out of rolled gilding metal instead of
dipping metal; but when turned or heated just red hot by fire, they are
quenched by throwing them into spirits of salt pickle, and then swilled well
with water, and burnished with a stone burnisher, which makes them a beau-
tiful red orange gold colour. I can make them the said colour by dipping or
putting them into aquafortis, or acquafortis and water, or oil of vitriol and
water, and by búrnishing them in the same manner; but I prefer the former
mode. I can burnish or polish them with a steel burnisher or glass burnisher,
or with buff, or any other thing suitable for polishing metals, but I prefer the
stone burnisher. The cast work that is put upon the aforesaid articles is made
of gilding metal; also. the stretchers are made in a different way from the
old-fashioned ones; they are cast of gilding metal, and stamped with a figure
in front, and instead of being made with forks they are cut down about the
eighth part of an inch, but they may be cut down either longer or shorter
as occasion may require; but I prefer having them cut only about the eighth
of an inch, or I make them with forks. I can also stamp them out of gilding
metal wire, and colour them in the same manner as the furniture. The
aforesaid articles may be made near the intended colour by covering them
with mercury or quicksilver after the manner used in gilding, or by silvering
and burnishing them first, and change their colour afterwards by putting them
into water with a solution of iron in it, or with a solution of lead or tin put
into the water, and burnish them afterwards; but they will not keep their colour
so well when done this way. The ornaments for the sticks and name plates
are likewise made of gilding metal and coloured and burnished in the same
way as the former articles. I can make the above articles of patent furniture
with copper, or with copper and brass mixed, 2lb. of copper to 1lb. of brass
or with more or less copper or brass, or with copper and spelter, or with
copper, brass, and spelter, or with any metal or semimetal that will answer the
purpose; and also all kinds of umbrella and parasol furniture and ornaments
I can also do them without heating by fire by dipping in aquafortis.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Davis, have hereunto set my
-hand and seal, this Eleventh day of May, in the year of our Lor
One thousand eight hundred and eleven.
ROBERT DAVIS. (LE.)

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Eleventh day of May, in the
year of our Lord 1811, the aforesaid Robert Davis came before our said
Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, 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.
Inrolled the Thirteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eleven.