IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF THREAD OR YARN AND PAPER, BY THE APPLICATION OF CERTAIN FIBROUS MATERIALS NOT HITHERTO SO EMPLOYED
Year: 1838

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
SMALL, of the Old Jewry, in the City of London, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the First day of December, in the second year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Small, Her especial license; full power, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said John Small, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said John Small, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times 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, the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF THREAD OR YARN
AND PAPER, BY THE APPLICATION OF CERTAIN FIBROUS MATERIALS NOT HITHERTO
SO EMPLOYED," communicated to me by a certain Foreigner residing abroad;
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said. John
Small, shall cause a particular description of the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be enrolled in
Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent,
as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Small, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof (that is to say) :-
=
The Invention relates to the application of the vegetable fibre of the
following substances, the banana, the plantain, the aloe, the fig, and the palm
trees, for the manufacture of paper and cordages; and in order to give the best
information in my power, I will proceed to describe the process to which such
substances are to be submitted, in order to obtain the fibrous products; but I
would first remark, that many matters have been of late years attempted to be
used in the making of paper in substitution of rags, owing to the great demand
for paper; and it is well known that the supply of rags is comparatively small
when considered in respect to the demand; hence it is desirable to obtain
materials which may be suitable for the purpose, and at a cost at which the
same may be beneficially employed; and, further, it is desirable, if possible,
that such materials should be of the growth of this country, or of some of hier
Colonies. And it will be found that the substances above mentioned may be
had in large quantities, and admirably applicable to the making of thread and
yarn, and to be used in the making of paper. The substances above men-
tioned are first to be submitted to the process of being well crushed, then
soaked and well washed, by which means the fibre will be readily separated.
The crushing process is performed by rollers; such as are used for crushing the
sugar can are those which have been employed. The fibre from these
substances is then to be treated by the ordinary process, when for making
thread or yarn, to which hemp and flax are submitted. By this means most
valuable thread and yarn may be obtained, to be woven into fabrics, making
paper, and for other purposes to which thread and yarn are usually employed,
and when used for making paper the fibrous materials are to be formed into
pulp, and made into paper in like manner to what is usually resorted to in
making paper from other fibrous materials; and in the making of paper the
same may be wholly of such substances as above mentioned, or the pulp
thereof may be mixed with any other suitable pulp.
Having thus described the Invention, I would remark, that I do not confine
myself to any particular mode of obtaining the fibres from the above-men-
tioned substances, nor to any subsequent process, in order to the making of
thread, yarn, or paper therefrom. Nor do I claim any of such process, or the
machinery so employed, when uncombined with the production of thread,
yarn, or paper from such substances. But what I claim is, the application of

page_text: the vegetable fibres obtained from the banana, the aloe, the fig, the palm,
and the plantain trees in the making of thread, yarn, and paper.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Small, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-eighth day of May, in
the year of our Lord 1839, the aforesaid John Small came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her 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 stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the First day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and thirty-nine.