CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN. THE PROCESS OF MAKING AND PURIFYING OF SUGARS
Year: 1831

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MARMADUKE.
ROBINSON, of Great George Street, in the City of Westminster, Navy Agent,.
send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth did, by
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-seventh day of July, in the second year of His reign,
give and grant unto me, the said Marmaduke Robinson, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, His special licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Marmaduke Robinson, my executors, administra-
tors, and assigns, should and lawfully might, during the term of years therein
mentioned, make, use, exercise, and vend, within that part of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, the Dominion of
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-on-Tweed, and also in all His Majesty's
Colonies and Plantations abroad, the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN.
THE PROCESS OF MAKING AND PURIFYING OF SUGARS," communicated to me by
William Augustus Archbald, Esquire, residing abroad; in which said Letters.
Patent there is contained a proviso, that if I, the said Marmaduke Robinson,
should not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,.
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 Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent, then that all liberties and advantages

page_text: whatsoever thereby granted should utterly cease, determine, and become void,
as in and by the same, relation being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Marmaduke Robinson, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are described and
ascertained in manner following (that is to say):-
Having found by experience that one great object in the making of sugar is
to expedite the evaporation of the cane juice (or other saccharine solution) as
much as possible, both on account of the improvement in the sugar produced,
and also on account of the saving of time and labor, I have discovered that this
object will be effectually attained by the use of the improved apparatus herein-
after described, that is to say, instead of the vessels now generally used for boiling
sugar, I do employ a vessel which I call a sugar pan, similar in shape to those
in general use by refiners who boil sugar by naked fire. The size of the pan
will of course depend on the extent of work intended to be done, but I find
the following dimensions convenient for the purpose of the operation, that is
to say: The depth of the pan about three feet, and the diameter from four to
five feet. The pan may be made either of copper alone, or (by preference) of
copper and wood, in which latter case the bottom should be of copper, with
copper sides to the height of about fifteen inches from the bottom, and the
remainder of the sides of wood, properly connected with the copper by means
of rivets, bolts, or other secure fastenings. The wood should be (by preference)
of what is called red Dantzic fir. Through the bottom of the pan I do cut a
number of holes of about four or five inches diameter each, through which
holes I do introduce small vessels (made also of copper), which I call copper
cups, and I fit them into the bottom of the pan in such a way that they may
drop or hang down into the fire or flame. I do then introduce into the pan at
about three inches from the bottom a copper flue, which passes through the
centre of the pan and is open at each end, corresponding holes being cut
through the sides of the pan, so as to allow a free circulation of the flame
through the flue into the chimney. The flue should be about four inches in
depth & from ten to twelve inches in width. The cups should be about six
inches in diameter and four inches in depth. The liquid, when the process of
boiling is finished, may be discharged by a cock or valve, but in discharging
the liquid, either a sufficient portion should be left to cover the flue, or the fire
should be covered or damped until the vessel is re-charged. The cups may
remain continually full until the operations of the day be completed, when the
contents of the cups should be cooled by the addition of cold water, and ladled

page_text: or dipped out. It is advisable to scour the pan after each day's operation, in
order to prevent any deposit from adhering to the bottom of the pan or cups.
And I do further declare, that (if it should be thought desirable) the copper
cups, instead of being so placed as to project or drop from the bottom of the
pan, may be placed in a reversed or horizontal position in the interior of the
pan, in which case each cup will offer a hollow space or cavity for the flame to
ascend.
Note: Although I have described these copper cups as being cut through
the bottom of the pan after the same is made, the cups may (if it should be
thought desirable) be beaten out of the solid copper while the bottom is making.
This part of the Invention or improvement, in respect of which I claim the
benefit of these Letters Patent, consists in boiling cane juice or other saccha-
rine solution by means of the improved apparatus herein-before' mentioned,
and thereby expediting the process of evaporation.
And with respect to all other matters and parts of the operation herein-
before described (and which are already well known), I hereby disclaim all
title to originality, and declare, that so far as I have described the same, I have
done so only for the better explanation of the said improvement. I do also
declare that the said pan, herein-before mentioned, may be used either alone
or combined with the coppers and other vessels now generally used in the
colonies for evaporating cane juice and making raw sugar. I have also dis-
covered, that in order the more easily to empty the said coppers of their con-
tents during the process of boiling, great advantage will result from the use of
the apparatus herein-after described, instead of ladling out such contents, as is
now usually done. For that purpose I do employ an air-tight vessel, which
may be made of copper, and, by preference, of a cylindrical or oval form, and
from which I do expel the air, in manner herein-after mentioned. This vessel
is placed above the coppers, with each of which it communicates by means of
copper pipes. Another pipe, which may also be of copper, connects the said
vessel with aisteam generator, and an air cock of about half an inch bore is fixed
in the said vessel. Under the said vessel is placed a receiver or open vessel to
receive its contents. I let the steam into the said vessel by the steam cock;
the air will then be expelled through the air cock, and as soon as I find that
this is effected (which will be indicated by the steam beginning to issue from
the same cock), I close the air cock and shut off the steam. I open the cock
of the pipe communicating with that copper which I wish to empty, where-
upon the liquid contained in such copper will immediately mount or rise into
the air-tight vessel. The effect of this apparatus and operation will be better
understood on reference to the Drawing hereunto annexed, marked with the

page_text: letter "A," and the following explanation thereof, which will also explain the
mode of proceeding with respect to the other coppers.
DESCRIPTION AND EXPLANATION OF THE ANNEXED DRAWING.
No. 1 shews the steam generator; No. 2, the steam pipe; No. 8, the
steam cock; No. 4, the air-tight vessel; No. 5, the air cock; No. 6, the pipe
leading from the air-tight vessel into copper No. 16; No. 7, the cock of the
last-mentioned pipe; No. 8, the pipe leading to copper No. 17; No. 9, the cock
of the said last-mentioned pipe; No. 10, the pipe leading to copper No. 18;
No. 11, the cock of the said last-mentioned pipe; No. 12, the pipe of copper
No. 19; No. 13, the cock of ditto; No. 14, the pipe of copper No. 20;
No. 15, cock of ditto; 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, the coppers; No. 21, the receiver;
No. 22, cock and pipe for conveying contents of the air-tight vessel into the
receiver.
I will now proceed to state the operation of the apparatus described in the
Drawing If, for instance, it is desirable to convey the contents of copper
No. 16 into copper No. 17, I do let the steam into the air-tight vessel by
opening the steam cock No. 3 and the air cock No. 5. The steam thus let
in will expell the air contained in the air-tight vessel, which will escape through
cock No. 5. As soon as the air is expelled, the steam will issue out of cock
No. 5; both cocks (No. 3 and 5) should then be closed, and cock No. 7 being
then opened, the liquid will immediately rise into the air-tight vessel and pro-
duce a vacuum. Fresh liquor should be immediately let into the copper No. 16.
When it becomes necessary to transfer the contents of copper No. 17 into
copper No. 18, the air cock No. 5 must be opened, in order that the liquor in
the air-tight vessel may be discharged into receiver No. 21 through cock and
pipe No. 22. The air should then be expelled from the air-tight vessel by the
same operation as in the former case, and which has been already described,
after which I open cock No. 9 of the copper No. 17; the liquid contained in
that copper will then mount or rise into the air-tight vessel, as in the former
As soon as this copper is emptied (or as much of the liquid drawn off
as may be desired), I replenish it from receiver No. 21 by means of a spout;
I next cock No. 11, and also the air cock No. 5. The liquid in the air-tight
vessel will thereupon descend into copper No. 18, and I proceed in the same
manner with the other coppers, as the case may require, always taking care
to leave a sufficiency of liquor in the receiver No. 21 to supply the copper next
about to be emptied. The air-tight vessel ought to be sufficiently large to
hold about two-thirds of the quantity of liquid contained in copper No. 17.
The pipes should be about two inches in diameter. The air-tight vessel may
case.

page_text: be made either of copper or of wood; if made of copper it should be of sufficient
strength to resist the atmospheric pressure, and the copper should be of about
the same substance as that usually employed to make sugar pans on Howard's
vacuum plan; if made of wood it should be by preference either well-seasoned
American white pine or red Dantzic fir, about three inches thick, braced on
the inside with copper bolts, and bound on the outside with iron straps, and
covered with sheet lead well soldered at the joints.
Now, I do declare that this part of the Invention or improvement, for which
I claim the benefit of these Letters Patent, consists in the method as above
described of emptying or transferring the contents of the vessels used for
evaporating cane juice or other saccharine solution; and with respect to all
other matters and parts of the operation herein-before described (and which are
already well known), I hereby disclaim all title to originality, and declare, that
so far as I have described the same, I have done so only for the better expla-
nation of the said improvements.
In witness whereof, I, the said Marmaduke Robinson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-two.
MARM (L.s.) ROBINSON.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Twenty-seventh day of
January, in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid Marmaduke Robinson
came before our Lord the King in Ilis Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute in that case made and provided.