A NEW QUADRANT OF ALTITUDE, APPLICABLE CHIEFLY TO THE USES OF NAVIGATION, WHEREBY, NOTWITHSTANDING THE MOTIONS OF A SHIP AT SEA, MARI THE SUN, MOON, AND STARS, WHEN VISIBLE ABOVE THE HORIZON, BY A DIRECT SIGHT AT EITHER OBJECT, WITHOUT ANY REGARD TO OR OCCASION FOR ANY SIGHT OF THE HORIZON, AND TO THE EXACTNESS OF A DISTINCT MINUTE OF A DEGREE AND LESS
Year: 1764

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
BREWER, late of the City of Dublin, in the Kingdom of Ireland, but now of
the City of London, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS I, the said Richard Brewer, did, by my Petition, humbly
represent unto His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Third,
that, after many years' close study, labour, and expence, I had invented "A
NEW QUADRANT OF ALTITUDE, APPLICABLE CHIEFLY TO THE USES OF NAVIGATION,
WHEREBY, NOTWITHSTANDING THE MOTIONS OF A SHIP AT SEA, THE MARINER WILL
BE ENABLED, WITH THE GREATEST FACILITY, TO TAKE THE ALTITUDES OF THE SUN,
MOON, AND STARS, WHEN VISIBLE ABOVE THE HORIZON, BY A DIRECT SIGHT AT
EITHER OBJECT, WITHOUT ANY REGARD TO OR OCCASION FOR ANY SIGHT OF THE
HORIZON, AND TO THE EXACTNESS OF A DISTINCT MINUTE OF A DEGREE AND LESS;
THAT THIS QUADRANT IS SO CONTRIVED AS TO ENABLE THE MARINER TO ASCERTAIN
HIS MERIDIAN AT NIGHT, AND CONSEQUENTLY WILL ENABLE HIM TO FIND HIS
LATITUDE BY ANY OF THE FIXT STARS WHOSE DECLINATION IS KNOWN AS TRUE AS
BY THE MERIDIAN SUN, WITH MANY OTHER USEFULL PARTICULARS, AND IT IS AS
PORTABLE, MORE SIMPLE IN ITS CONSTRUCTION, MORE ACCURATE AND INTELLIGIBLE
FOR PRACTICE, THAN ANY OF THE QUADRANTS NOW USED AT SEA, THEY BEING USED
FOR ONE CERTAIN OBSERVATION ONLY IN THE TWENTY-FOUR HOURS FOR FINDING THE
LATITUDE ONLY, AND IN THAT ONE ARE LIABLE TO OTHER WELL-KNOWN UNCERTAINTIES,

page_text: WHICH
VIZ, OF HAVING THE SUN VISIBLE ON THE MERIDIAN AND A TRUE HORIZON AT
THE SAME INSTANT, AS NO OTHER OBSERVATION TO BE DEPENDED ON CAN
BE HAD,
NOTWITHSTANDING THE MANY INJENIOUS ATTEMPTS TO MAKE INTERMEDIATE OBSERVA-
TIONS ANSWER, TO THE MANIFEST AND LONG COMPLAINED OF UNCERTAINTIES AND DIS-
APPOINTMENTS OF THE MOST SKILFUL AND DILIGENT MARINERS, ALL
INSUFFICIENCIES WILL BE SUPPLYED BY THIS NEW QUADRANT;" I, the said Richard
Brewer, did therefore most humbly pray His Majesty that He would be
graciously pleased to grant His Royal Letters Patent to me, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, for the sole making, vending, and using the
said Quadrant, within that part of His said Kingdom of Great Britain called
England, Ilis Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, for
the term of fourteen years, according to the Statute in such case made and
provided; His said Majesty, being willing to give encouragement to all arts
and inventions which might be for the public good, was graciously pleased
to condescend to my request; and therefore His said Majesty, by His Royal
Letters Patent, bearing date at Westminster, the Fourteenth day of November,
in the fifth year of Ilis reign, of His especial grace, certain knowledge, and
meer motion, for Him, Ilis heirs and successors, did give and grant unto me,
the said Richard Brewer, my extors, adñiors, and assigns, His especial licenco,
full power, sole priviledge, and authority, that I, the said Richard Brewer,
my extors, adiiors, and assigns, and every of us, by myself and ourselves, and
by mine and our deputy and deputies, servants and agents, and such others
as I, the said Richard Brewer, my extors, adññors, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might use,
exercise and vend my said Invention within that part of His Majesty's
Kingdom of Great Britain called England, His Dominion of Wales, and
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as to me, the said Richard
Brewer, my extors, adññors, and assigns, should seem meet, and that I, the
said Richard Brewer, my extors, admors, and assigns, should and lawfully might
have and enjoy the whole profit, benefit, commodity, and advantage, from
time to time coming, growing, accruing, and arising by reason of the said
Invention, for and during the term of years therein and herein-after mentioned,
to have, hold, exercise, and enjoy the said licence, powers, priviledges, and ad-
vantages therein-before granted or mentioned to be granted unto me, the said
Richard Brewer, my extors, adñiors, and assigns, for and during and unto the
full end and term of fourteen years from the date of the said Letters Patent next
and immediately ensuing, and fully to be compleat and ended, according to the
Statute in such case made and provided; in which said Letters Patent

page_text: is contained a proviso that if I, the said Richard Brewer, should not
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my 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 four calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent, that then the said Letters Patent,
and all priviledges and advantages thereby granted, should utterly cease,
determine, and become void, anything therein-before contained to the contrary
thereof in anywise notwithstanding, as in and by the said Letters Patent,
relation being thereunto had, more fully and at large appears.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Richard Brewer, do hereby describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention to be as follows, viz:-
A particular description of my said Invention is contained in the annexed
Diagram or Figure, wherein A, B, C, represents a quadrant or quarter of
a circle of any assigned radius, but for portableness and practice at sea
may be limited to eight or nine inches radius. E, D, F, an octant or eighth
part of a circle of eighteen inches radius, the arch thereof E, F, to be gra-
duated with forty-seven degrees, and their subdivisions five degrees, and their
subdivisions on each side of the forty-five degrees which form the octant, for
the more certain counting the small divisions at the extremities of the
arch, less than one degree, and exceeding forty-five degrees. The arch of the
octant to answer the uses of a quadrant of ninety degrees, either by plain
tellescopic or shadow sights, with coloured glass skreens to fix occasionally
in either sight edge of the quadrant A, B, or B, L, that is, in A, B, when
the object is forty-six degrees of altitude or under, and in B, L, when the
altitude is from 45° degrees to 90°, or in the zenith; the divisions of the
degrees to be suited to any nonius or vernier which the radius can admit to
be distinctly and intelligibly counted, or which the mariner or other person
may direct for use or amusement. B, II, a, the index or plummet of wood
with a brass or ivory nonius of any assigned divisions to pass over the
divisions on the arch, thereby to count the exact altitude of an object to the
minuteness of the divisions on the arch and nonius compared. The index
turns under and up the other side of arch, with liberty to play freely round
it, but not to fly from it. a is a brass ball, of a sufficient weight, with or
without a peculiar chain of joints, to be fastened to or skrewed into the
suspended end of the index to cause it at all times of observing to have a
direction perpendicular to the horizon. D, K, C, represents a cross brass bar
joined to such another on the opposite side, that by means of a spring or

page_text: springs fixt in the cross brass bar opposite to the graduations the index or
plummet B, H, a, is pressed and held fast to the bar D, K, C, and conse-
quently to the divisions corresponding to the divisions on the index on the
graduaded arch E, F, on the side opposite to the index; and on the middle
upright bar of the octant is fastened by a skrew, as a center or axle, a moveable
trigor G, which, when put to the catch of the cross brass bar at K, it forces
it off the index, which suffers the index to play freely along the arch until
the observation is made. When the observation is well made (whether under
or over 45 degrees), by drawing the trigor the spring will instataneously
snap the cross brass bar, (which has teeth or a roughness on it) on the index
(which may have a piece of leather or jagged plate of brass to be easily
caught and held on it), and holds it fast to the exact altitude on the graduated
arch and nonius compared, and consequently shew the altitude of the object
to the minutest powers of both, and will require but immediate repetitions
to confirm.
The manner an observation is performed by the foregoing described quad-
rant: First, if 45 degrees or under, you are to take your sights through
those fixt on the short limb or edge A, B, holding the quadrant fast in
the most convenient place with one hand, and near the trigor, the middle
upright bar of the octant with the other hand, both firm and steady to your
body, and when you get a full and sure sight of the object, draw the trigor
quick and smartly, and the spring will instantaneously snap the cross brass
bar against the index, and hold it fast to the altitude of the object found on
the arch by the nonius. Secondly, if the altitude of the object exceeds
45 degrees, the observation is to be taken through the sights on the longest
limb or edge B, L, observing the same directions as before given for taking
observations under 45 degrees.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Brewer, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Thirteenth day of March, in the fifth year of
the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third, by the grace of
God of Great Britain, France and Ireland King, Defender of the
Faith, and so forth, and in the year of our Lord One thousand seven
hundred and sixty-five.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBRED, that on the said Thirteenth day of March,
in the fifth year of the reign of His said Majesty King George the Third,
the aforesaid Richard Brewer came before our said Lord the King in His
Chancery, and acknowledged the Writing aforesaid, and every matter and
thing therein contained, in form above said. And the said Writing was
stamped according to the Statute made in the sixth year of the reign of the
late King William and Queen Mary, and so forth.