THE SOLE SMELTING OF COPPER ORE ACCORDING TO THE METHOD NEWLY DISCOVERED BY ME
Year: 1778

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
WILLIAMS, of the Parish of Feock, in the County of Cornwall, Copper Refiner,
send greeting.
WHEREAS His present Majesty, by His Royal Letters Patent, bearing
date the Seventh day of May last, in the eighteenth year of His reign, was
graciously pleased to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
"THE SOLE SMELTING OF COPPER ORE ACCORDING TO THE METHOD NEWLY DISCOVERED
BY ME," within that part of His Majesty's Kingdom of Great Britain called
England; the Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, for the
term of fourteen years: And whereas, before the granting the Letters Patent
herein mentioned, the method of smelting copper ore was as follows (that is to
say): A given quantity of the raw copper ore, as it was brought from the mine,
or calcined ore, or mixed, being put into a close furnace, called an operation
furnace, with a very strong fire, the waste, such as spar and earth intermixed
with the ore, would melt into a body and rise to the top, which was skimmed
of at the end of four hours; then a like quantity of the same sort of copper
ore being added to the former, at the end of four hours it was skimmed a
second time; then a third quantity of the same sort (equal to the second
quantity) being added to the former, at the end of another space of four

page_text: hours the whole was skimmed. again. And after the third skimming, and
after the expiration of twelve hours from the beginning of the process, the
the matter being in a fluid state, was tapped or let out into a bed of sand.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Williams, in compliance with
and performance of a proviso or condition in such Letters Patent contained,
do hereby describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, in manner following (that is to say):-
After the third skimming, and after the expiration of twelve hours from the
beginning of the process, the matter being in a fluid state, then, instead of
being tapped or let out into a bed of sand, as is the common method, let it be
tapped or let out of the furnace with an iron rod, through the tap hole at the
bottom thereof into a launder or spout, to convey the said fluid matter into a
large cistern or tub filled with water, where the metal will sink to the bottom,
and great part of the arsenick and other foul and poisnous substances, which
before were incorporated with the metal, will swim and remain on the surface
of the water; the arsenick and other foul and poisnous matter so swimming
at top of the water in the cistern or vat as aforesaid is to be let to run off
by means of a hole made at the top of the cistern or vatt a little below the
surface of the water. Then, upon the bottom of the cistern or vatt let there
be laid a false bottom, on which the metal is to lodge and rest when tapped
and let out of the furnace as aforesaid; then let this false bottom, with the
metal so resting thereon, be raised out of the cistern or vat of water and
put into the furnace again; and instead of tapping the metal into sand as
usual, this method of tapping or letting the metal out into the cistern or vat
of water must be pursued in every subsequent operation until it is brought to
a proper state to be put into a furnace, called a refining furnace; there give it
a strong fire, when it will again be reduced into a fluid state; then skim off
the dross, and it becomes pure copper, which may be laded out into iron
moulds and any other conveniency.
And I, the said Thomas Williams, do hereby aver and affirm, that the
particulars above set forth contain a full, true, and perfect description of the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twelfth
day of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred
and seventy-eight.
THOMAS WILLIAMS. (L.s.).

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBRED, that on the same Twelfth day of August,
in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid Thomas Williams came before our
said Lord the King in His Chancery aforesaid, and acknowledged the
Specification above mentioned, 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 in the sixth year of the
reign of the late King and Queen William and Mary of England, and so forth.
Inrolled the Eighteenth day of August, in the year above mentioned.