A NEW OR IMPROVED MIRROR LANTERN OR LAMP
Year: 1785

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
LUCAS, of Long Acre, in the County of Middlesex, Tin Plate Worker, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His present Majesty, in and by His certain Letters Patent
under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster, the
Twenty-first day of December, in the twenty-sixth year of His reign, did, of
His special grace, certain knowledge, and meer motion, for Himself, His
heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Joseph Lucas, my
exors, adñiors, and assigns, especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Joseph Lucas, my exors, adñññors, and assigns,
and every of them, by myself and themselves, or by my and their deputy or
deputies, servants or agents, or such others as I, the said Joseph Lucas, my
exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times hereafter during the term of years
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend
my Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED MIRROR LANTERN OR LAMP," therein

page_text: mentioned, within that part of the Kingdom of Great Britain called England,
the Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner
as to me, the said Joseph Lucas, my exors, admiors, and assigns, or any of
them, should seem meet; and that I, the said Joseph Lucas, my exors,
adñiors, 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 mentioned, to hold, exercise, and enjoy the said licence, powers,
privileges, and advantages therein-before granted or mentioned to be granted
unto me, the said Joseph Lucas, my exors, admiors, and assigns, for and during
and unto the full. end and term of fourteen years from the date of the said
Letters Patent next immediately ensuing, and fully to be compleat and ended
according to the Statute in such case made and provided; in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso that the same should be void, unless I,
the said Joseph Lucas, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, by
an instrument in writing under my hand and scal, and cause the same to
be inrolled in the High Court of Chancery within one calendar month next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Lucas, in pursuance of the
said proviso in the said Letters Patent, do hereby describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
as follows (that is to say):-
The case containing the lamp is to be composed of tin plate, copper, or
any other metal or composition of inetals suitable for the purpose, and to be
constructed in the manner of common chaise lamp cases or lanterns, with a
large hollow tube containing a wire worm-spring to raise a candle or other
combustible matter with a power of elasticity calculated to its pressure, or
otherwise with a tube or barrel without a spring, by any of the simple or com-
pound mechanical constructions that may answer the same purpose or produce
the same effect by burning oil. The large or globular part (above the tube) of
this case is to be lined with a section of either a molded semy-globe of glass, or
the same made into an oval form, or otherwise with the segment of a blown glass
globe in its spherical state, or reduced after cut off into an oval form, so as to
suit or fill up the inner part of the globular case with its concave fronting the
light, and the hanging compass window frame is to be filled up with another
section of a glass globe or molded semi-globe formed into an oval as before,
also of nearly about the same measurement as the other, and to be fixed

page_text: therein with its convex part outward and its concave part inward, to front the
concave of the inner section, half globe, or oval, to enlarge the medium in
which the lamp or candle is to burn, and the convex or back part of such
concave is to be covered over with tinfoil and quicksilver. In place of the
inner globe section of glass, may be substituted another of same dimensions,
made of any ductile metal proper to produce and maintain the form required,
which is to be well washed with silver to admit of being highly burnished
throughout its whole concavity to reflect the light as the concave glass globe
section does in its mirror'd state, by the help of the tinfoil and quicksilver in
laying it on the convex or outer part of the simple net glass if unadorned. And
in order that all kinds of devices in colouring which are claimed by this Patent
right, especially in the herald line of painting, may be executed properly, the
painters' work may be made on any proper substance, and placed behind
the glass, or it must be first laid on the convex parts of the naked glass, and
when well dried on is to be covered over with the tinfoil and quicksilver by
the same operation that covers the net and unadorned part of the glass; in
some cases fine silver leaf may be brought into use (and if required, gold
leaf may be substituted for it, to produce variety) by the common operation of
amalgamation, or otherwise by the more common modes used among artists
of laying and burnishing the leaf gold or silver leaf. The modes for painting
devices, &c., on the metallick semi-globes, whenever they are adopted, must be
those commonly used on metals, with strong varnishes of spirits or oils, as
most approved; and here all the work of this kind will require being done on
the concave parts of these sections of metallick globes after having been
burnished and otherwise finished, and will, without any further aid, reflect
nearly as well (if well executed) as the foils and quicksilver do on the glass.
Though the globular reflectors will probably be the most generally esteemed,
they will be constructed of all other shapes, such as ovals, hexagons, octagons,
triangulars, and squares, if required, and will be so variously constructed on
larger plans as to make of them elegant pieces of house furniture, for deco-
rating public assembly rooms, and lighting and ornamenting all large apart-
ments in noblemen's and other distinguished families for receiving company,
and illuminating staircases and avenues leading to all such parts of their
buildings.
The utility of this Invention, from its extraordinary lustre above all former
carriage or chaise lanterns, is great, as in dark nights the drivers will be
enabled to discover precipices, rugged roads, &c., and rendered capable of
quartering their ground without the risque or fear of danger; besides which,

page_text: travellers may easily know or distinguish, from the arms, crests, or cpthers so
reflected, to whom the carriages belong.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Lucas, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twentieth day of January, in the twenty-sixth
year of the reign of His Majesty King 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 eighty-six.
Inrolled the Twentieth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand seven hundred and eighty-six.