IMPROVEMENTS IN PRESERVING VEGETABLE MATTERS, WHERE METALLIC AND EARTHY SOLUTIONS ARE EMPLOYED
Year: 1841

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
PAYNE, of South Lambeth, in the County of Surrey, Chemist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West
minster, the Ninth day of July, in the fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself,
Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Charles. Payne,
Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said
Charles Payne, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Charles Payne, my exors, admors, 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, my Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRESERVING VEGETABLE MATTERS, WHERE METALLIC AND
EARTHY SOLUTIONS ARE EMPLOYED;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso that I, the said Charles Payne, shall cause a particular description of
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be inrolled 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Charles Payne, do hereby declare that the nature of my Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer
tained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say:

page_text: My Invention relates to a mode of preserving vegetable matters by causing
them to be impregnated with solutions of metallic or earthy matters, and then
by chemical decomposition to obtain the preserving matters employed in an
insoluble state within the substance of the vegetable matter treated, when such
effects are obtained by the combined processes of exhaustion, pressure, and
chemical decomposition. And in order that my Invention may be most fully
understood and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to explain the means
pursued by me; first remarking that there are many. metallic and earthy
matters which are known as preservative of vegetable matters from decay and
from burning with flame; it is not therefore my intention to enter into a par-
ticular description thereof, my Invention relating to a mode of applying such
matters as above stated, and not to the use or application of such preservative
matters generally. I will therefore confine my explanation to the use of one
metallic solution and one carthy matter in solution, together with the use of
suitable matters in solution for decomposing the metallic or earthy matters used..
The wood or other vegetable matter to be preserved is placed in a strong vessel
capable of bearing considerable pressure, and of a size depending on the dimen-
sions or quantity of vegetable matters to be preserved at one time, and as good
a vacuum is to be obtained as possible, either by air pumps or otherwise, as is
well understood, by which the air will be exhausted from the fibres of the vege-
table matters. I then fill the vessel with the earthy or metallic solution I propose
to use, and allow it to stand for a short time, or I nearly fill the vessel in the
first instance with the liquor and then exhaust. Then by the use of force pumps
or by columnal pressure I cause the liquor in the vessel to be pressed into the
vegetable matter, and I find it desirable to withdraw a quantity of the liquor from
time to time, keeping up the pressure of supply, by which the process will be
facilitated; and when the vegetable matter is well impregnated with the metallic
or earthy solution, the time for doing which will vary with the nature of and
quantity and on the dimensions of the pieces of the vegetable matters treated,
but the workman with a little practice will soon judge of the time required';
and having saturated the vegetable matter in the vessel, I then withdraw the
liquor from the vessel and fill it with a solution suitable for decomposing the
matter of the previous liquid by double or single decomposition, according to
the result desired to be obtained; all which is well understood by chemists, and
will not be required to be described in this my Specification. Supposing the
solution to be used be a strong solution of sulphate of iron, either hot or cold,
having impregnated the wood or other vegetable matter therewith, I then
apply a solution of any of the carbonated alkalies to decompose the solution of
iron. I prefer carbonate of soda for that purpose, but any suitable known

page_text: substances which will decompose the salt, and render the oxyde of iron inso-
luble, may be resorted to, and by means of vacuum and pressure, as above
explained, I cause the liquor to penetrate into the wood or other vegetable
matter under process, and decomposition will follow; and in some cases it is
desirable to dry or partially dry the wood between the process of impregnation
with the different liquors, in order to obtain the matters of the first solution
in a more concentrated form within the substance of the wood, in order to get
rid of part of the aqueous matter therefrom, to facilitate the next process of
impregnation and decomposition, by exhaustion and pressure as above ex-
plained. In this manner may other metallic solutions, particularly those of the
cheaper metals, be used, employing proper means of decomposing the same, as
above explained.
In respect to earthy matters, supposing a strong solution of alum to be used,
I employ a solution of carbonate of soda of a strength proper for the solution
of alum, or other proper and well-known means of decomposing the solution
of alum, may be resorted to for precipitating the alumina, and thus render it
insoluble in the substance of the wood or other vegetable matters treated.
And in this manner may solutions of lime and other earthy matters be
employed, using suitable decomposing substances in solution.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, I would have it understood, that I am aware that
wood and other vegetable matters have been before impregnated with various
metallic and earthy matters, for the purpose of preserving the vegetable
matters. And I am aware that it has before been proposed to use exhaustion
and pressure to impregnate wood and other matters with preservative solutions,
and I mention these in order to state, that I do not claim the same when
separately considered, or when uncombined with a process of decomposition, as
above described. And I would have it understood that what I claim is, the
mode of preserving woods or other vegetable matters by causing them to be
impregnated with a solution of metallic or earthy matter, and then by chemical
decomposition to obtain the matters employed in an insoluble state in the
substance of the vegetable matter, when such effects are obtained by the
combined processes of exhaustion, pressure, and decomposition, as above
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Payne, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of January, One thousand eight hundred
CHAS (L.S.) PAYNE.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Eighth day of January, in the
year of our Lord 1842, the aforesaid Charles Payne 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 Eighth day of January, in the year of our Lord One thou-
sand eight hundred and forty-two.