IMPROVE- MENTS IN OBTAINING SOAP FROM WASH WATERS
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BIRKETT, of Bradford, in the County of York, Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twelfth day of
June (One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one), in the fourteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Birkett, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial license,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said William Birkett, my
exors, adiñors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Birkett, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN OBTAINING SOAP FROM WASH WATERS;" in which said Letters Patent
is contained a proviso that I, the said William Birkett, shall cause a particular
description of 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 scal,
to be inrolled in Her 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.
KNOW NOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Birkett, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention, and

page_text: the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention consists of causing the suds or wash waters to be evaporated
considerably, which I do in any convenient vessel, and I find that it is
desirable to reduce it to a pasty, or cream-like consistency, I then add a
quantity of common salt, or it might be other soluble salt, and continue to add
such salt during the boiling till the fatty matters separate from the water and
salt, and in such manner as to admit (on being allowed to settle for a short
time) of the fatty matters being skimmed off and placed in another pan, and
to this product I add caustic soda or potash ley, and reconvert the product
into soap, hard or soft, according to the alkali employed; or I combine the
product obtained as above described from suds or wash waters with fatty
matters or resin, and convert the same into soap. I allow the ley and refuse
resulting from the above process to settle, and the clear liquor I evaporate so
as again to be used in place of the soluble salt above described, for separating
the remainder of the water, as above explained.
The novelty of my Invention consists in treating suds or wash waters by
evaporation, and separating the remainder of the water and refuse matters by
a suitable soluble salt, and then employing alkali to convert such product
again into soap.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Birkett, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.