AN IыPROVED METHOD OF SEPERATING THE ALKALINE SALT FROM THE ACID AS IT EXISTS IN THE FOLLOWING SUBSTANCES, VIZ:-KELP, BLACK ASHES, SOAPERS' SALTS, SPENT LEYS, SOSA NATRON, ROCK SALT, COMMON SALT, BRINE, SEA WATER, CAPUT MORTUUM OF AQUA FORTIS, CAPUT MORTUUM OF OIL OF VITRIOL, AND CAPUT MORTUUM OF SALT USED BY BLEACHERS
Year: 1810

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, GEORGE
HODSON, of the City of Edinburgh, North Britain, Ash Manufacturer, sends
greeting.
WHEREAS the King's most Excellent Majesty by Letters Patent under
the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, bearing
date the Eighth day of October, in the fiftieth year of His reign, gave
granted unto the said George Hodson, his executors, administrators, and
assigns, His Majesty's special licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that he, the said George Hodson, his executors, administrators,
assigns, and every one of them, by himself and themselves, or by his or
their deputy or deputies, servants or agents, or such others as he, the said
George Hodson, his executors, administrators, or 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
makė, use, exercise, and vend his Invention of "AN IыPROVED METHOD OF
SEPERATING THE ALKALINE SALT FROM THE ACID AS IT EXISTS IN THE FOLLOWING
SUBSTANCES, VIZ:-KELP, BLACK ASHES, SOAPERS' SALTS, SPENT LEYS, SOSA NATRON,
ROCK SALT, COMMON SALT, BRINE, SEA WATER, CAPUT MORTUUM OF AQUA FORTIS,
CAPUT MORTUUM OF OIL OF VITRIOL, AND CAPUT MORTUUM OF SALT USED BY
BLEACHERS," within that part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland called England, the Dominion of Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, in such manner as to him, the said George Hodson, his executors,
administrators, and assigns, or any of them, should in his or their discretion seem

page_text: meet; in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that if the said
George Hodson should not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
his said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an
instrument in writing under his band and seal, and cause the same to be
inrolled in his Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent, that then the
said Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby
granted, should utterly cease, determine, and become void, anything therein
contained to the contrary thereof.in anywise-notwithstanding.
NOW KNOW YE, that the said. George. Hodson .doth by this instrument
in writing, under his hand and seal, duly executed, describe and ascertain the
nature of his said Invention, and the methods, by which, the same.may. be
performed, that is to say:-
A ton of kelp is ground to the size of a walnut, and introduced into a vatt
or vatts with receivers under them such as soap boilers use, water is then
added so as completely to cover it; after standing in that state twelve hours,
the plug at the bottom is partially taken out and the saline fluid drawn off-in
the usual manner soap boilers follow. One hundred and sixty gallons-of--the
first running is to be reserved in order to mix with the remainder of the
saline matter, to make the whole obtained of equal strength when it is
introduced into the evaporating pan. The kelp-in-the vatt should be covered
with water, and kept running until the saline matter be wholly obtained.
This saline matter is to be put into evaporating pans of a certain form, rather,
oval, each containing two hundred gallons, more or less. Five hundredweight
of well-burnt lime, slacked, and reduced to powder, then immersed in water,
in order that the stones and gravel may subside, must be added to the saline
matter in proper proportions, to take in the whole of the saline matter as it - is
introduced into the evaporating pans. Five hundredweight of charcoal or
cynders, or pitcoal, ground to dust and afterwards put through a fine sive, is
also introduced into the evaporating pans in proper proportions along..with
the lime, and ten pounds of vegitable alkali, more or less, equally-divided
between the pans, which will accelerate the process. A strong fire is to be
put under the pan, care being always taken that the fire is placed at a proper
distance from the pan, and constant stirring must. be employed until the
lixivium begins to rise, which it will do in a similar manner to soap when
boiling, and it must be treated by cooling as-soap is, otherwise it will overflow.
the top of the pan; as the liquid evaporates soft water must be added..until
the acid is dispersed, which will be effected in proportion to the quantity..of
saline matter in the pan; with kelp of medium; quality the operation..is

page_text: finished in twelve or fourteen: hours: Care must be taken not to fill the pan too
full in order to give the fluid liberty to rise.Care must also be taken frequently
to stir the bottom of the pan, with an iron stirrer made in length in: proportion
to the depth of the pan... When the acid is found. to be. evaporated, which
may be known. by a simple chemical process upon a tea cup full of, the fluid
in the pan, the fire must: beipartly drawn, and kept moderate until the moisture
is wholly evaporated; the fire must then! be removed and the substance in the
pan stirred.until it is so cool.as to prevent its adhering to the bottom of the
pan. This substance is now in a state: fit to be usedsby; the isoapmaker in the
same way they use other ashes, by bruising it small and mixing it with quick
lime properly slacked. If a manufactury for preparing the ash for sale
should be established;. tlie.substance.must be put into a reverberating furnace,
and such heat applied as to render it fluid; in which state it may be kept half an
hour with a moderate fire; during the half hour, when fluid, it is to be fre-
quently stirred with an iron rake made for the purpose; it may be stirred in the
dry state a few times before: it becomes fluid. It is drawn out of the furnace in
the fluid state into an iron pot placed under the door of the furnace. When
cool it comes out of the pot a solid mass, similar in appearance to barilla.
The same mode of procedure must be followed with all the other substances in
the Patent. Those of them which contain earth in a state of combination, as the
kelp does, must be bruised quite small and dissolved in soft water; common
salt must be dissolved. Another part of the process is to be conducted in a
reverberating furnace; the kelp is to be bruised as the soapmakers now
grind it for use, and five or six hundredweight of it is to be introduced into
the furnace along with two hundredweight of black peat moss or earth of moss,
made small, and moistened with water; a fire is to be applied, and with a
proper iron rake is to be stirred frequently until the peat moss be consumed,
which will be in six or eight hours; it is then to be drawn out and is fit for use.
All the other substances in the Patent must be heated in the same manner.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Hodson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eleven.
GEORGE HODSON (L.S.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered, being first
duly stamped, in presence of
JA SPENCE, Writer, in Edinburgh.
JA H. Ross, apprentice to William Dallas, Writer to the Signet.

page_text: James Spence, writer, in Edinburgh, maketh oath and saith, that he did
see George Hodson, mentioned in the Deed Poll hereunto annexed, sign,
seal, and as his act and deed, in due form of law, deliver the said Deed Poll, in
the presence of James Hunter Ross, apprentice to William Dallas, writer to
the signet, and this deponent; and that the names George Hodson, appearing to
be set and subscribed at the foot of the said Deed Poll as the party executing
the same, and George Hodson, and Ja H. Ross, and Ja³ Spence set and
subscribed to the said Deed Poll, as witnesses attesting the due execution of
the same, are of the respective handwriting of the said George Hodson, James
Hunter Ross, and this deponent.
Ja" SPENCE.
Swarn hafora ma one of the Barone of His Majesty's Court of Fixchequer