INVENTION

There is a record of one 'Heinrich Ernst Seiffert aus Altona bei Hamburg' in 1787. The letter is clearly addressed to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, whom, we may be sure, were not taken in by what was either the production of a madman or a clumsy confidence trickster. 3pp, foolscap 8vo. On bifolium of gilt-edged paper. In fair condition, on lightly aged paper with slight wear and short closed tears to extremities. Folded twice.

Two ALSs, four pages each (an expansive hand), 12mo, bifoliums, fold marks, good condition. LETTER ONE: I have sent you by Book Post an article on Griffons loss. | To show that I do not speak at random in this article, I should tell you that I have private letters from the Commodore ([Hornby?]) saying 'I wish you would hasten ... the supply of your Lamps. Griffons [see note below] loss bears on the subject.'...| I wrote in August begging that all vessels coming out here might be supplied with Colomb's lights. I find the [last?] comers are not so blessed.

2pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. With Cruikshank's splendid sprawling signature. Addressed to 'C. Le Motte Esq' and beginning: 'Sir, | Professor Wheatstone did not lay the wire across the Thames as he proposed to do, on account of the “Trawling” in that River and also finding some trouble in obtaining permission from the Lord Mayor – as “Conservator of the Thames” - In 1840 he had all the plans and apparatus ready – and in 1844 he in company with the Member for Swansea [i.e.

4pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. He letter begins: 'The last time I had the pleasure of being at your Works, was with The Duke of Sutherland, & Mr. Maconnell then of the L. & N. W. Rail. I am now anxious to see you on a matter of business, & if you are at home, I propose to go to Bedford on Thursday next, the 7th. Jany.' He gives details of how he proposes to travel, before explaining his object as to 'show you the Plan of a plough. I have tried it in a rough way, & it seems to save much <?>, & to do good work.

The Patent Office - now the Intellectual Property Office - was established by the Patent Law Amendment Act of 1852, which simplified the procedure for obtaining patents of invention and reduced costs. In 1883 another Act of Parliament brought into being the office of Comptroller General of Patents, with, according to the National Archives, 'a staff of patent examiners to carry out a limited form of examination; mainly to ensure that the specification described the invention properly, but without any investigation into novelty'.

On both sides of a 9 x 11 cm. grey card with embossed letterhead. In good condition, lightly aged. Docketted and with Royal Academy of Arts stamp. 'Lt. Colonel Crompton begs to enclose a cheque in payment of his subscription and will be greatly obliged to the Secretary if he will send him a form to enable his Bankers - Messrs. Barclay & Co. to pay the subscription in future.' Crompton's firm Crompton & Co. was one of the world's first large-scale manufacturers of electrical equipment.

The collection consists of four items. All four in good condition, on lightly-aged paper, with slight creasing. ONE: Typed Memorandum. 3pp., foolscap 8vo. Signed over a stamp by Campbell, and witnessed by Florence Campbell of Newcastle-on-Tyne. Campbell agrees to teach Langsford 'how to prepare the photographic paper called "Gelatino-chloride glossy printing-out paper" by the same formula and process as he uses and put him in the way to start and carry on a business for himself'.

4to bifolium: 2 pp, with address on otherwise-blank second leaf. Very good on lightly aged paper. Slight wear to extremities. A significant document, casting light on the relative states of engineering in early nineteenth-century France and England, and the role of the scientist in France at that time.

The four items, all on aged and lightly spotted paper, are attached by four rusty staples. One (five pages, octavo): In reply to the firm's inquiry regarding 'the prevention of rising spaces in Monotype', Marshall states that, instead of giving information, he 'would rather send you the method and you try it out and prove for yourself its value, then pay me afterwards'.