320

ON LOCKS AND KEYS.

leaving an elongation of the metal at each side ofthe flap, which is put through a hole in the boardand rivetted in the inside. Besides more effectuallysecuring the clasp to the book, the improved methodis much neater in appearance, and the improvedclasps are sold at lower prices than the old ones.

It may be proper to remark, that we shall so fardepart from describing the various locks in theirstrictly chronological order of invention, as todescribe the whole of the improvements introducedby the same inventor into the same lock, in theirconsecutive order.

Bkamah’s Specification, dated May 3rd, 1798.

This patent has two objects, the first is to makea lock that shall not require a key, which shall putall the sliders right simultaneously ; and the secondis for the construction of a kind of universal orchangeable-bit key, by which the sliders shall beadjusted, one after the other, to a scale of variationssupplied by the owner at the time of purchasingthe lock.

The patentee states distinctly in his Specification,that he abstains from giving any details , as hetakes out the patent as a claim to the principle ofsuch modes of constructing locks and keys, reservingto himself the right to make any mechanicalarrangements for its proper carrying out that expe-rience may show him to be the most suitable.