Patent.-Petition for prolongation.-Merit.-Re'lnuneration to inoentor inadequate.-Period of protection extended. P. patented an invention fur " Improoemenis in rotary motors actuated by " elastic fluid pressure and applicable also as jJumjJs," first lin Englal'td (1884) 10 and then. in various foreign couniries. The invention was one of great merit. The merit oj the invention lay in sett'ing down the conditions essential to the succeesful use of the velocity of steam for caueiru) rotary motion

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... ithout the intervention 0.1 any reciprocating apparatus. The apparatus" when used for marine propulsion; considerablu increased the rate 0.1 speed. Eiue of theforeiqn 15 patents had been allowed to' lapse oW/~ng to circumstances renderinq them (~I an unremuneratioe character. From 1884 to 1894 the Patentee, in conjunction uiith. partners and alone, endeavoured to profitably make use o.f hisinvention for purposes other than marine propulsion. The accounts showed a considerable loss. In 1894, the Patentee granted to a Company an exclusive license to use 20 the Letters Patent, together with other of his patents, for the purpose of marine propulsion, the consideration being the payment of certain royalties (in respect to uihich, up to the date of the petition, he had received no payrnent) and 9000l. lin fully paid shares. Experiments were made, and a sum of 16,000l. spent in. jitt1:ng a vessel with engines driven by steam turbines. Shortly before the 25 date of the petit/ion a neto Company took over the interest of the first Compans) in the vessel and license. The consideration for this transfer was 30,000l. in cash and 80,000l. in shares, with certain royalties and rights to further shares. 0.1 this consideration the Patentee received for his interest in the first Company 9000l. in casb and about 80,000l. lin shares. In the valuation of the patents 30 made for the purpose of the transfer from the first Company to the second Compans], the sum of 10001. in cash and shares was apportioned to the patent in quest/ion. At the date of the' petition, the second Compamu, being satisfied ioith. the experiments made, teas about to erect its ioorkshops and commence operations. In 189o, the Patentee granted a license to a third Company to uiork 35 under certain of his foreign patents, reserving to himself and his licensees the right to use the inventionjor marine propulsion, Fro In, the accounts, it appeared that the net sum received from the third COl111Jany was 52631. 18s. Od., one-fiftb oj' iohich. was treated for the purpose of the petition as in respect of the patent in question, Apart from the sums realised in respect 01 the riqhi« relating