About the year 1812 Donkin's attention was turned to the subject of the preservation of meat and vegetables in air-tight cases, and he erected a considerable manufactory for this purpose at Bermondsey. Mr. Donkin was also one of the first to introduce improvements into printing machinery. In 1813 he, in conjunction with Mr. Bacon, secured a patent for a Polygonal printing machine, and in the same year invented and brought into use composition rollers, by which some of the greatest difficulties experienced at that time in printing by machinery were overcome. Among other inventions and mechanical contrivances of Donkin's are a very beautiful screw-cutting and dividing machine; an instrument to measure the velocity of the rotation of machinery; and a counting engine: for the two last gold medals were awarded by the Society of Arts. In 1820 Mr. Donkin was much engaged with Sir William Congreve in contriving a method of printing stamps in two colours, with compound plates, for the prevention of forgery; and with the aid of Mr. Wilks, who was at that time his partner, he produced the beautiful machine now used at the Excise and Stamp Offices, and by the East India Company at Calcutta. Mr. Donkin was an early member of the Society of Arts, and became one of the vice-presidents. From this society he received two medals, one for his invention of an instrument to measure the velocity of the rotation of machinery, and another for his counting-engine. During the last forty years of his life he was greatly occupied as a civil engineer, and was one of the originators and a vice-president of the Institution of Civil Engineers, which was founded by one of his pupils, Mr. Henry Palmer, and a few other gentlemen, the Royal Charter being obtained by Mr. Telford and himself. He died in his eighty-seventh year, having passed a long life in an almost uninterrupted course of usefulness and good purpose.--_From the Proceedings of the Royal Society_, Nov. 30, 1855. WILLIAM JAMES FRODSHAM, F.R.S. Born July 25, 1778. Died June 29, 1850. William J. Frodsham was born in London, and brought up under the care of his grandfather, a great admirer of John Harrison, the inventor of the timekeeper for ascertaining the longitude at sea. From thus spending his early life with his grandfather, young Frodsham acquired a strong desire to engage in the business of chronometer making, he was consequently apprenticed to a man eminent in that art. Shortly after completing his apprenticeship Mr. Frodsham, in the year 1800, entered into partnership with Mr. W. Parkinson of Lancaster, and hence arose the celebrated firm of Parkinson and Frodsham.