APPENDIX.
117
Mr. George Macintosh had, it appears, found himself unable to executethis commission, although at the time extensively engaged in the businessof Turkey -red dyeing ; and, accordingly, devolved it upon his son’s house,of Arthur, Neale, and Macintosh, as appears by the following letter andaccount furnished by these gentlemen :—*
“ George Macintosh, Esq.
“ Dear Sir, —We return you her majesty’s cotton, and think the colournear what is wanted. Unfortunately, our dyer has soiled the patternwith his blue paws, which is herewith returned.—I am, Sir,
(“ For Arthur, Neale, and Macintosh,)
“ Willm. Ramsay.”
“ George Macintosh, Esq.
“ To Arthur, Neale, and Macintosh,
£ s. d.
“ Dyeing 3 spo. Yarn Blush Colour,.0 3 0”
It does not appear from Mr. Macintosh’s papers, whether the “ blushcolour ” was selected by her majesty, in allusion to the smallness of theorder, or by Mr. George Macintosh, or Messrs. Arthur, Neale, and Macin-tosh, in reference to their putting the clan to the blush by their manufac-turing propensities ; nor is there any trace of this claim of three shillingsever having been discharged.
Mr. George Macintosh was also about the same time engaged in a glassmaking concern, and in the West India trade, neither of which businessesappears to have been by any means lucrative.
In 1777, Mr. George Macintosh commenced the manufacture of anarticle named “ Cudbear,” some short account of which, rather more indetail, may perhaps be interesting.
Cudbear is a modification of Orseille, or Archella, a dye supposed tohave been known to the ancients, and at one time extensively manufac-tured at Florence. In the manufacture of Cudbear, however, the Lichentartareus of Linnams was substituted, in the first instance, by Mr. Macin-tosh, on an extensive scale, for the Lichen rocella. For several centuries,the Lichen tartareus had been employed in preparing this dye, by thepeasants of the highlands of Scotland , and of Sweden ; and it is said thatone Gordon, a copper-smith in London , having been employed in repairinga boiler at a dye-house in which Archella had been used ; and having seenthe process of dyeing with the article in question, became impressed withthe belief of the great analogy between the process of Archella dyeing andthat which he had seen practised in his youth in the highlands, with theLichen tartareus, or Crottal.