Band 
Vol. II.
Seite
329
JPEG-Download
 

JUGGLERS.

329

printers prefer to all others. This colour was and is stillprepared from the soot taken from where the refuse ofgrapes are burnt; nay, sometimes the refuse is only charred,pulverized finely, and packed up for sale.

The commentators, therefore, appear, instead of renderingmore intelligible the passages of certain ancient authors, tohave, by their misconception of their meanings, renderedwhat they left clear very confused; because the ancientscertainly knew, as well as the moderns, the dilference be-tween blue and black!

To draw to a conclusion of this article, we observe, thatwe are credibly informed, that in a work, published by thelearned Dr. William van Ranouw, of Amsterdam , intituled,Kabinel der Natuurlyke Historien, wetenschapen, konsten enhandwerken, in eight parts, small 8vo. between 1719 and1727; in the seventh part, there is an excellent dissertation,containing the history, preparation, and use of indigo.

Indigo is, we understand, prepared from the fermentationof a plant or herb, called anil, the produce of the district ofGuzurat, in India , at which place there are large quantitiesof it prepared; and in other Indian provinces. It is madeby throwing large quantities of this plant into still ponds ofwater, where it ferments with a most intolerable stench,somewhat similar to that of llax-pits; a scum rises upon thesurface of the water, and adheres to the banks, which beingcollected and dried, constitutes the article known by thename of indigo.

JUGGLERS. 1

Proposing to say something upon this very ingenious art,if an art it may be called,—a practice then so univer-sally used and so generally approved, that whenever itsartists appear, people would willingly part with their moneyto have their senses deceived. This part of our subject, onimpartial consideration, will be found to include so extensivea circle, that, generally speaking, it appears to embrace agreat part of our species, even our whole race may be dividedinto the jugglers and the juggled; what shall we call it, an artor a sciencet —no; it can be called neither, for a variety ofreasons.

Much has been said upon the immorality, or rather the

1 Wherever it is thought the officers of religion are irreverently spoken of, itwill be remembered, that the application is only made to the worthless and de-praved.