6

DYEING AND CALICO PRINTING.

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account published in the English language of the means and operations usedby dyers. Nearly two years afterwards, viz., March 30th, 1664, Mr. Boylepresented to the Royal Society his “ Experiments and Considerations touchingColours and on the 10th of August following it was ordered by the Society‘ that the way of fixing colours should be recommended to Mr. Howard, Mr.Boyle, and Dr. Merrit.’ These, and especially the first two, were among themost distinguished members of the Society ; but it does not appear thatthey were able to do anything deserving of notice, in consequence of thisrecommendation. However, at a meeting of the Society on the nth November,i66g, that very ingenious and useful member, 1 Mr. Hooke, produced a piece ofcalico stained after the way contrived by himself, which he was desired toprosecute in other colours besides those that appeared in this piece (Birch’s“ History of the Royal Society,” vol. ii., p. 401); ’ and, accordingly, on the gthof the following month, ‘ Mr. Hooke produced another specimen of stainingwith yellow, red, green, blue, and purple colours, which he said would endurewashing with warm water and soap.’ But from this time it does not appearthat anything considerable was done for nearly the space of a century, by menof science in this kingdom, towards improving the arts of dyeing and calicoprinting, they being probably discouraged by the difficulties which, from thevery imperfect state of chemical science, must have occurred in every attemptto improve upon what the dyers were able to perform without any principle ortheory. In France, however, the minister Colbert, anxious to extend thecommerce and manufactures of that country, turned his attention particularlyto the art of dyeing, with a view to amend, as well as to obviate, frauds in thepractice; and for these purposes an “ Instruction Generale pour la Teinture desLaines et Manufadtures de Laine de toutes Nuances, et pour la Culture desDrogues ou Ingredients qu’on Emploie” was prepared under his immediatedirection, and published in 1672. This, however, was not intended merely toinform, but as a legislative act to control the dyers in their operations. Itdivided them into two classes; the one, dyers “ en grand,” were confined tothe colours deemed lasting, while the dyers “ en petit teint” were allowed onlyto give those which were considered as fugitive; and the drugs to be employedin each branch were also particularly specified, and the dyers in each prohibitedfrom using or having in their possession any of the drugs allotted to the other.Restraints of this kind, though intended to prevent frauds, must have operatedas checks upon future improvements if the government had not encourageduseful discoveries in this art, first by offering rewards, and afterwards byappointing those eminent chemists, Dusay, Hellot, Macquer, and Berthollet,in succession, to superintend and improve the arts connected with chemistry,and more especially that of dyeing.

“ Dusay appears to have been the first who entertained just conceptions ofone of the causes of the adhesion of colouring matters to stuffs when dyed ;viz., that which depends on an affinity or attraction subsisting between suchmatters and the fibres or substances of the dyed stuffs. He also noticed thedifference in the degree of attraction which different substances, as wool andcotton, exert upon the same colouring matters, and which he found so greatthat a skein of each having been in an equal degree subjected to the meansand operations commonly employed for dyeing scarlet, the woollen yarn wasfound to be fully and permanently dyed of that colour, while the cotton