Class XVI.]

CHAMOIS LEATHER—SHEEP-SKIN HUGS—AWARDS.

103

and softness are required, as for kid gloves, very muchcare and attention are necessary. The skin, having beeniirst softened in lime-water, has to be many times washed,and worked in pure water, and afterwards in fermentedbran-liquor. Volks of eggs, flour, alum, and salt, arethe materials with which the skin is made into softleather: and it is then dried, worked over a round bluntknife, and, after a second washing and softening withyolks of eggs, it is ready to receive from the dyer thebeautiful colours, so well known to the public, in themanufactured article of gloves. It has been estimatedthat 6,000,000 of eggs are annually consumed in theglove-leather manufactories of France and England.

A few' specimens of the excellent kid leather of France are exhibited by M. Jouvix, of Paris : these skins aremanufactured at Annonay , a town about fifty miles southof Lyons. The great superiority of the manufacture ofthis place is very remarkable, and a very large portion ofthe kid skins from every quarter of the globe are sentthither to be converted into gloving leather. Thoughthe supply is derived principally from the adjacent pro-vinces of France , from Italy , Switzerland , and Germany ,yet Ireland and the East Indies have oflate years contri-buted no inconsiderable quantity. The total numberannually manufactured there is not less than 4,000,000skins.

It is worthy of remark also, that a very large portionof the lamb skins, suitable for gloving leather, are sentfrom many countries to be manufactured at Yeovil , inSomersetshire , and the adjacent neighbourhood. It is notunusual to see in that place the lambs’ skins of Italy ,Austria , Spain , Turkey , Denmark , Bordeaux, Buenos :Ayres, and the Cape of Good Hope . The climate andthe peculiarities of water, which are so admirably adaptedfor kid leather-dressing in France , are unsuited to theproper manufacture of lamb skins, which require a moretemperate climate, and other facilities of manufacture,which are met with in England.

The following Exhibitors have been awarded PrizeMedals

Barrande, J. P., Rue du Fer a Moulin, Paris (756,France ), for an assortment of dyed goat, sheep, calf,and kid leather, in variety of colours. The bronze colourof this manufacturer is excellent and durable; and thesoftness of the alumed calf leather renders it admirablyadapted for the upper part of boots.

Corry, J. and J., Queen’s Camel, Somersetshire (314“),for Italian lamb skins, dressed and dyed in a variety ofcolours, for gloves.

Lolagnier, —, 6 Rue St. Hippolite, Paris (1330,France ), for specimens of kid, lamb, calf, and sheepleather, suitably manufactured for gloves.

The Jury make Honourable Mention of the followingExhibitors:—

oil to the skin, alternately with a process of beating infulling mills, and exposing to the air for partial drying,In about ten repetitions of the oiling and drying processthe skins are sufficiently saturated, and are allowed toremain in tubs until they become hot by natural fermenta-tion, after which they are washed in a strong alkali, anda most perfect and useful kind of leather is formed.

So recently as the commencement of the present cen-tury sheep skins manufactured in this mode were exten-sively employed as clothing; but woollen cloth hasgradually superseded their use, and the trade has consi-derably declined in consequence.

The Jury award Prize Medals to the following Ex-hibitors :—

Pullman', R. W. and J., 17 Greek Street, Soho ,London (285, p. 529), for an assortment of buck, doe,and chamois leathers of every description, very perfectlymanufactured, for a variety of purposes.

Texier, junior, Niort (1033, France , p. 1228), forspecimens of buck, doe, and fawn leather, and for somewell-dressed chamois sheep leather, stained in a variety ofcolours for gloves.

The Jury make Honourable.Mention of the followingExhibitors:—

Laydet and Co., glove manufacturers, Paris (296France , p. 1191), for specimens of chamois leather, dyedin suitable colours for gloves. (Awarded a Prize Medalby the Jury of Class XX.)

Randall and Dicks, Greek Street, Westminster (284,p. 539), for a well-manufactured assortment of buck, dee,and chamois and gaiter leather. These Exhibitors showthe application of chamois leather in the pianoforte,where it is used to stop the prolonged vibration of thewires.

Dyed Sheep-skin Mugs, $c.

There are thirteen Exhibitors of dyed rugs manufac-tured from English sheep and Angora goat skins. Thoughthe manufacture is of recent origin in this country, it: appears to have been known to the Eastern nations in themost remote times. In the Old Testament , the “ramskins dyed red” are mentioned, Exod. xxvi. 14, as orna-ments for the tent of the Holy Tabernacle. The sheepskins of England, especially the coarse wool skins ofLincoln and Leicestershire , are more adapted for thispurpose than these of any other country, on account ofthe peculiar lustre of the wool. These rugs are exten-sively used in Great Britain for door-mats, and areexported to America and the continent of Europe . Theexcellence of the manufacture consists in the perfectextraction of the natural grease, in making them com-plete leather with alum and sumach, and in dyeing thewool permanent and bright colours.

Boulogne, P., Prague (334, Austria , p. 1023), for kidand lamb-skin leather, dressed for gloves, in which thesmoothness and strength of the grain have been wellpreserved.

Luxemburg Glove Manufactory (4, p. 1130), forbronze and black kid leather, and for specimens of dyed ikid and lamb leather, for gloves. j

Mattat and Sons, Handers (10, Denmark , p. 1356),for very well-dressed leather, both for white and tan-coloured gloves.

Kanniger, J. L. and Sox, Altenburg (741, Prussia,p. 1091 for an assortment of lamb leather, dyed a varietyof colours, for gloves.

Oil or Chamois Leather.

There are fourteen Exhibitors of chamois leather, of.whom four are English manufacturers, two French , and !eight of other countries. I

The peculiar quality given to leather by the process ofthe oil or chamois leather manufacturer is extreme soft-ness, which renders it a suitable article for gloves, and !many other uses where this quality is required.

It is manufactured by the continued application of cod- :

The Jury award Prize Medals to the following Ex-hibitors :—

Bevixgtons and Morris, 67 King William Street,London (332, p. 535), for an assortment of sheep-skinrugs, in great variety of colours. These Exhibitors showbordered rugs of several designs, in good taste; andAngora goat skins, manufactured in a similar manner.

Clarke. C. and J., Glastonbury (48, p. 520), for sheepand lamb skin rugs, dyed and manufactured into a varietyof useful articles.

Deed, J. S., Little Newport Street, Westminster (10,p. 518), for Angora goat and English sheep skin rugsdyed in many beautiful colours.

The Jury make Honourable Mention of the followingExhibitors:—

Rood, G. and Co., Bolton Borough, Glastonbury (49,p. 520), for hearth rugs made from dyed Angora goatskins, and for varieties cf door-mats manufactured fromEnglish sheep and lamb skins.

Winsor and Sox, Bermondsey , London (14, p. 518\for a good assortment of dyed sheep skin rugs, skins forcavalry saddles, and several manufactured articles.