432
[Class XYIF.
Grand Duchy of Wurtemburg . — M. Sciiaeuffelf.n,Ileilbronn (4 Zollv., 41, p. 1117).
Russia . —MM. Vargousin Brothers, St. Petersburgh(260, p. 1375).
France, besides importing yearly from America 125,000,000 lbs. of cotton, and ultimately converting alarge portion of this into rags, the export of which com-modity is forbidden by the French law, is also in a favour-able position with regard to other raw materials, such ashemp and linen rags. Unfortunately, the introduction ofstrong alkalies, used in washing in large towns, greatlydeteriorates, there and elsewhere, the materials for paper- jmaking. I
The northern countries, where hemp and flax are abun-dant, are in general favourably situated with regard to the 1quality of the rags. !
There was in the Exhibition a species of paper made ;in the Sandwich Islands, from vegetable substances, !retaining the original strength and flexibility of the rawmaterial.
Every fibrous plant is capable of being converted intopaper. Many attempts have been made in this and othercountries to use the bark of trees, straw, and similarsubstances for that purpose, but the great waste andexpense in converting these substances into pulp havehitherto precluded their use in large quantities. Should,however, rags become so scarce as greatly to enhancetheir price, recourse might be had to the use of rawmaterials, such as the dwarf banana, the dwarf palm, thealoe, white wood, and even straw. But it would still benecessary to mix these materials with rags to lessen thetransparent appearance of paper made entirely of suchsubstances, as was evident in that exhibited by M. Gra-tiot, made at the Esonnes paper-mill.
At the French Exhibitions of 1839 and 1844, there werespecimens of paper made with the leaves of the banana-tree and similar plants, but the experiments then madeshowed great waste in converting them into paper. 'Witha view' of reducing the cost of carriage, by freeing thesubstances from foreign matter, M. Rocques establishedpowerful works at Ilavannah, to wash and convert theminto pulp for the European markets; but even in thisstate the absolute necessity of strong bleaching caused awaste of more than one-third of the original weight.
M. Flechky (24, p. 1261) exhibited in the AlgiersDepartment of the Great Exhibition specimens of papermade of the dwarf palm (Chamoprops humiiis), whichabounds in that country, and of which he states that fourmillions of hundredweights could be obtained every year,at a trifling cost, by causing it to be gathered by womenand children, so that it might be had for two francs thetwo hundred pounds; and he contends that if beaten intohalf-stuff whilst in its green state, it would yield 36 percent, of its weight, and dry, 50 per cent.; and that twohours’ beating would be sufficient to render this half-stufffit for making fine paper.
M. Didot states that there are 200 machines in France ,producing each 700 kilogrammes per day, or 195 tonseach per year, making a total of thirty-nine thousandtons, and 250 vats, producing over two thousand tonsmore per year, being a gross amount of forty-one thousandtons.*
The first paper-machine was established in France in1815.
The following is a list of the French paper-makers whohave exhibited, viz.:—MM. Lacroix, of Angouleme andParis (1636), superior writing-paper. MM. Odent, Son,and Co., Courtaline (Seine-et-Marne ) (938), machine andvat-made writing and printing papers. MM. BlanchetBrothers, and Kleber, Rives (Isere ) (1090), white andtinted writing and printing papers. MM. Cai.lacd-Bf.lisle and Co., Angouleme (788), writing papers forledgers, post paper, drawing and tracing papers; the
* These data are approximate. Paper-hangings andbrown paper are included. A paper-machine occupies aboutsixty persons; one vat about ten.
latter of excellent quality. M. G. De Serlay, Gueurs,Seine Inferieure (1484), various sorts of paper. M. E.Docmerc, Jouy, St. Morin (Seine-et-Marne ) (822), print-ing, lithographic, and plate papers, drawing and writingpapers, strong paper for vouchers and bank-notes. M. A.Gratiot, of the Essonnes paper-mills (854), tissue-papermade from the banana-tree; writing-papers. The JointStock Company of tiie Souche (377), writing, planting,staining, filtering, and imitation India papers: the fil-tering-paper of superior quality. MM. Montgolfier,of Annonay and Paris (324), drawing, writing, andprinting papers, animal papers, &c. MM. Obry, Ber-nard, and Co., Prouzel, Amiens (334), drawing, writing,printing, and other papers. M. Flechky, of Algiers (24), a specimen of paper made from the dwarf palm-tree.
Tables showing the Import and Export of Paper,
EXPORTATION 1849.
Kilos.
Other Countries ------- 130
895
IMPORTATION 1849.
Kilos.
England _______ 18,378
Sicily, Kingdom of - _ _ _ — 22,655
Turkey ________ 30,414
Algiers - - - - - - - - 421,830
Other Countries ______ 57,233
810,301
Paper.
Kilos.
"White or ruled, for music:—
England - - - - - - 3,889
Other Countries ----- 90
Envelopes, coloured:—
■i,
,898
1 .
,199
70
13
1 .
,282
848
212
530
253
1,843
120
125