444
FAPEl’-MAKIXG IN VARIOUS COUNTRIES—PLAYING CARDS. [Ci.ass XVII.
first paper-mill was established at Frederiesburg, by order |of Christian III. , and the first machine for making paper-was made by Messrs. Donkin, and put up for Mr. J. .C. Drewsen, in 1826.
In Sweden there are five paper-mills, employing seven imachines, and eight vat-mills.
In Spain there are 17 machines: 1 in Old Castile, 2 inValencia , 3 in New Castile, 1 in F.stramadnra, 2 inCatalonia , 2 in Arragon, 1 in Andalusia, 3 in Guipnscoa,and 1 in Nonane. The principal mills are at llurgos ; atliaseafria, near Madrid ; at Candelario, near Begor; and atde Coppellades, near Barcelona . The machines havebeen imported from England, France, and Belgium ; thefirst was established near Manzauares, in La Mancha, by-Don Thomas Jordan. There are also 250 vats. Thewhole produce is 4,741 tons yearly. Of 3,400,000 kilo-grammes of paper made in Spain, Catalonia produces700,000 reams. The weight of rags used in this provinceis said to be 16,071 tons yearly. One hundred and forty-thousand reams of paper were exported from Spain in1848, to the following countries :—to Cuba , 94,000 reams;to Chili, 16,000 reams; to Porto Rico , 10,000 reams; toother countries, 20,000 reams.
The importation of paper in the Netherlands , in 1847,was 219 tons, valued at 17,919 florins, chiefly fromBelgium and the Zollverein . The importation of rags was700 lbs. only. The exportation of paper, in the same yearwas 148 tons; its principal destination was Java. Theexportation of rags was only 1,200 pounds weight.
Paper-making—Sardinia. Tuscany .
In the kingdom of Sardinia there are 12 paper-machinesand 60 vats. The first machine was established at BorgoSesia for Mr. Molino. In 1848, the paper produced, noneof which was exported, amounted in value to 6,000,000florins; whilst in 1846, 1,178 tons of paper was exportedfrom Genoa to Mexico, Spain , and the Brazils.
In Tuscany there are 20 paper-mills, and two Donkinmachines, at the mill near Florence . In 1848, theexportation of rags and paper from Leghorn amounted to30,000 lbs.—about half to England, and the other half tothe United States .
Paper-makinc—Hamdcrgh.
The importation of paper in Hamburgh, in 1848, wasof the estimated value of 1,288,000 francs (51,250/.)
In Switzerland there are 26 machines and 40 vat-mills,producing together 11,607 tons annually. The men’swages are 90 centimes per day (about and the
women 60 centimes (5}d.). No paper is exported.
In the kingdom of Saxony , in 1847, there were 66paper-mills, with 6 machines, employing 992 persons.The exports and imports are trifling.
In Italy , Lombardo-Venetian Kingdom, six machinesare distributed among four mills.
Ill the kingdom of the Two Sicilies there are 12 paper-machines. In 1827, MM. Firmin Didot Brothers andLefevre established the first machine, under a patent ofimportation in the Mill of Fibrene (Tsola di Sora). Thenumber of persons employed is 1,200. There are about12 vats, employing 300 persons. Tile whole produceamounts to 306 tons annually, and paper is exported toSicily, Rome, Leghorn, Malta , the Ionian Isles, andGreece .
Paper Making—Roman States.
In the Roman States there are three machines; atAnatrella, at Fiume, and in the neighbourhood ofRome .
In Turkey there is one mill at Smyrna, and one paper-machine, besides one vat-mill at Constantinople .
Paper Making—Egypt.
In Egypt, one vat-mill at Boulac, near Cairo .
Paper Making—Price of Racs.
The following is the present price of white rags :—
Per Ton. For 100 kilos.
£.
s.
d.
or 2204 lbs.
28
o
0
70 fr.
In England - - - —
In France (in 1840 and fol-lowing years, it was from60 fr. to 62 fr.) — -
25
6
0
63 fr.
18
0
0
45 fr.
12
0
0
30 fr.
The principal depots are at Pesth
and at Agram.
14
8
0
3G fr.
1850, the price was 24 fr.)
12
3
0
31 fr. 50 c.
n
12
0
29 fr.
17
12
0
44 fr.
17
4
0
43 fr.
19
5
0
48 fr.
IV. PLAYING-CARDS.
The country in which playing-cards were invented hasnever been ascertained with any certainty, neither are weacquainted with the precise time of their introductioninto Europe . Numerous speculative opinions have beenput forth in order to prove that the art of wood-engravingoriginated from the manufacture of playing-cards, it beingsupposed that the outlines of the figures or court-cardswere cut on wood, and that from this was obtained thefirst idea of wood-engraving. The most ancient cards wehave seen appear to us to have been stencilled, and thismethod seems to have been employed for the outline ofthe figures, as well as for the filling in of the differentcolours; therefore, as stencilling* was probably knownlong before wood-engraving, we are inclined to believethat the figures were uot taken from wood-engravingsuntil at a later period, as an improvement on the formermode. Some card-makers of the present day managestencilling with great skill, and the method is a favouriteone, as it leaves no impression to show through on theback of the card, a fault sometimes difficult to avoid inwhite-backed playing-cards, M’hen the outline has beenprinted on the card-board with a printing-press.
The cards mentioned as the oldest cards we have seenbelonged formerly to Mr. Tutet, who has written the
* A playing-card stencil is a sheet of strong paper, coveredwith several layers of oil paint on both sides, and kept fora long time until thoroughly well seasoned, when the formof any figure required is carefully cut out so as to leavesharp edges. The colouring matter, mixed with paste, is! brushed over with a large circular brush, and enters into| the cut-out parts of the stencil, and thus imparts the design! to the card-board placed under it. If this operation is skil-• fully performed, much better and sharper outlines areobtained than would be generally supposed. Most of the; card manufacturers still continue this mode of painting thei pips of playing-cards, as well as the filling in of the outlineof the figures, which are cut on pear-tree wood. The! manner of taking the impression of the outline of the’ figures was done by rubbing, until some few years ago,i when Mr. Creswick first employed a press for the purpose.