[ 4 i6 ]

venting of harshness of more importance here than incloth. .

VI. Black dye ’without galls.

O f the galls, directed in the foregoing processes, apart is commonly omitted in business, and supplied bycheaper astringents, which, being weaker in virtue, aretaken in quantity proportionably larger. From the pre-sent high price of galls I was induced to try whether thisexpensive article could not be entirely superseded. I pro-ceeded exactly according to the French process with ver-degris, page 411, only instead of the galls taking six timesas much oak bark, such as the tanners use : the cloth,well washed with soap after the dye, appeared of a blackcolour, not indeed quite so beautiful as that dyed in thefame manner with galls, yet not a bad one. I tried su-mach also, with the same event. It appears therefore,that though no effectual substitute to galls could be foundfor the purposes of making ink, yet cheaper substancesmay often be made to suffice in the dying business,where the great consumption of astringent materials ren-ders the reduction of the price of more importance.

In the Swedish Transactions for the year 1753, a sineblack is said to be dyed without galls or logwood; theplace of both which is supplied by a plant common inSweden, called there mjœlon or mjœlon-ris , which is ga-thered in autumn while the leaves continue green, andcarefully dried that they may retain their green colour.A hundred pounds of woollen cloth, are directed to beboiled with sixteen pounds of green vitriol and eightpounds of white tartar, for two hours; and the clothnext day to be rinsed out as after the common alumboiling. A hundred and fifty pounds of the dried mjceloncut a little, or a somewhat greater quantity if the plant

has