The Sun.
London, England, 1852-03-26 00:00:00

THE MAURITIUS.

A dispatch from the Governor of Mauritius, with a re-
pon on the state of the rural districts in that colony, has
reecently hnsn printed, and gives a very sanguine picture
of its condition and prospects. The quantity of luxuriant
, canes on lands redeemed within only a few years from the
1...42:5a1at orr the rock, the increase of steam machinery, and
r_ , ;tern! improvement in the processes of manufac-
n7l,,
I:let:pled with symptoms of activity, self-reliance,
I.,,,tiri,
titql,ry on the part of all claws of tho popula-
rteileols;:oegly divPlt upon. The habits of the
raatrotiiivitii zts rns.ving become batter naderstuod, their
satisfaztor_, theirand
employers are noiv, it is said, highly
once sn ttYmero_o complaints on either side, which were-
furnishing them Witt, comparatively rare. The means of
tau
eilape, appear
,cloricatior even in the most elemen-
dable diflicnitiesi% as
to to be " beset with such fermi-
Thrl great disparity a."•
present of little hope
of rrogress.
cupidity between. the sexes.
whi.-h relnitefl frnm
i,,andratit of furmight at
ih conimen:.lement of ills
• Hay; •,1,- bet is in cou:2,e 07 741 imrn.i%grat!on still con-
tz,rri lo the emancipated Legg) raitlgted. With re-
it is re-
marked that they still shstainiciailtier'
almost totally from
plantation 1.. i-sour, anti thus o •
oritiero. to • -`the
curse which folic; ;v3 bLivery, 0 c exam
They re-
wor.k to be 10 )1r::41 t! 33n '9 detyr:4lliiing til fl
icaln either in the towns or in -st,;;;V:
lisaets,
where they derive fte easy subaistencewhoy:rgoal2r,%. pcajtry
Creoles
deoaind charcoal.
and other stock, or by a tragic in fire.
leterraarringes between Indians and
a.ra. very
ear e, bet more frequent than formerly. A 0.7
the great resources of the island is, it 13 sow conviction of
present
, Universally
entertained, and it i 3 unquestion4bla that the
largo Ingdu-'ioof
-k a sugar falls far abort of h
W At rely
ultimately b anticipated. .

PRICES of WHEAT, FLOUR, and BREAD.
Annexed is a compariso❑ of the present prices of
wheat, fl.mr, and bread in London and Paris:—
" The hightest price of wheat of the first quality in
Paris is 30f. per 1 hectolitres, which is equal to 455.
10d. per quarter; and the highest price of white wheat
of the first quality in London being 495. per quarter, it
follows that wheat is nearly 7 percent. dearer in London
than in Paris. _ _

" The highest quotation of flour of the first quality
in Paris is 37f. the 100 kilogrammes, which is equal to
375. per sack of 2801 b. English; and the highest quota-
tion of flour in the London market being 40s. per sack,
it follows that flour is about 8 per cent. dearer in Lon-
don than in Paris. The highest quotation of the
second quality of white flour in Paris is 34f. 40c., which
is equivalent to 34W. sd. per sack of 2801 b., and which,
as compared with the quotation in London of 31s. for
household flour, shows that this description of flour is
about 11 per cent. dearer in Paris than in London.
" The price of bread of the first quality in Paris is 31e.
per kilogramme, which is equal to about 54d. the 41b.
loaf English weight; and the price of bread in London
at the fall-priced shops being 7d. per 41b., it follows that
bread is about 33i par cent. dearer in London than in
Paris. The second quality of bread is quoted at 24?. per
kilogramme in Paris, which is equivalent to nearly 4
per 41b. loaf."

CHEVALIER CLAUSSEN'S FLAX COTTON.
The Illustrated Exhibitor and Magazine of Art, in an
article descriptive of Chevalier Claussen's flax-works at
Stepney, gives the following account of how the dis-
covery of flax-cotton was made by M. Claussen, and of
its valuable properties. We may add that a specimen of
the raw material and of the flax-cotton, prepared by the
Chevalier's process, may be seen at the office of Messrs.
Rennie and Gordon, here. A greater contrast than the
two substances present can scarcely be imagined; and
the beautiful quality of the cotton at once conveys an
impression of the very great value which it will be found
to possess as a raw material for the manufacturer:—
" The Chevalier was wandering along the luxuriant
banks of one of the Brazilian rivers, when his attention
was attracted to a white down-like substance adhering
to the branches of trees overhanging and touching the
stream. On obtaining a quantity of it, he was so
pleased with its character, that thinking he had dis-
covered some vegetable product hitherto unkown he
determined to trace it, if possible, to its source,
and to ascertain the plant which produced it. Pur-
suing his task with great ardour, he eventually found
that the substance had been washed from a bed of flax-
straw, the produce of some of his own land, and which,
long before, he had caused to be thrown, as useless,
near the banks of the river. As swollen waters had occa-
sional access to this heap, fermentation and the decom-
position of a portion of the plant had taken place; and in
time the influence of natural chemistry had so saturated
the filaments of the flax-fibre as to give the mass a
cotton-like appearance; and some of it having been
washed by the river, had been arrested by the over-
hanging branches. On the facts thus brought before
him,
M. Claussen proceeded carefully to reason, and
the processes now to be described are, therefore, the re-
sult, not of mere accident, but of inductive research.
The flax, brought from the breaker,' is boiled for four
hours in hot caustic soda, or steeped in a cold solution
of it for twenty-four hours. It is afterwards washed in
water containing one per cent. of sulphuric acid, and
then in pure water, when it is dried, and subsequently
treated by scutching, heckling, &c., according to the
universal practice in the linen manufactures. Here,
then, we have an immense improvement, by the long and
difficult process of fermentation, which occupied six
weeks, being entirely avoided. Yet the process is most
effective and profitable, as twenty per cent. of long flax
may be obtained instead of seventeen, while the sub-
stance is far more silky and soft. It is a popular
error that Claussen's process is merely to turn flex into
cotton, which people say is like turning gold into
lead;' whereas he obtains by it a much larger proportion
of the long and valuable flax, and renders the refuse—
ordinarily considered comparatively worthless—by a
process row to be explained, capable of being worked
into cotton, wool, or silk fabrics. According to the mode
long adopted in the linen manaficturo, and immense
quantity of tow is made, which can only be used for twine
and similar coarse purposes. But the chemical process
employed by M. Claussen effects a change which is
highly important. A series of vats are put in requisition.
The first vat holds a solution of carbonate of soda; and
in this the fibres, previously boiled and washed, are
saturated for a quarter of an hour. It is then removed
to the next vat, in which there is five per cent. of
sulphuric acid, the effervescence causing the carbonic
acid gas to separate and divide the fibres, thus rendering
them more flocculent, and completely altering their spe-
cific gravity, as they rise now to the top of the vat, while
before they sank to the bottom. The next process is to
place them in another vat of soda, to neutralise any re-
maining acid; and this being effected, they are trans-
ferred to the bleaching-water of the fourth vat, composed
of a solution of chloride of lime and sulphate of mag-
nesia—thus forming a hyper-cblorito of magnesia. In
this preparation they remain for two hours, daring
which they are perfectly bleached, requiring only to
be transferred to a bath of dilated sulphuric acid, and
then to pure water. The fibres, on being withdrawn
from the vats, are dried by atmospheric or steam-heat,
or hot air, They are then taken to a machine similar
to that used in chaff-cutting, where they are cut
into lengths adapted for spinning or cotton machinery.
To specify all the advantages secured by these processes
would far exceed our limits. It must, therefore, suffice
to observe that the following area few out of many :
Any cloth made from flax cotton-yarn may be readily
printed, dyed, and bleached by the ordinary cotton pro-
cesses. The flax-fibre, from its milling properties, is
capable of being made into common felt hats with or
without an admixture of wool. Cloth in which flax is
mixed with wool is reduced in price from twenty-five to
thirty per cent. Flax may be spun with silk on the
existing silk machinery; and any useless flax can be
converted into a first rate article for the paper-maker.
The advantages thus presented are opened to our view
at a critical pericd. Our supplies of cotton frcm Ame-
rica appear to have reached their maximum, and conse-
quently an efficient substitute is required; while our im-
portations of flax from Russia have suffered a decrease
of about twenty per cent. And why, it may be asked,
should we thus continue dependent on continental
Europe for the flax which the United Kingdom is per-
fectly capable of producing? Why should not the sums
we spend annually for oil-cake and flax-seed go into the
pockets of the employers and the employed of our agri-
cultural districts?"

THE SUN,