Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1843-06-02

iusHlou Wltllu twenty ytuls' lHty pluCllscu
venecring, marquetry or inlaying, dove-tailing,
doweling, the imitation Of variegated and knot
ted wood by painting and staining, and were
familiar with the use of glue. They employed
all the joiners tools now used, though of rude
workmanship, except the plane, of which in its
present form, they seem TO have been ignorant,
using in its stead the adze, chisel, and pumcc
stone. The Greeks and Romans generally
supposed to have been acquainted with the plane,
but the etymology of the word used in both
languages, and translated plane, seems to indi-
cate, that it was rather an adze, or implement
in the form of mattock.
The qualities of different woods in respect to
strength and durability, and the means of sea.
sonng them and rendering them less obnoxious
to decay and the attacks of insects, would form
an interesting subject Of observation, did our
limits permit In general it may be observed,
that the heaviest, hardest, ana most durable
woods found between the tropics, though the
sycamore of Egypt, and the oaks of temperate
climates are both tough and lasting. The best
woods for the frames of ships are the teak of
India and Africa, which is heavier than water,
the live oak of southern states, which is
nearly heavy, the English oak, and the
American locust and red CEDAR For spars,
plank, and other lighter parts of vessels, as well
as for the frame and joiner work of houses, the
resinous woods of the North furnish the best
materials.
understood, but kiln-dryng, and short INNER
sion in running water are thought to be the best
methods. Many plans have been devised for
expelling the natural juices of wood, and filling
the pores and sap vessels with mineral salts and
other substances, for the purpose of rendc ring
it more durable. The most celebrated of these
processes is that called kyanisng, from Ryan
the inventor. 1t consists in imprcgnating the
wood with a solution of corrosive sublimatc, and
is very efiectual though expensive, and in some
other respects Objectionable. Coal tar has been
used with advantage for the same purpose, and
a very recent invention by an American is high.
ly commended by persons competent TO Judge
This process is applicable to cordage sails an d
many other articles as well as to wood, and is
thought to be not less eiiectual than kyanizng.
The substances used for impregnating the wood
or other material are the sulphates of iron and
copper.
SprSYING AND WEAvIyG are entitled to be
ranked among the primitive arts In what
country they were invented, what material
was first converted into cloth, is uncertain, but
it is probable, that these arts originated in those
warm regions where man was Graded, and that
the inner bark of trees, cotton, or some other
vegetable flament was first employed. In the
most ancient historical records of all civilized
people, we find mention of these arts, and many
mythologies have defed their inventor. 1t is
probable that spinning was first employed for the
/
parts ofrude implements together, and necessity
would soon suggest the of the net in fishing,
and from the net, the transition TO a closer and
finer texture is easy. The perishable nature ofall
textile substances has left us few remains of an
Gent woven textures, except of those of Egypt,
where great quantities ofcoth were employed in
envelopng embalned bodies. The paintings in
the tombs represent persons engaged in spinning
and weaving, and spindles and other implements
connected with the fabrication of cloth have been
found in the Egyptian ruins. Greek sculpture
has preserved some similar representations, and
the free and flowing drapcry of their statues, and
the testimony of history, both sacred and profanc
show that very fine textures were more or less
IN use among all the civilized nations of the re.
hottest antiquity The cloth in which the mum.
mics are envelOped has been proved by micro
scopic observations to be uniformly of linen
though we have historical evidence that the
Egyptians wove cotton cotton and linen, and
wool. The fineness oftcXturc of some of the linen
found in the Egyptian tombs is surprising. In
one instance, there are not less than 270 double
threads to the inch in the warp, while the wooi
has but 10. This disproportion is observable
IN all the Egyptian linens, the warp having al
ways from two to four times many threads &c
the inch as the wool, and is probably owing tc
their laborious process of weaving, in which ac
cording to the paintings, the wool was not thrown
by the shuttle, but inserted by long rod having
a hole at each end No European texture is Fl
ner than the Egyptian linen, though it is surpassed
in fineness o! thread by the cotton muslins of In
dia The thread was spun from the dstaff OF
rather spindle by hand, as it still is in the finest
productions of India, and the looms were of tbs
rudest and simplest construction. Nothing but
very dense population, and very great conse
quent cheapness of labor can explain the produc
ton OF great quantities Of fine cloths, by such p
parcntly inadequate means. Of woollen cloths
which were manufactured by processes equally
simple, | am not aware that any very ancien
specimens exist. Fragments have been found il
Denmark, and other Northern countries, salts
factorily ascertained to be nearly 800 wears old
These are of coarse, but curious texture, tn,
thread doubled and twisted, and the web twilled
Wooden cloths were the general material 70
all parts of the dress throughout Europe, thu
finest vegetable textures, though known, bein.
little used, until a comparatively late period, ant
indeed cotton hardly became common, until tn,
discovery of the passage around the cape o
Good Hope opened India to the commerce o
the west. The substitution of cotton for wool
len is thought to have had highly important in
Thence on health, and by some, the disappear
ance of the leprosy and other allied cutaneou
diseases has been ascribed to this change. Sill
, -, ,~",nlo,oA IN uaa-i~e- ~-s- oarly no ri
cd, but was scarcely known in Europe, unit
about the commencement ofour era and the silk
. worm was not introduced until the sixth century
though raw silk had been imported and manufac
tured somewhat earlier. The strength, softness
durability, and beauty of the manufactures O
silk render superior for general purposes to an
other known textile material, and in value
ranks first among American imports, the quaint
ty imported in l94l being not less than 900,
900 in value.
9 Perhaps the most admired production of tn
loom is the fabric generally called camels hair, bu
which is really from the wool of the Cashmere o
lhlbet goat 1t is usually manufactured int
shawls, which are sold at enormous prices, owin
to the scarcity of the raw material, and the ted
Gus process of manufacturing, which howeve
: European ingenuity has simplied. In iS20, tn
! great and public-sprited French manufacture
lerhaux introduced the Cashmere goat int
rance, where it thrives very well. The pric
OF The Cashmere shawls has been in consequence
somewhat lowered but as the goat Yields bu
half pound of wool at shearinp, this fabr
can never be abundant or cheap. Figured weav
: ing appears to be an Eastern invention, and O
considerable antiquity, but it has now been in
troduced into all manufacturing countries. Tn
T most interesting branch of this art is the fabri
cation of tapestry or woven hangings, or curtain
for walls of rich apartments, now little practiscd
though carried to the highest conceivable per
: pecton. In the middle ages, and down to tn
D time of Louis XIV Of France, this mode of de