Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1848-01-19

in fact the whole history Of the science is col
tinued exposition of the doctrine. To take sir
gle example from Baron Leibigs Familiar Letter.
Soda has been used from time immemorial in tn
manufacture of soap and glass-two chemical pre-
auctions, which employ and keep in circulation a
immense amount of capital. Till the present cen
tury. this substance obtained from kelp, baril
Ia, and the like, at great expense, and even il
limited and uncertain quantities. Now, it is pro
cured, to any amount, from common salt, and il
this process muratic acid is set free i'm abundance
'At first" says Liebig, 'the profit upon the sods
was SO great, that no one took the trouble to col
lect the mutratic acid ii to waste--it had nc
commercial value. profitable application of it,
however, was soon discovered il is compound of
chlorine, and this substance may be obtained from
| 1t purer than from any other source. The bleach
my power Of chlorine has long been known, but il
was only employed on large scale after il was
obtained from residuary muriatic acid and it was
found that, in combination with lime, it could be-,
transported to distances without any Inconvenience.
Ihence!orth it was used for bleaching cotton Sc
and but for this new bleaching process, it could
scarcely have been possible for the cotton manu-
iac,ure OF Great Britain to have attained its pre-
sent enormous extent ii could not have competed
In price with France and Germany. In the old
process for bleaching, every piece must be exposed
10 the air and light during several weeks in sum
mer, and kept continually moist by manual labour
was essential But 4 single establishment near
Glasgow, beaches fourteen hundred pieces of cot
ton daily throughout the year What an enor-
nous capital would DO required to purchase land
or this purpose! How greatly would it increase
the cost OF bleaching to pay interest upon this capt.
tai, or to hire so much land in England 2" And
yet the object OF this vast saving-this powerful
aid to our manufacturing greatness-was, not ma
ny years ago, run into the nearest common sewer
as 4 thing OF no commercial value" Nav, we be-
heve huge chimney stacks which have been erect
ed within the last five years in Glasgow and other
places, Tor the purpose of carrying off the delete
rous tunes OF the murlatc acid disengaged i'm tho
manufacture of Soda are now rendered superf1uous
by the conversion of the acid into mercantile
commodity 30 blind are to the demands which
the progress Of the useful arts NAV make that one
year we lay out vast sums get rid of substance
which In the next we are careful TO preserve as a
source OF pecunary profit! Another example from
the fertile field of chemistry. and we have done.
II Is known that fleece of wool in its natural
state is impregnated with greasy matter, which
has to be got rid Of far as possible before it can
be subjected to the Interior processes of manuac-
lure Inns necessary purgation is undertaken by
tho woolwasherS The waters through which tha
wool is passed and purified become necessarily the
receptacle of all the fatty stuff thus discharged
The habit with the woolwashers has been to throw
away these greasy washings worthless-if in
country districts. to the pollution of the neighbor-
ing streams and II IN towns, to the nuisance of the
streets and thoroughfares. In summer time and
hot weather, the decomposition and perncious OK
ialaiions or those washngs became an exciting
cause or disease III towns such as Rhemis, Elbeuf
nc, where the WOODEN manufactures Of France are
most largely carried on. Now however. by an
Ingenious appliance, the evil may not only be obyi
ated, but converted into source Of gain to the
manufacturer, and healthy profit to the public
BY the simple addition of a certain quantity OF
potash and Stacked lime, NJ. Pagnon- autrin has
obtained the sGponicatlon Of the greasy washings,
and employs the soap SO formed Tor scorchng the
horeS or threads of carded woul-thus making AZ
1t were, the fleece scuur itself
Such are few lllusraiiOns-and could be ex-
tended almost ILdeiinltc y-of the old fashioned
maxim with which we headed this article We
Know ot no tact In our economical progress more
gratifying than that should, within such
brlet period, have converted 10 our use, comfort
and pleasure, SO many substances hitherto cons-
dered as useless, or as detrimental Nor does
It's bearings cad here; it points as hopefully to
the future, bids us regard nothing in nature as
worthless, and warns us TO throw nothing aside
until we have exhausted our ingenuity to turn it
to advantage. And even then the history of tho
past must compel lis 10 admit that we have failed
In our efforts only for the present, and that time
VIII come when the rejected shall assume It's value
1t the last quarter of this century has furnished us
with more illustrations Of our maxim than any for
mer period, 1t is only because human energy and
invention have, during that time, been more voor
Gus and more sustained. There is scarcely any
difficulty that the human intellect NAV not conouer,
provided thought-vigorous, concentrated THOUGHT
be directed towards 1t; and it is mainly for want
OF this that many objects lie worthless or uniu-
proved around.