New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-01-20
Tanning.
BY HON. zADoc PRATT.


The regular weekly lecture at the Mechan-
les Institute, No Bowery, was delivered by Hon.
ZApoc PRATT on Tuesday evening. His subject was
Tanning Quite large and attentive audience was
present and by applause testified their admiration Of the
lecture at various points during its delivery. At the
opening of the lecture Mr.. Pratt said that he had
chosen dry subject but matter how long he might
make his lecture he wanted it to be longer. He had
been fifty years In collecting the material for In bis
experience by reading and by observation and he was
not half suited with It, Ia consequence Of hosrseness
he had requested Mr. DelayaE to read the lecture
with which tina, gentleman then proceeded.
The lecture first noticed that, comparatively speak
ing this country had but just been rescued from the
possession Of the Wild beasts One hundred years ago
the territory now known 40 the United States was
ut Colony under the rule Of Great Britain The
inhabitants, 20 a great extent, were jewellers In the
wilderness and many ofthem could hear the wild beasts
nj NIGHT Now this has become tree, happy prosper
Gus nation of thirty ates-the country IL generally
well settled and the Wild beasts have become almost
extinct in the old States The lecture noticed the ex.
tent wealth and laws OF the country at some iengn aud
referred also 10 it, commerce. There u no country
Ike il mentioned 10 the records oil history lApplsase
To the mechanics OF America, said ne do We, 10 great
extent this prosperity. They have put iorth the
labor which hss greatly Contributed 20 IL wealth The
DIGNITY Of labor VIA spoken Of sso the necessity and
proprety OF IT, The time was when nearly all Kinds OF
labor was done by hand now nearly all can be done by
machinery To give idea OF the power otnachlnery.
and he labor saving advantage and eslby OF u, the
lecturer asked " How many would t take 10 row
one of Conss steamers 10 England IN ten days time
After some remarks upon science in IL application 70
Mechanic Ars, Agriculture &c, the lecture was mar
rowed down % the subject announced
Tanning leather was spoken Of as most nmportan.
business and one which the lecturer had pursued ren
circumstance and choice, during the last ssh cenary
During this tine he had tanned sufficient leather 70 MAKE
pair Of shoes for every mnD, woman and child IN tne
Union If be had not gwen them souls he nad al least
furnished them with an under Standing and ne might
claim thht he had manufactured cO coles for tne greater
part of our populAon The subject VI Tanning ha,, ne
said claimed bur very little attention IN propora 20
what has been bestowed upon various other suoec@
Tanning and LealheT old words, known 10 slcsn.
language In ancient times tanners were eonsnel1
an important class Of men, There were then seven an
fe,ens processes OF tanning He hoped tnaf ensniss
and other scientific would pifN thsn sitcntioh "
The subject Of tanning, and ths, ne" deosenss NVua
be made In the art To pracpea IeaEef, ns .fIs
sSsen,sl /. GOOD ocation9 place where Il 70 be hal
n Good ouality OF hemlOek or OAK bark W1erpoWer
Is another advantage 20 be sered unees steam power
Il IN be- etaployed There must also De isciiiy ior
40 that hdez be procured readily AMI
i,h, % market 81 great disadvantage
7, - wore feasible 20 Transport hides 20 the bark than
hark 70 The hides That part OF the City OF Sew-fork
Inoun a. the Swamp, lying between William and
ps.rl-t, and nfersected BY Ferry, Frankfort Cliff,
CoId and spruce sts., was spoken Of. Formerly much
tanning uas done there but haS chan yed 70 leather
r,srkef and moroccotannng only i continued. II "
the grestes, leather market IN the world and ~ locality
l. az well known as Wallst.
Ir selectng location for tanning Il il requisite To
purchsse land which, when cleared vii be Of value.
saw mil should be convenient such tract Of land
where the logs from whish the bark 10 stripped be
converted into lumber On such feasible tract Of land
with good worknen, 40 employer establish pros
perous community. Since the tine when ne learned
tie tanning trade Of his father the lecturer had been
engaged tie business and bad witnessed all the I'M
proyemens IN that art since the time Of the dest Of
Gen. Washington Mr.. Pratt ssid he bad more cont
depce in his experience than in what be had read. He
noticed various Improvements which bad been made
from time to time He established tanneries at Pratts-
vile in is4 and BY his belief that ITO viii and TO do
nearly tke same hing be had met with success