The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1879-12-19
Eisnarled A. .ieles.

An exchange says: Why should trad.
not have johnson or Webster to classif,
and correct the mass ofinconsistencies OF tina,
go to make up it's nomenclature ? We ne
only tax our brains to invent fantastic ,
| names for every rev fabric, va led per
haps by only thread or shade from what
our grandparents wore a century ago, but
there are in use positive mi nc M srs foI
many staple articles of merchandise. The
following imperfect list, t,culled from odrcea
ready at ha I'd, will give faint idea ol
them:
Acid (sour) applied in chemistry to a
class Of bodies to which sourre,s is only
accidental, and by no means universally
characteristic. Thus rock, crystal, quartz,
flint, etc., are chemical acids, though no
particle of acidity belongs to them.
Black lead does not contain single par
ticle of lead, being compe sci of graphite
and iron.
Brazilian grass does not come from Bra
zil, or even grow there nor is it grass at
ALL It consists of strips of palm leaf
.!6chamorops argsnta) and is chiefly import
ed from Cuba.
Burgundy pitch is not pitch, ner is it
manufactured in or exported from Burgun-
The best is resinous substance prepared
from common frankincense and brought
from Hamburg but by far the greater
quantity is mixture of resin and palm
oil.
China, as o name for porcelain, gives
rise to the contradictory expressions, Brit
ish china, Dutch china, Chelsea china, etc..
like wooden miiestones, iron milsstones,
brass shoe-horns. iron pens, steel pens.
Cutie bone is not bone at all, but
structure OF pure chalk, once embodied
loosely in the body of certain extinct sps-
cies of cuJtle-fish. 1t is enclosed in
membransous sac, and drops out when the
sac is opened, but it has no connection
whatever with the sac or the cuttleash.
Galvanized iron is not galvanized, It is
amply iron coated with zinc, and this is
done By dipping it in zinc bath contain
ing muriatie acid.
German silver is not silver at all, nor
was the metallic alloy called by that name
invented by that name invented by Ger
man, but has bsen IN use.ssin China out of
mind.
Roney soap contains no honey, NOR is
honey in any way employed in its manu-
facture. Its mixture OF palm-oil soap
aad olive-oil soap, each one part. with three
parts of curd soap or yellow soap, soAnted.
Japan lacquer contains no lac at asl, but
ID made from kind OF nut tree called ana
cardlace@.
Kid gloves are not made from hid skin,
but Of lamb or sheep skins. At present
many of them are made of rat skins,
Mee-schann1 is not petriied sea foam,''
Is it's name implies, but is composition
Df silica. nagnesia and water.
Mosaic gold has no connection with Mo- |
.es or the metallic gold. Il il an alloy of |
,opper and zinc, used in the ancient musi- /
Vnm or tessalated WORK.
Mokhsr-of-pearl Is the inner layer of seve-
al sorts of shells. II Is not the mother OF |
pearl, as It's name Indicates, but in some
.aaes the mark OF pearl.
Pen means o feather (Latln penna, q /
~ing1. a steel pen ID not very choice
expression.
Salad oil IL nos GIL for salad, but oil for
.leaninQ sallades, !. Il, helmets.
Whaleh0ne ID not bone at all, nor does ii
,ossess any of the properties of bone. Ii
j substance attached to the upper Jaw of
be whale, and serves To strain the warer
which the creature takes up sin large
nouthfnla.