The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-11
FIND OF A CHINESE ALCHEMIST
CtriOus History of India Ink-Its Ac-
cidental Discovery and Early Use
in China.
n the New York Evening Post.

in China.
From the New York Evening Post
For many thousand years India ink has
been to the artist and to the artisan the
vehicle for the reation of much that is
interesting and instructive and beautiful
in the world of art, and it has a rather ex-
traordinary history. Like many other
things which have no re. ation whatever to
their names, India ink has 10 relation
whatever to India. The Irish potato, it
is said facetiously, is so called because il
was found first in Peru Therefore. In
dia ink may have been so named because
it was made first in China, where the bulk
of it has been made ever since
Also, like most other things of practical
utility to mankind, India ink was not an
invention, but a discovery. That is to saw
the individual who produced it first aid
so entirely by accident, without the 1emot-
est intention of doing anything sensible or
useful. About 5000 years before the
Christian era, a Chinese alchemist. ITEM
Tschen by name. while experimenting I'D
on some nostrum for the eternal preserva-
uon OF life, or upon some formula for con-
verting dirt into gold--it matter not wha+
accidentally concocted black substance
IN the form of liquid paint or warn sh.
This connection was the first India ink
The black pigment which forms The base
OF the ink was the SCOT obtained by burn
ing lac and pine charcoal. This SCOT was
powdered finely and mixed with some kind
OF size or glue. Fish-glue, or isinglass.
was used, as well as bone or born glue:
and sometimes, in making the finer anal
tiles of ink, pearls were boiled ia the glue
Sometimes dried oX-tongue was added to
give the ink purple tint; and the bark
OF the pepper tree was used to produce
tinge of blue, The ink was carefully
nodded, dried and packed in NORWOOD
leaves with lime or ashes, until well sea-
soned.
II is not stated whether sepia. the color
ing liquid of the cuttlefsh. was added to
fthe ink originally or not, but as the best
India ink in use a present has a broNnish
tint, as if mixed with sepla, ii is evident
that sepia is used now in the manufac-
ture of the ink. Sepia also is used fire.
quently in China in preference to the
black ink.
As soon as il was discovered that India
ink was likely to be serviceable to man
kind II was perceived by the imperial diet
tofbe a dangerous innovation upon The es-
tablished custom of mot" having II to
use. Tho empire had gotten along very
well without India ink prior to its dis
covery, and it was Chinese policy 40 let
well enough alone Therefore, the use
of India ink was declared to be sacrle-
gous. and its manufacture was prohibit
ed. Afterward it dawned upon the versa
tile mind controlling the destinies of the
imperial oXcheQuer that there were great
possibilities of revenue in the production
of India ink if judiciouslY absorbed by
imperial preroga tive. Accordingly The
ban was removed from the offending in
dustry, which revived quickly, though re-
stricted to the province of Kiang-si, and
heavily handicapped with an enormous
tribute exacted by the Emperor.
Apparently there were millions" in In
dia ink in those days, for sharp compe-
ton in its production arose; and this was
the beginning of trouble for artists and
draughtsmen. The market was glutte1
with worthless grades. At first the ink
was superfne In quality, and the lamp
black used i'm it was ground into an i'm
papable powder so fine that II was as
volatile as vapor and possessed in itself
an odor of musk. Later, when competi-
ton corrupted its production coerser and
cheaper pigments were substituted for the
fine ones, and the ink was artiflcially per-
fumed with musk in order to disguise It's
inferlority
The Chinese are passionately fond OF
musk, and India ink was used by them,
not only as a writing material. but also as
n flavor for their choicest beverages A
little India ink rubbed in water was con-
SlHoieut tntli' ulpSt utllc4ous drink, out
modern India ink can hardly be recon-
mended as safe medium for inferior dec
Grafton of that sort.
We are informed by the DISTINGUISHED
historian that all good" India ink Is in
fabited by gods. On China there are so
many gods that it is difficult to find lodg-
lngs for them ALI they are billeted. there
fore. upon any convenient article, such as
q stick of India ink) From this startling
disclosure of the historian We might he
justified in presuming that all bad In
dia ink is inhabited by devils. This view
of the matter would account for the null
titudinous trials and tribulations when
beset the unhappy draughtsman who tries
to make a drawing with poor India ink
for. certainly in uunitigated wickedness
and total depravity poor India ink has