OLDENLANDIA UMBELLATA. 
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for five or six hours, stirring, kc. as above; the fire is then to be 
withdrawn, and the whole left to cool till next day. The cloth is 
now of a dirty deep brick- dust colour. 
The Malabars perform only the first part of this day’s work. 
Ninth day. The cloth is washed in cold water, well wetted in 
acold infusion of caducay and water, dried and put by, as on the 
seventh day. 
Tenth day. Wash the cloth in cold water, and boil it gently 
for two hours in a decoction of a quarter of a pound of chay root 
in six pints of water, suffer it to cool in the decoction as before ; 
then wring it out, dry it, and put it by. 
This part of the operation, as well as that of the ninth day, the 
Malabars omit. 
Eleventh day. The cloth is to be erekked about for a short time 
in as much water, well mixed with fresh cow-dung, as Ye cover 
it, then wrung out, and dried in the sun. 
Twelfth day. The cloth is washed, spread out to the sun, and 
sprinkled with water as it dries, for a day. 
Thirteenth day. The operation is finished by washing with 
soap, which improves the colour; and the oftener it is washed, the 
brighter the colour becomes. 
I have in the above pointed out whenevet the Telinga opera- 
tors differ from the Malabar. 
the best artists; however, of this I cannot well determine, as dura- 
I believe the Telingas are esteemed 
bility, as well as the immediate appearance of the colour, must be 
taken into consideration. 
It may be proper to observe, that in dying with these roots the 
heat is always gentle, it is probable that these contain some other 
principle, which a strong heat might extract, and debase the in- 
tended colour. 
They are also used by the natives to dye brown, purple, and 
orange, with their various shades. 
Cotton cloth, previously prepared with a solution of alum, re- 
ceives from a decoction of this root and tartar, a pretty good yellow 
colour; but it is changed to a pale red on being washed with soap: 
this points out strongly the powers of an alkali on the colouring 
matter of this root. 
To dye purple with chay roots, as practised by the natives in 
the Masulipatam district. 
First. The cloth (suppose four yards) is to be washed in a hot 
decoction of the root, dried, and next day wetted in an infusion 
of caducay in milk and water, as practised in dying red. On 
the 
Third day, take two quarts of clear sour conjee (rice gruel) 
and one pint of cassim, * mix them very early in the morning, and 
first beating off the dew, if there is any, spread out the cloth on the 
grass, and rub both sides of it with the above mixture, as directed 
above with the turmerick infusion in dying red; this part of the 
operation is only done once on each side here. 
Fourth day. The cloth is well washed in cold water, and boiled 
gently for one hour in a decoction of chay roots (say three pounds 
in eight gallons of water), let it remain in the decoction till cold, 
then wring it, and dry it. | 
Fifth day. It is boiled as yesterday in a fresh decoction of the 
roots, which is only half so strong (viz. one pound and a half to 
eight gallons of water); it is immediately removed from the dye, 
* Cassim is the Telinga name of a solution of iron in a vegetable acid, and is prepared 
as follows. Take Palmira toddy (juice of Borassus flabelliformis) one gallon, into which 
put some broken pieces of the vitrified matter of a blacksmith’s forge, and some bits of old 
rusty iron, let the whole stand exposed to the sun for ten days; then pour off the liquor 
clear for use. 
OLDENLANDIA UMBELLATA. 6 
after being suffered to cool, into a mixture of fresh cow-dung and 
water, where it remains for the night. 
Sixth day. It is exposed to the sun, and watered as it dries, Kc. 
as for finishing the red dye. 
To dye a deep but clear brown with chay root, as practised by 
the same people; say four yards of cotton cloth. 
The cloth is first to be dyed red, as above described, till we 
come to the bucking in cow-dung, which is to be omitted; and in 
its stead, the cloth is to be well wetted in the mixture of caducay 
in milk and water, and dried in the sun. 
Second day. Very early, the cloth is spread out, and both sides 
rubbed with the cassim, kc. as has been already mentioned for 
purple, but with this difference, that here each side must t be done 
twice over. 7 
Third day. When it is well washed in cold water, and boiled 
gently for one hour in a decoction of the chay root, let it remain 
in the liquor till cold, then wring it, and half dry it; when it must 
be returned into the same decoction, and boiled for another hour, 
the operation is finished by bucking in cow-dung, &c. as for red 
and purple. 
To dye orange with the same root, as practised by the same 
people; say four yards of cotton cloth. 
First. Wash ina scalding decoction of the root, as for red. ; 
Second day. ‘Take aldecay (galls of Terminalia citrina) and the 
outer cover of caducay nuts, of each four ounces in powder, and in- 
fuse them in three or four pints of warm water, strain the mixture 
through a bit of thin rag, in which dip the cloth repeatedly till well 
wetted, wring and beat it a little, then dry it; and repeat the wet- : 
ting in the above mixture, beating and drying. Next day, dissolve 
two ounces of alum in a quart of water, with this wash the cloth, 
and put it out to dry. Next day it is to be wetted in a weak lixi- 
vium of alkaline earth (earth of cretaceous soda) and quick-lime, 
wrung out and dried. Next day, wash it out in cold water, and boil 
it once only, and for one hour, in a decoction of chay; let it remain 
in the liquor till cold; dry it, and put it by till next day, then 
finish the operation by washing with soap. 
To paint the red figures on chints with these roots, as practised 
by the chints painters in the Masulipatam district. 
It is necessary to observe, that for every sort of chints, whether 
painted or printed, the cloth must first be bleached, then well 
washed out in a scalding decoction of chay root, and wetted in a 
cold mixture of milk, water, and powdered caducay, as practised 
to prepare the cloth for the red dye before mentioned ; (this last part 
of the process is by the Malabars done with a strong decoction of 
the aldecay, as for the red dye.) This mixture they say prevents 
the colours that are to be applied from running, as pounce does ink 
on bad paper; and it is also found that milk is absolutely a neces- 
sary part of the mixture, for an infusion or decoction of the nuts 
will not answer without the milk. 
occupies two days generally. 
Third day. The cloth is now well beetled, and the figures-traced, 
or marked out by applying pieces of paper over the prepared cloth, 
that has all the outlines pricked with a pin, a small bag of finely pow- 
dered charcoal is rubbed backwards and forwards over the paper, 
a sufficient quantity of the powder will pass the holes in the paper 
to mark distinctly the outlines of the figures; when this part of the 
work is finished, these lines marked out by the charcoal that are to 
be red, yellow, or orange, with their various shades, are to be 
done over with a cold watery infusion of sappan wood (Cesalpinia 
The abovementioned work 
