IND 



later, ibmetinies in fix, eight, or ten hours; and 



Ibmctiines one is obliged to wait eighteen or twenty 



hours, but very feldom longer. Then the elTccl of 



^the fermentation vifibly appears, the water heats, and 



boils up on all fides, as the Grapes do in the vat-, 



and the water which atfirft was clear, infenfibly grows 



thick, and becomes of a blue, inclining to a Violt;t 



colour. Then without meddling at all with the plants, 



they open the cocks, v/hich are at the bottom of the 



fteeper, and let all this water, loaded with the faks 



and fubftance of the plant, which were freed by the 



fermentation, run into the battery i and while they 



throw av/ay as ufclefs, and almoft rotten, the plants 



. that were in the fteeper, and clean it, that it may be 



filled Vith frelli, they beat the water, which they have 



-let'out of the fteeper into the battery. 



.They formerly ufed for this purpofe a battledoor 



"whbel, whofe axle was placed upon the middle of the 



; vat, and which they turned by two handles that were 



^.at the end of the fame axle. Since that, in the room 



.of battledoors, they have put little bottomlefs boxes, 



..^nd aftcrv/ards others, whofe bottoms w6re bored full 



of holes : at prefent they ufe a kind of pretty large 



.palls, faftened to ftrong poles, placed upon chande- 



. liers, by means of which, the negroes violently and 



. continually raife, beat, and ftir the water, till the 



.falts and other parts of the fubftance of the plant are 



,Ainited,, and fufficiently, as ft were, coagulated to in- 



corporate. . - 



i.l'he hitting this "minute exaftly ftiews the fkill of him 

 ,:-vv'Ho overfees tlie making of the Indigo-, for if he 

 - makes theni leave off beating a little too foon, the 

 J grain not yet formed, remainsdifperfed in the water, 



■ without finking and gathering together at the bottom 

 of the vat, and is loft v/ith the water, when they 

 are obliged to let it out, which is a great lofs to the 



, g\vncr ; or if when it is formed they continue to. beat, 

 they;4ifl!blve it, and the fame inconvenience foUov^s. 



■ This minute then niuft be nicked, and v/henit is 

 . found, they muft leave off beating and let^the rfiatrer 



,^.,,Tj3^:(ind this aiiuute, they make ufe of a little filver 



."jjcup^ defigned for this ufe alone -, they fill it with this 



. :*,\vat6r,-'' v*^hile*tlie negroes teat it, and according as 



they bbferve that the fseces fink to the bottom of the 



>continue beating. 



'■? 



t 



f^ 



* 





The General Diftionary printed at Trevoux, relates 



Very' ferioufly, upon the credit of father Plumier a 

 . minim, that the Indigo-maker haying taking up fome 



of the water of this battery in his cup, fj^its in it ; and 

 vthat if the Indigo be formed, the fsces immediately 

 .^.^fink to the bottom of the cup, and that then he makes 

 * them leave off beatino; if not, he makes them con- 

 , tinue It. This is not the only incident in which people 

 , hd.ve impofed upon father Plumier's credulity and 



fimplicity.r.,1 have been 'a witnefs of it upon other 

 ; occafions. 'L..,^^'- ' ' ' " ^"■' ■*' "" ' '*'""' "'^ ' ' 



I N D 



It fometimes happens that the caterpillirs n-ct amoD^ 

 the Indigo i and if they arc let aiond ever lo iittic'^ 

 while they eat all the leaves, and often the Very rind 

 and ends of the branches, and kill the ftocks; 'it;' jj 

 but loft time to endeavour' to deitroy them, or hinder 

 them from ravaging a whole piece, by ftoppinp-.c[^^j.-j 

 with a ditch. I'he fureft" wav is to cut down the In- 



digo with all fpeed, let its age be w^hat it will, and to 

 throw both plants and caterpillars together into the 

 fteeper-, there they burft, and part with v.-hdt they 

 _ had d_evoured, and the Indigo is not the left beau- 

 tiful for it. It is true, when the plant is not come to 

 its perfect maturity, it yields much Ids ; but ir.any 

 experiments have taught us, that the co'toUrit yield 



is much more beautiful i fo that what is loft one way 

 is gained another. ... .,,. .,. .. 



I would not vi'ait for fo perfcft a ripenefs before I cut 

 the plant. Perhaps all the fecret of thofe, wKofe In- 

 digo is fo much extolled beyond ours, lies only" ia 

 cutting the plant v/hen it yields the livelieft colour. I 

 have experienced that in leaving fome cochineal flics 



upon fome Indian Figs, which were too ripe, ^inftead 

 . of being red, they grew of a filemot colour, like the 

 fruit they fed upon. The fame thing might "happen 

 in Indigo ; and what I here propofe is not a ground- 

 lefs doubt, firice k is backed by the expeiimcnt I have 

 juft related ; which plainly proves, that the fame 

 plant, cut at different ages, produces coloui-s different 

 in beauty. I would not venture to give this tidvice 

 to men wedded to their intereft, v/ho value the quan- 

 tity rather than thequality of their commddfty; but 

 I believe 1 have nothing to fear frorrrotir iilarid^fs, 

 who are generous and magnificent, fometimes ,(fven 

 beyond their abilities : I adviie them therefore to make 

 I different trials^' as to the foil, the feafon, the age of 

 the plari'tj'tTie watcf the/'fteep it in, the point* of dif- 



' *i folution, &c. and I am lure, that with a little uftie, 

 abour, and patience, they will make Indigo that will 



■ ~ equan'andeven 'excel, the rnqft boafted Indigo of 

 ' foreign countries.' The pTlnters of St. Domingo knovr 



; - that in 1701 their coarfe fugat was very l?ad,"^d^.aS 



- not made without infinite trouble- and at prefent 



every body allows, that by their labour, at!idyity, knd 



enquiries, it is grown much niore eileemed than that 



of the Windward Ifiands ; why m^y not the faffi^^'fce 



'. hoped for in Indigo ? " ' ^ ^ . 



i Mr. Pomet, author of the General Hiftcry of Diugs, 

 fays in his 11 rft part, chap. 10. That the Indians of . 

 the village of Sarquefle, near Am.adabat, life 'ofil}' \he 

 leaves of the Indigo, and throw away the olant^and 

 branches; and that it is from thence the iiioft efteemed 



^ . *-. " 



tJ'U/^J*J^^ 



Indigo comes. 



at 



<^ V* 



*When they hav^ left off beating they \ 



reft, the faeces fink to' the bottom of the vat, and 



^., gitrier togetlier like a kind of muH; and the^water 



.- freed fron). all tHe falts it* Was impregnated' with, 



j.^fwims ^hpye it, and gro\ys^clpar. /t^hen they open 



J, tne COCKS, which are placed in the battery at different 



^diitances from the bottom, and let this water run 



^ away ;^£nd when they come to the furface of the fte- 



.^ ces^ they open the cocks of the bdttdrn, that the 



J f^ces may all fall into the devilling* or fettlen There 



^. they let it fettle a little while longer, after which they 



. V put it into linen bags, fifteen or eighteen inches long, 



.^ m^de with a point, where it perfedlly "purges itfelf 



^;|"ro]n,tIie.reft of the water, which remained among 



T Its particles. When that is done, they fpread it in 



.little boxes three or four feet lone;, two feet broad. 



^. ana about three inches deep, and expofe it to the air 



' ,^^^^.Tit.peI;feaIy. . .They obferve riot toexpofe it to 



- -f %;^H^f . b^^S^>^.% it would ftarve the colour in drying 



' '^^ i ,^"§.5^^y '?^}s^,a great deal of c^re to keep it from 



the rain, becauYe that' would 'diffolve and utterly 



fpoilit. '■'-- .- . . " '' 



V ' 



I am pretty much of his opinion ; for we Tee, tn 

 thofe who take the pains to ftrip off the Gra|y^5 fi'om 



the branches, before they put them into th'^ ^^J)J^9^ '' 

 throw away the ftalks entirely, make much'^thc beft 

 wine ; becaufe the ftalks always contain an acicf, which 

 mixes with the juice of the Grape in th^ treliding and 



= N 



^ - 



■-■preffingthem both together fahcifpr the 'fame rc|K>n, 

 the ftalks of the Indigo plant'muft contai'n\'i Iitjuid 

 ■ /much lefs perfect in colour than that oT t^e'l?aWs: = 

 'But one ought to have the leifure'ahd patTenci* 6f the 

 ^Tndians to undertake' ruc!ia^w8tR;dW^ hive work- 

 ■"- men as^cheap as they arc, m that country, rJppoiiiig 

 T the fa£t true, as Mr. Pomk delivers it fr6m^there- 



. lation of Mr. Tavernicr, - ,--,.- T-i.-J 

 (Though I im~'a great frlehcT'^to thofe expeniiients 



which may carry our maffuFa'Jtures'to'"^ greater per- 

 feftion, yet I dare not propofe ^this,^ becaufe of tae 

 expence they n^uft be at," who would try it ; and be- 

 caufe the profit arifing from iHvould not p'erh^'pSq'^ 

 coft*: however,' t have here"given ITie' methed^of the 

 Indians of Sarqiieffe, that Tmdy hav6 ho "reafon to re- 

 proach m.yfelf with leaving cmijited a tnirig which 

 may be of forne ufe to my country,'"' '. ' .' , 

 Good Indfi^o' Vugfitlo be' fb light, as to f^irim'upon 

 waiter ;'the rnorelt finks"th"e"m"oreTtis folDSfufpeflc 

 of being mixed ^vith carthj aflic^, 6'r pov/dtrcd jlate. 

 Its colour ought to Be" a deep blue, i'nchning^ ^0 'i 



Violet, brilliant, lively, and bright: itoughfto be 



- mere 



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i 





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