JOURNAL 



OF 



NATURAL PHILOSOPHY, CHEMISTRY, 



AND 



THE ARTS. 



m 



JULY, 1811. 



Article i. 



On the Manufacturing of Thtisad, and Articles resembling 

 Flax, Hemp, Tow, and Cott&n, from the Fibres of the 

 common Nettle. Bif Mr, Edward Smith, of Brentwood , 

 Essex% 





I 



SIR, 



iPi. 



HAVE the honour to transmit to you a short memoir on Uses of the 

 that hitherto much neglected and despised vegetable the "**"^* 

 nettle, with the general useful purposes to which the pro- 

 duce thereof may be applied. If yon think it will merit any 

 claim to the attention of the Society, I request you will do 

 me the favour to lay it before them. 



My attention was first directed to this matter about the 

 year 1793, but from many impediments no favourable op- 

 portunity presented itself for particular investigations till 

 about the year 1800, since which time, I have annually se- 

 lected a few of the nettle plants from their various situations 

 at different periods, in order to ascertain the state most 



* Trans of 'the Soc. of Arts, vol. XXVIII, p. 109. The silver me- 

 dal WIS voted to Mr. Smith. 



Vol. XXIX. No. 133— July, isn, M c©^- 



