328 On Ihe Alanufaciures carried on at Bangalore , 



the pith. It is then taken out of the water, and a man, 

 taking it up hy handfuls, beats them on the ground, oc- 

 casionally washes them until they be clean ; and at the same 

 time picks out ivith his hand the remainder of the pith, un- 

 til nothing except the bark be left. This is then dried, and, 

 being taken up by handfuls, is beaten with a stick to sepa- 

 rate and clean the fibres. The hemp is then completely 

 ready, and is spun into thread on a spindle, both by the 

 men and women. The men alone weave it, and perform 

 this labour in the open air with a very rude loon). 



Leather is tanned here by a class of people esteemed of 

 very low cast, and called Madigaru, - 



To dress the raw hides of sheep or goats, tlie Madigaru in 

 the first place wash them clean, and then rub each with the 

 fourth part of a kind of soft paste, made of 6 dudus weight 

 of the milky juice of the yccada {asclepias gigantca), about 

 () dudus \\c\^-\t (2-j-*^f-j/'g- ounces) of salt (nmiiate of soda), 

 and twelve dudus weight of ragij savguty, or pudding of 

 the cynosurus coracanus, with a sufficient quantity of water. 

 This paste is rubbed on the hairy side, and the skins are 

 then exposed for three days to the sun ; after which tl)ey 

 are washed with water, beating them well on a stone, as is 

 usual in this country. This takes off tlie hair. Then pow- 

 der 2 seers (nVdV^t).) of arulay myrolalans^ and put them 

 and one skin into a pot with 3 or 4 seers measure of hot 

 water, where it is to remain for three days. 'Jlie skin is 

 then to be washed and dried. 



This tanned skin is dyed black as follows : Take of old 

 iron, and of the dross of iron forges, each a handful : of 

 plantain and lime-skins, each fiv^e or six ; put them into a 

 pot with some ragy kanjiy or decoction of ragy^ and let tiicm 

 stand for eight days. Then rub the liquor on the skins, 

 which immediately become black. 



These skins may be dyed red by the following process : 

 Take of ungarbled lac 2 dudus weight (about 13 drachms), 

 oi' suja caray or fine soda, 1 dudu weight, and o^ lodu bark 

 2 dudus weight. Having taken the slicks from the lac, and 

 powdered the soda and bark, boil them all together in a seer 

 of water (68|- cubical inches) for J -.^ hour. Rub the skin,. 



after 



