ON THE PROGRESS OF SCIEXCE. 27 



fibre of flax into a short and weak fibre, inferior to cotton ; the product so 

 prepared is wanting in any regularity of staple, or length of fibre ; the 

 fibres of the flax are not split longitudinally as has been represented, by 

 the expansive action of a gas generated within them, but they are merely 

 separated from one another, and broken irregularly. If it is desired to 

 reduce the flax fibre to a condition resembling the short fibre of cotton, it 

 can be accomplished more expeditiously, cheaply and securely, by mechan- 

 ical, rather than by chemical agents. "With a view of examining into the 

 plans and projects proposed by Claussen and others for the improved 

 manufacture of flax, agents have been sent to Europe from time to time by 

 several of the large manufacturing corporations of New England, but their 

 report has been uniformly unfavorable as regards the success of the under- 

 taking. The introduction and discussion of the subject of the manufacture 

 of flax in Europe, has excited much interest in the United States, and a 

 variety of new machines and processes for preparing and dressing flax 

 have been invented during the past year, most of which have not yet been 

 made public. 



Some new improvements in the manufacture of paper have been brought 

 out, or attempted during the past year. The consumption of this article 

 in the United States at the present time is immense, and is continually on 

 the increase. It is already a matter of some difficulty to obtain stock in suffi- 

 cient quantities to supply the various mills now in operation ; a large pro- 

 portion of the rags used in this country are derived from the rag-producing 

 countries of the South of Europe, the home supply not being at all com- 

 measurate with the consumption of paper. Vast quantities of fibrous 

 materials imported from the East Indies, such as refuse gunny, manilla, 

 jute, coir, &c., are also worked into the poorer qualities of paper. 

 There is, however, in all these substances, an inherent difficulty which 

 prevents their being made available for the manufacture of white paper ; 

 they all contain a natural fixed color, which, hitherto, it has not been 

 found possible to eradicate, except by the use of expensive chemical 

 agents, as chlorate of potash, oxalic acid, and the like. 



The number of patents issued by the Patent Office in 1852, was upwards 

 of one thousand, a number exceeding that of any former year. The num- 

 ber of Patents issued in 1851, was eight hundred and sixty-five ; the 

 number of applications for patents during the same period was two thousand, 

 two-hundred and fifty-eight. An important measure has been recommended 

 to Congress, both by the Secretary of the Interior, and the Commissioner 

 of Patents, viz : the preparation of an analytical and descriptive index of 

 all inventions for which patents have been issued by the United States. 

 In regard to this index, the late Commissioner says : "its importance, 

 utility and necessity are becoming more and more apparent. No State 



