I860.] on the Art of Calico- Printing. 205 



cially from lichens, a fast mauve and purple which up to 1857 had 

 been considered impossible of attainment. 



The commercial production, by Mr. W. H. Perkin, of another 

 purple, at the same time, is not less interesting. Some thirty or forty • 

 years ago. Dr. Runge obtained from coal-tar six substances ; amongst 

 which was one called Kyanol^ which substance was thoroughly 

 examined by Dr. W. A. Hofmann, who proved it to be an organic 

 alkaloid, and identical with a substance known by the name of aniline. 

 Owing to the subsequent study of this substance by that eminent 

 chemist, and the discovery that it yielded a beautiful purple colour 

 when placed in contact with bleaching powder, his pupil, Mr. W. 

 H. Perkin, was induced to make experiments, with a view to pro- 

 ducing commercially, a fast purple, in which he succeeded, and secured 

 it by a patent in 1857. The process devised by this chemist is 

 exceedingly simple. It consists in oxidising aniline by means of 

 bicliromate of potash and sulphuric acid. I shall not attempt to give 

 any further details on this subject, as they have been very ably 

 described by Mr. Robert Hunt, in the Art Journal. 



More recently Mr. Renard found a method of producing also 

 from aniline, by means of chlorine compounds, a most splendid rose 

 colour, called by him Fuchsiacine ; and, within the last few months, 

 Mr. David Price has also succeeded in producing from aniline, by 

 the employment of peroxide of lead, either a fast purple, or a pink, 

 called by him Roseine, and a fast blue, according to the mode of 

 operating. All these colours require special mordants to fix them on 

 calicos or muslins ; and the beautiful specimens which I have the 

 honour to lay before you I owe to the kindness of Messrs. James Black 

 and Co., and Messrs. Boyd and Hamel, of Glasgow, who have fixed 

 the last-mentioned colours by means of azotised principles, such as 

 albumen, lactarine, &c. 



I cannot give a better idea of the immense magnitude of the calico- 

 printing trade than by quoting the number of yards exported, 

 which amounted, in 1868, to 785,666,473 — and give a price value of 

 £13,147,280. 



i cannot conclude without expressing, also, my thanks to Mr. Wood, 

 of the firm of Wood and Wright, and Mr. R. Leake, of the firm of 

 Lockett, Sons, and Leake, Messrs. Dalglish and Faulkners, for the 

 numerous and valuable specimens which they have kindly lent me to 

 illustrate my discourse ; and especially to Mr. W. Grant for the loan 

 of a most interesting book, which bears the date of 1790, containing 

 the patterns belonging to the late firm of Sir Robert Peel, Bart. 



[F. C. C] 



