ivith Observations on some Manufactures of the Ancients. 361 



of muslin in the Museum of the East India House, the finest 

 production of the Dacca loom, has only 100 threads in an inch 

 in the warp, and 84 in the woof, but the surprising fineness of 

 the yarns, which, though spun by hand, is not less than 250 

 hanks in the pound, gives to this fabric its unrivalled tenuity 

 and lightness. 



Some of the cloths were fringed at the ends, and one, a sort 

 of scarf about four feet long and twenty inches wide, was 

 fringed at both ends. Three or four threads twisted together 

 with the fingers to form a strong one, and two of these again 

 twisted together and knotted at the middle and at the end to 

 prevent unravelling, formed the fringe, precisely like the silk 

 shawls of the present day. 



The selvedges of the Egyptian cloths generally are formed 

 with the greatest care, and are well calculated by their strength 

 to protect the cloth from accident. Fillets of strong cloth or 

 tape also secure the ends of the pieces from injury, showing a 

 knowledge of all the little resources of modern manufacture. 

 Several of the specimens, both of fine and coarse cloth, w r ere 

 bordered with blue stripes of various patterns, and in some 

 alternating with narrow lines of another colour. The width 

 of the patterns varied from half an inch to an inch and a 

 quarter. In the latter were seven blue stripes, the broadest 

 about half an inch wide nearest the selvedge, followed by five 

 very narrow ones, and terminated by one an eighth of an inch 

 broad. Had this pattern, instead of being confined to the 

 edge of the cloth, been repeated across its whole breadth, it 

 would have formed a modern gingham, which we can scarcely 

 doubt was one of the articles of Egyptian industry. A small 

 pattern about half an inch broad formed the edging of one of 

 the finest of these cloths, and was composed of a stripe of blue 

 followed by three narrow, lines of the same colour, alternating 

 with three lines of a fawn colour, forming a simple and ele- 

 gant border. These stripes were produced in the loom by 

 coloured threads previously dyed in the yarn. The nature of 

 the fawn colour I was unable to determine. It was too much 

 degraded by age, and the quantity too small to enable me to 

 arrive at any satisfactory conclusion. Though I had no doubt 

 the colouring matter of the blue stripes was indigo, I sub- 

 jected the cloth to the following examination. Boiled in water 

 for some time, the colour did not yield in the least ; nor was 

 it at all affected by soap, nor by strong alkalies. Sulphuric 

 acid, diluted only so far as not to destroy the cloth, had no ac- 

 tion on the colour. Chloride of lime gradually reduced, and 

 at last destroyed it. Strong nitric acid dropped upon the 

 blue turned it orange, and in the same instant destroyed it. 

 Third Series. Vol. 5. No. 29. Nov. 1834. 3 A 



