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the one patented by Mr. Claussen, and which, from the curiosity of the 

 coincidence, may perhaps not be found out of place if transferred to these 

 pages. It runs as follows : — "A mode has been discovered of giving to 

 "the dressed hemp, and even to the tow, a division and fineness which 

 "qualify it for the same spinning processes as cotton; so that with this 

 "preparation alone, or mixed with cotton, stuffs may be made which 

 "have a much more considerable value than those of hemp in its natural 

 "state. It may likewise be mixed with silk, wool, and even hair ; and the 

 "yarn resulting from these different mixtures furnishes, in its numberless 

 "variety, materials for new trials interesting to the arts and to general 

 "manufactures. The process consists of the following operations: — 



" 1. The fibres are covered with water, and left in it for three or four 

 "days ; after which they are boiled in simple water. 



" 2. They are treated with a ley, and then passed into the oxygenated 

 "muriatic acid ; operations which should be repeated alternately four times. 

 "3. The fibres are now transferred into a bath of water, charared with 

 " 1 -100th of sulphuric acid, and left in it for half an hour. 



" 4. The fibres, when taken out of this bath, are washed very carefully, 

 "and plunged in soap water. They are then stretched out, without 

 "wringing, on hurdles, and left to dry." 



Amongst other observations upon the process above described, Ber- 

 thollet remarks that, "whether the finest flax or the coarsest hemp tow 

 "be employed, filaments equal in their fineness and whiteness are obtained." 

 Giobert, in his "Bibliot. Ital.," vol. ii., gives some extended and exact 

 observations on Berthollet's process, and he states them to be "the re- 

 "sult of operations on a large scale, which have brought into the market 

 "cottony cloth, and bales of this hemp-cotton, which were not distinguish- 

 "able from ordinary cotton;" from which it appears that great attention 

 had been paid to the subject, and considerable expense incurred in the 

 experiments. Judging, however, from the fact that these so similar pro- 

 cesses have fallen into desuetude, and also from the very small amount 

 of success which has hitherto attended Mr. Claussen's eflforts, we may 

 be justified in expressing the opinion that no very beneficial or profitable 

 results are to be looked for, and that the manufacture of flax, as at pre- 

 sent conducted, will not be thereby in the least degree affected. 



After the flax has been "retted," there still remain, in order to bring 

 it into the fibrous state, two operations to be performed, termed "break- 

 ing" and "scutching." In order the more perfectly to perform the Erst 



