error by the "chemical philosophers" who propounded the new 

 concepts, but rather it appeared to be "the difficulty occurring in 

 inducing workmen to form new habits, to a want of certain explana- 

 tions of the minutia of the operations and perhaps in some measure 

 to the common prejudice against novelties."'^' 



The chemistry of the tanning process as it was understood in the 

 early 1800's is described in detail in Thomas Martin's Circle of the 

 Mechanical Arts, London, 1813. This description, which discusses 

 Seguin's process in the light of Davy's discoveries, is reproduced 

 in the appendix (p. 75). 



By 1812, Tench Coxe and other American lobbyists for expanded 

 manufacturers echoed Davy's remarks as well as those of native 

 innovators. Although "every description or variety of leather" 

 was already made, still "much utility and profit" could be gained 

 "from superior tanning, coloring, dressing, workmanship, fancy, 

 taste and economy, in the whole range of the operations of the 

 leather manufacture." ^* But too often Americans took fine "bark, 

 lime, and water-sites" and other resources for granted; however, 

 Coxe believed, even with the waste of these natural riches, "were 

 chemistry in particular, and the general science" applied to domes- 

 tic production, the excellence and quality of x-^merican leather 

 goods would be assured. Yet some dissented and cautioned care 

 in the employment of faster methods. In his Brief Retrospect of 

 the Eighteenth Century, Samuel Miller agreed that "pressing neces- 

 sity" might demand speed but noted that the results were fre- 

 quently expensive and in fact "injurious to the leather." ■' 



Whether a reaction to novelty or not, the chemistry of tanning 

 simply failed to excite enthusiasm. In 1851 at London's Crystal 

 Palace, while the world marveled at such products of industrial 

 ingenuity as Colt's revolver and McCormack's reaper, the jurors 

 surveyed the exhibitors of leather and reported that "though 

 numerous experiments have been tried, and many patents granted 

 for new processes, there has been no decided improvement, no 

 marked progress, to show that better results have been obtained 

 than by the old methods of tanning. "'^'^ 



^" Davy, op. cit., vol. 2, p. 317. 



5* Coxe, Statement of the Arts and Manufactures of the United States of America for the Year IS 10, 

 part 2, pp. XXXV, xxxvi. 



50 Vol. 1, pp. 399, 542. 



8" Great Exhi-sition . . . 1851 , Reports by the furies . . . , p. 388. In the preface to the American 

 section in the Official Descriptive and Illustrated Catalogue (London, 1851), vol. 1, pp. 1431, 1432, no 

 mention is made of domestic leather production. 



30 



