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clothes for themselves, or sold for the purpose of being made into 
paper. Some idea may be formed of the vast accumulation of 
linen in the mummy pits and sepulchres of Egypt, when it was at 
one time a speculation even in Europe, whether it should not be 
collected for the purpose of paper making. The manufacture and 
sale of linen were amongst the most respectable and lucrative 
branches of Egyptian commerce. 
1 The export trade must have been very considerable, all the 
‘ neighbouring countries being supplied from Egypt. We learn 
from that most ancient and authentic history, the Bible, that 
Solomon made a navy of ships. These ships traded once in three 
years to Egypt, along the coasts of the Red Sea. Amongst the 
imports brought by these ships was the fine linen of Egypt, and 
linen yarn. The king’s merchant received the linen yarn at a 
price, so that there must also have been manufacturing establish- 
ments, where the linen yarn was woven into cloth and finished 
ready for use. There is a remarkable passage in I Chron. iv. 21, 
“the families of the house of them that wrought fine linen,” the 
literal translation of which is said to be, “The partnerships of the 
manufactory of fine linen.” ‘The prophet Hosea twice mentions 
linen as one of the chief materials used for clothing in his time. 
The perfection to which the Egyptians had attained in weaving 
and in all the processes connected with the manufacture of fine 
linen, was such that they have not been surpassed even in modern 
times. Some specimens have been found so fine, that the very finest 
productions of the looms at the present day can scarcely compare 
with them. The very finest cambric or lawn looks coarse beside 
the specimens of the Egyptian looms. The perfection of the 
threads of the Egyptian linen is equally surprising. The knots 
_ and breaks seen in our finest cambric cannot be observed in the 
Egyptian linen, which was so fine and transparent that it obtained 
the name of woven air. Every detail of the figure which it 
enveloped could be seen with perfect clearness. When laid on 
the grass and wetted with the dew, it became invisible. 
In dyeing the Egyptians had attained to great perfection. In 
‘Thebes alone two thousand workmen were employed in dyeing in 
