506 
upon the grass, after which the 
woody part, now become very 
brittle, is removed by the flax- 
mill, the nature of which is too 
well known to require any de- 
scription. By these processes the 
fibres of the flax are weakened, 
and a considerable portion of them 
is altogether destroyed and lost. 
The flax, too, acquires a greenish 
yellow colour, and it is well known 
that a very expensive and tedious 
bleaching process is necessary to 
render it white. Mr. Lee neither 
steeps his flax, nor spreads it on 
the grass. When the plant is 
ripe, it is pulled in the usual way. 
It is then thrashed, by placing it 
between two grooved wooden 
beams shod with iron, One of 
these is fixed ; the other is sus- 
pended on hinges, and is made to 
impinge with some force on the 
fixed beam; the grooves in the 
one beam corresponding with 
flutes in the other. By a mecha- 
nical contrivance almost exactly 
similar, the woody matter is beaten 
off, and the fibres of flax left. By 
passing through hackles, varying 
progressively in fineness, the flax 
is very speedily dressed, and ren- 
dered proper for the use for which 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1815. 
it is intended. The advantages 
of this process are manifold. ‘The 
expense of steeping and spreading 
is saved; a much greater produce 
of flax is obtained ; it is much 
stronger ; the fibres may be di- 
vided into much finer fibres, so as 
to obtain at once, and in an 
quantity, flax fine enough for the 
manufacture of jace. But the 
greatest advantage of all remains 
yet to be stated. Flax manufac- 
tured in this manner requires only 
to be washed in pure water in or- 
der to become white. The co- 
louring matter is not chemically 
combined with the fibre, and 
therefore is removed at once by 
water. It is the steeping of the 
flax and hemp, which unites the 
colouring matter with the fibres, 
and renders thesubsequent bleach- 
ing process necessary. Thus, by 
Mr. Lee’s process, flax and hemp 
are obtained in much greater 
quantity, of much stronger qua- 
lity, and much finer in the fibre 
than by the common method, and 
the necessity of bleaching is alto- 
gether superseded. The great im- 
portance of such an improvement 
must be at once obvious to every 
one. 
