Oriental Procefsfor dyeing Red. 5 



We, and I (hall leave the improvement of it to thofe to 

 whofe department it belongs, and who have a tafte for 

 technical chemiftry. 



The greater part of the filk and cotton manufactories at 

 Aftracan are carried on by Armenians, the number of whom 

 on account of the troublefome ftate of Perfia is continually 

 increafing ; and the dye-houfes are kept going only from the 

 firft warm days in the fpring till towards the end of autumn. 

 The madder they employ comes partly by land over Kitzlar 

 from Terek, and partly by fea over Derbent from the Perfian 

 Ghilan. In both places the plant grows wild in the fields in 

 great abundance and great perfection, and is dug up alfo in 

 the uncultivated meads. The roots are generally as thick as 

 the barrel of a quill, fometimes as one's finger, and through- 

 out the whole fpongy part of an agreeable pale red colour : 

 the bark on the other hand is for the moft part very thin, and 

 appears to be of little value. At Terek the frefh gathered 

 roots are placed above each other in a ftove, or in a pit dug 

 in vifcous earth which has been ftrongly heated. Earth is 

 then thrown over the madder, and it muft fweat until the 

 ftove or pit becomes cold ; when the roots, the fecond or 

 third day, are taken from it, and either fpread out or hung 

 up to dry. The fame procefs is ufual alfo in Perfia, and 

 abundance of madder is brought from the remote parts of that 

 country to Ruffia. At Aftracan it is fold, according to the im- 

 portation, at from four to feven rubles for every forty pounds. 



This madder is ground at Aftracan, for ihe ufe of the 

 dyers, in horfe-mills kept by the common people, and con- 

 ftrucled in the following manner : In the middle of the 

 mill, which is built on alevelfpot of ground, a circular place 

 is walled round with bricks to the height of four fpans, the 

 inner face of which is made to Hope gently from the cir- 

 cumference towards the centre, and a groove goes round the 

 infide of this brick-work to receive the mill-ftone. The 

 whole furface of the brick-work is covered with plane 

 i'mooth boards, and in the middle of it ftands a perpendicular 

 B 3 fpindle, 



