§ Oriental Procefs for dyeing Red. 



ton. In a word, the whole mordant mult be fufficientfy 

 yellow, ftrong, and of an aftringent tafte. 



As foon as the alum is diflblved, no time muft be loft in 

 order that the mordant may not be fuffered to cool. The 

 yarn is then put into hollow blocks of wood fhaped like a 

 mortar, into each of which fuch a quantity of the mordant 

 has been poured as may be fufficient to moiften the yarn 

 without any of it being left. As foon as the workman 

 throws the mordant into the mortar, he puts a quantity of 

 the yarn into it, and prefles it down with his hand till it be- 

 comes uniformly moiftened, and the whole cotton yarn has 

 flruck. By this it acquires only a pale yellow colour, which 

 however is durable. It is then hung, up on poles in the fun 

 to dry ; again wafhed in the ftrcam, and afterwards dried 

 once more. 



By the yellow dye of the fumacb. leaves, the madder dve 

 becomes brighter and more agreeable; but the galls damp the 

 fuperfluous yellow, and together with the alum prepare the 

 yarn for its colour. Some dyers however omit the ufe of 

 thefe leaves altogether, and prepare their mordant from galls 

 and alum only, by firft boiling the galls in due proportion 

 with the requifite quantity of water, then diffolving the alum 

 with boiling water in a feparate veffel, afterwards pouring 

 both liquors together into a tub, and fuffering the cotton to 

 remain in them an hour, or an hour and a half; after which 

 it is dried gradually, then wafhed, and again dried once 

 more. By this procefs the yarn acquires a dirty reddifh 

 colour. 



The next part of the procefs is to prepare the madder dye. 

 The madder, ground to a fine powder, is fpread out in large 

 troughs, and into each trough is poured a large cup full of 

 fheep's blood, which is the kind that can be procured with 

 the greater! facility by the dyers. The madder muft be 

 ftrongly mixed in it by means of the hand, and then ftand 

 fome hours in order to be thoroughly foaked by it. The li- 

 quor 



