Oil the Use of the Amianthus in CkinUi 243 



ficient to bring it into contact with the air by removing the 

 oxide or white calx with which it is covered. 



The Chinese make a square hole in the centre of their 

 coin, in order to file them on a packthread : by this preeau- 

 tion they prevent that infidelity too common m their com- 

 merce. 



Having tried the silver which the Chinese employ fof 

 their jewellery, I found it to consist of one half copper. 



XLII. On the Use of the Amianthus in China. By 

 B. G. Sage *. 



X HE antientsj according to Pliriyj ihade incombustible 

 cloth of the amianthus. In the library of the Vatican there 

 is shown a handkerchief said to be made of this cloth. As 

 to the moderns, I do not know that they make any use of 

 the amianthus ; but I sawj twenty years ago, paper made 

 of this fossil flax by M. Levrier de Lisle, proprietor of the 

 paper manufactory of Montargis. This paper, of which I 

 still have a sheet, has cohesion enough, but it is not so 

 smooth as paper made of hemp. It does not yield under the 

 pen, and, if the ink is well gilmmed, one may write on it 

 with ease and neatness. This paper placed on burning coals 

 is not destroyed : it assumes there a bright gray colour, 

 which arises from the size being chdrred. The character's 

 traced out with ink on amianlluis paper appear red after 

 they have been thus exposed to the fire. If mucilage of 

 gum adraganth had been used instead of size to reduce into 

 paste the amianthus which has been subjected to the mill, 

 the paper resulting from this process woilld have more co- 

 hesion, and be more proper for resisting the action of the 

 fire. It is to be wished that M. Levrier de Lisle had becli 

 encouraged ; for paper of amianthus might be of great utility 

 for preserving d^-ds, as it resists the activity of the fire, 

 from which they would be completclv protected were they 

 put into cases made of amianthus pasteboard. 



The Chinese know, as well as we do, that the most vio- 

 lent fire is necessary to vitrllv it, and that it does tiot be- 

 come altered in a common lire: they therefore employ it 

 for making furnaces. Onrf which I saw represeijted a cy- 

 linder nine inches in height and six in diameter : towards 

 the n)iddle was a circular projection destined to support the 



" Ffom Journal Ue Phfsiiine, Pructidor, an tx. 



Q y grate : 



