40 



that the one I am most in favor of can be introduced 

 into the European markets at a saleable price. 



5. Some idea may be obtained of the expanse of 

 Th indi ? a eof territory on which we can rely for a constant 

 supply of fibres by a study of the map of India. Its 

 extreme length from Cape Comorin to Cashmere is 

 about 2000 miles, and its greatest breadth from the 

 bend of the Burrampootra to the mouths of the Indus 

 must be nearly as great, but from its irregular figure 

 the superficial area is only estimated at 1,500,000 

 square miles. It is bounded on the N.W. by the 

 Indus, and on the N.E. by the Himalayan Mountains, 

 while the Indian Ocean washes its remaining sides ; 

 the whole forming a kind of irregular diamond, to 

 which the island of Ceylon forms a pendant. 



6. Singular as it may appear, it is nevertheless 



true, that although the records of the past 

 uc 3 have pointed to India and China as pre- 

 eminently lands of fibres, these are the last two 

 countries we have looked to for supplies, and no 

 endeavour has been made to stimulate a trade with 

 them. The art of paper-making from unwoven fibres 

 appears to date from 95 A.D., when the Chinese first 

 discovered the process of reducing raw fibre to pulp 

 in water. From that time to the present day these 

 intelligent people have continued to improve in the 

 art, and now utilize various woven and unwoven 

 materials, including cotton, rags, rice, straw, Brous- 

 sonetia papyri/era, and bamboo (both the matured 

 stems and the young shoots). 



