PAPER 



History 



Uepal Paper. 



Surat Paper. 



San Hemp Paper. 



Burmese 

 Parabaik. 



Paper 

 Umbrellas. 



Japanese Paper. 



PAPER AND PAPEE MATERIALS 



however, highly likely that Nepal was possessed of the same knowledge, and 

 that both States may have derived their skill from Tibet or China ; and it is 

 certain (from Nicolo Conti and others) that paper was used in India at least a 

 century prior to Akbar's time. Pietro della Valle (Travels, etc., 1623 (ed. Hakl. 

 Soc.), ii., 291) speaks of books being written on palm-leaves at Mangalore, "not 

 on paper," and Thevenot (Travels in Levant, Indostan, etc., 1687, pt. iii., 90) 

 also mentions that palm-leaves were used by the Malabars as a writing material. 

 But Ovington (Voy. to Suratt, 1689, 249), less than a century after Akbar's time, 

 gives so vivid a picture of the merchant's account books that it is difficult to 

 realise that he is speaking of fully two centuries ago. " The paper-books," he 

 says, " in vulgar use among the Inhabitants of India, on which they write, are 

 long Schrowls of Paper, sometimes Ten Foot in length, and a Foot broad, sewed 

 together at the upper end, as many long Sheets as the occasion of the Writing 

 requires. The Pen they write with is the ancient Calamus or Reed, about the 

 thickness of a large Goose Quill. And some of their Standishes are made long 

 and square and above an Inch broad and of sufficient length to contain both 

 Pens, and a place for Ink." He then describes the manner of writing obliquely 

 and down the long pages in such a fashion as to explain Nicolo Conti's statement 

 of the Indians writing from the top to the bottom of the page. Ovington ex- 

 pressly says that the Indian writing is not like the Chinese, in straight lines down- 

 wards, but " from the uppermost corner of the left to the lowermost corner of 

 the right." The long page of the books, however, was doubtless the idea that 

 inspired Nicolo Conti. But Ovington goes on to say that the paper used in 

 India " by its Slickness and Smoothness appears shining, which is of ordinary 

 use ; but that which they write upon, either to the Emperor or Persons of con- 

 sequence is gilt all over the surface, as ours is on the Edges." 



Ironside published in 1774 (Phil. Trans., Ixiv., 99 ; abridg. ed., xiii., 506) 

 an interesting account of the Indian paper manufacture practised in his day. 

 The material was san hemp ( Crot a i aria jn <<), but for paper-making "old 

 ropes, clothes and nets, made from the san plant " were preferred to fresh fibre, 

 presumably because of their cheapness. These san rags were cut up into small 

 pieces, macerated in water for a few days (generally five), washed in the river 

 in a basket, and thrown into a jar of water lodged in the ground ; the water 

 being strongly impregnated with a lixivium of "sedgi-mutti" (crude carbonate of 

 soda) six parts, and quicklime seven parts. " After remaining in this state eight 

 or ten days, they are again washed, and while wet broken into fibres, by a stamp- 

 ing lever, and then exposed to the sun, on a clean terrace, built for this purpose ; 

 after which they are again steeped in a fresh lixivium as before. When they 

 have undergone three operations of this kind they are fit for making coarse brown 

 paper ; after seven or eight operations, they are prepared for making paper of a 

 tolerable whiteness." The pulp thus produced is taken up on a fine- wire frame 

 just as in the English manner. 



Nisbet (Burma under Brit. Rule and Before, 1901, i., 386) says the Native 

 manufacture is now confined mainly to " the preparation of parabaik or paper- 

 slates used at the monasteries, and of umbrellas. " The inner fibre of soft bamboo 

 shoots or the bark of tliemahlaing or paper-mulberry ('Broiitmouetiti /j> .'/'</<') 

 being pounded into a pulp with water, and half its weight of lime being then 

 added, it is boiled with water until nothing but the pulp is left. This is pounded 

 and spread thinly over a coarse cotton muslin framework, and allowed to dry 

 in the sun. It now forms a rough grey parchment, about a cubit in breadth, 

 which is folded up in alternating folds of about nine inches wide. W T hen coated 

 with finely powdered charcoal dust mixed in glutinous rice-water it is ready 

 for being written upon with pencils of steatite or soap-stone." The use of paper 

 in the manufacture of Burmese umbrellas is an important branch of the local 

 industry, but unfortunately the artistic indigenous paper umbrella is rapidly 

 being displaced by the cheap European article, and the making of the special 

 umbrella paper is accordingly rapidly becoming a thing of the past. The Burmese 

 system of writing on black-coloured pasteboards (parabaik) recalls Abd-er-Razzak's 

 story of the people of the now lost empire of Vijaianagar (see above), who wrote 

 on black surfaces with a soft stone. The supposed close affinity of the Telegu 

 people to certain of the Burmese races gives an interest to this curious circum- 

 stance that it might not otherwise be supposed to possess. In Japan, paper-making 

 is very ancient and the plant chiefly used is (as in Burma) the paper-mulberry. 

 The reader will find Rein's account of Japanese paper-making most instructive 

 (Indust. of Japan, 1889, 393-419). 



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