588 FOIL DE CACHEMIEE 



mon one, being derived from the fact of this mineral resembling lead in its external 

 appearance. See GRAPHITE, for its mineralogical and chemical characters. In this 

 country plumbago has been found most abundantly in Cumberland. The mountain 

 at Borrowdale, in which the black lead is mined, is nearly 2,000 feet high, and the 

 entrance to the mine is about 1,000 feet below its summit. This valuable mineral 

 became so common a subject of robbery about a century ago, as to have enriched, it 

 was said, a great many persons living in the neighbourhood. Even the guard stationed 

 over it by the proprietors was of little avail against men infuriated with the love of 

 plunder ; since in those days a body of miners broke into the mine by main force, and 

 held possession of it for a considerable time. 



The treasure was then protected by a building, consisting of four rooms upon the 

 ground-floor ; and immediately under one of them is the opening, secured by a trap- 

 door, through which alone workmen could enter the interior of the mountain. In this 

 apartment, called the dressing-room, the mitfers change their ordinary clothes for their 

 mining-dress. At one time as much as 100,000^. was realised from the Borrowdale mine 

 in a year, the Cumberland plumbago selling at 45s'. per pound. This mine has not, how- 

 ever, been worked for many years. The last great discovery, stated to have been about 

 30,000.'s worth, has been hoarded by the proprietors, a small quantity only being sold 

 every year ; but it is now generally understood to be exhausted. Some few years 

 since the Borrowdale Black Lead Mine was inspected by three experienced miners, 

 but their report was far from encouraging : notwithstanding this, a new company is 

 formed to work the mine (1874) ; they have found small quantities of plumbago, and 

 the report is that the appearances are very promising. 



This plumbago in Borrowdale is found in 'nests' in a trap rock, partially de- 

 composed, which runs through the clay-slate. In Glenstrathfarrar in Inverness it is 

 found in gneiss ; and at Craigman in Ayrshire it occurs in coal-beds which have been 

 formed in contact with trap. In Cornwall plumbago has been discovered in small 

 lumps in the Elvan courses (see ELVAN) ; and on the northern coast of that county, 

 small pieces are picked out of the clay-slate rocks, where it has been exposed by the 

 wearing-down of the cliffs. At Arendal, in Norway, it occurs with quartz. 



Plumbago occurs in Finland. Large quantities are brought from Ceylon and the East 

 Indies. Some considerable portions are obtained from Canada. 



Plumbago is sometimes formed in considerable quantities in the beds of blast 

 furnaces, especially at Cleator Moor, and is known to the workmen as ' kish.' 



Mr. Brodie purifies plumbago by mixing it in coarse powder, in an iron vessel, with 

 twice its own weight of commercial sulphuric acid, and seven per cent, of chlorate of 

 potash, and heats the whole over a water-bath until chloric oxide ceases to be evolved. 

 By this means the compounds of iron, lime, and alumina present are rendered for the 

 most part soluble, and the subsequent addition of a little fhioride of sodium to the acid 

 mixture will decompose any silicates which may remain, and volatilise the silica present. 

 The mass is now washed with abundance of water, dried, and heated to redness. This 

 last operation causes the grains of the plumbago to exfoliate. The mass swells up in 

 a surprising manner, and is reduced to a state of very minute division. It is then 

 levigated, and obtained in a state of great purity, ready to bo compressed by the method 

 of Brockedon. See PENCILS. 



Plumbago imported in 1873. 



Tons Value 



From Germany 2,009 28,964 



Holland 662 11,390 



Ceylon 2,500 45,221 



Other Countries .... 297 7,043 



Total . . . 5,488 92,618 



(Panne, Peluche, Fr. ; WoUsammet, Pliisch, Ger.) is a textile fabric, 

 having a sort of velvet nap or shag upon one side. It is composed regularly of a woof 

 of a single woollen thread, and a two-fold warp, the one, wool of two threads twisted, 

 the other, goat's- or camel's-hair. There are also several sorts of plush made entirely 

 of worsted. It is manufactured, like velvet, in a loom with three treadles ; two of 

 which separate and depress the woollen warp, and the third raises the hair-warp, 

 whereupon the weaver, throwing the shuttle, passes the woof between the woollen and 

 hair-warp ; afterwards, laying a brass brooch or needle under that of the hair, he cuts 

 it with a knife (see FUSTIAN) destined for that use, running its fine slender point along 

 in the hollow of the guide brooch, to the'end of a piece extended upon a table. 



POAKE. A name amongst peltmongers for the collected waste arising in the 

 preparation of skins : it is used for manure. 



POII. BB CACHEMXRE. See ANGORA ; CASHMERE. 



