SI 4 



DYEING. 



particularly to Berthollet, for the complete demon>tra- 

 tion of the truth of these opinions. The latter of these 

 celebrated chemists succeeded Macquer in the place of 

 trust which he held in France unt'-r the commercial 

 department of administration, and by conjoining exten- 

 shc observation with enlightened theory, has done more 

 than any of his predecessors to promote the improve- 

 ment of dyeing, and to raise it from an obscure empi- 

 rical art, to the rank of a branch of chemical science. 

 Since his appointment to the superintendence of the 

 arts connected with chemistry, almost all the investiga- 

 tions which he has inserted in the Mrmoirs of Ike 

 Academy, in the Juurnal de Physique, and the Annales 

 lie Chymie, relate more or less to the elucidation of the 

 arts. In 17<)1, he published his Elements tftlie Art of 

 Dyeing, in 2 vols. 8vo, a second edition of which, with 

 considerable improvements, appeared in 1803. This 

 treatise may be regarded as a standard work on dyeing, 

 since it contains not only a detailed account of the prac- 

 tical ojxTations of the art, but a theoretical view of the 

 principle! ujMMi which they are founded. The subject 

 of dyeing has also attracted the attention of Cliaptal, 

 who held, for a considerable time, the office of minister 

 of the interior, under the French government. This 

 excellent chemist, in his work entitled, Clii/mie apjjli<iut'-e 

 aui Arty, has introduced many original observations on 

 dyeing, and described the leading processes of the art 

 w ith much philosophical elegance. He investigated, 

 with great care, the nature of Adrianople red, and pub- 

 lished the result of his experiments and observations on 

 that celebrated colour, in the 26th vol. of the Annales 

 de Chymie. Several other chemists in France have writ- 

 ten dissertations on dyeing, which deserve to be noticed 

 in this place. Among these we may mention a small 

 but useful work by M. Vital is of Rouen, entitled Ma- 

 nuel de Teinlvrier sur jil et sur co(onjUe ; a French 

 translation of Scheffer, which first appeared in \78> 

 and was republished with notes by Bergman ; another 

 of Paerner from the German ; and an original work by 

 Dambourney. The treatise of Scheffer was chiefly in- 

 tended for the benefit of Swedish dyers ; that of Pter- 

 ner contains an account of many experiments made 

 by the author to ascertain the qualities of different dyes, 

 but these seem to have been guided by no scientific 

 views ; and the work of Dambourney is still more de- 

 fective in that respect. 



31. Any improvements in dyeing, which have been 



d policy of made in Britain, must be ascribed entirely to the ex- 

 ilic French ertions of private individuals, unaided by the patron- 

 age of government. In France the case was different ; 

 tlie legislature of that country, as we have already sta- 

 ted, not only appointed proper persons to superintend 

 officially the practice of dyeing in all its departments, 

 but held out suitable rewards for the encouragement 

 of such individuals as should contribute by their disco- 

 veries to the progress of the art. The beneficial effects 

 of this liberal and enlightened policy were quickly felt 

 in the numerous improvements in dyeing, which were 

 uggested from time to time by the eminent men who 

 hlli il these official situations ; and it is certainly matter 

 of regret, that no appointment of the same kind has 

 ever been proposed in our own country, where so much 

 importance is attached to arts and manufactures. We 

 are supported by the authority of Mr Anderson* and 

 Mr I loine, t in maintaining that the superior brilliancy 

 of colour, which distinguishes several articles of French 

 manufacture al>ove those of other nations, is greatly 

 to thif faltering care of government. 



* lUstorjr of Conmierce.- 



Other 

 French 

 writcn on 

 Eyeing. 



nlightcr.- 



Kovcrn- 



32. But though the British government 1ms hitherto Hin>r. 

 neglected to encourage an art, upon the proper cult iva- ^~"" 

 tion ot' which so much of the success of our commer- 

 cial competition with other nations mu-t depend, a few coum r ~. " 

 of our countrymen have devoted their attention to dye- mm. 

 ing, and furnished, at their own expenee, the most va- 

 luable information to the public. Mr Henry of Man- Mr IK-nrV. 

 cheater directed lu's attention to the subject at a MT\ 

 early period, and published an interesting paper, (which 

 is inserted in the .Sd volume of the Memoirs of the 

 Manchester Society,) " on the nature of wool, silk, and 

 cotton, as objects of the art of dyeing; on the various 

 preparations and mordants requisite for these different 

 sub.-tances ; and on the nature and properties of co- 

 louring matter," &c. This paper is drawn up with the 

 author's usual philosophical precision, and contains ma- 

 ny ingenious views, and much useful information. lli> 

 observations respecting the cause of the durability of 

 Adrianoplc red, display an intimate acquaintance with 

 the subject, mid do great credit to his talents and in- 

 formation. We are indebted to Mr Henry for the first 

 account of the nature of the aluminous mordant. He 

 shewed, that when the acetate of lead was presented to 

 the sulphate of aluminc, a double decomposition took 

 place: that the acetic acid quitted the lead, nnd com- 

 bined with the alumine, while the sulphuric acid uni- 

 ted with the lead, thus forming two new salts, the ace- 

 tate of alumine, and the sulphate of lead. 



S3. No original treatise on dyeing, however, ap- Laboun ol 

 peared in our language, till Dr Bancroft published his Dr Ban - 

 excellent work, entitled, " Experimental Kesearches u 

 concerning the Philosophy of Permanent Colours." The 

 first volume of this work appeared in 17fM; and the 

 second, which had been long expected with much 

 anxiety, so lately as 1813. The author has furnished the 

 world with the results of an immense number of expe- 

 riments, prosecuted with unremitting care during a long 

 course of years, and at a great expense. Though he 

 has been preceded by authors of such distinguished abi- 

 lity, as Mr Henry and Mr Berthollet, the new factc 

 and observations which he offers to his readers shew, 

 to use his own words, that he did not find the subject 

 exhausted. His views are often entirely original ; and 

 he has detected a considerable number of mistakes in- 

 to which Berthollet and others had fallen. He haa 

 investigated with much ability the action of tartar in 

 the dyeing of scarlet, and proved by the most decisive 

 experiments, that, with cochineal, the salts of tin pro- 

 duce only a crimson, contrary to the statements of that 

 able chemist, who had entirely misrepresented the ope- 

 ration of these substances in the production of the for- 

 mer of these colours. He has ascertained, that scarlet 

 is a compound colour, formed by the superinduction 

 of a crimson upon yellow ; and, in consequence of 

 this discovery, he has proposed a method of dyeing 

 this colour more cheaply, more expcditunisly, and more 

 durably than by the ordinary process. But the most 

 imjMjrtant service which Dr Bancroft has rendered to 

 the art of dyeing was, the introduction of quercitron 

 as a yellow colouring matter, the use and application of 

 which for dyeing, calico-printing, c. were exclusive- 

 ly vested in him for a term of years, by an act of par- 

 liament passed in the '25th year of his present Ma- 

 jesty's reign. After the term of the act expired, an 

 unsuccessful attempt was made to obtain a renewal 

 of it, on the grounds that the Doctor had exercised 

 his right more beneficially and liberally for the public, 

 than providently towards himself and family ; and that 



f I'.MVf on Blenching* 



