ON THE UNION OF FLEXIBLE flBRES. 187 



light and uniform arrangement. This texture, when pressed under cloths and 

 leather, readily unites into a mass of some firmness ; this mass is dipped into 

 a liquor containing a little sulfuric acid, and when intended for a hat, is 

 moulded into a large conical figure, which is reduced in its dimensions by 

 working it with the hands, and is formed into a flat surface, with several con- 

 centric folds, which are still more compacted in order to make the brim, and 

 the circular part of the crown, and forced on a block, which serves as a mould 

 for the cylindrical part. The black dye is composed of logwood, sulfate of 

 iron, and a little acetite of copper, or verdigris; and the stiftening is a thiu < 

 glue. , , 



The texture of paper is scarcely different from that of felt, except that its 

 fibres are less visible to the naked eye. To make white paper, linen rags are 

 ground with warm water in a mill, into a paste of the consistence of cream: a 

 portion of the paste is taken up in a wire sieve, which is' passed obliquely 

 through it, and this, being a little shaken, subsides into a sheet, which is 

 turned out on a piece of flannel ; a number of sheets being thus formed, they 

 are then pressed, first with the interposition of flannel, and afterwards alone, 

 while they are still moist. For thick paper, two or more sheets are laid on 

 each other before the first pressing. To fill up the pores of the paper, and to 

 increase its strength,, a size is employed, which is generally made by boiling- 

 shreds of parchment or untanned leather. Sometimes the size is added after 

 printing on the paper, but this is only done in works of inferior elegance, 

 and in this country not at all. 



Such are the principal cases of the union of flexible fibres, for the different 

 purposes of strength or of convenience. Their importance is such that they 

 might be esteemed worthy of a more detailed consideration ; but we are not 

 likely to make any material improvements in these departments of mechanical 

 art by the application of theoretical refinements. 



