PAPER OF VARIOUS SORTS. 79 



Papy'rus, a species of rush, in the class Triandria, 

 which still grows on the banks of the Nile. The 

 plant was much valued by the Egyptians, who ap- 

 plied it to several other useful purposes, and it is 

 often represented on their monuments. They made 

 vases of the roots ; and boats of the stalks, woven 

 together and coated over with some resinous sub- 

 stance. When the bark of the stalk is peeled off, 

 the inside can be separated into very thin layers, 

 and of this they made not only paper, but a kind 

 of cloth for dresses. Their mode of making paper 

 was to place a number of these layers close beside 

 each other, with as many more ranged across them, 

 and then to wet the whole with water, which made 

 the different pieces stick together. When this was 

 pressed and dried, it was equal to our paper in 

 solidity and lightness. 



In China paper is prepared from the bark of 

 several different trees ; among others, of the elm 

 and mulberry, but chiefly of the cotton-tree. Great 

 quantities of paper are now made in Europe from 

 cotton rags; but it is not so good as that from 

 linen. Our blotting-paper is made principally of 

 woollen rags; and our coarse brown paper, of pieces 

 of old rope. I have seen, also, paper that was 

 manufactured of silk, straw, sea-weed, and even of 

 leather ; this last kind was said to be particularly 

 useful for packing, as it was water-proof, and did 

 not easily tear, or take fire. 





