102 MANUFACTURE OF PAPER IN THE U. S. 



tide of great commerce. At this period it began to be supplanted by 

 cotton paper, though it still continued to be used in Italy till the llth 

 century. The paper of the ancient Mexicans, before the conquest by 

 Cortez, was made of the leaves of the dgave, in a manner much like 

 that of the Egyptians. 



Besides these kinds of paper, one was made of the inner bark of 

 trees, and in the llth and 12th centuries skins were much used. 

 Strips of bark and leaves are still used among the eastern nations, and 

 these are written upon with sharp-pointed instruments, curious spe- 

 cimens of which we have in our possession. The Arabians are said 

 to have been acquainted with cotton paper in 704, A.D., and prepared 

 it themselves from the plant, and exported it considerably to Spain 

 during the llth century. The first paper mills were there erected, 

 and their products were carried to France and Germany in the year 

 1300. This cotton paper differed from the linen paper by its loose 

 texture. 



The paper of the U. S. is mostly cotton, on account of the abundance 

 of cotton and its fabrics in this country. The Germans were proba- 

 bly the first to add linen to cotton rags in paper making, in the 12th 

 century, and proper linen paper made its appearace about 1318. Doc- 

 uments in Germany, dated 1324-26-31, are seen there upon this pa- 

 per. None is found in Spain or Italy before 1367. The Chinese to 

 this day have manufactured their paper of hemp, the bamboo, and mul- 

 berry. The English, at a later period, brought the manufacture of 

 linen paper to great perfection. The French papers are also of fine 

 qualities. That of the Italians and Germans is durable, but not equal 

 to that of this country. 



The manufacture of paper in the U. S. has rapidly increased and in 

 proportion quite equal to the increased demand. In 1829 the quan- 

 tity made in this country was from 5 to $7 millions, employing 

 11,000 persons; and in 1840, the importations of paper were $70,267, 

 and of books $210,764. We exported also of paper and stationary 

 $76,957 ; books and maps $29,632. The number of paper manufac- 

 tories in the U. S. is 600 457 in operation, with 1500 engines and 

 $16,500,000 estimated capital invested. The amount of rass, junk, 

 canvass and cotton waste used is estimated at 190 million Ibs. per 

 annum, of which from 15 to 20 millions are imported, which, at 3 cts. 

 per lb., is $6,615,000. The number of adults employed in the man- 

 ufacture is 8,250 and the value of products $5,600,939. 



The quality of American paper has greatly improved of late, and the 

 recent inventions and especially that for making paper of any required 

 length by machinery, as rapidly as it can pass off from the machine, 

 places us in advance of any nation in the quantity we are capable of 

 making. Immense quantities of wrapping paper are made and much of 

 this is now made of corn stalks, straw, the refuse of hemp, &c. 



