AGEICULTrnAL MUSEUM 187 



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those works that furnish the United States so a large a 

 part of their clotiiin^. But, after all, I find very iittteCo 

 write on a subject where you will be prej)ared*to ey^^'jci 

 nuich. An attempt to describe the intricate tn''^''',hn^iy ^ 

 and the curious process by which our convf'rtiecrce arid 

 comfort arc consulted, or our vanity gy^tilied, would fee 

 both tedious and useless. Eveii w^^'n one is "stabdfn'g 

 amidst the din of ten thousand 'pools ; and the smrfld- 

 ing of as many shuttles, he- has scarcely any disfih'ct 

 comprehension of the iRtt^/inediate steps by which Kc 

 sees the wonderful results produced ; and must himself 

 become a weaver, or a spinner, before h^e can detail to 

 another the particulars of these seemingly simple arts. 

 Yet my impressions have not been altogether too vague 

 for description. 



It was a new fact tome, that the most bcap.tiful of the 

 chintzes are stamped by means of copper cylinders, on 

 which the figures are engraved ; these cylinders are co- 

 vered with the proper substance, and then impressed, on 

 the stuff's by rolling. 



The velvets are woven at first without any of that 

 downy coating, v\hich makes them so pleasant to the 

 touch. The threads which are to form this shag, are, in 

 the first instance, inserted at both ends in the very tex- 

 ture of the cloth, so as to produce a vast number of 

 small loops, running in j-ovvs from one end of the piece 

 to the other. These loops are ciit by hand. The cloth 

 is extended horizontally on a macliinc, and the artist in- 

 serts among the loops a long slender knife, much resem- 

 bling a very delicate sword ; tills, guided by one hand 

 only, he pushes along so dexterouslj , as to cut the whole 

 series of loops for several yards, at one thrust, without 

 piercing (lie cloth, unless a knot or ather obstacle turns 

 his instrument aside. Tliis operation being repeated 

 along every thread in the whole breadth of the piece, a 

 shag is at length raised over the vv'hole surface. But it 

 would be very rough anfjhiclcgant if left in this state, 



