LAC 



487 



LAC 



Lac lac is of a red purplish colour; that which is yellow or 

 brown is bad. In the years 1805 1808, the following 

 n<i< quantities of seed- lac were sold at the East India-house. 



1803 S86 cwt. sold for 1,181 



5Z6 . . . . 1,1 



Iws .... 881 



Seed-lac is seldom imported. In 1808, 19 cwt. sold 

 for 22. 



Lump-lac is principally used in India. 



The best shell-lac is transparent or amber coloured. 

 The thick, dark, and speckled kind is bad. The fol- 

 lowing are the quantities of shell-lac imported and sold 

 in the years, from 1803 to 1808 inclusive : 



1806 743 cwt. 3,739 



1807 823 4,121 

 1806 239 1,243 



1803 1640 cwt. 9,800 



1804 1616 14,613 

 180J 8377 11,978 



An account of the chemical properties of lac, will 

 be found under our article CHEMISTRY, Vol. VI. p. 124, 

 and its u*e in dyeing, is explained under DYEING, 

 Vol. VIII. p. 225. See Philosophical Transactions, vol. 

 Ixxi. Ixxvii. and Ixxxi. ; Id. tor 1804, Part ii. ; Mem. 

 Acad. Par. 1719; and Milbum's Oriental Commerce, 

 vol. ii. p 210". 



LACCADIVE ISLANDS, are a group of about 32 

 low shoally islands in the Indian Sea, belonging to the 

 Biby. The nearest of them is 73 miles from the coast 

 at Malabar ; and they stretch from the 10th to the 12th 

 degree of North Latitude, l>eing separated by very 

 wide and deep channel. The largest of these islands 

 does not contain more than sis square mile*. 



The only produce of the Laccadive Islands is cocoa 

 nuU, betel nut*, and plantain*. 



They export coir, which is made from the husk of 

 the coco* nut, jagery, cocoa nut*, and betel niiti. Co- 

 ral from the surrounding reef* is also carried to India. 

 The best coir cable* on the Malabar coast, are made 

 from the fibre* of the Laccadive cocoa nut. Their 

 boat* are made of the (tern, and their house* are con- 

 structed wholly from the material* yielded by this va- 

 luable palm. 



Minicoy, the noutbemmost island, is 7$ mile* long, 

 and { a mile broad. It extends in the form of a crescent 

 to the north-west, having a coral reef across it. The 

 town is situated within the reef; and the channel 

 through this reef ii vrry intricate and narrow. 



Kilpcni is about 37 mile* north north east from Mi- 

 nicoy, and is about 4 mile* long, and I broad. It is 

 surrounded with reef*, and the town is in the midst 

 of cocoa not tree*. 



Underoot, the nearest to the Malabar coast, is aliout 

 3 mile* long from east to west It is well planted with 

 cocoa nut tree* : and the town is on the north side of 

 the island. 



Ambergris is somewhere to be met with among these 

 island*. VMCO de Gama visited the I.arradive island* 

 in 1499, on hi* return from Calicut, but they have 

 never been carefully examined. See Dr. Francis Bu- 

 chanin' JrmtHi ' I ttirin through tHe Myiore, SfC. 



vol. ii. p. 554 ; and Milburn's Oriental Comanrcc, vol. i. 

 p. 3*O. 



I. \CCIC ACID i* the name of a new acid, lately 

 obtained by l)r John from stick-lac. This substance 

 having been reduced to powder, was digested in water, 

 till it ceased to communicate any colour. The aqueous 

 ration wa* evaporated to dryness, and the residue di- 

 gested in alcohol. The alcoholic solution wa* similarly 

 evaporated, a..d the dry residue digested in ether. The 

 evaporation of the ether solution, left syrup mas* of 



a light yellow colour, which being again dissolved in ( Lac*, 

 alcohol, and the solution mixed with water, lets fall a *^"Y"~ 

 little resin. This liquid contains the Lactic Acid, 

 united with a little potash and lime, from which it may 

 be separated by precipitating it with lead, and decom- 

 posing the laccate with sulphuric acid, just sufficient 

 to saturate the oxide of lead. The following are the 

 properties of this acid : 



1. The taste is acid. Its colour is wine yellow. It 

 is soluble in water, alcohol, and ether ; and it is capa- 

 ble of crystallising. 



2. It throws down lead and mercury from their so- 

 lutions in acids white; but it neither precipitates lime 

 water, nor the nitrates of silver and barytes. 



3. It throws down the salts of iron white. 



4. Its combinations with lime, soda, and potash, are 

 deliquescent and soluble in alcohol. See Thomson's 

 Chemistry, 5th edit, vol ii. p. 177: and Schweigger's 

 Journal, xv. 110. quoted by Dr. Thomson. 



LACE is a delicate kind of net work, which is much 

 used fur ornament in female dress. The meshes of this 

 kind of net are of a hexagonal figure, and are formed 

 by twisting or plaiting together very fine threads of 

 silk, flax, or cotton. Thick threads are also woven in- 

 to the net to form the figures or pattern, according to 

 some design ; and these thick threads, which are called 

 gimp, form the ornament of the lace. 



There are several different kinds of lace, which are 

 more or less esteemed, according to the fashion of the 

 day ; and, like jewels, and precious stones, they are va- 

 lued in proportion to the difficulty of procuring them, 

 rather than trom any real difference in their appearance 

 or qualities. 



The lace manufactured in England is generally called English 

 Buckinghamshire, or Bedfordshire lace, after those dis- lace. 

 tricts wherein it is made ; it is also called pillow lace or 

 bobbin lace, because it is woven upon a pillow or 

 cushion by means of bobbins. The latter terms are 

 chiefly used to dUtinguMi it from an imitation which 

 is made by machinery at Nottingham ; but by a recent 

 invention, this lace is made in the greatest perfection 

 by machinery, and is called bobbin-net The bobbin 

 lace consists of hexagonal meshes ; four of the sides of 

 each hexagon are formed by twisting two threads round 

 each other, and the other two sides are formed by the 

 simple crowing of two threads over each other. This is 

 the tame kind of lace which is known in France hy th 

 name of Lisle lace, being manufactured in that town. 



Another kind of lace is made at Honiton in Devon- 

 shire, and is called Honiton lace. It is of the same 

 kind as that made at. Brussels, and it is also called 

 Braasels lace ; two sides of each mesh of this lace are 

 plaited of tour threads, and the four other sides by 

 threads twisted together. The plaiting renders it much 

 more durable than the twist lace, and it therefore bears 

 a much greater price. 



The lace made at Valenciennes is very highly esteem- 

 ed, but is not manufactured in England. All the six 

 side* of the hexagon are plaited ; but two of the sides of 

 each mesh are so small, that they appear like lozenges. 

 The Nottingham imitations of lace are of two kinds, 

 point-net and warp-net. From the names of the ma- 

 chines in which they are made, they are both a species 

 of chain-work, and the machines are varieties of the 

 stocking frame. The warp frame makes a very close 

 imitation of the Brussels lace, but has very little dura- 

 bility. 



The Buckinghamshire lace is woven on a pillow, or M 

 cushion, which the woman or child who makes the lace " 1 " 



