500 



HISTOU'V OF THE VEGKTABLK KINGDOM. 



s!\me manner as at present. Altliough for more 

 tliaii two thousand years its value had been 

 recognised in Asia, still its use was either ])ro • 

 hibited or restrained for a considerable period in 

 different European countries, under the errone- 

 ous belief that its colour was fugitive. 



About the sixteenth century improvements in 

 the art of dyeing were attempted in several 

 European countries. Among the many new 

 methods employed, some gave greater brilliancy, 

 others greater permanency to the colours. Some, 

 however, though they might impose on the eye, 

 gave but an evanescent beauty of tint ; while 

 othere subjected the stuffs to pernicious chemi- 

 cal preparations, whereby their texture was 

 injured, and they were found " to rot on the 

 shelves of the shop-keeper." Governments were 

 in consequence induced to interfere by legisla- 

 tive enactments, to prevent their subjects from 

 being imposed upon by " these false and perni- 

 cious dyes ;" and prohibited at once the use of 

 all the new materials which produced only fleet- 

 ing shades, and which contained, or were sup- 

 posed to contain, any thing detrimental to the 

 stuff under preparation. Now, these govern- 

 ments, to their mistaken views of domestic 

 policy, united an equally profound ignorance of 

 chemistry ; and listening to the reports of the 

 uninformed or interested, sometimes laid under 

 onq prohibitory ban the useful as well as the 

 liurtful. In Germany a decree of the diet, held 

 in 1577, prohibited under the severest penalties 

 " the newly invented, pernicious, deceitful, eat- 

 ing, and cori'osive dye, called the devil's dye, for 

 which vitriol and other eating substances were 

 used instead of woad." 



In the middle of tlie next century, the use of 

 indigo was found to interfere with the cultiva- 

 tion and sale of woad, which had hitherto formed 

 a considerable branch of industry with the Ger- 

 mans. A prohibition was therefore issued against 

 its use in Saxony, and in order to raise a preju- 

 dice against it in the minds of the people, and 

 that they might be blinded by the imposition of 

 a name, it was classed among those sul)stances 

 already prohibited as devil's dyes, and this pro- 

 hibition was for some years enforced with great 

 vigilance and severity. The people of Nurem- 

 berg, who at that time cultivated woad, went 

 still farther. They made a law that their dyers 

 should annually take an oath not to use indigo. 

 Although the dyers do not scrapie to avail them- 

 selves in the present day of the superiority of this 

 colouring matter, the oath is still enforced ; and 

 this strange unrepealed edict may be classed 

 among those demoralizing relics of defective 

 government which take from an oath its sanctity, 

 and prepare the minds of the people to dread the 

 penalty, rather than to abhor the crime of per- 

 jury. The use of indigo was likewise forbidden 

 in France from 1596 to 1069, when Colbert 



I sliowed more enlightened views on the subject, 

 and the prohibition was repealed. 



It was not until after the discovery of Ame- 

 rica that indigo was obtained in any veiy large 

 quantities in Europe. The plant from which it 

 is prepared was found growing wild in most of 

 the tropical parts of the western hemisphere. 

 Its application was likewise well known. We 

 learn from the authority of more than one tra- 

 veller, that the Aztecs, the unfortunate abori- 

 gines of Mexico, were well aware of its value as 

 a Aye, and that it was commonly employed by 

 tliem in giving a beautiful hue to tlieir cotton 

 fabrics. During the last century the cultivation of 

 indigo has been almost entirely neglected by the 

 Spanish Mexicans, from the preference given in 

 Europe to the indigo of Guatimala, or central 

 America, and the failure of the native cotton 

 manufacture, in which it was principally used. 

 Since the Mexicans have shaken off the Spanish 

 yoke, their commercial and agricultural pro- 

 sperity has become a subject of more rational 

 interest and attention. Attempts are now there- 

 fore being made to revive, among other branches 

 of industry, the cultivation of indigo. A little 

 is now grown on the western coasts, and it has 

 been introduced into the valley of Cuautla. In 

 some parts, which are hot and marshy, it is a 

 natural production of the soil. 



Tlie indigo of Guatimala was long prized as 

 the best, and although this plant was cultivated 

 in the West Indies and other parts of America, 

 none ever approached to the excellence of that 

 of Guatimala, which was long rated in commerce 

 as of unrivalled quality. This plant was much 

 cultivated in the French West India islands, and 

 the government of the parent country took so 

 great interest in its improvement, as to appoint 

 scientific men to investigate its preparation, and 

 to point out in what manner it was susceptible 

 of improvement. It does not appear, however, 

 that these exertions were attended witli any very 

 beneficial results, and although much was sug- 

 gested, perhaps no real, certainly no very impor- 

 tant, improvements were introduced in the mode 

 of preparing indigo. That prepared by the 

 French still ranked lower, though next in qua- 

 lity to the produce of Guatimala. 



This plant was for some time cultivated in 

 great abundance in Jamaica, forming one of its 

 principal articles of exportation ; but a tax hav- 

 ing been laid upon it, the culture of sugar 

 became a more profitable branch of agriculture. 

 Indigofcra was found growing spontaneously in 

 Carolina in the year 1747, and so abundantly, 

 tliat 200,000 lbs. were shipped to England, and 

 sold at a very good price, though it was not quite 

 so well prepared as the Frencli indigo ; its far- 

 ther cultivation in North America has not, how- ^ 

 ever, been very extensively prosecuted. M 



In the year 17B7 another source for the suj)ply ~ 



