PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 



283 



VOL, LXII.] 



roots, and boiled in it for the space of about 12 or 15 minutes; the flannel, 

 when taken out, was dyed with a bright and lasting yellow dye. A white por- 

 cupine quill, boiled in the same decoction, became nearly of as bright a yellow, 

 as those sent over from Hudson's Bay. This experiment made him believe that 

 he had hit upon the right method of dying with the three-leaved hellebore ; and 

 will, he hopes, prompt the directors of the Hudson's Bay company to order larger 

 quantities of this root from their settlements, as it will no doubt become a useful 

 article of commerce. j- 



The flannel, boiled in salt of tartar and alum as above mentioned, was like 

 wise immersed and boiled for nearly the same space of time as in the former ex- 

 periment, in a decoction of the root of the galium tinctorium, but it would dye 

 only a dull and faint red. A porcupine quill boiled with it became yellow, but 

 by no means red. This operation convinced him, that the Indians must certainly 

 have some method to extract the bright and lasting colour, which he could not 

 do. They use perhaps the root quite fresh, which circumstance probably makes 

 them succeed in their dying process. If it could be brought about, to extract 

 and afterwards to fix on wool the dye of this root, it would, no doubt, on 

 account of its bright colour, be a valuable acquisition for our manufactures, and 

 he does not in the least doubt of the probability of succeeding in the attempt, as 

 the woollen stufi^s are animal substances as well as the porcupine quills, and 

 therefore easily susceptible of any dye. 



The Spaniards of Mexico have but lately learn^ of the inhabitants of Califor- 

 nia, the art of dying the deepest and most lasting black that ever was yet known. 

 They call the plant they employ for that purpose cascalote -, it is arboreous, with 

 small leaves and yellow flowers ; its growth is still slower than that of an oak ; it 

 is the least corrosive of all the known substances employed in dying, and strikes 

 the deepest black : so that, for instance, it penetrates a hat to such a degree, 

 that the very rags of it are thoroughly black. The leaves of the cascalote are 

 similar to those of the husiaoke, another plant likewise used for dying black with, 

 but of an inferior quality. The latitude of California gives us hope that the country 

 near the Mississippi, or one of the Floridas, contains this cascalote, the acqui- 

 sition of which would be of infinite use in our manufactures. 



V^III. Of a Sub^rated Denarius of the Pla^torian Family, adorned with an Etrus- 

 Inscription on the Reverse, never before published or explained. By the Rev. 

 J. Swinton, B.D., F.R.S. p. 6o. 



This piece exhibits on one side a female head, representing the goddess Libera, 

 or Proserpina, according to M- Havercamp, before which stand the letters 

 p. cosiNi, very ill preserved. On the reverse, we discover a bust of the goddess 

 SORS, on a sort of basis, adorned with the inscription f sor ant; under which, 



