233 
November 1889, which was enclosed in your Despatch No. 369 of the 
8th November as well as four other documents pomer iets © the extraction 
of fibre, and the machines now employed in the pee sre 
Ia 
(Signed) DA ©. LEES, 
: Governor. 
The Right Hon. Lord Knutsford, G.C.M.G. 
[ Enclosure. } 
REPORT = ACTING SURVEYOR-GENERAL, No. A/66, T 17, 1890. 
I HAVE delayed r npon upon this subject because I had to 
procure reliable EE en I now forward formal replies to the 
st. A very detailed s Sphere memorandum on the subject 
kindly supplied at my request by Mr. Regis de Chazal, C.E. 
_ (Engineer to the Forges et Fonderies de Baers to which I 
have appended some supplemental notes by myself. 
2nd. A plan of an installation for two “grattes”’ and a tracing (full 
eens = the “servante” to accompany Mr. de Chazal’s 
%* 
ndum. 
3rd. ee NATER on Aloe fibre by Mr. Evenor de Chaza 
4th. A statement of the actual siine obtained at St. potent Hemp 
Factory during 60 days’ work 
(Signed) A. VANDERMEERSCH 
Acting Saree 1 
February 17, 1890. 
{Enclosure No. 2.] 
Answers to queries respecting machines in use at Mauritius for 
biteiting fibres from leaves of Furcraea gigantea. 
The machine in general use in this Colony is a drum of 2 feet in i 
diameter by 1 foot in width, upon which are bolted blades in 
i L 1 ; 
-ine el, and ich revolves eed, the 
blades passing close to a guide in brass (“servante”). T 
machine is called “ gratte ’) scraper. It is manufactured in 
per. 
the Colony by all aaoi shops, but chiefiy by the “ Forges 
and Fonderies de Maur 
2. The weight of the dim. is about 4 ewt., the cost, including the 
driving pulley and bolts (exclusive of framework, masonry, and 
setting), is about Rs. 250 per “ gratte.” 
3. Fe + levies has been in general use in Mauritius for the last six 
4. The  atachine] is worked by steam or by water power. 
ð. The registered horse-power to drive one gratte is 3 h 
6. One gratte is served by two men who siand on each side of the 
pai and who work alternately. One of them must be left- 
d arrier will bring 
yard to the gratte, and aiiother man will suffice to remove the 
wet fibre produced by two grattes and to carry this npe to the 
weighing machine and thence to the cleaning pits. - 
* Not reproduced. 
