45 MR * HATCHETTS EXPER1MINCS 



3. Lump lac. 3. Lump lac, is formed from feed lac, liquefied by fire, and 



formed into cakes. And, 



4. Shell Uc. 4_ shell lac, according to Mr. Kerr and Mr. Saunders, is 



prepared from the cells, liquefied, drained, and formed into 

 thin tranfparent laminae, in the following manner. 



How made from " Separate the cells from the branches ; break them into fmall 



the cells. >< pieces ; throw them into a tub of water, for one day ; wafh 



" off the red water ; dry the cells, and with them fill a cylindri- 

 " cal tube of cotton cloth, two feet long, and one or two inches 

 " in diameter j tie both ends, and turn the bag above a charcoal 

 " fire; as the lac liquefies, twift the bag, and, when a fufficient 

 *' quantity has tranfuded the pores of the cloth, lay it upon a 

 " fmooth junk of the plantain tree, and with afirip of the plan- 

 " tain leaf draw it into a thin lamella ; take it off while flexible, 

 (f for in a minute it will be hard and brittle." f 



The degree of preflure on the plantain tree, regulates (ac- 

 cording to Mr. Saunders) the thicknefs of the fhell ; and the 

 quality of the bag determines its finenefs and tranfparency. 



Lac is moftly Aflam fumifhes the greateft quantity of the whole of the lac 



had from Aflam. now in ufe. * 



Beft quality. Mr. ^ err (fp ea king of ftick l ac ) obferves, that the beft lac 



is of a deep red colour j for, if it is pale and pierced at the top, 

 the value is diminifhed, becaufe the infects have left their cells, 

 and confequently thefecan be of no ufe as a dye or colour, but 

 probably may be better for varnifhes. 



The feed lac which I have examined, contained but little of 

 the colouring matter, and appeared (as I have already obferved) 

 to have undergone fome procefs of purification; but, of all the 

 varieties, (hell lac contains the lead of the tinging fubftance, as 

 may well be expected, when the mode of preparing it is con- 

 iidered. 



Chemifts have It is remarkable, that although lac has been known, and im- 



paid little atten- p 0r tcd into Europe, during fo long a time that (he date cannot 

 now be ascertained, yet it has but little attracted the attention 

 of chemifts. 



ing matter by boiling, having been previoufly reduced, by pounding 

 into fmall fragments. In Bengal, the fiik dyers are the people who 

 thus produce what we call the feed lac, which they do for the fake 

 of the colour. 



f Phil. Trans. 1781, p. 378. % Phil. Tranf. 1789, p. 109. 



4 The 



