SDBSTITUTE FOR LEGHORN PLAIT. Jg73 



Account of a Supstitute for Leghorn Plaits for Hats, Sfc. 

 By Mr, William Corston, of Ludgate Hill*. 



DEAR SIR, 



H. 



AVING been honoured, in May 1805, with the gold Manufacture 

 medal of the Society, for a substitute of Leghorn plait for o^ .^^^^^^^ 

 hats, it is with great satisfaction that 1 am able to inform i^g. 

 you, that this country is now beginning to reap those ad- 

 vantages, which I foretold to the Society six years ago, and 

 that many hundreds of women and children are at present 

 employed in the various part& of this kingdom, in the manu- 

 facture of this article. 



Isold to two persons, in less than two months, upwards 

 of 5000 scores, and had an order from a third for 2000. 

 But this bears but a small proportion to the demand, and 

 evinces the truth of the statement I made of the great ad- 

 vantages likely to result from the introdnction of this new 

 branch of manufacture into this country. 



In Joseph Lancaster's Book on Education, 1 have pointed Application of 

 out farther advantages, which may be derived by the country waRteland, 

 at large, from the cultivation of waste and barren lands for 

 the production of the material of which the British leghorn 

 is made. This has been proved by experiments, which I 

 have made on Bag-shot Heath, by favour of the Earl and 

 Countess of Harcourt ; and in Bedfordshire, by the benevo- 

 lence and public spirit of the Duke of Bedford ; and on 

 barren land in Norfolk, near my native place. Indeed no 

 soil can be too barren for this purpose, provided the seed 

 will lie. I have shown, that 2000 acres might be annually 

 cultivated in the growth of this article, and that a quantity 

 of such land might in succeeding years be brought into more 

 productive cultivation: but I am afraid, that this plan is 



• Irans. of the Soc. of Arts, &c. vol XXVllI, p. 130. 



Vol. XXXI— Dec. 1811. T too 



