B L E 



BLAUFELCHEN,in Ickhyology,\.\\t name under which 

 SJmo IVartmanni of Bloch and Gmehn is defcribed by 

 Wartmann Befth Berl. Naturf. Fr. 3. p. 184. 



BLAVIGNAC, in Geography, a town of France, in the 

 department of the Lozere, and chief place of a canton in 

 the diftrift of St. Chely d'Apcher; 6 miles fouth of 

 St. Chely. 



BLAUKOEPFIGr. Rothe Amsel Frifch, one of 

 the fynonymous names of iiiriiiis minor; Gmel. 



BLAUMEISE, in Ornhhohgy (Frifch. Hift.of Birds), 

 the blue titmoufe of Englifh writers, znd parus caruleus of 

 Linnxus. 



BLAUSLUYS, in Geography, a town of Holland, 2 

 leagues well of Gcrtnefdenburg. 



BLAUSPECHT, in Ornithology, the name of the com- 

 mon nut-hatch ; Jitla Europua in Frifch. Hift. of Birds. 



BLAYE, Blavia, or Blavutum, in Geography, a fea- 

 port town of France, in the department of the Girondc, and 

 chief place of a diftrift of the fame name featedoniheGironde, 

 or Garonne, near its conflux with the Dordogne. Its citadel 

 is fituate on a high rock, and it is defended by a fort con- 

 ftrufted on an ifland in the river, which is here 1900 toifcs 

 wide ; and on the other fide of the river, in the countiy of 

 Mendoc, is another fort. AU fhips that are going up the 

 river to Bourdeaux, depofit their arms and cannon at Blaye, 

 before they pafs the river, and take them up on their return. 

 The town contains 358c, and the canton 13,819, inhabitants. 

 The territory comprehends 160 kiliometres, and 14 com- 

 munes. It is dillant 20 miles north from Bourdeaux. 

 N.lat. 45°9'. W.long. o°45'. 



BLAYMARD, or Bleymard, a towm of France, in the 

 department of Lozere, and chief place of a canton, in the 

 dillrift of Mendc. The place contains 546, and the canton 

 11,802, inhabitants. Its territory comprehends 347* kilio- 

 metres, and II communes; 3^ leagues ealt of Mende. 



BLAZE, in the Manege. See Star. 



BLAZEGNIES, in Geography. See Malplaquet. 



BLAZEY Bay, a bay in the Englifh channel, on the 

 fouth coaft of Cornwall, between Fowey and Deadman point. 



BLAZING Star. See Comet. 



BLAZON, or Blason, in Heraldry. To emilazonk a 

 term ri<rnifying the defcription of things borne in coat-ar- 

 mour, in fuch manner as they ought to be reprefcnted, ac- 

 cording to the rules of heraldry. To llazon, originally fig- 

 nilied the blowing or winding of an horn by the heralds, 

 at julls and tournaments, when they proclaimed and recorded 

 the atchievcments of the combatants. 



BLEA, in Vegelablfs, is tliat part of a tree, which lies 

 immediately under the bark, and between that and the hard 

 wood, and' is the firil progrefs of the alteration of the bark 

 into wood by the natural growth and ilrergthening of the 

 fibres. See Botany. 



While the blea remains yet loft, and retains fonnething of 

 the nature of bark, it may maintain a feeble vegetation ; 

 but when it is grown abfolutcly hard and woody, it can 

 contribute nothing to the growth of the tree. The ve- 

 getation of the young branches of trees is the moll lively 

 and vigorous, and the only one that goes as far as the 

 flowers and fruit, becaufe thefe branches are little elfe but 

 bark. 



BLEACHING. The art of bleaching confills in re- 

 moving the coloured matters intermixed with vegetable and 

 animal fubllances in their natural Rate, or fuch as they have 

 fubfequently imbibed by accident, or fomc artificial procefs. 

 Edward Huffey Delaval, cfq. F.R.S. has fliewn, by a num- 

 ber of accurate experiments on the caufe of the permanent 

 colours of opake bodies, publilhcd in the fecond volume of 



B L E 



the fecond edition of the Memoirs of the Literary and 

 Philofophical Society of Manchefter, '< that when the co- 

 louring matter of plants is extrafted from them, the fohd 

 fibrous parts, thus diveRed of their covering, difplay that 

 whitenefs which is their diflinguifliing charafter. White 

 paper and hnen are formed of fuch fibrous vegetable matter, 

 which is bleached by difiblving and detaching the hetero- 

 geneous coloured particles." He further obferves, " it 

 appears that the earth, which forms the fohd fubitance of 

 plants, is white ; that it is feparable from the colouring matter 

 by feveral means ; that whenever it is either pure and unmixed, 

 or diffufed through tranfparent colourlefs media, it exhibits 

 its whitenefs, and is the only vegetable matter which is en- 

 dued with a refleftive power ; that the colours of vege- 

 tables are produced by the light reflecled from this white 

 matter, and tranfmittcd from thence through the coloured 

 coat or covering, which is formed on its furface by the co- 

 louring particles ; that whenever the colouring matter is 

 either difcharged or divided by folution into particles, too 

 minute to exhibit any colour, the folid earthy fubflance is 

 expofed to view, and difplays that whitenefs, which, as be- 

 fore noticed, is its dillinguilhing charafier. 



He Rates that in all thofe animal matters which do exhibit 

 colours, the colouring particles are endued with the fame 

 properties, and are regulated by the fame laws, which pre- 

 vail in vegetable fubitances. 



A reference to the original paper can only dojuRice to the 

 obfervations of this excellent philofophtr, confirmed by 

 numberlefs experiments ; but what is already faid will be 

 fufRcient to give an idea of the nature of the procefs of 

 bleaching, and that it depends on the removal of the matter 

 interpofed betwixt the air and this white fubllance. 



The national importance of bleaching is fo great, that it 

 comprehends nearly the whole of the cotton and linen manu- 

 fatlure, and goes to an extent beyond moll other arts. 



Its operation in thefe branches may be confidered under 

 two points; viz. ill, the feparation of extraneous fubRances 

 from linen and cotton, which is effefted by lleeping, ferment- 

 ation, or weak alkaline leys ; 2d, the feparation of the ccn- 

 ftituent or inherent colouring matters of thofe fubllances, 

 which is effefted by different modes, and by various modi- 

 fications of each method, as expofure to the air, light, the 

 ufe of alkaline leys, foap, oxygenated muriatic acid, combina- 

 tions of oxygenated muriatic acid with other m.attcrs, fuU 

 phuric acid, hepar fulphu'ris, &c. 



To imprefs upon the mind the nature of the bleaching 

 bufinefs, it will be proper firR to deicnbe the vcRlls ufed ia 

 the fundry operations of Recping, boiling, bucking, wafhing, 

 fouring, &c. then proceed to fhew the management of each 

 procefs, with fome obfervations on its effedls; and, laRly, how 

 to make or procure the articles necelTarily employed in this 

 art, and the method of afcertaining the qualities of each, 

 adding fome obfervations on the theory of the operations. 

 Bleaching of goods, particularly cotton manufadlurcs. 



ifl. On Steeping. 

 The veffels generally ufed in bleaching are made of fuch 

 wood as will not communicate any colour to the liquors 

 they are to contain, and therefore deal or fir wood is pre- 

 ferable to moil others. The veffels employed for Reeping the 

 goods when received from the loom are ufually of the form A, 

 fg. I. Plate I. Bleaching. The goods when received from 

 the weaver contain not only the natural colouring matter of 

 the cotton, which is of an oily nature, and which prevents 

 the cloth from eafily imbibing water, but alfo a fubftance 

 called fowins, being a paRe made of Hour and water, ufed 

 during the weaving, and applied with brufhes upon the 

 v.arp, in order to give a firmnefs to the threads by glueing 



or 



II 



