B L E 



feffel, nearly filled with water, in which the leaden retort is 

 placed ; _/", a tripod of iron, on which the retort iinnds ; ;^g, 

 the leaden retort, from which the gas is to be diftilled ; h, a 

 tunnel of bent lead, throngh wliich the oil of vitriol (ful- 

 phuric acid) is to be introduced into the retort ; /, a leaden 

 cover, fitted and luted to the neck of the retort, having three 

 sperturts, viz. for the introduftion of the tunnel, the rod 

 of the agitator, and the tube of the condenfer; /•, the agi- 

 tator, formed of a rod of iron coated with lead, having 

 feme arms at its lower end to ftir the materials within the 

 retort. At the part where the rod paffes through the cover, 

 ft leaden collar or cap is foldered, to prevent the agitator 

 from dtfcending too low ; thefe two parts arc made in a co- 

 nical form, to fit exactly, and thus prevent the efcape of the 

 pas ; /, a lenden tube or pipe, of three inches bore, to con- 

 duel the gas into the tubulated refcrvoir; m, the leaden rc- 

 fcivoir, formed upon, the principle of Wolfe's apparatus ; 

 the tube, /, dclcends by the firft aperture, ;/;, to the bottom 

 of the refervoir, which is about two thirds full of water. 

 The fmall portion of fulphuric acid, which rifes in diftil- 

 lalion, unites with this water ; the oxygenated muriatic acid, 

 ^hich traverfcs this water, paffes by the pipe, n, into 

 the receiver or condenfer, oo, which is a wooden veffel, in 

 the uiidd of which is placed an agitator, p, the arms of 

 which raking up the lime canfe it to combine with the gas, 

 in proportion as it aril'es in bubbles from the lower extremity 

 of the leaden pipe, n. 



The projedlions of wood, qqqq, fixed to the flaves within 

 the tub, counteradl the rotatory motion of the arms of the 

 agitator, and thus afTul the combination of the gas with the 

 lime and water. The cover of this tub is fixed dole upon 

 the edge of it at r; the cover having a groove in it to unite 

 them tighter together ; s, a cock, to draw off the liquor, 

 vhen fufnciently impregnated for ufc ; t, a wooden hnr.dle 

 to give motion to the agitator. The joints may be luted 

 witli clay, to prevent the efcape of the gas. 



F'i^. 3, and 4, fhew Mr. Tennant's improved machinery for 

 prejiaring the oxy-muriat of lime. The outline, A, (fig. 3.) 

 is the Hill, made of lead, of a circular form, having a 

 double flange at the top, which is filled with wat-.r, to 

 prevent the gas from efcaping in that dirtttion. B, the 

 leaden cover of the Hill, having a flange on the under fide, 

 vhith goes into the double flange of the iliU, and having a 

 dou' le flange on the upper fide, which is filled with water; 

 the inner part of this double flange confifts of a fhort tube, 

 which goes quite throngh the cover, opening by this mi-aiis 

 a communication with the ilill, and allowing the gas to efcape 

 through the long leaden pipe inferted into it, and from 

 thence into the receiver, as explained 2X fg.^, where there 

 is a fedion of the ttill, furnace, and receiver ; a, the Hill ; b, 

 an iron pan in which the liill is placed on an iron Hand ; 

 tiiis pan is then nearly filled with water ; c. the fire-place ; </, 

 the furnace door; e, the alh-hole ; yi double flange filled 

 with water ; _"-, the cover, with flanges on the upper fide 

 filled with water. D, the receiver, made of wood, and lined 

 with lead ; i, a double flange filled with water, the interior 

 pipe communicating with the infide of the receiver, and 

 bent horizontally as at /-, from whence the gas ilTues into 

 the receiver ; /, /, two (hort pipes inferted in the top of the 

 receiver, through which the rods of the agitators have a 

 free motion ; m, m, a ttopper in the top of the receiver, 

 clofed when the receiver is at work, hut fiifliciently large, 

 if removed, to admit a perfon into the inlide to repair or 

 clcanfe it, when necelTary ; n, n, two paddles, or agitators, 

 generally of a fquare torm, and of a fimilar conllruilion to 

 the head of a churn flatf ; 0, 0, the rods of the agitators 

 attached by iron pins to the lever, j, which lever has llils at 



B L E 



the place of jiinilion, to allow the rods to rife and fall per- 

 pendicularly ; f>, the fulcrum or fupport of the lever ; q, 

 the lever, which, by a proper motion communicated to if, 

 alternately raifes and depreffes the agitators in the receiver ; 

 >; a rod conncfting the lever q, with the lever s, which lafl 

 lever is put in motion by the wheel E ; /, a balance weight 

 placed at the other end of the lever ; the beam fuppoiting 

 the fulcrum of the lever being near the letter s. E, the 

 wheel to be put in motion by water, or in any other way, 

 having a crank, u, communicating by an upright fliuft with 

 the lever s. 



It will be found that the flanges, filled with water, pre- 

 clude the neceffity of the application of any lute, and occa- 

 fion the operation to be condncltd in a cleaner, cheaper, 

 and more expeditious mode, than formerly employed. 



To defcribe the proportions of the feveral firticles ufed ia 

 the procefs of bleaching, would carry us far bevond the 

 bounds which can be allotted in the prefent publication ; we 

 fhall, therefore, give the following fhort but clear account of 

 the mode we recommend to be praftifed, to procure the molt 

 perfect and durable white on cotton goods, after their being 

 taken from the weaver; which is, firfl:, to wet them thoroughly 

 in cold water ; then to allow them to lleep in cold, or luke- 

 warm water, from 13 to 56 hours, according as they are of 

 a ftrong or thin fabric ; then to wafh them well in clean 

 cold water ; afterwards to buck or boil them in a cauflic 

 alkaline ley ; then to wafii the goods well in clean water, 

 and afterwards immerfe them in diluted oxymuratc of lime, 

 and wafh them, repeating the operations of the alkaline leys, 

 and the oxymurinte of lime, till the goods are perfectly 

 white ; then to pafs the goods through the diluted l^ulphuric 

 acid liquor, wafliing them well afterwards ; lafllv, to pafs 

 them through a weak ley of pearl-alhes, or of foap, and again 

 through clean water, before drying and finifliing them ; 

 which finifliing 01 the goods confills in ftarching, blueing, 

 rolling, or callendering them as fafliion direfts, or the parti- 

 cular market for which they are intended, may require. 



It is to be remarked, that the immerfion of" the goods I'a 

 the vitriolic fours, and alio in pcarl-afh, or foap liquor, is 

 neceffHry at the end of the procefs, to prevent a brov.n hue 

 which the cloth- that are bleached white from the oxyge- 

 nated muriatic acid, without fuch precaution, are apt to 

 revert to. 



By experiments made at Rouen en cotton thread, with » 

 view to afcertain whether the old or new mode of blenching 

 was more prtjudicial to llie fabric, it was proved that the 

 cotton thread bleached in the new mode bore, without break- 

 ing, confiderably more weight than that bleached in the old 

 method, and was Icfs injured in texture. 



In the report on experiments, made by order of th.e truf- 

 tees of the linen and hempen manufadtures at Dublin, in the 

 year 1791, with a view to afcertain the comparative merits of 

 feveral fpecimens of bleaching liquids feiit for their exami- 

 nation, the following mode of bleael.ing appeared to be the 

 bell tor linens, and though executed on a fmall Icale, vrill 

 convey the principal neccffary information. 



May mil, 1791. The linen was fleepcd, in the Hate re- 

 ceived from the loom, into water of a iieat fufficient to bear 

 the hand, and left in the veflel. 



May ]6th. The linen was waflitd out of the liquor, in 

 which a pretty ftrong fermentation was obferved to have 

 taken place. 



May 17th. Finiflied making a mother-ley, which was 

 made in the following manner: three pounds and a half of 

 lime were llaked, and mixed with ten gallons of water ; four- 

 teen pounds of Dantzic jieail-afh were diflblved in fome of 

 this water ; then mixed the whole ; when it had fettled, it 

 4£ 2 was 



