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*^e linen, as it comes from the loom, is charged with 

 ihe weaver's pafte or dreliTmg, to difcharge which, the linen 

 mull be deeped in water for about 4S honrs, and afterwards 

 taken oat and well wafhed ; in order to fcparate the rcfj- 

 noiis muter inlierent in the vegetable fibre, the linen mull 

 then be deeped in the cold folution of fulphuret of li;ne 

 (prepared as above), for about 12 or iS hours ; then taken 

 out and well wailied ; when dry, it is to be fleeped in the 

 oxymuriatc of lime, prepared by Mr. Tennant's procefs, for 

 12 or 14 hours, and then walhed and dried. This procefs 

 is to be repeated by fix alternate immerfions in each liquor, 

 which are fufficient to whiten the linen. 



Though we mull confefs, that we have fome doubts ref- 

 pectinq; the application of fulphuret of lime to fupeif-de 

 the ufe of aihes, in bleaching goods intended to remain per- 

 fedlly white, yet we think it incumbent upon us to ftate, 

 that for goods previoully bleached for dying, it podcffts 

 advantages over thofe where alkalies have been ufed, and 

 which has been actually proved above 30 years ago, by the 

 practice of Mr. Peter Henry Otterfen, communicated by 

 him to the late Mr. John Wilion, of Ainfworth, near Man- 

 chefter. Mr. WUfon's memory deferves ever)' mark of refpedl 

 from the cotton manufaflurers of England, for his numerous 

 improvements m the bleaching, dying, and finilhing of cotton 

 goods. 



For the life of private families, where the linen is dirtied 

 by perfpiration or greafe, it will be of great fervice towards 

 rendering it white, to fteep it for fome time in a clear hquor, 

 made by mixing one quart of quicklime in ten gallons of 

 water, letting the mixture Hand 24 hours, and then ufing 

 the clear water drawn from the. lime. After the linen has 

 been ileepcd in this liquor, it fhould be walhed as ufual, but 

 will require much lefs foap to be ufed. 



Cotton goods, after bleaching, were formerly dried in the 

 open air, on frames or tenter rails, or on rails in covered 

 buildings, or in large rooms or ftoves heated for the purpofe, 

 all which modes were attended with great delay and dif- 

 advantages. 



Thefe difficulties were removed in 1797 by an apparatus, 

 fimple in its conilruftion, eaiily managed, and of fingular ufe 

 in facilitating the procefs of the bleacher. For this ufeful 

 invention the public are indebted to John Burns, efq. of 

 Paii'ley. 



Bv this difcovery the bleacher can ereft a drying machine, 

 equally ufeful at all feafons, and in all weathers, at lefs than 

 one-tenth of the expence of former conftruclions, for doing 

 bufinefs to the fame extent. There is no rifle of damage 

 from wind or rain, lefs chance of injury from fervants, owing 

 to the fimple manner in which the goods are prepared. 

 They receive a fine glofs during the procefs of drying, the 

 colour is as well preferved as if dried in the open air, and 

 they cannot be injured by the heat. 



A contrivance fo obvioufly beneficial and complete, was 

 foon introduced into general praftice in the weft of Scot- 

 land ; and fo undoubted were the claims of the above gentle- 

 man to the originality of invention, that the bleachers in the 

 neighbourhood prefented him with a handfome donation of 

 filver plate, fnitably infcribed, in teftimony of their fenfc of 

 his merit, and as fome reward for communicating his plan to 

 the public. 



We are more particular in noticing this circumftance, as 

 fome other perfons have fubfequently taken out a patent for the 

 fame principle, with a little variation in the conilruftion of the 

 machine, but which alteration has not been found to anfvver 

 the purpofe as expcfted. We (hall therefore now more par- 

 ticularly defcribe Mr. Burns's apparatus for drying. 



Fig. I. Plate III. A is the boiler or fleam veficl ; B, the 



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ftfety valve 5 C, the hollow leaden pipe which conveys the 

 fleam from the boiler to the rollers ; D, a brafs cock hoi- 

 lowed to receive the pivot of the roller, reprefented in j^. 2. 

 one of which cocks is fixed to the pipe under each roller, 

 and by opening which the lleam is adnutted into the roller ; 

 E reprefents twelve rollers placed upon the cocks, one of 

 which, next to D, has the cloth upon it in the operation of 

 drying ; Fl F, the wood frame in which the machinery is 

 placed ; GGG, the fupporters of the leaden fleam pipe, and 

 of the trough HH, which trough is 15 inches broad at top, 

 to receive the water formed by the condenfed llcam as it drops 

 from the bottom of the rollers, E, and to conduft it to I, a 

 Imall pipe extending from the trough, H, to the funnel, K, 

 which funnel has its lower pipe reaching to within eight 

 inches of the bottom of the boiler, to prevent the fleam from 

 ifTuing out at its mouth, and which funnel keeps the boiler 

 fupplied with water to its proper height, or fhews when any 

 is wanted, as the fleam would arife through it if water Ihould 

 be wanting in the boiler. 



Fig. 2. Plate III. fhews one of the rollers feparate from 

 the frame. It is ufually five feet long, one foot in diameter, 

 and made of double tinned flieet iron, and hollow in the 

 middle, for containing the fleam ; a is the lower pivot of the 

 roller, which is an open tube at the end for receiving the 

 fteam conveyed through it from the cock. This pivot riles 

 a foot within the roller, at the under part of the roller ; at d 

 is a (mail hole for allowing the condcr.fed lleam to drop into 

 the trough placed below it as above-mentioned ; b, the other 

 pivot or axis of the roller, which is fallcned to the top bar of 

 the frame by a latch, as reprefented in Jig. i. ; f , a row of 

 teeth fixed into a fmall flip of tinned fliect iron, foldered to 

 the roUer, and thereby elevated to prevent the teeth from 

 tearing the cloth. 



Fig. 3. Plate III. a machine about three feet in height, 

 for the purpofe of lapping the cloth upon the rollers. A, 

 the box in which the cloth is firll laid ; B, the fartheil 

 wooden roller, over which the cloth pafTes from A, and 

 from thence under the wooden roller C, to the tin roller D, 

 on which it is lapped by turning it with the handle E ; F, 

 the cloth pafTmg under the roller C, to the tin roller D, on 

 which, when it is lapped, it is ready to be carried and placed 

 in the drying machine ; G, a weight hung from the projec- 

 tion in the frame at H, over the roller B, to keep the cloth 

 fufficic-ntly tight as it paffes from the box A, over that roller 

 to be lapped on the drj'ing roller D. 



Fig. 4. Plate III. fliews another method of lapping the 

 cloth on the tin roller, previous to its being dried. A, a per- 

 pendicular frame in the front of which is placed the tin roller 

 B, with a handle for turning it at C ; the cloth D extendi from 

 the roller B over the wo i>den roller E, in a frame F to G, 

 where its other end is attached by a wire run acr.ifs it to 

 fome wrapper or linen cloth, faftened to a board H, fixed 

 below the roller B. L L are upright polls fixed to the 

 outer fide of the bottom frame KK, having wooden pegs 

 NN in them, on the fide nearell the tin roller B. Rails or 

 rods arc laid acrofs from thefe to fimilar pegs oppofite, to 

 prevent the cloth touching the ground when it is adjufting 

 in the beginning of the operation, and the number of thefe 

 pofts neceiTary, therefore, are in proportion to the length of 

 the cloth. 



At the commencement of lapping the cloth on the tin 

 roller B, the frame F, moveable on fmall rollers II, running 

 in grooves on the frame KK, is drawn fo far back, that when 

 the cloth is fallened to the wrapper G, one half of the piece 

 reaches to the roller F, the other half paffed over that roller, 

 reaches to the tin roller B, to wiiich it is then to be fallened. 

 On turning the handle C, the cloth is gradually lapped round 



the 



