B L E 



printed colours appearing to advantaffe, the goods are 

 lifnally b'.nkd for fome time in bran and water, and tlien ex- 

 pofed to the air, by laying them on the grafs, and tiirowing 

 upon them clear water from time to time. Mr. Grimlhavv, in 

 the year 1796, obtained a patent for clearing printed goods 

 comi ig from the madder copptr, by uiing the grains after 

 brewing malt liquorb, inftead of bran ; the plan lie recom- 

 mends is, that the grains fliould be previoully four, and that 

 three or four bufhels thereof, more or lefs, according to the 

 colour ol the cloth, fn; uld be put into a copper of hut water, 

 -containing 200 gallons or upwards, and four or five pieces 

 of the printed cotton goods then immerfcd therein, and 

 worked over a wjnch backwards and forwards, for ttn 

 or fifteen minutes ; the pieces are then taken out of 

 the copper, and well w-afiied in clear water, and laid (Iraight 

 Mpon the ground for two or three days, till the parts which 

 fhould be white become clear. The fame liquor, with the 

 addition of a few grains, will ferve to clear other printed 

 goods, till the whole number wanted to be cleared, have 

 been completed ; a fufficient quantity of clear water being 

 added to replenifh what has been abforbed by the goods, 

 or evaporated in boiling. Alter either of the operations 

 above-mentioned, the inimerfion of the printed goods in 

 dilute oxygenated acid, will anfwcr the purpole of the e.";- 

 pofure to the air. 



Bleaching cf Boohs-, Prints, and PjJ>er, See Books, 

 &c. and Bleach i>;g ; Jiipra. 



Bleaching of Hair. See Hair. 



Bleaching of Wax. See Was. 



BLEAK, in Ichthyology, the Englifti name of Cyprinus 

 Alburnus, a fpecies diltinguiibed from the other Hlhes of 

 its genus by having twenty rays in the anal fin. 



The bleak is a very abundant tlfh in many of the Englirti 

 rivers, and in thofe of the northern countries ot Europe in 

 general. The fleihis in fome elleem ; but it is chictly taken 

 for the fake of the beautiful filvery fcales, which artilts 

 make ufe of in the manufaftory of artificial pearl. The 

 credit of this invention is claimed by the French ; and it is 

 faid, that they have arrived at fuch a degree of perfeftion in 

 this art, that, independent of the plain filvery hue of the 

 beads in common, they can vary the colour to blue, green, 

 or any other vivid tint they may defire. The procefs is very 

 fliort ; the fcales are fcraped off, wafhed, and then reduced 

 to a tine powder ; this is diluted with viater, and introduced 

 into a thin bubble of glafs, where it forms an internal coat- 

 ing ; the cavity is then filled with wax, through which a 

 hole is bored, and the bead is finifted. 



Gmelm fpeaks of this fpecies being from four to ten 

 inches in length ; but thefe do not commonly exceed fix 

 inches. This fifh is infellcd in the fummer-time with a crea- 

 ture of the vermes tribe, that hves in the intelUnes, and 

 which oftentimes increafes to fuch a vaft fize as to occafion 

 the death of the bleak. Filbcs fo infefted rife to the furface 

 of tlie water, where they leap and tumble about in the 

 greateil agonies, and in that ftate are well known to the 

 fiihermen by the name of mad bleaks. The white bait taken 

 in the Thames at Dlackwall and Greenwich, in the month 

 of July, is believed to be the fry of this fpecies. Vide Do- 

 nov. Brit. Filhes, pi. 18. 



BLEB, a fmall blifter, or bubble. 



Naturalills have obferved fmall purple blebs on all the 

 plants of the hxpn-'icum kind. Phil. Tranf. N'-^ 224. Thick 

 pieces of glals, fit for large optic glaflcs, are rarely to be 

 had without bitbs. Ibid. N° 4. 



BLECHINGLEY, orBLEi CHiN'GLEY,in(7«^jfl/>,'>)', an 

 ancient but fmall borough town of Surrey, iuEngland; h..shad 

 the privilegeof returning members to parliament from time im- 

 memorial. The right of voting is veiled in burgage tenure; 



Vol. IV. 



B LE 



and the lord of the miner's bailiff vi'^s the rrturning officer tiH 

 1723, when, by a rcfolution of the houfe of co.T.mons, he 

 was dtp ived of lliit oliice ; and the borou ^h iias now the 

 fingulanty of fendmg two members to parliament, without a 

 mayor, conftable, or any other legal returning ofEcer. Sir Ro- 

 bert Clayton is the proprietor of the bor.nigh, and has confe- 

 quently the power of appointing the r. prelcntat:vts. The 

 town occupies the fummit and fide of a hill, and commands 

 fome fine and extenfive profpeAs into Kent, Hamplhire, &c» 

 Here was formerly a callle, which is nearly obliterated, and 

 its fcite is overgrown with coppice wood. An alms-houfe 

 and fre* fchool are the only charitable foundations of lhi» 

 place. The church is large and handfome ; but its fpir& 

 was deftroyed by lightning in 1606, at which time the bells 

 were melted by the cledfric fire. Fuller's earth and a fpe- 

 cies of iron-ftone are obtained in the vicinity of this town. 

 Blechingley is 2 I miles fuuth from London. The town and 

 fuburbs within the parifli, contain 1S6 houfes, and 1344 in- 

 habitants. 



BLECHNUM, m Botany. Lin. gen. r. 1175. Reich. 

 1292. Schrcb. 1627. CIjIs, cryplogamia fltces, or fernss 

 Gen. Char. Frurtifications difpofed in two hues, ap- 

 proaching to the rib of the frond, and parallel. 



Species, I. B. occidentals. South x\merican B. " Fronds 

 pinnate ; pinnas lanceolate, oppofite, emarginate at the 

 bafe." This fpecies rifes by a fimple undivided ftalk to the 

 height of 13 or 18 inches; leaves long and nan'ow ;^ many 

 pinnas, with two fmall auricles at the bafe. A native of 

 the Weft India idands, and the continent of South America. 

 Introduced here about 1777. 2. Y). orient ale, Chinefe Bt 

 " Fronds pinnate ; pinnas linear, alternate," Frond three 

 feet long ; ftipe covered at the bafe before, with large grey 

 briiVles ; the anterior fide fcored with three longitudinal 

 grooves ; leaflets linear-lanceolate, feffile, fmooth, entire, 

 ilreaked at an acute angle, the length of the finger. 

 Found in China by Olbeck, and alfo in the Society ifles. 

 3. B. aujlrale. Cape B. " Fronds pinnate ; pinnas fub- 

 ieffile, cordate-lanceolate, quite entire, the loweft oppofite." 

 Stipes a foot long, green ; fronds entire, about the edge 

 rugged ; the barren ones with broader pinnas, truncate at 

 the bafe ; the fertile, with lanceolate pinnas, hean-lhaped 

 at the bafe ; having two lines of frudification, longitudinal, 

 and diitant both from the edge and rib. A native of the 

 cape of Good Hope. Introduced here, in 1774, by Mr. F. 

 Maffon. 4. B. virginktim, Virginian B. " Fronds pin- 

 nate ; pinnas multifid." Having the ftature of polypodium 

 filix mas or male fern ; frond fmooth ; pinnas lanceolate, feffile, 

 femipennatifid, acute ; divifions obtufe, quite entire. A native 

 of Virginia and Carolina. Cultivated, in 1774, by Dr. John 

 Fothergill. 5. V>,japoniaim, Japonefc B. " Frond bipin- 

 natiiid ; pinnules ovate, obtufe, ferrated." Stipe convex at 

 the back and fmooth, before flat and ftreaked ; the whole 

 fnionth, flsxuofe, equal ; pinnas oblong, acute, pinnatifid ; 

 the lower fubpetioled, the upper feffile ; differing from the 

 orhntaL in having an ereft frond and blunt pinnules. A na- 

 tive of Japan. 6. B. radicans, rooted-leaved B. " Fronds 

 bipinnate ; pinnas lanceolate, crenulated ; the lines of fruifli- 

 ficatiou interrupted." Frond rooang ; pinnas leffilc. (lightly 

 concurrent at the bafe, ferrate with a very fine callus, acu- 

 minate, more veined beneath ; the line of fruftification |is 

 next the nerve, but interrupted as it were by long 

 points. A native of Virginia and Madeira, where it was 

 obferved by Kanig. Introduced, in 1779, by Mr. F. Maffon. 

 Propagation and Culture. The lourth fpecies alo le w'U 

 abide the open air in Er.gland ; the firll mull be kept in the 

 bark llove ; the rell require only the protertio'; ot t'le dry 

 ftove, or confcrvatory ; they are incrcafed by parting the 

 roots. Martvn. 



4 F BLEDSOE 



