S' H A 



S H A 



a llrewed over them, the ll<ins doubled together, fo that 

 the ftrewed fide lies inwards, and then each, being rolled 

 apart in a little felt or voilok, they lay all thefe rolls orderly 

 on one another, and prefs them equally by a confiderahle 

 and uniformly prefling weight, under which they muft lie 

 twenty-four hours. In this time the fal-ammoniac water 

 dilTolves enough of the cupreous particles for penetrating 

 the ikin with an agreeable fea-green colour ; and though it 

 be not ilrong enough the firft time, yet a fecond layer of 

 copper-du!!;, wetted witii fal-ammoniac water, with which 

 the flcins muft lie again twenty-four hours, will be quite 

 fufficient for ftaining them thoroughly ; when they may 

 be properly cleaned, fprcad out, and dried. For giving 

 the blue colour to fhagreen, they ufe only indigo, which 

 to this end i? not fo prepared as for the filk and cotton- 

 dyers, but entirely without bones, only by ftrenuous fric- 

 tion, is mingled and dillolved with the other ingredients. 

 They put about two pounds of finely grated indigo in the 

 kettle, pour cold water on it, and itir it till the dye begins 

 to diffolve. They next didolve in it five pounds of pounded 

 alakar, which is a fort of barilla, or raw foda-falt, burnt by 

 the Armenians of Kitzliar, and a worfe kind by the Kal- 

 mucks, adding two pounds of lime and one pound of virgin 

 honey, all thoroughly itirrcd, and fet in the lun for feveral 

 days, during which the Itirring is frequently repeated. The 

 (hagreen flcins which are to be made blue muft be put only 

 ill the natrous ley, fchora, but not in the brine made of 

 common fait. They are again folded up wet, and fewed 

 clofe together round the edges, with the flefh-fide turned 

 inwards, and the fhagreened hair-fide outwards, upon which 

 they are three times dipped in fucceflion in an old ftore-dye 

 kettle, at every time prelling out the fuperfluous dye ; laftly, 

 they are all brought into frefh dye, which muit not be 

 prefled out, and with which the ikin is hung up in the ftiade 

 to dry ; they are, for the laft time, cleaned, ornamented on 

 the edges, and reduced to order. For the black (hagreen 

 they employ nut-galls and vitriol in the following manner : 

 the Ikins, llill moift with the brine, are thick Itrewed with 

 finely powdered nut-galls, folded together, and laid one on 

 another twenty-four hours. In the mean time a new ley 

 of bitter earth-falts or fchora is boiled and poured hot in 

 little troughs or trays. In this ley each ficin is waved to 

 and fro fcvcral times, is again ftrewed with pulverized nut- 

 galls, and again laid in heaps for fome time, that the virtue 

 of the galls may thoroughly penetrate the fliins, which are 

 then fuffered to dry, and are beat out to clear them from 

 the galls. When this is done, the fkfn is fmeared on the 

 Ihagrecn-fide with mutton fuet, and laid a little in the fun, 

 that it may abforb the fat. It is tiie cuftom, likewife, with 

 the fliagreen-makcrs to roll up each fkin apart, and to 

 fqiieeze and prefs it againll fome folid body, in order to 

 promote the abforption of the unftuous particles. Tiie 

 furplus is again fcraped oft^ with a blunt wooden fcraper. 

 This being done, and the ll<in having lain a httle while, a 

 fufficient quantity of iron-vitriol is dilfolved in water, with 

 which the ftiagreen is rubbed on both fides, by which it 

 ioon acquires a beautiful black colour : and now the edges 

 and other defedtive parts are dri (led. To obtain white 

 (hagreen, the flcin muil firft be fteepcd in ftrong alum-water 

 on the fhagreened fide. Irving imbibed this, the (kin is 

 well rubbed on both fides with a pallc of wheaten flour, and 

 left to dry with it ; then all the paftc is wafhcd away with 

 alum-water, and the (kin fet to dry completely in the fun. As 

 foon as the flcius are dry, tliey arc gently fmjared over with 

 clean melted mutton fat, leaving them in the (un to imbibe it, 

 and are worked and prelFed with the hands to promote this 

 cfFeft. Afterwards the (kins are falleiied one by one on 

 Vol. XXXII. 



the above-mentioned ftretchiug-bench, warm water is poured 

 over it, and the fuperfluous fat fcraped off with obtnfc 

 wooden inftruments, to which the warm water juft poured 

 on has much affilted. By this procefs the (hagreen receives 

 a fine white colour, and needs only, in conclufion, to be 

 drefl'ed and rubbed. This whitenefs, however, is given to 

 the fhagreen, not fo much that' it may continue in that 

 ftate, but in order to impart to it a beautiful high red hue, 

 as this end could not be obtained to fuch perfeftion without 

 that preparation. But the (hagreens intended to be ftained 

 red mult not be brought out of the natrous bitter fait ley 

 into the brine, but muft be made white, in the manner above- 

 defcribed, and afterwards fupplied with the brine, in which 

 they are left to he about twenty-four hours, or lefs, from 

 the dye. The dye is made with cochenille or kirmifs, as 

 the Tartars call it. The operation is begun by boiling 

 for a full hour about a pound of the dried herb tfchagan, 

 which grows plentifully on the fait rteppes about Attrachan, 

 and is a fort of kah, in a kettle large enough to contain 

 about four common vedros of water, by which the water 

 acquires a greeni(h colour. The herb is then taken out, 

 and about half a pound of grated cochenille put into the 

 kettle, with which the above decottion mult boil another 

 full hour, diligently itirring it on the fire, that the kettle 

 may not boil over. Laftly, to this are added fifteen or 

 twenty grains of the material which the dyers call lutter 

 (perhaps orpiment), let the dye boil a little more, and then 

 take the fire from under the kettle. Tlien the fliins taken 

 out of the brine are laid feparately in trays, pouring the dye 

 upon them four times, rubbing it in with the hands, that 

 it may be equally fpread and imbibed, prcfTing it out every 

 time, which done, they are ready for drying and ornament- 

 ing, and fell much dearer than the others. 



The beft (hagreen is that brought from Conftantinople, of 

 a brownifh colour ; the white is the worft. It is extremely 

 hard ; yet, when Iteeped in water, it becomes very foft and 

 pliable ; whence it is of great ufe among cafe-makers. It 

 takes any colour that is given it, red, green, yellow, or 

 black. It is frequently counterfeited by morocco, formed 

 like (hagreen : but this laft is dilUnguiihed by its peeling 

 off, which the firlt does not. 



SHAGUM, in Geography, a river of America, which 

 runs into lake Erie, N. lat. 41° 49'. W. long. 81'-" 21'. 



SHAH, the Perfian title correfponding to king, and 

 equivalent to khan. (Sec Cham.) Neverthelefs, the 

 moft abfolute Perfian monarciis, who have never adumed 

 any other title than that of (hah, have permitted the go- 

 vernors of provinces in tiieir empire to take that of khan, 

 which is its equivalent, and which they have ever afFefted. 

 Even in our time, the governors of the provinces of Ghilan, 

 Mazanderan, &c. who have no more authority in Pcrfia, 

 than the pachas in Turkey, take the title of khan, the 

 reafon of which it is not eafy to alTign. 



SHAHABAD, in Geography, a town of the kingdom 

 of Candahar ; 40 miles S.W. of Cabul. — Alio, a town 

 of Hindooltan, in the circar of Sirhind ; 42 miles E.S.E. 

 of Sirhind. — Alfo, a town of Hindooltan, in Oude ; 4; 

 miles W. of Kairabad. N. lat. 27° 40'. E. long. 80° 20'. 

 — Alfo, a town of Hindooftan, in Oude; 25 miles S.W. 

 of Mahomdy. 



SHAHAMA, a name given to a colollal ftatuc, cut in a 

 mountain in the neighbourhood of the ancient city of Bami- 

 yan, in the Eaft Indies. This city, (which is defcribed in our 

 article Bamian,) is eight days' journey north-wcfterly Irom 

 Cabul, and is rarely vilited by Europeans, though highly 

 deferving of examination. The (tatue in quellion is ac- 

 companied by another, called Salfala. Native traveller* 



3B differ 



