TAPESTRY. 



of the warp goe» tliroujrh a liiiall biafs riiij; called a male, or 

 through a loop in the kifli, and hath a final! long weight or 

 hngoe hung below, to counterbalance the packthreads, 

 wluch goin| from Uie top of the rings or loops, are palTed 

 over the pidlies in tlie table diredly over the loom, and are 

 continued nearly in an horizontal pofilion on one fide of the 

 loom to a convenient dillance ; where they are all fpread on 

 a crofs piece fallcned to two ftaples : thefe are called the 

 tail of tk' mountun- ; and from each of thefe packthreads, 

 juft by the fide of the loom, arc faftened other packthreads, 

 called /;«/>/«, which defcend to the ground; fo that by 

 pulling thefe fimple cords, you raife any of the threads of 

 the warp at pleafure : wherefore they fatten a loop or pot- 

 lart to as many of thefe fimple cords as there are threads of 

 the warp to be pulled up at every (hoot, or every throw of 

 the (huttlc ; by which means the (hoot (hews itfelf on the 

 right fide, where the warp is pulled up : and in ordering 

 this, they are guided by the pattern, on which they count 

 the difta'nces of the fubdivifions, which contain the fame 

 colours in the fame line, and can be (hot at once : then they 

 fallen potlarls to the feveral fimple cords that draw up the 

 rings, through which thofe threads of the warp run, which 

 are to lie behind this colour ; they tie all thefe loops to- 

 gether, and fatten a piece of worfted or filk to the knot, of 

 the fame colour that the workman is to thro\v ; and the 

 boy, when he pulls each loop, names the colour, that the 

 weaver may take the proper (huttle, and fo on for every 

 colour to be thrown. Phil. Tranf. abr. vol. vi. p. 469, See. 

 In conneftion with this fubjeft, we are naturally led to 

 give a brief account of the manufadure of carpets. This is 

 faid to have been introduced into France from Perfia, in the 

 reign of Henry IV., where it has been dittinguiihed by ex- 

 traordinary encouragement. The moft confiderablc manu- 

 faftory of this kind was that of Chaillot, or the royal manu- 

 factory of La Savoniere, or the Soap-houfe, about a league 

 from Paris. This manufafturc was altogether of wool, and 

 worked in the manner of velvet. AU forts of figures of 

 animals may be imitated in this work, but fruits and flowers 

 anfwer beft ; and it is moft fuccefsfully applied to the manu- 

 fadure of carpets and all forts of fcreens. 



The carpets are, in fome refpeft, wrought by the upright 

 way of tapeftry. The two rollers are placed the fame way : 

 the warp is braced from the top downward ; the chain, with 

 its loops, keeps all the threads of the warp equally per- 

 pendicular ; the ftick, which facilitates their croffmg, runs 

 through them in the fame manner, and feparates the fore- 

 moft threads from the reft ; the lizier-pole holds all the 

 firings, which ferve to draw the fore-threads in their turns, 

 and then the oppofite threads, in order to infert the fpindles 

 of wool. But the method of working in this manufactory 

 differs from the upright way of tapeftry in the following 

 particulars. 



The warp is divided, both before and behind, into parcels 

 of ten threads, nine white and one blue ; which is regularly 

 continued through the whole width of the piece. The 

 weaver works on the fore -fide, and confcquently fees what he 

 docs. The defign or pattern is traced in its proper colours 

 on cartons, tied about the workman, who looks at it every 

 moment, becaufe every ftitch is marked upon it, as it ought 

 to be in his work. By this means he always knows what 

 colours and (hades he is to ufe, and how many ftitches of the 

 fame colour. In this he is affitted by fquares, into which 

 the whole defign is divided ; each fquare is fubdivided into 

 ten vertical lines, correfponding with each parcel of ten 

 threads of the warp ; and befides, each fquare is ruled with 

 ten horizontal fines, croffmg the vertical lines at right angles. 

 The woik/nan having placed his fpindles of thread near him, 



begins to work on the firll horizontal line of one of the 

 fquares. Thefe lines marked on the carton are not traced 

 on the warp, for this would be endlefs ; becaufe an iron- 

 wire, which is longer than the width of a parcel of ten 

 threads, fupplies the place of a crofs Une. This wire is 

 managed by a crook at one end, at the workman's right 

 hand ; towards the other end it is flatted into a fort of knife, 

 with a back and edge, and grows wider to the point. The 

 workman fixes his iron wire, or rod, horizontally on the 

 warp, by twitting fome turns of a fuitable thread of the 

 woof round it, which he paifes forward and backward, be- 

 hind a fore-thread of the warp, and then behind the oppofite 

 thread, drawing them in their turn by their leilhes. After- 

 wards, if it be neceffary, he brings his (voof-throad round 

 the wire, in order to begin again to thruft it into the v^'arp. 

 He continues in this manner to cover the iron rod or wire, 

 and to fill up a fine to the tenth thread of the warp, which 

 is the blue one. He is at hberty either to ftop here, or go 

 on with the fame crofs line in the next divifion. According 

 as he pafTes the thread of the woof round the iron wire, and 

 into the warp, the threads of which he caufes to crofs one 

 another at every inttant ; wheu he comes to the end of the 

 line, he takes care to ftrike iu, or clofe again all the ftitches 

 with an iron reed, whofe teeth freely enter between the 

 empty threads of the warp, and which is heavy enough to 

 ttrike in the woof he has ufed. This row of ftitches is again 

 clofed and levelled, by a dweet of blue thread doubled, 

 which the workman puts into the warp, Aiding his hand 

 over the whole length of line he has wrought. He crofles 

 the fame threads of the warp, and then ftretches through 

 them another fingle blue thread. He beats in thefe two 

 threads, one after another, with his reed ; thefe dweets of 

 crofs thread, which are a fupport to each line, will be hid 

 by the pile on the fore-fide, and they indeed diminifh the 

 beautv of the wrong fide ; but this is of no coniequence. 

 This done, the workman draws the iron rod or knife out of 

 the loops of the woof that covered it ; and as it is wider to- 

 wards its end, thefe loops refift its pafTage ; but being edged 

 at its fore part, it cuts them through. Then the workman 

 witf: his left hand lays a ftrong pair of (liears alCng the 

 fini(hed fine, cuts off the loofe hairs, and thus forms a row of 

 tufts perfectly even, which, together with thofe before and 

 after it, form the (hag. One line of this fort comprehend- 

 ing the row of ftitches and woollen pile, with the two blue 

 threads which fupport them, fomewhat furpafs in thickncfs 

 the fpace between the firft and fecond crofs line of a fquare. 

 By this means the workman always fees what he is doing. 

 He follows, ftitch for ftitch and colour for colour, the plan 

 of his pattern which he is at, and paints magnificently, with- 

 out having the leaft notion of painting or drawing. 



The manufacture of carpets, after the manner of Chaillot, 

 was introduced into London in the year 1750, by two 

 workmen who left the manufaftory in difguft, and came 

 here to procure employment. They were encouraged and 

 furnifhed with materials by Mr. Moore, to whofe alTiduity 

 and zeal the eftabUfhment of this fort of manufacture has 

 been princi{>ally owing. However, thefe men afterwards 

 connected themfelves wath a Mr. Peter Parifot, \vl\o, under 

 the patronage, and by means of the pecuniary afGitance of 

 his royal highnefs the duke of Cumberland, piu-fued the 

 manufacture of a carpet already begim at Paddington. 

 This undertaking was foon removed to Fulham, and, under 

 the munificence of the duke, promifed to be durable and 

 advantageous. In 1752, Parifot, the undertaker, propofed 

 a plan of fubfcription, the nature of which it is now needlefs 

 to recite ; as the whole fcheme, as far as he was concerned 

 io it, foon came to nothing. But Mr. Moore, being pro- 

 vided 



