K E R M E S. 



abundance; which, in M. Marfigli's opinion, would have a 

 better efTecl in medicine, if taken in a liquid, than when en- 

 clofed in conferves and confeftions, which hinder its adion. 



Woollen cloth, prepared with alum and tartar, acquires, 

 on being boiled with dry kermes berries, a durable deep 

 red colour, called fcarltt in grain, from the kermes having 

 been fprmerly fuppofed to be the grain or feed of the tree ; 

 and Venicd fcarkt, from the greatell quantities having been 

 dyed there. This colour wants the luftre and fire of the 

 cochineal fcarlet now in vogue, but in return is far more per- 

 manent, nor fubjetl to be ftained by dirt, or acrid liquors ; 

 and when fpotted with greaf e, may be cleaned again without 

 injury to the colour. 



Mr. Heilot obferves, that the figured cloths to be feen in 

 the old tapeftries of Bruflels, and the other manufaftures of 

 Flanders, which have fcarcely loft any thing of their liveli- 

 nefs in Handing for two hundred years, W'ere all dyed with 

 this ingredient ; that, ncverthelefs, kermes is at prefent en- 

 tirely in difufe among the European dyers, though faid to 

 be commonly employed in the Levant, and exported thither 

 from Marfeilles in confiderable quantities : that when the 

 kermes fcarlet (now called an ox-blood colour) is wanted 

 for tapeftries, &c. our dyers endeavour to imitate it with 

 cochineal ; that as the colour is difficultly hit with cochineal 

 alone, they generally add a portion of Brazil wood ; and 

 that the dyes thus produced, though at firft more vivid than 

 they ought to be, often lofe their luftre before a year is at an 

 end, and turn white and grey in an extraordinary manner ; 

 that kermes might again be introduced to very good advan- 

 tage, as its colour is of the molt durable kind, and as fiindry 

 (liades are obtainable from it with lefs trouble and expence 

 than from ether drugs. 



The fame author has given a great number of experiments 

 upon kermes, with different falts and metalhc folations. The 

 principal of thefe are as follow : 



On adding to the decoftion of kermes a fmall quantity 

 of folution of tin, the dark colour of the liquor is immedi- 

 ately brightened, and prepared woollen dyed therein, inclines 

 more to the orange than with tlie kermes alone. With this 

 improvement of the colour, it receives the imperfeftions, 

 though not all the beauty of the cochineal fcarlet ; all alca- 

 lefcent fubftances ftaining the cloth, that is, deftroying the 

 efFedl of the acid folutiou. 



Kermes, with cream of tartar, and as much of the fo- 

 lution of tin as is employed for the cochineal fcarlet 

 (without any alum) dyed unprepared cloth of an ex- 

 tremely vivid cinnamon colour. On dipping the cloth in a 

 folution of alum, a part of the red re-appeared, but was not 

 beautiful. 



With cream of tartar, folution of tin, and alum in 

 larger quantity than the tartar, this drug gives purplifh 

 colours, which vary according to the proportions of the 

 ingredients. 



If vitriolated tartar be fubftituted to the alum and tartar ; 

 and if after the kermes has been boiled in a folution of a 

 fmall quantity of this fait, the ftuff" be boiled in this mixture 

 for about an hour, the dye proves a beautiful kind of grey, 

 in which the red is little perceived. 



Glauber's fait, employed along with kermes, entirely de- 

 ftroys its rednefs, and gives an earthy grey colour. This 

 dye is very perilhable, on account of the particular nature 

 of the faline fubftancc, by means of which the tinging 

 particles arc applied ; for Glauber's fait diffolves eafily in 

 cold water, and falls into a powder in tlie fun's heat. "This 

 obtains equally in all dyes ; ihofe drugs which afford moll 

 durable colours with tartar and vitriolated tartar, give 



very perilhable ones with the more dilToluble and calcinable 

 falts. 



Green and blue vitriol, fubftituted feparately to alum, 

 but taken in conjunftion with cream of tartar, deftroy like- 

 wife, or conceal the red colour of kermes, which in thefe 

 two experiments has the fame effeft with galls, for it pre- 

 cipitates the iron of the green vitriol which tinges the cloth 

 of a bright grey, and the copper of the blue, which gives a 

 kind of olive dye. It likewife gave an oHve dye with folu- 

 tian of copper made in aquafortis ; a certain mark, that it 

 poflefTes, like galls, an ailringent precipitating quality. It 

 is probably the ailringency of kermes that renders its dye fo 

 durable ; for all the barks, woods, roots, and other fub- 

 ftances that are aftringent, yield permanent colours. 



White vitriol, employed with cryftals of tartar, change* 

 the red colour of kermes into a violet. A tintture of Ijif- 

 muth ore, in fpirit of nitre, and a folution of bifmuth itfclf 

 made leifurely in four times its weight of fpirit of nitre, 

 diluted with an equal quantity of water, gave alfo a violet 

 dye upon white cloth. All acids convert it to a cinnamon 

 colour, which inclines more or lefs to red, according as the 

 acids are weak, and their quantity fmall. Alkalies render 

 its colour dull and dry. See Neumann's Chemiftry, by 

 Lewis, p. 508, &c. 



To dye fpun worfted with kermes, it is firft boiled half ati 

 hour in water with bran ; then two hours, in a frelh bath, 

 with one-fifth of Roman alum, and one-tenth of tartar, to 

 which four water is commonly added : after which it is 

 taken out, tied up in a hnen bag, and carried to a cool place, 

 where it is left fome da^s to obtain a full colour. As much 

 kermes as equals three -fourths, or even the whole of the weight 

 of the wool, is put into a warm bath, and the wool is put in 

 at tlie firft boiling. As cloth is more denfe than wool, either 

 fpun or in the fleece, it requires one-fourth lefs of the falts 

 in the boiling, and of kermes in the bath. Lefs propor- 

 tions of kerines will produce lighter and paler colours. If 

 a fucceffion of (hades be wanted, we muit, as ufual, begin 

 with the deepeit. Heilot direfts a fmall handful of cot or 

 refufe wool to be thrown into the boiler in which the 

 kermes is, and to let it boil a moment before the wool to 

 be dyed is put in. This will abforb a kind of black dregs, 

 and the wool afterwards dipped will take a better colour. 

 Before the wool that is juft dyed is taken to the river, it may 

 be dipped in a bath of water a little warm, in which a fmall 

 quantity of foap has been dilTolved. In this way the colour 

 will acquire more brightnefs, though it will be rendered a 

 littkf rofy, that is, will have a crimfon call. The colour 

 imparted by kermes to wool, has much lefs bloom than the 

 fcarlet made with cochineal ; whence the latter has been 

 generally preferred, fincc the art of heightening its colour 

 by means of folutiou of tin has been known. EerthoUet. 



Kermes Mineral, or, in modern language, the hydro- 

 fulphuret of antimony. The kermes mineral was a pre- 

 paration of Glauber, which the king of France bought of M. 

 de la Ligerie, and made public in 1720. That receipt was 

 in the following form : take a pound of Hungarian antimonv, 

 broken into thin pieces, according to the diredlion of its 

 fpicula ; four ounces of nitre, fixed by charcoal ; and a pint 

 of rain water ; boil them two hours ; then filtre the warrn 

 liquor, and when it cools, tiie kermes precipitates. The 

 fame antimony undergoes the fame operations with the re- 

 maining liquor, to which three ounces of fixed nitre, and a 

 pint of water are addt?d. In a third boiling, two ounces of 

 nitre, and a pint of water are to be added to the former lixi- 

 vium. Tlie kermes thus obtained is about a dram, and is 

 well edulcorated by wa(hing it v.ith water, and burning 

 fpirit of wine on it ; then it is dried for ufc. 



