Paper Reed. 27 



which the translators of the Bible have rendered bulrush, really 

 signifies the same plant; as in Exodus ii. 3; Job viii. 11 ; and 

 in other parts of the Old Testament. If this be the case, the 

 ark in which Moses was laid must have been made of the 

 Papyrus. " The waving, feather-like tops of the full-grown 

 Papyrus were used to crown the statues of the goddesses in 

 many temples ; the upright stem was used in the construction 

 of light vessels. When macerated in water or wet sand, the 

 fibres served for cordage, and sail cloth was occasionally 

 woven of it. The solid part near the root was converted into 

 soles for the sandals of the priests, cups and various toys, the 

 more valuable on account of the scarcity of wood in Egypt; 

 but the chief and most important use of the Papyrus was as a 

 material for writing on."* The ancient Egyptian name of 

 this plant was biblos, which, for an obvious reason, was adopted 

 by the Greeks to signify book, and is retained by christians in 

 the name of the bible. From the common name-Papyrus is 

 derived our word paper, the ancient method of manufacturing 

 which from this plant, as described by Pliny, appears to have 

 been as follows : — The stem of the reed was divided into 

 lengths, each sufficient for a page, and then, carefully peeled 

 in a transverse direction, as far inward towards the core as 

 possible, so as to make the width of the page the greater. 

 Several of these strips were laid together, and then covered 

 with some glutinous material, such as gum, glue, or flour paste. 

 Some authors say that the slimy water of the Nile is sufficient 

 for this purpose, but experiments have shown that it would not 

 answer. The first layer being dry, a second was placed trans- 

 versely upon it, that the fibres might cross each other, like the 

 threads of cloth. The whole was then beaten, and a strong 

 pressure applied to make it smooth and level. It is probable 

 that Pliny was ignorant of some part of the process, since this 

 method has been attempted without success by Bruce, the 

 traveller, who, however, by a different process, succeeded in 

 making a tolerable sheet of reed paper. It is said that the 

 invention of parchment, which for many centuries was tbo 



* For these and other facts imbodied in this account, see "A Scripture 

 Herbal," by Maria Callcott. London, 1842. Art. Paper Reed. 



