March 1, 1864.] THE TECHNOLOGIST. 



ON INDIAN FIBRES, ETC. 377 



eldest boy, who is tacitly acknowledged as the head of this little hand. 

 By him it is carefully examined, and then passed to his neighbour, 

 who, having also inspected it, transmits it to the next boy. The stone 

 is thus passed from hand to hand amid unbroken silence, until it re- 

 turns to the hand of the eldest, who then asks the price, and makes 

 the bargain. If the little man is thought by his comrades to have given 

 too high a price, he must keep the stone on his own account. These 

 children are so perfectly acquainted with the value of all sorts of gems, 

 that if one of them, after buying a stone, is willing to lose one-half per 

 cent, on it, a companion is always ready to take it." 



ON INDIAN FIBRES SUITED FOR THE PAPER-MAKER. 



BY THE EDITOR. 



In eastern countries, paper was manufactured from indigenous fibres 

 long before it was introduced into Europe in the eleventh century. 

 According to Colonel Sykes, for 2,000 years paper had been made in 

 China ; never from rags, but always from fibre. The manufacture of 

 paper from pulp has long been established in India, and considerable 

 quantities are made from fibre ; but not generally of a good quality — 

 their thick ink not requiring so fine a paper as is used in Europe. The 

 manufacture was probably introduced from China across the Himalayas. 



Nearly ten years ago, in a valuable communication in the ' Journal 

 of the Society of Arts,' " On raw materials for the paper manufacturer," 

 Mr. T. F. Henley observed : — " With the immense resources which this 

 country possesses in her tropical dependencies, more especially India, 

 she should have the supply of the world with paper, as she has of other 

 manufactures, instead of being undersold ; but new ground must be 

 opened, and the proper direction should be — India." These remarks 

 apply with even greater force now. It is to India, I think, we must look 

 for extensive and cheap suppbies, for it is there alone we find the neces- 

 sary conditions of a very low-priced and intelligent labour, with an 

 abundance of elementary suitable materials ; and as articles of small 

 price are particularly sensitive of charges, such as of freight, &c, it is 

 only by large operations that an average of low charges can be accom- 

 plished. The lower quality of half-stuff, Mr. Henley considerd, might 

 be imported here, including all charges, at about 13?. 10s. the ton, and 

 the better quality, equal to linen rags, at 161. 10s. 



The fitness of many of the Indian fibres for conversion into paper was 

 shown at the Paris Exhibition in 1855, in various specimens made of plan- 

 tain and of aloe fibre ; of that of the screw pine ; of the sunn of India ; 



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