PRESENCE OF THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT ENGINEER, 195 



1 If lbs. of fibre out of 28lbs, of Flax-straw.— See the editor's 

 report. 



The experiment made by working my former patent 

 machines for breaking and scutching Flax and hemp, from 

 retted-straw, sent over by Messrs. Prichard and Mourneron, 

 merchants, Paris (with whom I left a quantity of samples of 

 all kinds of fibres prepared by my patents, during the 

 "Exhibition of Industry," in Paris, in 1855, where I 

 exhibited similar specimens"), is another proof of the value and 

 importance of my machines; and I can refer to Mons. 

 J. B. Pastoureau Labesse, as he took a note in his pocket- 

 book of the work done, and said I might refer to him at 

 any time. 



. HEMP AND FLAX PKEPABEB BY DICKSON'S 

 PATENTS. 



April 11th, 1856. 



The following was the result from preparing by the . 

 machinery alone : — A portion of four bales of hemp and 

 Flax-straw, obtained from the committee of the Flax Society 

 of Brittany, by merchants in Paris, was sent to Mr. Dickson 

 to ascertain what he could produce from them by his 

 machinery. The Hemp and Flax-straw had been retted 

 (steeped in water), the usual way of preparing in France. 



The French Government Engineer, Mons, J. B. Pastoureau 

 Labesse,* was sent from Paris by the government to examine 

 the machinery, and witness t ! ie working and results. K. M. 

 Jones, Esq., Tooley Street, South wark, and several other 

 gentlemen were also present. 



* This gentleman weighed the Flax and Hemp-straw before and after it was 

 broken and scutched, and took a note of it in his pocket-book, and gave me 

 leave to refer to him as to the quantity produced clean "by the machines.— 

 J.H.D. 



