'258 



JOURNAL ; R.A.S. (OEYLOK). 



[Vol. IX. 



rubbed over it and dried. When quite dry, the pots are exposed 

 to the sun and then fired. 



" Crucibles are now made with a mixture of pulverized plum- 

 bago. To three parts of potter's clay one part of plumbago and 

 one part of burnt chaff are added, and the whole ground well. 

 The crucible made of this material will last four months, whilst 

 the ordinary crucible will last only a month. 



" I understand that the last King of Kandy sold plumbago to 

 merchant vessels. There is, I am told, a field at Kegalla where 

 it is said that Molligoda Adigar dug plumbago. This will be 

 interesting if true." 



.appendix 2?o. 2.3. 



Plumbago and Pencil-making in Germany. 



The following is the reply of Mr. Walter Freiidenberg to 

 questions of ours respecting the use of plumbago in Germany : — 



<4 In reply to your letter of 13th I beg to say that Ceylon 

 plumbago is not used for pencil manufacture in Nuremberg — 

 Siberian graphite is taken instead. 



" The ' needle' plumbago you refer to is not to be had in very 

 large quantities, and I cannot give you accurate information about 

 its final destination — >i. e., whether it is used for crucibles or lubri- 

 cating purposes. 



" In Germany, a great many Steel Works do not use any 

 plumbago at all, but Krupp takes large quantities every year. 

 As far as I can judge at present — I have no accurate knowledge 

 of the statistics— the consumption of Ceylon plumbago in Ger- 

 many is not on the increase. 



"I send you a catalogue of Johann Faber, Nuremberg, which 

 kindly return after perusal. It will give you an idea of the im- 

 portance of the pencil industry in Nuremberg, and one or two 

 items in the preface may be of interest to you." 



The large " Illustrated Catalogue of Johann Faber, of Nurem- 

 berg and London," alluded to above, is a very fine specimen of 

 lithography, and gives certainly a vivid idea of the extent and 

 importance of the pencil-making industry, the coloured illustra- 

 tions showing many hundreds of varieties of pencils of every 

 possible shade, from deep black to red and azure blue, with com- 

 binations of pencils, pens, erasers, and all the appliances required 

 by the artist, literary man, accountant, artizan, ball-goer, &c. 

 The preface states : — 



" The first black lead pencils were manufactured in England, 



