442 



DYES A^TD COLORIXG STTFFS = 



stability, from which it appears that the Chinese possess a coioriug 

 substance haying the appearance of indigo, which communicates a 

 beautiful and permanent sea green color to mordants of alumina and 

 iron, and which is not a preparation of indigo, or any deriyatiye of 

 this dyeing principal. As furnished to M. Persoz bj Mr. Forbes, 

 the American consul at Canton, it was in thin plates of a blue 

 color, resembling Japanese indigo, but of a finer grain, differing also 

 from indigo in its composition and chemical pro|)erties. On in- 

 fusing a yery small quantity of it in water, this fluid soon ac = 

 quired a deep blue color with a greenish tinge ; upon boiling and 

 immersing a piece of calico on which the mordants of iron and 

 alumina had been printed, it was dyed a sea green color of 

 greater or less intensity according to the strength of the mordant 

 ■ — the portions not coated remaining white. 



A berry called MaMeica grows on a large forest tree at Bankok, 

 which is used most extensiyely by the Siamese as a yegetabie 

 black dye. It is merely bruised in water, when a fermentation 

 takes place, and the article to be dyed is steeped in the liquid and 

 then spread out in the sun to dry. The beny, when fresh, is of a 

 fine green color^ but after being gathered for two or three days 

 it becomes quite black and shrivelled like pepper. It must be 

 used fresh, and whilst its mixtiu^e with water produces fermenta- 

 tion. The bark of Datisca cannaMna also dyes yellow. It con- 

 tains a bitter principle, like quassia. 



A coloring matter is prepared from the dried fruit of the 

 HottJera t I'izctorici. Dy the natives of the East, to dye orange, which 

 is a brilliant and tolerably permanent dye. It is apparently of a 

 resinous nature. 



A small quantity of Alkanet root {AnG'>rusatinctoria),i^im^oi±e& 

 from the Levant and the south of France, and is used to color 

 gun stocks, furniture, cfec, of a deep red mahogany and rosev^'ood 

 color. It is brought oyer in packages weighing about two cwt., the 

 price being 40s. or 50s. per cwt. 



Turmeric is now imported to the extent of upwards of 800 tons, 

 a portion of this is used in ctyeing. The culture and commerce 

 has been already noticed in Section III. 



The bark and roots of the berberry are used in the East to dye 

 yellow ; the color is best when boiled in ley. Some of the species of 

 Symplocos, as aS'. racemosa, known as lodh about the Himalaya 

 mountains, and S. tinctoria, a native of Carolina, are used for dyeiug. 

 The scarlet flowers of JButea frondosa (the Dhaktree). and 

 B. super^ha, natives of the Indian jungles, yield a beautiful dye, 

 and furnishing a species of kino (Pulas kino) , are also used for 

 tanning. Altliea 'rosea, the parent of the many beautiful yarieties 

 of hollyhock, a natiye of China, yields a blue coioriug matter 

 equal to indigo. Indigo of an excellent quality has been obtained 

 in the East from a twining plant, Gymnema tingens or Asclepias 

 ting ens. 



The juice of the unripe fruit of Mhamnus infectorius, cathartic us 

 and virigatius, known as Turkey or French berries, is used for 



