389 
would have cost in 1852, by no less a sum than £1,000,000 
sterling. 
In addition to rags of all kinds, large quantities of old rope, 
cordage, bagging, fishing nets, and old navy stores, are em- 
ployed in the manufacture of paper. The waste of the 
Manchester cotton mills, and that of the spinning mills in 
various parts of the country, produce annually a very large 
supply of material, which is now skilfully applied to paper 
making, and which, when mixed with other materials of a 
tougher quality, produces a very useful paper. The waste of 
flax mills is a material in very great demand ; it is employed 
to give toughness and strength to paper, of which cotton and 
similar substances form the principal part. 
Straw Paper. — Paper made from straw is now manufac- 
tured at four or five Mills in this country, and, owing to 
improvements recently made in its manufacture, is getting 
into more general use. The principal source of expense, 
incurred in the manufacture, is the alkali required to dissolve 
the silicious coating of the straw ; two tons of straw furnish 
only one ton of pulp. Straw paper is more of a composition 
than a genuine paper, as it requires the use of binding 
materials (plaster of Paris, &c.) to give it the surface required. 
It makes a good scribbling and note paper, and is pleasant 
to write on when well made, but should only be employed for 
ephemeral purposes. 
Flax Paper. — One of the most successfully applied sub- 
stitutes for rags, is that of flax. Mr. Jackson, of Pimlico, 
has made some excellent white paper of this material, admi- 
rably adapted for newspapers. 
A Company has also been formed for the preparation of 
flax fibre for paper making and other purposes, but they do 
not manufacture paper. 
Pottery Tissue Paper from Old Ropes, &c 
Formerly, this fine paper was made exclusively of the best 
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